AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEXITY AND PROCESS IN MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS1,2

In this study hierarchical syndrome analysis was used to investigate empirically the clustering of tests each of which consisted of items based upon the rationale of a particular category of the Bloom Taxonomy (i.e., an “application” test, an “analysis” test, etc.). Each test included items related to eight physical science principles. Thus an attempt was made to hold the content as constant as possible and systematically vary process in the formation of the tests. The data indicate possible ways of combining Taxonomy item types based on the psychological distance between the categories.     

Figuring on fair use

How does US copyright law, and especially the doctrine of fair use, impact reusing figures drawn from a previous publication? Does it help if we redraw those figures in an attempt to evade copyright restrictions?     

On-Campus Clinical Training in Counselor Education

Experiential training in on-campus clinics is an important component of professional preparation for both counselors and psychologists. Similarities between counseling and psychology training clinics are explored and implications for counselor education discussed.     

Writing Up and Down: The Language of Educational Research

There is a marked tendency in educational research to marginalise the written word, and to be wary of what I here call its ‘writerliness’: its capacity to go beyond the prosaic and the utilitarian, where meaning is understood largely in terms of the success of language in reflecting reality. I note various symptoms of this in the world of educational research, but especially in standard textbooks of educational research method, where the ambition to eliminate writing is particularly evident. In its second half the paper turns to educational research as the investigation less of causes than of meaning. Here writing—finding the right words—is itself research, rather than a process that is first performed according to various protocols of method and then ‘written up’. I draw on an illuminating discussion of this in Raimond Gaita's Introduction to recent editions of Peter Winch's The Idea of a Social Science and apply it to current debate over discipline in UK schools.     

‘Asking for the moon’? a critical assessment of Australian disability discrimination laws in promoting inclusion for students with disabilities

The aim of this paper is to critique the dichotomy between the legal regulation of disability discrimination in Australia, particularly in the State of New South Wales, and inclusion policy as espoused by public education authorities. It is argued that the law and inclusion policy are aiming at different outcomes. As a result, through legal regulation, New South Wales undermines the human rights of individuals with disabilities by restricting their access to ‘mainstream’ education. Extracts from a variety of sources are used to enable the voices of students, parents, carers, advocates, teachers and members of the judiciary to be heard, a novel approach in a paper which is essentially concerned with the law. The paper begins with a consideration of the context in which disability discrimination in education laws operate, and the distinctions between policies and practice in that context. The paper then asks to what extent disability discrimination law is capable of expressing inclusive ideals. Finally, the paper suggests means by which international law norms could be incorporated into New South Wales law and policy, so as to achieve effective human rights protection. The paper concludes with Carla's story, which serves to demonstrate that inclusive ideals have not yet been appropriately incorporated into law or practice in New South Wales.     

What Effect does Listening to Individual Children have on their Learning?

In this article, the author reports the outcomes of studying a programme that provided 35 primary school children with weekly, individual, half-hour listening and talking sessions with an adult over 10 weeks. The skilled adult 'Listening Partners' offered an open agenda and a private space away from the classroom. The children could use the session as they chose. The consequences of this intervention were measured against the experience of a control group of children. Evidence of change was collected by comparing results from a standard listening test, teacher assessments, National Curriculum assessments and behavioural records. The author explores two central questions: how does increasing the amount of time that a child has the individual, listening attention of an adult affect that child's capacity to listen, understand and respond constructively to what is said to them in a teaching and learning situation? Are there any other effects on children in school who receive this one-to-one attention? The study showed that the focused attention of a trusted adult provided children with opportunities to communicate, notably disclosing child protection issues that may otherwise have remained uninvestigated. Increasing the opportunities for children to experience being listened to by a skilled adult positively affected their educational progress. She argues that skilled listeners have a significant effect on children's learning and on some children's behaviour.