Air quality: a comparison of students' conceptions and attitudes across the continents

A closed‐form questionnaire was used to explore the ideas of school students about the composition of air, the causes and consequences of air pollution and the extent to which the students would accept various courses of action to reduce air pollution. Items for the questionnaire were derived from the results of interviews and an earlier open‐form questionnaire. More than 3000 students aged 11 to 17 years and from Australia, Hong Kong and the UK were surveyed. There was a degree of similarity between students from the different countries in their knowledge about air composition and air pollution. In terms of attitudes, however, there were differences in students' opinions about the acceptability of actions to improve air quality. Path analysis of the data appeared to show that Hong Kong students are more amenable to education as an instrument to influence their attitudes. For the other countries, the acceptability of actions for environmental protection was related to the degree of concern about air quality     

The Validity and Reliability of OFSTED Judgements of the Quality of Secondary Mathematics Initial Teacher Education Courses

The inspection by OFSTED's Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) team of courses of initial teacher education is high stakes. An unsatisfactory report can lead to course closure. Even a satisfactory report can lead to reductions in quota resulting in a spiral of decline in course viability. The high stakes nature of the inspection means that there has to be complete confidence in the level of validity and reliability of the inspection process. This paper presents an analysis of the complete cohort of published inspection reports of providers of secondary mathematics initial teacher education Post-graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) courses carried out by the OFSTED ITET team in the period 1996-1998. The analysis demonstrates that there is considerable variation in the reports in terms of word length, how particular criteria seem to be applied and how judgements are expressed. With the complexity of the framework for inspection it is impossible, given the current model of inspection report, to properly distinguish between consistency of application and the loading given to any particular criterion. Attention to the transparency of the inspection process and to matters of validity and reliability is crucial if there is to be confidence in the inspection system.     

Improvements in interval time tracking and effects on reading achievement

This study examined the effect of improvements in timing/rhythmicity on students' reading achievement. 86 participants completed pre‐ and post‐test measures of reading achievement (i.e., Woodcock‐Johnson III, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Test of Word Reading Efficiency, and Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency). Students in the experimental group completed a 4‐week intervention designed to improve their timing/rhythmicity by reducing the latency in their response to a synchronized metronome beat, referred to as a synchronized metronome tapping (SMT) intervention. The results from this non‐academic intervention indicate the experimental group's post‐test scores on select measures of reading were significantly higher than the non‐treatment control group's scores at the end of 4 weeks. This paper provides a brief overview of domain‐general cognitive abilities believed effected by SMT interventions and provides a preliminary hypothesis to explain how this non‐academic intervention can demonstrate a statistically significant effect on students' reading achievement scores. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 849–863, 2007.     

UNWIN,Lorna, and WELLINGTON,Jerry. 2001. Young People's Perspective on Education,Training and Employment: Realizing Their Potential

International Review of Education -     

A Motivational Intervention to Reduce Cigarette Smoking Among College Students: Overview and Exploratory Investigation

College counselors can play an important role in implementing brief strategies that will motivate students to stop smoking cigarettes. The authors provide an overview of motivational interviewing, a specific protocol that can be applied to college student smoking. The authors also present preliminary evidence of the success of this approach in promoting abstinence from smoking and a desire to change among college smokers.     

The effectiveness of classroom-based instructional assessments for progress monitoring purposes in Texas Reading First schools

The purpose of this article was twofold. First, the assessment materials from four core reading programs were informally reviewed for their adherence to Texas Reading First progress monitoring guidelines for kindergarten and the beginning of Grade 1. Conclusions support existing concerns regarding the variability in the quality and quantity of assessment materials within and across programs as well as concerns about whether the materials lend themselves to progress monitoring purposes at 2-week intervals for students who are struggling readers. Second, recommendations are made for the development of progress monitoring tools that are concise, easy for teachers to use, and that provide clear guidelines regarding the use of progress monitoring data to drive instruction. Accordingly the recent development of a progress monitoring tool that parallels the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI), which is an assessment tool used in approximately 95% of Texas Reading First schools was discussed.     

Teachers’ use of phonics,knowledge of language constructs,and preferred word identification prompts in relation to beginning readers*

New Zealand’s approach to literacy instruction is predominantly whole language. Explicit code-orientated literacy instruction is not favoured, however, most teachers are believed to include phonics in their literacy lessons. No study has been reported on phonics use in New Zealand schools. Survey responses on the use of phonics instruction from 666 primary school teachers were analysed. We also assessed knowledge of the basic language constructs related to early reading success with 55 teachers participating in a professional development program on literacy teaching. A word identification prompt task based on six common word error scenarios experienced by beginning readers was also administered. Results of the phonics survey revealed that 90% of teachers indicated they used phonics in their literacy instruction. Knowledge of basic language constructs was variable: phonological and phonemic knowledge were generally good, but understanding of phonic and morphological constructs was relatively weak. Only 40% of initial word identification prompts were focussed on word-level information; the remainder (60%) were based on context or were non-specific. The implications of these findings for beginning readers are discussed.     

Effect of adaptive advisement on perception in learner-controlled,computer-based instruction using a rule-learning task

The proposition that learner control of instruction can be facilitated by directly affecting the student’s perception of learning need was investigated. Students in one experimental condition were continuously advised during instruction of their learning performance and needs (amount and sequence of content) in relationship to the desired acquisition of rules at a given mastery criterion and were allowed to make instructional decisions. It was hypothesized that this condition would prove more effective on posttest performance than conditions without advisement — either partial learner control or conventional learner control. Results are discussed in reference to an information-processing approach to the design of computer-based instruction.