The Implicit Curriculum in Social Work Education: The Culture of Human Interchange

This article focuses on the culture of human interchange, which is included as a component of the implicit curriculum in the current EPAS. It presents the use of the implicit curriculum concept in teacher and medical education as a context for its application to social work education. The authors argue that professional behaviors taught in the explicit curriculum of the classroom need to be consciously reinforced in the many venues and through the ongoing interpersonal relations throughout the educational environment. The article identifies the challenges that movement in this direction would create but which the implicit curriculum standard mandates us to address.     

Developmental Dynamics of Emotion and Cognition Processes in Preschoolers

Dynamic relations during the preschool years across processes of control and understanding in the domains of emotion and cognition were examined. Participants were 263 children (42% non‐White) and their mothers who were seen first when the children were 3 years old and again when they were 4. Results indicated dynamic dependence among the processes studied. Specifically, change in cognitive processes of control and understanding were dependent upon initial levels of the other processes. Changes in emotion control and understanding were not predicted by earlier performance in the other processes. Findings are discussed with regard to the constructs of control and understanding and the developmental interrelations among emotion and cognitive processes.     

Children’s lost voices: ethical issues in relation to undertaking collaborative,practice‐based projects involving schools and the wider community

The growing emphasis on teachers as ‘reflective’ and ‘expert practitioners’ has led to a noticeable increase in action research involving a wide range of educational practitioners as well as professionals from the academic community. In the light of the complex demands frequently faced by action researchers, this article examines the ethical considerations involved in conducting a collaborative action research project which is concerned with children’s experiences of transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. By exploring a range of theoretical and practical perspectives the discussion focuses on the problematic issue of ‘informed consent’. The article argues that, as a result of having to comply with the regulations imposed by institutional ethics committees, educational researchers, particularly when working with children, are often restricted in exercising the moral autonomy and professional discretion required to negotiate the complex, potentially conflicting imperatives confronting them.     

Careers in dairy: adolescents perceptions and attitudes

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This paper examines the attitudes and perceptions of Irish adolescents towards potential careers in dairy farming within the context of generational renewal for a dynamic agri-food sector.

Design/methodology/approach: The lens of occupational choice theory was used to present a framework within which potential careers are considered. A questionnaire-survey was undertaken with 490 Irish adolescents (15–18 yrs).

Findings: While parents have the greatest influence on the career choices of adolescents, there was a positive correlation between studying agricultural science in school and considering an agricultural related career. Adolescent's attitudes towards careers in dairy farming were subject to perceptions about gender, farm ownership, potential income and work-life balance. There was a high degree of openness to gaining work experience on dairy farms.

Practical implications: With an increased interest in agricultural science in second level schools in Ireland, the findings point to opportunities to influence awareness and attitudes of adolescents and their parents about career possibilities in dairy farming and to encourage both familial and non-familiar generational renewal.

Theoretical implications: The paper contributes an understanding of career choices and aspirations in adolescence to add to the growing body of literature on generational renewal in farming.

Originality/value: This paper focuses specifically on dairy farming, providing more detailed information about adolescents’ perceptions of dairy farming careers. The study highlights the positive relationship between studying agricultural science in school and subsequent interest in agricultural related careers. The results indicate that generation renewal in agriculture can be enhanced by giving increased attention to agriculture in school curricula.     

A Validity Framework for Evaluating the Technical Quality of Alternate Assessments

This article presents findings from two projects designed to improve evaluations of technical quality of alternate assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. We argue that assessment technical documents should allow for the evaluation of the construct validity of the alternate assessments following the traditions of Cronbach (1971) , Messick (1989, 1995) , Linn, Baker, and Dunbar (1991) , and Shepard (1993) . The projects used the work of Knowing What Students Know ( Pellegrino, Chudowsky, & Glaser, 2001 ) to structure and focus the collection and evaluation of assessment information. The heuristic of the assessment triangle ( Pellegrino et al., 2001 ) was particularly useful in emphasizing that the validity evaluation needs to consider the logical connections among the characteristics of the students tested and how they develop domain proficiency (the cognition vertex), the nature of the assessment (the observation vertex), and the ways in which the assessment results are interpreted (the interpretation vertex). This project has shown that in addition to designing more valid assessments, the growing body of knowledge about the psychology of achievement testing can be useful for structuring evaluations of technical quality.     

Teaching Literacy through Braille in Mainstream Settings whilst Promoting Inclusion: Reflections on Our Practice

We would describe teaching literacy through braille as one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of the role of a Qualified Teacher for the Visually Impaired (QTVI). This article focuses on teaching literacy through braille in mainstream settings whilst promoting inclusion and meeting the social–emotional needs of children who use braille. It aims to share good practice and is based on reflections from our own practice and research carried out by some of the authors. The article considers the impact of vision impairment on opportunities for literacy development, the main challenges QTVIs working in a peripatetic (itinerary) way face, as well as what works well and how we can overcome these challenges. The article describes what characterises good practice in teaching braille, describes effective collaborative work between teachers, other professionals and parents, and analyses how to promote inclusion whilst ensuring pupils access the specialist curriculum and individualised instruction.     

Gender differences in mathematics and science: the role of the actiotope in determining individuals’ achievements and confidence in their own abilities

Despite changes, gender differences in math and science continue to exist in some countries. We examined whether the actiotopes of boys and girls at the high school level in math and science differed and the extent to which (a) their actiotope components, (b) the progressive development of their actiotopes (dynamic perspective), and (c) the co-adaptation of their actiotopes (systems perspective) function as predictors for girls’ and boys’ achievements and confidence in one’s own abilities in math and science. To answer these questions, we examined girls and boys (N?=?361) in Canada, the Czech Republic, and Germany with a questionnaire. The results suggest that girls are less effective at progressively developing their actiotopes in the fields of math and science and that modifications in their actiotopes were less well balanced by stabilizing forces. Independent of gender, the actiotope aspects considered here are suited to predicting achievements and confidence in one’s own abilities in math and science.     

Adult Attachment States of Mind: Measurement Invariance Across Ethnicity and Associations With Maternal Sensitivity

This study examined the developmental significance of mothers' adult attachment representations assessed prenatally with the Adult Attachment Interview in relation to observed maternal sensitivity at 6 months postpartum in an ethnically diverse sample (N = 131 African American; N = 128 European American). Multiple‐group confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence for partial measurement invariance of a two‐factor dismissing and preoccupied latent structure of adult attachment across the two ethnic groups of women. African American women showed modest elevations on the preoccupied factor relative to European American women. Although the dismissing factor showed an empirically equivalent negative association with maternal sensitivity in both ethnic groups, this effect was reduced to marginal significance when controlling for maternal socioeconomic status.     

Bullying May Be Fueled by the Desperate Need to Belong

Human beings have a fundamental need to belong, for ongoing positive interactions with others who provide companionship and caring (Baumeister & Leary, 1995 Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Children may hit, exclude, or harass others electronically because when their own needs for belongingness are threatened, or when they want to enhance their own status, they lash out and hurt others in the way they think will be most painful, by engaging in behaviors that undermine the target's sense of belongingness. For reasons discussed herein, children and adolescents might be especially vulnerable to desperate needs for belongingness. Viewing bullying as motivated by the need to belong has profound implications for prevention and intervention programs to reduce bullying.