The postmodern perfectionist,the pragmatic hedonist and the materialist maximalist: understanding high school students’ profile choices towards or away from mathematics,science and technology (MST) fields in the Netherlands

This study focuses on high school students’ profile choices and the choice for or against the Nature and Technology (NT) profile in the Netherlands. A mixed-methods approach is used to study cultural values that affect this choice. The quantitative part of the study shows that being female is negatively correlated with the choice for the NT-profile, irrespective of the grade average for mathematics, chemistry and physics. It further shows that students’ ethnic background does not have a significant effect on this choice. The qualitative part of the study reveals that students’ choice processes towards or away from NT can be categorised in three ideal types: the postmodern perfectionist, the pragmatic hedonist and the materialist maximalist. Gender differences appear to be more pervasive across these types than differences in ethnic background.     

Examining Teachers’ Attitudes and Experiences with Coaching to Inform Research-Based Practice: An Iterative Developmental Design Study

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teachers’ attitudes and experiences with coaching. This study was conducted in advance of a planned randomized controlled trial of a coaching intervention to better align the model with teachers’ needs and goals. Thirty-four K–5 general (n = 26), special education (n = 6), and educational support staff (n = 2) working in two high-poverty schools participated in focus groups. Interrater reliability between independent coders was high (К = 0.92; range: 0.76–1.0). Thematic analyses identified facilitators and barriers to teacher participation in the planned intervention and were used to improve upon the existing coaching model. Themes focused on advantages and disadvantages to coaching and characteristics of effective coaches and coaching models. Implications of findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Social Justice: A Case-Study Examining the Influence of Primary Headteachers in Two Manchester Schools

Presently, there are a growing number of students in the primary schools in northwest England who are living in broken communities, exacerbated by the most recent global recession. Through social justice theory, this paper examines the influence of head teachers as they look to balance administrative and pedagogical experiences in the schools. Using a qualitative methodology, including observation, in-depth interviews, and field notes this case study focused on head teachers, teachers, and parents from two primary schools in the northwest of England. Specifically, this study investigates the influence of the headteachers while identifying a social justice pedagogical epistemology and strategies being used by teachers and schools who work with students from communities typically identified as living in low socio-economic areas. Foundational to this research is the belief that headteachers, families and teachers need to make concerted, intentional efforts to engage in and acquire appropriate knowledge for building effective, communicative relationship in order to benefit student achievement. A social justice perspective therefore should provide an unequivocal commitment to acting in just ways related to concepts of fairness and equity.     

Quality Improvement in University Counseling Centers

University Counseling Centers (UCCs) experience high clinical demands and severe client presentations leaving counselors with limited time and resources to evaluate delivery of services. In this article, we present clinician-friendly quality improvement (QI) strategies used at a large Midwestern university and provide recommendations for implementing QI programs at other UCCs even as their resources may vary. With counselor-led efforts examining and evaluating services, UCCs can use QI programs to inform and improve counseling practices as well as advise university administrators about the positive outcomes of the center’s work.     

Assisting College Students With Athletic Disengagement

This article examines college student disengagement from sports, presents a multidimensional concept of athletic identity, and introduces a new measure intended to assist college counselors in their work with disengaged athletes. The Multidimensional Athletic Identity and Engagement Scale (MAIES) is introduced (Cronbach alpha .98, with subscale alphas between .78 and .96), and the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and convergent and divergent validity with 250 college student participants are presented. Using case examples, the authors discuss how counselors may use the MAIES in their work with students. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Approaching Knowledge Management Through the Lens of the Knowledge Life Cycle: a Case Study Investigation

More organizational leaders are recognizing that their greatest competitive advantage is the knowledge base of their employees and for organizations to thrive knowledge management (KM) systems need to be in place that encourage the natural interplay and flow of tacit and explicit knowledge. Approaching KM through the lens of the knowledge life cycle allows for the design and development of KM solutions that are systemic and address the dynamic nature of organizational knowledge. In this paper we provide a review of the literature regarding how organizational knowledge may be studied and propose a methodological framework for investigating the knowledge life cycle. To illustrate the framework we present a recent case study in which it was successfully used. This framework is intended to be useful to learning and performance improvement professionals who work in organizational KM as well as to researchers who wish to conduct further research in this area.     

The cognitive relevance of Indigenous and rural: Why is it critical to survival?

Using two case studies of children’s knowledge, this paper sheds light on the value, diversity, and necessity of Indigenous and place-based knowledge to science and engineering curricula in rural areas. Rural contexts are rich environments for cultivating contextual knowledge, hence framing a critical pedagogy of teaching and learning. Indigenous and rural place-based knowledge are nuanced and pragmatic in character, and offer solutions to both local and global challenges. Two case studies, drawn from the experience of Lakota and Dakota communities and rural New York State, demonstrate the need to conserve, transmit, and contribute to Indigenous and rural knowledge through experiential and place-based education that bridges the gap between children’s knowledge and global STEM. This knowledge is inherently diverse in its complexity and connectivity to habitat, and when viewed in this light, has the capacity to transform our perspectives on educational practices and policies as well as our overall outlook on conserving both ecological as well as cultural diversity worldwide. Because diversity and knowledge are necessary for the survival of life on this planet, an enriched concept of pedagogical pluralism, in terms of multiple ways of knowing, is a necessity.     

Effect of supplementation of vitamin E, vitamin C and reduced glutathione on copper ion induced lipoprotein oxidation in renal diseased patients—Anin vitro study

The oxidative modification of lipoprotein especially low density lipoprotein (LDL) plays a key role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Serum apolipoproteinB (apoB) level is found to be an important marker for atherosclerosis. The present paper focuses on the measurement of serum apoB levels and the effect of Vitamin E, Vitamin C and reduced glutathione on the copper ion induced oxidation of LDL + VLDL (VLDL-Very Low Density Lipoprotein) lipoprotein fraction isolated from the serum of chronic renal failure (CRF) and renal transplanted patients. The level of apoB is significantly higher in the serum of transplanted patients when compared to CRF patients and normal subjects. The level of TBARS formed in oxidized LDL + VLDL lipoprotein fraction of CRF and renal transplanted patients are significantly increased than normal even in the presence of antioxidants but the level of TBARS produced, with antioxidants is comparatively lesser than that produced by oxidized lipoprotein fraction without antioxidants. It may be concluded than that produced by oxidized lipoprotein fraction without antioxidants. It may be concluded that oxidation of LDL can be prevented at an earlier stage by Vitamin E supplementation. The supplementation with Glutathione serves as the best method of preventing the lipoprotein oxidation among the renal diseased patients.