Social anxiety in learning: stages of change in a sample of UK undergraduates

Social anxiety in learning is prevalent amongst traditional-age students and has a marked effect on their engagement with higher education. It receives little attention from academic or support services and there is a presumption that students will manage their anxieties. Yet it is unclear what psychosocial resources they might bring to this task and how these may develop through the undergraduate years. This study sought to identify possible change processes in student social anxiety by analysing qualitative responses obtained from Level 2 undergraduate students (n=39) in relation to their experience of learning situations such as lectures, seminars and group presentations. Thematic analysis suggested a four-stage developmental progression for students in terms of their experience and orientation to coping with social anxiety. Implications for staff development and student support are outlined.     

Defining the Difference: Comparing Integrated and Traditional Single-Subject Lessons

Early childhood curricula should be authentic and child-centered, however, many teachers still rely on direct instruction lessons. To better define how an integrated curriculum meets the needs of students, this study examined teacher talk and actions during instructional activities with first and second graders under two conditions: (1) subject-integrated social studies lessons of an integrated curriculum unit (experimental condition); and (2) single subject-focused mathematics lessons of a traditional separate subject curriculum (control condition). The mixed-methods study sought to define and compare characteristics of both curriculum approaches. Fourteen hours of observations were collected in each setting. In the integrated curriculum setting, the teacher was a facilitator of teamwork, offering choices, and giving praise; students made choices, decisions, and worked collaboratively. In the traditional setting, the teacher delivered direct instruction and controlled behavior; students followed directions, recalled knowledge, and worked individually. Less teacher energy was expended for behavior management in the integrated curriculum setting, indicating intrinsic motivation of students. Implementation of integrated curricula is recommended because of the student-centered focus that results in greater motivation, ownership, and teamwork, along with deeper knowledge connections. Because many factors hinder implementation, teachers need support when first teaching with this approach.     

Postgraduate Teacher Education (Art and Design) 'Wising-up' or 'Dumbing-down'

This research is part of an on-going investigation into student teachers' perceptions of theory and practice within Initial Teacher Training [ITT] and beyond. Respondents were drawn from a number of specialist ITT providers, and supple-mented from other sources. [1] The enquiry grew out of earlier research into examination courses in Key Stage 4 and teachers' dependency on 'orthodox' approaches and content. [2] The likelihood of challenging or breaking down this dependency seemed to rely on student teachers' ability to critique current practices and speculate as to alternatives, which is made more problem- atic because of the drastic reduction of time allocation in ITT. [3] This report in part is predicated on the belief that the enforced, crude division of time spent in, and out, of schools polarises theory and practice in the minds of students. This, in turn, tends to undermine the opportunities to explore and experiment with teaching and learning styles, and the degree to which students value and employ theory and make use of, and extend, their subject knowledge. [4]     

Reading the Local and Global: Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools in Australia

Recently Australia has witnessed a revival of concern about the place of Australian literature within the school curriculum. This has occurred within a policy environment where there is increasing emphasis on Australia’s place in a world economy, and on the need to encourage young people to think of themselves in a global context. These dimensions are reflected in the recently published Australian Curriculum: English, which requires students to read texts of ‘enduring artistic and cultural value’ that are drawn from ‘world and Australian literature’. No indication, however, is given as to how the reading and literary interpretation that students do might meaningfully be framed by such categories. This essay asks: what saliences do the categories of the ‘local’, the ‘national’ and the ‘global’ have when young people engage with literary texts? How does this impact on teachers’ and students’ interpretative approaches to literature? What place does a ‘literary’ education, whether conceived in ‘local’, ‘national’ or ‘global’ terms, have in the twenty-first century?     

Student injuries in the dissecting room

Cadaver dissection is the first opportunity for many students to practice handling human tissue and is their first exposure to the occupational hazards involved with this task. Few studies examine dissection room injuries to ascertain the dangers associated with dissecting. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of dissection room injuries from four student cohorts over an eleven‐year period (2001–2011), including second‐year medical students, third‐year medical students, second‐year dental students, and third‐year science students. Injury data included activity causing injury, object responsible, and injury site. A total of 163 injuries during 70,039 hours of dissection were recorded, with 66 in third‐year medical students, 42 in second‐year medical students, 36 in third‐year science students, and 16 in second‐year dental students. The overall rate was 2.87 injuries per 1,000 dissection hours, with second‐year medical students most frequently injured (5.5 injuries per 1,000 hours); third‐year medical students were least frequently injured (1.3 injuries per 1,000 hours). A significant difference in injury rates between student groups indicated a higher than expected injury rate to second‐year medical students and lower than expected rates to third‐year medical students. Injury rates increased for most groups between 2001–2006 and 2007–2011 periods. Most injuries (79%) were from scalpel cuts to the finger or thumb. This study provides injury rates for dissection room injuries to students, indicating differences in injury frequency between cohorts and an increase in injury rate over time. As scalpel cuts were the most likely injury mechanism, targeting scalpel handling with preventative strategies may reduce future injury risk. Anat Sci Educ 6: 404–409. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Movies in the classroom: Popular images of criminal justice,criminology, and the law

Courses that pique students' interest, promote discussion and participation, and contribute to their college learning experience are becoming increasingly rare. “Justice Issues and the Media” accomplishes these goals and is a pleasure to prepare and teach. This course links movies, a familiar aspect of American culture, with their substantive contribution to citizens' attitudes and stereotypes about the criminal justice system, criminology, and the law. We make recommendations and issue several cautions, which we hope will lead to the development and offering of this course at other universities.     

Using Total Communication With Young Children With Down Syndrome: A Literature Review and Case Study

This paper presents a literature review regarding language abilities of children with Down syndrome and presents a case study concerning the effectiveness of using Total Communication with a young child with Down syndrome. The prevalence of expressive language delays in children with Down syndrome highlights the need to develop early interventions to promote language development. The existing literature on the usefulness of Total Communication as an intervention method with children and adults with special needs is documented and a rationale for the use of Total Communication with children with Down syndrome is presented. In the case study, a single subject simultaneous treatment design was used which involved introducing 20 words during free play (10 oral and 10 Total Communication), which were matched on phonetic complexity and reinforcement value. Results indicated that comprehension was not differentially affected by the type of communication approach used. However, expressively the child was able to use manual signs many months before any understandable words were produced. The use of manual signs did not inhibit use of speech. The results of this case study suggest that the early use of Total Communication can be an effective transitional mode of communication for at least some children with Down syndrome. Further research is needed to explore individual differences between children with Down syndrome and to identify factors that predict those children who benefit most from the use of Total Communication.     

Schooling Quasi-Markets: Reconciling Economic and Sociological Analyses

We provide an economic assessment of the operation of schooling quasi-markets, re-interpreting the findings of the mainly sociologically-based empirical research. We find that economic analysis is complementary to that of sociology, providing further explanations for the failure of greater competition to increase the diversity of provision and challenge traditional school hierarchies.