Social isolation at weaning: Some effects on two measures of activity

Both the age at which housing conditions are imposed and the type of activity measured are shown to affect the results obtained in studies concerned with the effects of social density on the behavior of laboratory rats.     

Spatial interaction between cage and test environments: Position preferences of young isolated and pair-housed rats

This study further investigates the relationship between cage size and activity in the open field. Male hooded rats were housed at weaning either individually or in pairs in small, medium, or large cages and observed after 15 days in an apparatus providing a choice between three environments of identical construction and dimensions to the different home cages. Three experimental conditions were employed. Both isolated and pair-housed rats were tested alone in the unfamiliar apparatus and some isolated rats were first habituated to the apparatus. Time spent in each size apparatus component was recorded. The results failed to explain earlier findings of a positive relationship between open-field behavior and cage size in isolated rats, in terms of spatial preference. Isolated component preferences were inversely related to cage size, while pair-housed preferences were positively related to cage size. Component preference was not related to component area or perimeter distance. The implications of this spatial behavior for exploration and emotionality theories are discussed.     

Improving medical education: Improving patient care

Is medical education unique among all other educational disciplines? Why does it not seem to conform to the rules laid down by universities for every other faculty? We explore the ways in which particular elements pertaining to medical education have been perceived historically and consider the ways in which medical educators and students have struggled to address the challenges that these ‘differences’ present. The paper then identifies and enumerates areas of commonality across the spectrum of education. We conclude by suggesting that some of the ‘differences’ and ‘difficulties’ of education within the clinical context may be artefacts of a rather narrow and introverted approach to the subject area. We argue that the discipline may be better served by the adoption of a more eclectic and collaborative approach to educational research and practice, aimed at developing an evidence-based, theoretically robust subject area.     

The role of (dis)trust in a (trans)national higher education development project

In this article I describe how socio-politicalchange in South Africa (in the 1990s) andprocesses of globalisation andinternationalisation provided opportunities forprofessional engagement among South African andAustralian academics. I specifically reflect onthe role that (dis)trust played in knowledgeproduction processes involving South Africanand Australian academics in a project entitled,Educating for Socio-Ecological Change:Capacity-Building in EnvironmentalEducation. The article expands on the work ofTurnbull (1997) who argues that the basis ofknowledge might not be empirical verification(as the orthodox view would have it), buttrust. The article provides some insights as tohow the social organisation of trust might bechanging in post-apartheid South Africa.     

The arithmetic connection

From test and interview data obtained during an investigation into Grade 10 students' conceptions of algebraic generalisation and justification, we have extracted evidence of the extent to which these students have coordinated the worlds of arithmetic and algebra, and can move freely between them. The data show more dissociation than we expected, even among students who were successful at standard algebraic tasks. Conceiving algebra as generalised arithmetic may obscure the many genuine obstacles that the learner has to overcome in moving from fluent performance in arithmetic to fluent performance in algebra while achieving and maintaining a smooth coordination of both modes of action.     

Learner motivation for MOOC registration and the role of MOOCs as a university ‘taster’

Despite the widespread adoption of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), no business model has emerged to make them sustainable from an institution standpoint. Using MOOCs as a marketing platform shows promise; but for this to succeed, it is necessary to understand the motivations of those who undertake them and to demonstrate how these same motivations can be better satisfied through enrolment in a fee-paying university course. We discuss the motivations for students as they progress through a MOOC and the factors that might lead to subsequent university enrolment. Our arguments are informed by MOOC statistics, the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) marketing model, and the literature on adult education, technology adoption, goal seeking and consumer value. We argue that most students are led to MOOC enrolment through close alignment of the course topic and subject matter with their personal goals and through the establishment of an attractive value proposition. Progress in the MOOC depends on whether this goal alignment is maintained, and whether the value assumptions of students are met or exceeded. We predict that subsequent university enrolment will most likely occur when the MOOC experience is both satisfying and representative of the university experience, and where the increased time and financial commitment demanded by formal study is offset by the greater likelihood of attaining the focal goal. For this strategy to succeed, it will be necessary for the host institution to actively work with MOOC students to create an awareness of appropriate fee-paying courses and to promote the benefits of university study. This has implications for the way institutions market their courses to MOOC students.     

Student researchers in the middle: using visual images to make sense of inclusive education

Using 'visual narrative' theoretically and practically, this paper explores issues of inclusive education, during a period of curriculum reform and renewal in Australia. In Australia, the middle years of schooling, Years 5 to 9, are well researched and known as a period when students disengage with learning and participation in schooling. Research in the middle years affirms the importance of engaging with 'student voice'. In this special edition, we are aiming to highlight how the use of visual imagery can be a rich source of understanding, illustrating students' self-knowledge of schooling. Methodologically we refer to our research approach as 'visual narrative'. Other writers in this edition use the term 'photo voice'. For researchers it is important to highlight the differing orientations that 'visual narrative' and 'photo voice' signify. The terms are not mutually exclusive but highlight differing research possibilities and emphasis. Our argument, through the use of visual narrative produced by middle years' students, is that visual texts open out some innovative possibilities for understanding inclusive education and supporting new relationships with our research community. Such approaches are not new; however, in a field such as special education that purports to support marginalised groups, liberatory research methods are under-represented. This paper aims to open out these discussions and provide a way forwards for teachers and researchers interested in breaking apart why it is that inclusive education remains a never-ending struggle.