Social Justice, Epistemology and Educational Reform

The paper explores the work of four contemporary theorists of educational reform, following deep currents in epistemology and the theory of rationality. An examination of the positions yields a controversial epistemological conclusion which promotes the examination of philosophical issues relevant to education and the modernist/postmodernist debate.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2

The aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure ofthe Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) using confirmatory factor analysis. Volunteer participants (n= 1213) completed the CSAI-2 approximately 1 h before competition and the data were analysed in two samples. The hypothesized model showed poor fit indices in both samples independently (Robust Comparative Fit Index: sample A=0.82, sample B =0.84) and simultaneously (Comparative FitIndex = 0.83), suggesting that the factor structure proposed by Martens et al. is flawed. Our findings suggest that a limitation of the Cognitive Anxiety scale derives from phrasing items around the word ‘concerned’ rather than ‘worried’. We suggest that being concerned about an impending performance does not necessarily mean that an athlete is experiencing negative thoughts, but that the athlete is acknowledging the importance and difficulty of the challenge and is attempting to mobilize resources to cope. The present results question the use of the CSAI-2 as a valid measure of competitive state anxiety.     

宽恕

我的外祖父99岁了,他身体健壮,保龄球打得很好,经常驾车,并且他的驾照刚被延长了4年的有效期。     

Issues of identity and knowledge in the schooling of VET: a case study of lifelong learning

This article discusses two school‐based case studies of vocational education and training in the areas of information technology and hospitality from the perspective of the agendas of ‘lifelong learning’. Lifelong learning can be seen as both a policy goal leading to institutional and programme reforms and as a process which fosters in learners identities that enable them to thrive in the circumstances of contemporary life. These case studies suggest that current approaches to vocational education and training in schools are enacting the first but not the second of these agendas. Institutional barriers are being removed and work placements drawn in to schooling programmes. However, the pedagogy, assessment and curriculum of the programmes emphasizes short‐term (and conflicting) knowledge objectives rather than orientations to flexible lifelong learning. We argue that it is teachers rather than the students who are thrust most forcibly into adopting new learner‐worker identities consonant with the attributes of ‘lifelong learners’ and the demands of the contemporary workplace.     

Impact analysis of natural disasters using interrelation of infrastructure and associated industries

Most serious natural disasters cause fatalities and injuries, and result in infrastructure damage, economic impacts, and social effects. With respect to the nature of impacts, it is important to understand the direct and indirect impacts of natural disasters on infrastructure and industries. In this paper, a holistic disaster impact analysis framework is presented to support more understanding of natural disaster events with respect to inter-relation of infrastructure and associated industries. Disaster impact mechanism and inter-relations based on critical function of industries derived from the extensive literature review and case studies. To develop the framework, service factor is chosen to measure the level of inter-relations and proper weights for each inter-relation between infrastructure and associated industries are obtained by surveying experts in the area of disaster mitigation, emergency organizations, and infrastructure management. This paper focuses on the impact analysis of hurricane disaster and the outcome can also be applied to other types of disasters.     

Curriculum 2000: A broader view of A levels?

Curriculum 2000 was heralded as a long overdue reform of the post-sixteen curriculum in England. In particular, critics of the traditional A level school curriculum had long complained of the narrow focus of these qualifications. The initiative therefore sought to improve the breadth of study experienced by students, through the added inclusion of Key Skills to the curriculum and the institution of an additional tier of assessment in Year 12; this latter reform would, it was hoped, allow students to follow broader courses of study in Year 12 before specialising in Year 13. Curriculum 2000 also sought to bring together the academic and vocational tracks, through encouraging mix-and-match qualifications. In practice its first two years have been characterised by implementation problems, as examination boards, schools, teachers and students have struggled to come to terms with the new system. Recently these problems have received the full glare of publicity, contributing to a ministerial resignation, as the media has spotlighted the grading crisis of 2002. This paper examines the policy context of the reform before drawing on research findings to address a particular issue of relevance: whether Curriculum 2000 succeeds in its stated aim of increasing breadth of study.     

Land,Language and Listening: The Transformations That Can Flow from Acknowledging Indigenous Land

We begin this paper by considering a practice that is not normally thought of as ‘environmental education’. That is, the land acknowledgement. In recent years, it has become standard for schools and other public institutions in British Columbia (BC) to acknowledge that they are situated on Indigenous land, especially when hosting events and presentations. And yet, as the paper continues, we are challenged to consider the greater implications these acknowledgements might bear for educators beyond simply a speaking of the words. In order to do this work, we focus on three strands—land, language and listening—which we suggest arise directly from careful consideration of the contents and goals of these acknowledgements. Drawing from Indigenous, philosophical, experiential and political sources, we explore the strands and posit that they may become important educational well-springs for transforming human and more-than-human relationships. We end this paper with a short discussion of some work currently under way in BC.