The use of case-based learning in the development of student teachers’ levels of moral reasoning

The important role of the teacher in developing morally sensitive individuals is widely acknowledged. This paper examines the integration of context-specific moral development interventions within a four-year undergraduate teacher education programme in Ireland. The intervention strategy employed a case-based pedagogical approach where participants (n = 123) explored and discussed classroom scenarios to prepare them for a six-week school-based placement. Using the Defining Issues Test, results indicate statistically significant increases in levels of moral reasoning post intervention, suggesting that the use of a layered case-based pedagogical strategy provides students with alternative perspectives on their classroom practices and challenges their lay theories.     

Using a Conceptual-Change Approach to Help Preservice Science Teachers Reorganize Their Knowledge Structures for Constructivist Teaching

This study, based on constructivist learning theory, examined how effectively preservice chemistry teachers (N = 43) can be educated to think flexibly and to reorganize their thinking in a way that may complement diverse ways students approach the subject domain. The teacher's cognitive structure was assessed prior to and after a conceptual change intervention using flow-map narrative analyses. There was a significant change in the organization of the preservice teacher's narrative after the conceptual change intervention, including greater networking of ideas and more thematic development of the content. Hence, a conceptual change approach may be a useful way to educate teachers to be more responsive to student individual differences when planning and delivering science lessons.     

Counselling with First Nations Women: Considerations of Oppression and Renewal

This article maps the historical background of First Nations women focusing on the residential school system, subsequent intergenerational trauma, and the effects of the Indian Act. Colonization has impacted the health and current roles and responsibilities of First Nations women. First Nations women's health needs to be viewed in a holistic framework that considers multiple levels of oppression, poverty, colonization, and life as a minority in a dominant culture. Social constructionism provides a new lens from which to question and re-conceptualize ways of working with First Nations women. Suggestions for the non-aboriginal counsellor in facilitating the healing process for First Nations women are offered.     

Learners’ perspectives on Life Orientation sexuality education in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article examines the views of male and female learners regarding how Life Orientation (LO) sexuality education is taught at their schools. Learners in the study were selected from five former ‘Black’ schools in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa. Focus groups were used to identify what learners could recall about their LO sexuality education classes. The strong trend in the data speaks to how LO sexuality education implies a gendered, heteronormative and moralistic approach to youth sexuality which silences and negates same sex relationships and girls’ accounts of sexuality. Although LO sexuality curricula are, as crafted on paper, often sophisticated learning programmes, participants point to a disjuncture between the official LO sexuality education curriculum and how LO sexuality education is taught in the studied schools. The paper concludes with some specific recommendations for teachers to promote a non-judgemental approach to sexuality education that challenges heteronormativity and other gendered injustices as part of the teaching of LO sexuality education.     

Engineers as Information Processors: a Survey of US Aerospace Engineering Faculty and Students

US aerospace engineering faculty and students were surveyed as part of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Research Project. Faculty and students were viewed as information processors within a conceptual framework of information-seeking behavior. Questionnaires were received from 275 faculty members and 640 students which were used to determine (1) use and importance of information sources, (2) use of specific print sources and electronic data bases, (3) use of information technology and (4) the influence of instruction on the use of information sources and products by faculty and students. As information processors, US aerospace faculty and students are ‘information naïve’, seek out information alone or with the help of co-workers, tend not to make use of the information products and services oriented to them, make limited use of librarians, and make considerable use of computer and information technology. Little evidence was found to support the belief that instruction in library or engineering information use has significant impact either on broadening the frequency or range of information products and sources used by US aerospace engineering students.     

Discriminative vs motivational interpretations of avoidance extinction: Extensions to learned helplessness

Resistance to extinction of discriminated barpress avoidance in rats was assessed through the use of three procedures, each of which served to break the response-reinforcement contingency, classical extinction (CE), operant extinction (OE), and a variable-ratio shock schedule (VR). Greatest resistance to extinction was found for the VR group, followed by OE and then by CE Ss. thus supporting a discriminative rather than a motivational analysis. Reacquisition rates following extinction suggested evidence of “learned helplessness” in some Ss exposed to noncontingent CS-US presentations.     

Teachers as mediators between educational policy and practice

Teachers obviously serve as the medium for causing the result of policy as they carry it into schools and classrooms and deliver it to pupils. They mediate between education policy and practice. Knowledge of the exact nature and effects of this vital role is limited. Drawing on a range of research and evaluation of both national and local policy in practice, carried out by the authors in England, this paper illustrates how teachers mediate policy and the resulting outcomes. Further, it proposes a typology of teacher adaptation to education policy. The paper argues that as yet the appropriate professional role for teachers within policy‐making and implementation has not been achieved, and outlines what this might be. Finally, it outlines some implications for teacher education.     

Focus groups to reveal parents' needs for prenatal education

Focus group interviews are a useful qualitative research technique to obtain data from small groups about their opinions, attitudes, and/or feelings on a given subject. This particular technique has been used in Western Quebec in order to reveal the opinions, needs, and feelings of health professionals and future parents concerning prenatal education. As part of the region's priorities for 2002, all future parents in this part of the province were to be offered prenatal, government-paid, community health education. Consequently, the Ministry of Health at the regional level sought a customized program for all community centers, based on identified regional needs and recent research. This program had to prove to be innovative, user-friendly, effective, and efficient. After reviewing the literature and conducting discussions with representatives from all regional health agencies throughout the province, the author of this article designed and conducted focus groups with perinatal health professionals from all community centers and hospitals of the Outaouais region. Later, focus groups were also conducted with parents. Following the analysis of the data and comparisons with existing resources, the author of this paper designed and proposed a specific program aimed at the empowerment of future parents. This paper reports the original problem and its context, the research methodology, and the proposed program (underlying philosophy, objectives, content, and educational techniques).     

The effect of a pre-university mathematics bridging course on adult learners’ self-efficacy and retention rates in STEM subjects

In August 2008, the Mathematics Learning Centre at the University of Limerick initiated a mathematics bridging course, entitled ‘Head Start Maths’, to provide mathematics revision for adult learners about to embark on science or technology degree programmes. The aim of Head Start Maths was to revise mathematics fundamentals before the commencement of third-level education so as to lessen the anxiety levels of adult learners towards mathematics. Negative preconceptions have been noted as being of major concern with adult learners, both preconceptions of mathematics in general and also of their own abilities. In addition to this, it was hoped that Head Start Maths might lead to increased retention rates among adult learners and lead to less dropouts within the first semester. Results found that there were statistically significant increases in self-efficacy scores across some, but not all, of the mathematical topic areas and that there was an increase in the retention rates of adult learners who participated in Head Start Maths compared to those who did not.     

Windows and mirrors: three images of the US science curriculum as reflected through Kenya’s Jua Kali

Cultural Studies of Science Education - In this article, the authors draw on their experience in an international, cross-cultural visit to ponder similarities and differences in educational systems...