Integrating ICT in Kenyan secondary schools: an exploratory case study of a professional development programme

This study explores the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Kenyan secondary schools. Specifically, it is a case study of four schools with no previous access to ICT. The professional development programme from which data for this study were drawn was designed to support teachers learning to integrate ICT in the curriculum. Using a mixed-method research approach, the authors collected data from multiple sources and triangulated the views of various stakeholders: questionnaires with teachers, focus groups with teachers, school leaders and ICT coordinators, field observations and document analysis. While the broader programme focused on the use of ICT, the results highlighted in this study focus on the development of the four schools with respect to 1) vision building, 2) leadership, 3) collaboration, 4) expertise and 5) access to adequate resources. The discussion centres on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to prepare schools in developing countries to integrate ICT in education.     

Competitive pressure and arousing television news: a cross-cultural study

In many scholarly writings about journalism, the idea can be found that competitive pressure urges journalists to make news more arousing. This hypothesis was tested in two cultural settings: the Western European culture and the Chinese-dominated culture. A total of 3028 TV news stories from seven different markets, or 12 different news programs, were analyzed on the presence of arousing news characteristics. High competitive pressure at the market level appeared to contribute to the prevalence of arousing news, but this effect was more pronounced in the Chinese-dominated culture than in the Western European culture. Effects of high competitive pressure at the station level were only observed in the Western European culture.     

Behavioral inhibition,negative parenting,and social withdrawal: Longitudinal associations with loneliness during early,middle, and late adolescence

Adolescent loneliness can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health, but there is limited understanding of its antecedents in infancy and childhood. A 20-year longitudinal, multi-informant, and multi-methods study (first data collection in 1998) was conducted to examine mechanisms underlying adolescent loneliness (N = 128, 52% boys, M_{age_baseline} = 1.23, SD = 0.02, 99% White, recruitment in Dutch urban, healthcare centers). Structural equation modeling showed that high infant behavioral inhibition (BI) was indirectly associated with high loneliness during adolescence via high childhood social withdrawal. This indirect effect was equally strong during early, middle, and late adolescence. Contrary to expectations, infant parenting did not moderate the relation between BI and social withdrawal. The results suggest a developmental cascade with infant BI showing long-lasting indirect effects on adolescent loneliness up to 20 years later via childhood social withdrawal.     

An exploratory factor analysis of the cognitive functioning of first-year bachelor students with dyslexia

An increasing number of students with dyslexia register in higher education. As a consequence, information on their pattern of strengths and weaknesses is essential to construct adequate assessment and diagnostic protocols. In a sample of 100 first-year bachelor students with dyslexia and 100 control students, a large pool of cognitive skills were tested using a variety of tests. When we applied an exploratory factor analysis to scores, a model with ten factors fitted the data best. Effect sizes were used to express the processing costs of students with dyslexia. The factors related to reading, spelling, flashed orthography, phonology, naming, math, and reading fluency resulted in large effect sizes. A factor combining all measures for crystallized IQ had a medium effect size. The subtests for fluid intelligence were divided in two separate constructs. Relationships between all subtest scores are visualized and interpreted in a general theoretical and practical framework.     

That obscure object of desire: the management of academic knowledge

For academic administrators, the management of research remains a matter more of hope than expectation. It has proved particularly difficult to measure quality. Managers typically view research as an ‹asset’. This essay argues that it is more useful to view research and its management as ‹process’, and explores the implications of doing so for managers and researchers alike.

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Classroom interaction studies as a source for teacher competencies: the use of case studies with multiple instruments for studying teacher competencies in multicultural classes

Dealing with ethnic and linguistic diversity is one of the major challenges in today’s education. Therefore, the formulation of competencies for teachers and teacher training should take into account the specific requirements of teaching in multicultural schools. In 2002, a series of small‐scale studies were conducted to identify and formulate teachers’ communicative competencies in multicultural classes through a mixture of instruments and data sources. The studies aimed at providing recommendations for improving these competencies through teacher education and professional development. This study reports on the multiple instruments used to study the practical knowledge and behaviour of experienced teachers in multicultural schools by discussing research evidence from a series of case studies from primary and secondary education. These case studies explored teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and behaviours in creating healthy teacher–student relationships as well as making lesson content accessible for all students, including students with limited language skills. The findings show how small‐scale studies with multiple data collection techniques can help in providing an empirical foundation for the formulation and specification of teacher competencies in multicultural settings. Based on our findings, we argue that by conducting multiple investigations in different settings, using a variety of instruments and by interpreting this data from different communicative domains, a valid, reliable and complete picture of teachers’ scientific competencies can be obtained.     

Testing the Intervention Effect in Single-Case Experiments: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study

This article reports on a Monte Carlo simulation study, evaluating two approaches for testing the intervention effect in replicated randomized AB designs: two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and using the additive method to combine randomization test p values (RTcombiP). Four factors were manipulated: mean intervention effect, number of cases included in a study, number of measurement occasions for each case, and between-case variance. Under the simulated conditions, Type I error rate was under control at the nominal 5% level for both HLM and RTcombiP. Furthermore, for both procedures, a larger number of combined cases resulted in higher statistical power, with many realistic conditions reaching statistical power of 80% or higher. Smaller values for the between-case variance resulted in higher power for HLM. A larger number of data points resulted in higher power for RTcombiP.     

Sexuality and relationship education training to primary and secondary school teachers: an evaluation of provision in Western Australia

This paper describes the formative, process and short term impact evaluation of sexuality and relationships education (SRE) training for teachers in Western Australia (WA) over a three year period. The training represents one component of a broader project, the aims of which are to improve teacher’s confidence and skills in delivering SRE, and to support schools to implement effective comprehensive SRE. Formative evaluation conducted prior to the development of the training, found although most respondents were relatively confident and skilled in facilitating SRE, the need for ongoing professional development was highlighted, especially in areas such as gender diversity, pornography, sexting, violence and working with specific groups. Training focusing on the new Australian Health and Physical Education curriculum and mandatory assessment was identified as a need. Workshop evaluation found statistically significant improvements in attitudes towards SRE and increased comfort in teaching SRE, facilitating discussion and facilitating skills and activities, after the workshop. The evaluation identified the need for an integrated and coordinated whole school approach and efforts to engage teachers with lower levels of confidence in teaching SRE. Changes to the Australian Curriculum provide opportunities to enhance the development of SRE in schools. Longer-term impact evaluation is required to identify whole school changes.