Childbirth Education at the Crossroads

In this column, a reader expresses concern that attendance at childbirth classes is declining at the same time the cesarean rate is rising. The history of childbirth education is discussed in the context of both access to information and changes in maternity care since the introduction of formal childbirth education. Changing goals and contemporary challenges facing childbirth education are discussed. The need for a new model of educating and empowering women is identified, and ideas for changes are explored.     

EDUCATION,TASK MEANINGFULNESS,AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN YOUNG‐OLD AND OLD‐OLD ADULTS

Previous research has indicated that when tasks are made more meaningful, the performance of the elderly generally improves. A closer look, however, reveals that improvement occurs mostly for educationally disadvantaged elderly, highly educated older adults not benefiting differentially from meaningful material. Consequently, the present study compared performance of high‐ and low‐education adults on traditional and meaningful space and reasoning measures. A total of 246 male and female volunteers were divided into subgroups by age (53‐65 and 70‐78 years) and by education (high and low). Separate analyses of variance for reasoning and space revealed main effects for education and age on both abilities. In addition, main effects for test and sex, and a significant age by test interaction were found for space, with the performance differential between the familiar and traditional tests being much greater for the young‐old group. A trend for an education X age X test X sex interaction was found for reasoning, as expected, with low education, young‐old men doing more poorly on the traditional form. Suggestions for future related research are discussed.     

The foreign student as a student teacher

Cultural differences appeared to establish a communications barrier between this teacher and her student teacher. Perhaps Mrs. Bloom's experiences will be helpful to other supervisors who work with foreign student teachers.     

Assessing pre‐university students through extended individual investigations: teachers’ and examiners’ views

This paper reports a study of the views of teachers and Examination Board staff on the introduction of individual investigative work into pre‐university (Advanced level) Chemistry courses in England. The move towards investigative work at this level represented a significant change in emphasis in the nature of assessed practical work in pre‐university courses, and was initially a feature of only two courses, the Salters’ Advanced Chemistry course and the Cambridge Modular Science course. In this study, data were collected through the use of interviews with selected teachers of the two courses, and also with key staff in the relevant Examinations Boards. The findings of the study suggest that both teachers and Examination Board staff view the move towards investigative work at this level as having a number of benefits for students, though teachers reported some difficulty with their joint roles of teacher and assessor.     

Implementation of Educational Provision for Children with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability in the Western Cape: From Rights to Reality

Children with severe to profound intellectual disability have been excluded from education on the basis that their impairment makes them ‘ineducable’. The Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability challenged this notion through litigation against the South African Government. The ensuing judgement asserts the right to education of these children and outlines action steps for government to this end. We describe the actions taken by the Western Cape Education Department in responding to the requirements of the court by means of a document review. We then reflect on the implementation process, highlighting key learning points of relevance for others engaged in implementation. We note critical factors to be considered for the child, their families, special care centres, and the broader educational and legal systems. We conclude by outlining important considerations for the inclusion of these children within the education system in South Africa.