The Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE): Strengths,weaknesses and future directions

International Review of Education - One of the core outcomes of the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) held in 2009 was the Belém Framework for Action (BFA). Its...     

Institutional maintenance and elite sport: a case study of high-performance women’s ice hockey in Canada

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how Canadian women’s hockey stakeholders view the elite female hockey program and its impact upon the ability of a player to progress along the athlete development pathway. This research applied institutional work through institutional maintenance to address this purpose. A total of 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with players, parents, coaches and administrators with experience within elite female ice hockey programs. The finding indicated a static approach that mimicked the dominant male elite sport development model that both enabled and constrained the opportunities for female players to advance to high performance levels. The implications for the future success of women’s elite hockey in Canada, and the value of the Canadian model as an exemplar to countries building their female hockey systems are discussed.     

Attaining and Sustaining the Superintendency: The Perspectives of Four Successful Retirees

This article focuses on preparation and access to the superintendency and is based on a research study conducted in 2010 that included data gathered from four recently retired, reputationally successful superintendents. While intended to examine career pathways that best prepare future superintendents, the study revealed that specific positions did not impact participants' preparation for the position as much as their broad and diverse experiences and the people they met who served as mentors and sponsors. Additionally, findings from the study indicated that such experiences only prepared superintendents for success because they built on critical personal qualities and skills individuals already possessed including vision, commitment, ability to build relationships, a strong work ethic, genuine concern for their work and for other people, and courage.     

Perceptions of Preservice Early Educators: How Adults Support Preschoolers' Social Development

Studies show that for preschool-age children, social skills can have a profound effect on, and be a predictor of, future societal success and school achievement. Therefore, it is essential that young children develop appropriate social behaviors. To do this, preschoolers need support and guidance from the adults in their life: parents, family, and early educators. This study looks at the perceptions of preservice early educators in regards to their understanding of preschoolers' social and antisocial behaviors, their assumptions about what appropriate adult interventions might be, and their beliefs about the role they, as early educators, play in supporting young children's social development.     

BUILDING BRIDGES AND TEARING DOWN WALLS: CONSTRUCTING AN EARLY CHILDHOOD CAREER LADDER THROUGH UNIVERSITY‐HEAD START COLLABORATION

The purpose of this study was to explore child care teachers' perceptions of their initial preservice and in-service training experiences. Eighteen child care teachers working in six for-profit centers were interviewed. Based on the participants' responses, the findings are organized in two themes. First, because many of them entered the field without significant training and education, received little or no preservice training, and then participated in minimal amounts of in-service training, these teachers described their experience as being “thrown into the classroom.” Second, due to this lack of training, the teachers discussed the ways in which they were “figuring out how to do it” in terms of using their own natural abilities, learning by experience, and learning from other teachers by watching and asking questions. The findings of this study have implications for the field in terms of designing and structuring professional development opportunities for child care teachers to better meet their needs within particular contexts.     

An Exploratory Look at the Relationships Among Math Skills, Motivational Factors and Activity Choice

This study of a preschool classroom of 4 year old children examines underlying skills of number sense such as counting and spatial skills and Spontaneous Focusing on Numerosity. It also investigates children’s patterns of engaging in spontaneous mathematical activities in free-play activity centers in relation to behaviors associated with classroom achievement such as attention/persistence, self-regulation, perceived math ability, and motivation. A mixed method design with structured empirical measures and naturalistic observations was used. Several data sources were analyzed, including videotaped interviews, systematic observational data, and teacher ratings. Findings indicate that children who spontaneously focus on numerosity are advanced in their counting skills. Teacher rating of motivation and interest is also correlated with counting skills and spatial skills. Teacher rating of persistence is correlated with counting skills and child self-reports of persistence in math correlated with spatial skills. Variability existed in free play activity time, with social or dramatic play the only activity observed for all children. The major math activities chosen were those involving block construction and some computer games. It was noted that students less skilled in math tended to choose less cognitively challenging activities involving small motor tasks rather than more cognitively challenging activities. Using a Vygotskian socio-cultural lens, several suggestions are made about how verbal interactions with teachers and other adults may contribute to children’s cognitive competence in math.