Research and teacher education in the UK: Building capacity

The need for capacity-building in teacher education in the UK has been raised as a serious issue by a number of commentators. Tensions about the place of research in teacher education have persisted for many decades, but following changes to the core funding mechanisms in the UK, the maintenance of education research bases within many universities has become increasingly tenuous. This paper provides an analytical account of an initiative conducted by the Teacher Education Group (TEG) to build research capacity in teacher education. With reference to a review of the national contexts for research in the UK and research on teacher educators, the article argues that, in order to build research capacity initiatives we need to provide motivation and new types of networking opportunities for researchers, as well as developing their expertise. In developing this argument, the article also explore the relationships between national policy changes, institutional research cultures and individual habitus and agency in research capacity-building. The paper also describes a new initiative in England, the Teacher Education Research Network (TERN).     

Examining Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Business Statistics in the United States and China

The rapid growth of analytics is bringing more attention to quantitative core curriculum requirements in undergraduate business programs. Statistical knowledge and skills are unequivocally recognized as essential cornerstone of business analytics. Furthermore, educational research has shown that academic performance in statistics classes is related to the attitudes that students bring to the course. This article assesses the reliability and validity of the Survey of Attitudes toward Statistics (SATS) in measuring noncognitive dimensions of attitudes among undergraduate business students. Sample data from U.S. and Chinese introductory business statistics classes were collected and analyzed to learn more about this aspect of student engagement across business schools located in countries with substantially different levels of success in international mathematics achievement testing, as well as differing cultural and educational practices. Results show that the six‐factor model structure of the SATS provides a good fit in both populations, with students entering business statistics holding only slightly positive attitudes toward the subject. Significant distinctions between four of the six attitude components were identified. Implications of measuring and improving these attitudes are discussed. Business statistics instructors are encouraged to use the survey as a standardized instrument to measure effects of interventions and make evidence‐based pedagogical decisions.     

The elusiveness of pygmalion and differences in teacher-pupil contacts

Data are presented to show that teachers vary in the extent to which their views of pupils' attributes are related to their behaviour towards them. It is suggested that this variability might be a partial explanation of the inconsistency of teacher expectation effects. Implications of the study for teachers and for future research are discussed.

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Résumé Les indications suivantes sont présentées pour démontrer que les professeurs varient dans le degré d'influence que leur opinion des attributs des élèves exerce sur leur attitude envers ces derniers. Il est suggéré que cette variabilité pourrait être une explication de l'inconsistance des effects des espérances du professeur. On discute finalement la portée de l'étude sur les professeurs et les recherches futures.

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The authors record their gratitude to: the Social Science Research Council, who financed this research; J. E. Brophy, who gave helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Building Bridges Across Faith Lines: Responsible Christian Education in a Post-Christian Society

The demographic composition of students and employees at many Christian colleges and universities in the United States does not reflect the growing religious diversity of the twenty-first century. While Christian higher education provides a valuable space for students to grow in faith and prepare for lives of service to others, many students leave college with little exposure to, or knowledge of, religious differences. Of particular concern is the infrequency of students developing relationships with religious “others,” leaving them underprepared for constructively navigating a post-Christian society. This reality places a special responsibility on Christian educators to provide sound education and opportunities for healthy encounters with different religious voices, allowing persons from these traditions to speak in their own voices and be hospitably welcomed into Christian communities. Relying on research from the emerging field of Interfaith Studies and the co-authors’ experiences of implementing interfaith initiatives at Bethel University, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, this article presents a rationale for creating interfaith engagement opportunities at Christian institutions. Specific attention is given to identifying core virtues and competencies that educators should seek to cultivate in their students and providing pedagogical strategies for helping students develop interfaith competency. Given that campus-wide support is needed if interfaith work is to be successful, we also provide strategies for working with administration, faculty, and staff across the breadth of campus life.     

Antecedents of Maternal Sensitivity During Distressing Tasks: Integrating Attachment,Social Information Processing,and Psychobiological Perspectives

Predictors of maternal sensitivity to infant distress were examined among 259 primiparous mothers. The Adult Attachment Interview, self‐reports of personality and emotional functioning, and measures of physiological, emotional, and cognitive responses to videotapes of crying infants were administered prenatally. Maternal sensitivity was observed during three distress‐eliciting tasks when infants were 6 months old. Coherence of mind was directly associated with higher maternal sensitivity to distress. Mothers' heightened emotional risk was indirectly associated with lower sensitivity via mothers' self‐focused and negative processing of infant cry cues. Likewise, high physiological arousal accompanied by poor physiological regulation in response to infant crying was indirectly associated with lower maternal sensitivity to distress through mothers' self‐focused and negative processing of infant cry cues.