Developing the Librarians' Role in Supporting Grant Applications and Reducing Waste in Research: Outcomes From a Literature Review and Survey in the NIHR Research Design Service

ABSTRACT

Librarians and information specialists' involvement during the development of grant applications for external funding can save researchers' time, provide specialist support, and contribute to reducing avoidable waste in research. This article presents a survey of information specialists working for the National Institute for Health Research's Research Design Service within English applied health services research and a scoping review to identify other examples of librarians supporting grant applications. The survey found that support included: verifying proposed research has not already been performed; searching literature to provide background for the project; and advising on or writing systematic review methods. The scoping review found three examples where librarians were involved: in writing sections of the application; conducting reviews, and becoming a co-applicant. We recommend librarians engage with researchers by checking whether search requests are to support an application and by becoming familiar with resources and techniques to support grant proposal development.     

International Development Models for Educational Reform1

Over the last half century of educational development, six distinctive administrative models have emerged: (1) neo-colonial, (2) centralised, (3) decentralised-regionalisation, (4) decentralised-sectoral, (5) community-based, and (6) transformative models. The origins, strengths, and weaknesses of the respective models are reviewed and compared.     

How can the inspection process enhance improvement in special schools?

Abstract

The new system for the inspection of special schools was introduced in England in September 1994, using common criteria as those used for mainstream schools. One of the main purposes of inspection stated by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) is school improvement. This paper presents the perceptions of headteachers of the inspection process arising from the first inspections carried out during September‐December 1994. The evidence base used on these inspections is also considered. These data are used to suggest that school improvement can be enhanced by the inspection process under certain conditions. A preliminary exploration of these conditions is provided in the paper. Implications for the school inspection process, school self‐review and future research questions are identified.     

Issues in identifying gifted students: How Renzulli's model stacks up

Traditional approaches to the identification of gifted and talented students are the subject of increasing scrutiny and criticism. Several problems, limitations and issues have been noted in the literature, and as a result, new conceptualizations and procedures have been advanced. Renzulli's Revolving Door Identification Model (RDIM) is one such model which has been widely adopted. This article first gives a brief summary of the model and investigates the reasons for its popularity. It then addresses some of the more serious criticisms that have been levelled against the model. Finally, it reviews what the authors feel are the more legitimate concerns about the model as they assess its validity and utility for identifying and serving gifted students.     

Learning to write in the street

In Mexico City there is a system of public scribes who function as written language brokers, composing letters, filling out forms, drawing up contracts, designing invitations or producing any other kind of written product that a client might require. The main question to be addressed in this paper is how the scribes learned their trade, and how they acquired the literacy practices and knowledge they need to make a living writing for others. The scribes' views about what they needed to learn and how they went about learning it is of interest to researchers and practitioners alike. Of particular relevance is the relationship they establish between the specific context in which they write and the use of ''local knowledge'' (as defined by Geertz) while writing. Their commentary on what they learned to do at school, what they learned to do in order to meet the demands of their clients, and how they must meet those demands is of particular interest at a time when educators are broadening their views about literacy, how it is learned, and how it is accomplished.     

Children's Vulnerability to Interparental Conflict: The Protective Role of Sibling Relationship Quality

This study tested whether the strength of the mediational pathway involving interparental conflict, adolescent emotional insecurity, and their psychological problems depended on the quality of their sibling relationships. Using a multimethod approach, 236 adolescents (M_age = 12.6 years) and their parents participated in three annual measurement occasions. Tests of moderated mediation revealed that indirect paths among interparental conflict, insecurity, and psychological problems were significant for teens with low, but not high, quality bonds with siblings. High-quality (i.e., strong) sibling relationships conferred protection by neutralizing interparental conflict as a precursor of increases in adolescent insecurity. Results did not vary as a function of the valence of sibling relationship properties, adolescent sex, or gender and age compositions of the dyad.     

The Earlier the Better? Individual Participant Data and Traditional Meta-analysis of Age Effects of Parenting Interventions

Strong arguments have been made for early intervention for child problems, stating that early is more effective than later, as the brain is more malleable, and costs are lower. However, there is scant evidence from trials to support this hypothesis, which we therefore tested in two well-powered, state-of-the-art meta-analyses with complementary strengths: (a) Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of European trials of Incredible Years parenting intervention (k = 13, n = 1696; age = 2–11); (b) Larger, trial-level robust variance estimation meta-analysis of a wider range of parenting programs (k = 156, n = 13,378, M_age = 2–10) for reducing disruptive behavior. Both analyses found no evidence that intervention earlier in childhood was more effective; programs targeted at a narrower age range were no more effective than general ones.