E-Learning change management and communication strategies within a HEI in a developing country: Institutional organisational cultural change at the University of the Western Cape

The paper attempts to report on the strides that UWC has achieved in the adoption of eLearning among the campus teaching community, namely the academics from across different faculties, in order to supplement their traditional face-to-face instruction. The qualitative approach was predominantly used. The case study methodology was uniquely applied in this paper because it was used in collaboration with documentary analysis to highlight the achievements and challenges encountered in the adoption and implementation of the existing home-grown Open Source eLearning system. A multi-dimensional non-coercive eLearning implementation approach was used highlighting the various communication and change management strategies that the institution has employed in its endeavours to achieve broad eLearning buy-in within a resistant environment. A generic Instructional Design Model was developed to portray a continuum in the support for a changing organisational culture. The results indicated that the institution has realised a 26% success rate of academics who have managed to have experienced a paradigm shift towards the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in supplementing their teaching practices.     

BRIDGING WORLDS: MEASURING LEARNERS�� DISCURSIVE PRACTICE IN A PARTSIM SUPPORTED BIOLOGY LESSON

We report on a case study that took place in a southwestern culturally and linguistically diverse urban high school science classroom during a grade recovery summer session. The introduction of a technology-infused unit on epidemiology engaged students in a multi-contextual exploration of the spread of diseases. The analysis of the resultant classroom discourse centers on connections made and identities expressed by the students (as students, social beings, avatars, and scientists), with particular attention to how these students use language to bridge worlds (the participatory simulation world, the classroom world, the ‘real’ world (outside the classroom), and the laboratory (science) world). The results indicate that including a participatory technology tool supported students’ learning journey. Specifically, students built on a shared virtual experience in ways that helped them to draw and expand on prior experiences well beyond the classroom in the service of developing science understanding.     

The structure of primary and secondary teachers' attributions for pupils' misbehaviour: a preliminary cross-phase and cross-cultural investigation

The purpose of this study was to see if systematic contrasts in educational culture and curricular emphases might affect the underlying structure of teachers' attributions for children's behaviour. Thus, responses to a questionnaire developed from earlier work by Miller and colleagues (2000, 2002) were gathered from primary and secondary school teachers in England and the Republic of Ireland. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that teachers participating in the study appear to have attributed pupils' misbehaviour at least as much to teachers' and adult behaviours as much as to any distinctive parental or home factors. The structure of primary and secondary teachers' attributions appears to have differed, with primary teachers distinguishing between their own and parental influences on children's behaviour. However, contrary to expectation the demands of the curriculum did not seem to have figured highly in these teachers' perception of causes of misbehaviour. Finally, some speculations on possible differences in relative weighting between English and Irish teachers' views are offered. Teachers in the Republic of Ireland appear to have attached greater importance to children's personalities and pressures on children. Further, teachers in primary schools in England seem to have rated their classroom management strategies and other more general adult behaviours as more important associates of behaviour than did their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to cultural and curricular differences and teachers' constructions of behaviour and special educational needs.     

Machine learning for human learners: opportunities,issues, tensions and threats

Educational technology research and development - Machine learning systems are infiltrating our lives and are beginning to become important in our education systems. This article, developed from a...     

Commentary on: Melanie Nind and Mary Kellett (2002). 'Responding to individuals with severe learning difficulties and stereotyped behaviour: challenges for an inclusive era'

The results of a study examining the psychometric quality of a pictorial scale to measure perceived physical competence, perceived cognitive competence and perceived social acceptance by peers and caregivers in individuals with intellectual disabilities are reported. The scale was administered twice to 100 subjects. The stability of the scale proved good: the test–retest correlations were sufficiently high and significant; and the internal consistency of the scale also proved good. To establish the internal validity of the scale, the correlations between the four subscales were calculated. The correlations were reasonable, which shows coherence between the four scales but also sufficient differentiation. The correlations between the two subscales for social acceptance were quite high, and it was therefore decided to combine them. To gain insight into the external validity of the pictorial scale, a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was constructed to measure the three domains of perceived competence from the pictorial scale in a more global manner. The VAS yielded reliable results. The correlations between the VAS and the pictorial scale were moderate to reasonable. Finally, the scores on the pictorial scale did not vary according to sex or level of functioning. All of the subscales differed according to age, however. Individuals over the age of 35 scored significantly lower than younger individuals. The results of this research show the pictorial scale to be a reliable instrument for the measurement of perceived competence and social acceptance in individuals with intellectual disabilities.     

Coaches' and New Urban Teachers' Perceptions of Induction Coaching: Time,Trust, and Accelerated Learning Curves

Approximately 80% of new teachers have mentors, yet mentoring typically fails to foster new teachers' professional learning—particularly in high-poverty schools. This qualitative study was situated within an urban teacher residency context and explored how six first-year urban teachers and the two induction mentors with whom they worked perceived and experienced induction coaching. This study also seeks to understand the characteristics of mentored induction (called coaching) that facilitate or impede learning. Results indicate that mentoring contributed to new teachers' professional learning and that (a) trusting relationships were foundational to the coaching process and developed over time; (b) coaching was aligned with new teachers' needs and context; and (c) coaching was a scaffolded process that enhanced new teachers' ability to respond to immediate needs, as well as identify and work toward long-term instructional goals. Insights and recommendations are provided to guide the development of or strengthen induction programs. As mentored induction in high-poverty schools is typically insufficiently enacted, this study depicts how mentored induction can be conceptualized and executed in order to make a difference in new teachers' professional learning.     

Picture preferences of children and young adults

The authors offer definitions of six types of illustrations and report a study of student preference for those picture styles. Generally, their subjects, 380 students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, and 11, preferred photographs, with realistic drawings ranked second. But there were significant differences between sexes and age groups. This study was supported by the Faculty-In-Aid Program of Virginia Commonwealth University. Statistical advice was given by David F. Bauer.