Militant Distribution: Votes for Women and the public sphere

The late nineteenth century American mass circulation press developed a style of ‘new journalism’ that gave rise to celebrity journalism. It is widely accepted that this new approach to reporting replaced news values with entertainment as a consequence of the need to cater to the tastes of a mass readership and this is seen to explain the incredible innovations that occurred in the press in the US at the time (Ponce de Leon; Roggenkamp; Tebbel; Turner; Schudson Discovering the News). This article questions this version of American press history by arguing that those papers also had to appeal to the politics of poor immigrants and the working class and that the conventions associated with celebrity overlapped and often coincided with a ‘radical’ populist campaigning style of reporting that was as important (and at times, more important) to building and sustaining mass readerships.     

Teacher stance in creative learning: A study of progression

This paper reports focused findings from a qualitative scoping study undertaken in four sites in England focusing on progression in creative learning (PICL) (February 2005–January 2006), funded by Creative Partnerships, a national development programme. The study sought to explore how progression in creative learning can be described in two curriculum areas. The paper introduces the analytic framework which emerged from the study, and summarises some of the key findings, with a particular focus on teacher stance, taking this slice of analysis further than is done in the original research report and discussing in particular teachers’ attitudes toward creative learning and toward teaching for creative learning.     

Montana's Indian Education for All: Applying Multicultural Education Theory

Montana's constitutional commitment to the cultural heritages of American Indians exemplifies the practical application of multicultural education. In this article, the authors explore the goals and evolution of Indian Education for All within a multicultural education framework, and discuss how educators are best prepared to implement this transformative educational policy.     

‘I’m older but I can still do this job’: the experiences of mature women in an age-sensitive occupation

This paper explores how mature female flight attendants [FAs] use Selection, Optimization and Compensation [SOC] strategies to cope with age-related diminishing resources at work. The role of FAs is an age-sensitive occupation, and in some organizations, women are under constant pressure to look young and attractive. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study aims to add depth and nuance to our understanding of SOC strategies qualitatively; most published studies are quantitative. A homogenous sample of 5 mature single Filipina FAs, foreign workers employed by Arabian Gulf-based airlines, were interviewed through a semi-structured protocol. Recruitment was through a snowball process. The study found that FAs use SOC strategies to compensate for age-related decline. Off-duty, their focus is directed to activities that help them to meet the organizations’ expectations of youthful appearance and productivity. To achieve this, resources from other life domains are diverted, which leads to negative outcomes from focusing SOC strategies on only one aspect of life. Despite negative personal implications and concerns about the future, the participants still felt attached to their work identities. This shows the importance of understanding the use of SOC strategies within and across life domains, as well as their implications for career sustainability and workability. The use of such strategies at work when detrimental to other life roles is unsustainable. The findings highlight the importance of conducting more qualitative studies on SOC behaviors of specific groups, so the experiences of aging at work can be explored in more depth, allowing areas of concern to be identified.     

EditorialKeeping information centre stage amid changing scenery

With conference season upon us, consideration is given to the importance of subject‐specific and library association conferences. The biennial Health Libraries Group (HLG) conference meets both these criteria and takes place in Greater Manchester in July. The conference provides an opportunity for peer‐to‐peer learning, identifying new trends and professional rejuvenation. An open invitation is given to attend the Health Information and Libraries Journal‘Writing for Publication’ workshop at the HLG conference. An overview of three bursaries available from the Health Libraries Group and Library and Information Research, both groups of the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is provided. The bursaries offer opportunities to cover the costs of registration and travel expenses to national and international conference.     

How reflexivity enhances organizational innovativeness: the mediation role of team support for innovation and individual commitment

Reflexivity is a learning process that, through questioning and critically monitoring objectives and methods in use, promotes a change of habits and routines and, in so doing, fosters organizational performance and innovativeness. This paper looks at the contribution of team reflexivity to enhancing openness to innovation, and the mediating role of individual and team involvement. Specifically we tested whether affective commitment (Study 1, n=156) and a team climate of support for innovation (Study 2, n=152) facilitate reflexivity processes in promoting organizational openness to innovation. Overall, results confirmed that reflexivity enhances innovativeness, and this relationship is mediated by a high degree of involvement that increases the motivation of teammates and their engagement in innovation processes.     

Typical Didactical Activities in the Greek Early‐Years Science Classroom: Do they promote science learning?

This paper presents an epistemological analysis of typical didactical activities noted in early‐years science lessons, which was carried out in an attempt to diagnose the extent to which the teaching practices adopted by early‐years educators are successful in supporting young children’s understanding in science. The analysis of didactical activities used a framework that allowed us to discover whether they promoted desired connections between theoretical ideas, evidence and the material world. Theoretical ideas, evidence and the material world are entities internal to scientific inquiry and, in educational contexts, connections between them are considered essential in assisting the development of young children’s scientific thinking. The results indicated that in the early‐years science classroom scientific activity was mainly confined to the representational level. Intervention practices into the material world were limited, and were based on collected evidence. No interventions based on ideas were identified in the science lessons. Missing links between evidence and theory and between ideas and the material world suggest that the didactical activities analysed did not promote scientific understanding.     

Should I use co-assessment in higher education? Pros and cons from teachers and students’ perspectives

Co-assessment is a type of participatory assessment in which the teacher and student jointly discuss, negotiate and assess the student’s task or performance. Although the literature on co-assessment is scarce, some authors highlight the benefits for students of participating in co-assessment in higher education, including learning, improved communication, and greater assessment literacy. This study has a double objective: on the one hand, to analyse the strengths and limitations perceived by students participating in co-assessment practices; on the other hand, to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats perceived by professors participating in the experience. The study was developed in 8 class groups with the participation of 470 students and 4 teachers. The qualitative analysis of the data obtained from the questionnaires and focus groups indicates that the students acknowledged several strengths, among which learning from mistakes was prominent. Students also noted some limitations, particularly the lack of adjusted scoring. Professors offered another perspective that complemented the vision of their students, noting that co-assessment presents opportunities as well as risks that may jeopardise its implementation.