Studying the effects of early child care experiences on the development of children of color in the United States: toward a more inclusive research agenda

Evidence is presented of the different cultural and ecological contexts affecting early child care for families of color. It is argued that improvements on previous research require a fundamental shift in how race, ethnicity, and culture as psychological variables are examined. Furthermore, to avoid the pitfalls and failures of previous research, new research must incorporate expanded models of child care and development in childhood. The integrative model of development for children of color proposed by Garcia Coll et al. (1996) is presented as a basis for developing more specific ecological models relevant to addressing child care issues in ethnic minority families. Finally, priority areas for future research are recommended to stimulate and enable child care researchers to adopt a more inclusive view of child care and its effects.     

Development of moral emotions and decision-making from childhood to young adulthood

This study investigated the development of moral decision-making and moral emotion attributions in antisocial behavior and peer relationship dilemma scenarios. Participants were 540 school- and college-aged students, who were asked to explain their moral decision-making, subsequent emotions, and reasoning in regard to the scenarios. We combined moral decision-making (morally appropriate or morally inappropriate) and emotion (positive or negative) to create the four reaction patterns of happy victimizer (HV), unhappy victimizer (UHV), happy moralist (HM), and unhappy moralist (UHM). Across all four scenarios and age groups, there were very few HM reactions, and HV responses were more common among adolescents and adults than among children in jaywalking and peer exclusion scenarios. In contrast, there were no age differences in reaction patterns in shoplifting and broken-promise scenarios; however, more moral considerations in reasoning were revealed among older age groups. The role of peer relationship in emotion attribution is discussed.     

The play is the thing wherein we’ll catch the conscience…

This article is a piece of ‘fiction written under oath’. It reports two key findings of a doctoral research project, which investigated English teachers’ reactions to the abolition of Year 9 SATs in England and in Wales. The research showed that in both countries, English teachers’ pedagogical repertoires have widened as a result of the removal of SATs. However, in Wales, in the absence of external testing, teachers are coming under pressure to inflate assessments. The piece also engages with the theme of professional empowerment via doctoral level work and asks questions about the conventions of academic writing.     

The Influence of Interactive Learning Materials on Solving Tasks That Require Different Types of Mathematical Reasoning

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - The purpose of this study is to analyse the effects of the Interactive Learning Materials Triangle (iLMT) on the learning and knowledge...     

Socio‐economic background,parental involvement and teacher perceptions of these in relation to pupil achievement

Parental involvement and teacher perceptions of parental involvement in the education of children were studied in relation to level of parental education and pupil achievement. A questionnaire was administered to 218 parents and 60 teachers. Correlational analyses and paired‐sample analyses showed teacher perceptions to be weakly related to parental reports of their own involvement and to operate at a different level. Regression analyses and analyses of variance showed teacher perceptions of parental involvement to affect pupil achievement more strongly than parental reports. The results suggest that teacher perceptions of parents may be stereotyped and that such stereotypes can clearly affect academic results.     

Globalisation and national identity: a reflection on the Japanese music curriculum

This article investigates the relationship between globalisation and national cultural identity through Japanese educational policies for music. Japan is often referred to as a society that provides a model of cultural hybridisation that is a phenomenon in globalisation. However, what actually happened in Japan was not hybridisation, but the replacement of traditional music with western music in the process of the re‐construction of national musical culture. Even the recent state emphasis on Japanese elements in music teaching can be interpreted as no more than an attempt to further transform Japanese music culture so that it will resemble that of Europe.     

A Feminist View of Foundations of Education

The student... has to see on his own behalf and in his own way, the relations between means and methods employed and results achieved. Nobody else can see for him, and he can't see just by being “told,” although the right kind of telling may guide his seeing and thus help him see what he needs to see. ‐John Dewey     

Immediate Impacts of PALS: A school‐wide multi‐level programme targeting behaviour problems in elementary school

The article describes the main outcomes of the intervention programme “Positive behaviour, interactions and learning environment in school” (PALS). PALS is an adapted Norwegian version of the School‐Wide Positive Behaviour Support model, developed in the United States with school‐wide interventions aiming at the prevention of behaviour problems and the promotion of social competence through a supportive learning environment. The effectiveness was evaluated with a quasi‐experimental design in four elementary schools, two years after implementation. An equal number of comparison schools were included in the study. Informants were students (n = 735) in third to seventh grade and teachers working at least 50% (n = 82). The immediate reductions in teacher‐observed problem behaviour ranged from moderate to large, while the results based on student ratings of social competence and classroom climate were less encouraging. Differential effects were found and implementation quality was together with teacher collective efficacy significantly related to better outcomes. The programme and results are discussed in relation to prior research, limitations of study design, and future implementation and research.     

Social and communicational skills in upper secondary vocational education and training

This article presents the methodology used by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council in the national evaluation of social and communication skills in vocational education and training. The evaluation concentrates on key competences such as learning-to-learn skills, communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurship （Implementation of Education and Stringfellow, 2005; Recommendation of the European Training 2010, 2004; Winterton, Delemare-Le Deist ＆ Parliament and of the Council of December 18, 2006 on key competencies for lifelong leaming, 2006）. The evaluation focuses particularly on skills required in the labour market. These competences are included in all vocational study programmes as a part of accompanying with other key competences. The authors＇ approach follows the principles of developmental and participative evaluation, applying the Common Quality Assurance Framework （CQAF） model, which has been accepted by the European Commission for the quality management and quality assurance framework for vocational education and training in Europe. Additional methods such as interview and statistical data gathering were used to acquire comprehensive data and ensure extensive participation of each partner involved has key competences. The evaluation material was collected from vocational education and training providers by sector （n=8） and by qualification （n=53）. Every sector and type of examination was included in the evaluation. The evaluation was based on a sample （n=130）. The evaluation data were collected from multiple sources by using multiple methods. The material included written self-evaluation reports by vocational education and training providers （n=130 which equals 95% of VET providers）, quantitative information, interviews organized by the National Board of Education and an evaluation seminar for providers as focus groups. Educational administrators, teachers, students, employers and workplace instructors participated in the self-evaluation of the vocational education and training establishments （multi-professional evaluation）.