Science, the public, and social elites: how the general public, scientists, top politicians and managers perceive science

This paper finds that the Croatian public's and the social elites' perceptions of science are a mixture of scientific and technological optimism, of the tendency to absolve science of social responsibility, of skepticism about the social effects of science, and of cognitive optimism and skepticism. However, perceptions differ significantly according to the different social roles and the wider value system of the observed groups. The survey data show some key similarities, as well as certain specificities in the configuration of the types of views of the four groups--the public, scientists, politicians and managers. The results suggest that the well-known typology of the four cultures reveals some of the ideologies of the key actors of scientific and technological policy. The greatest social, primarily educational and socio-spatial, differentiation of the perceptions of science was found in the general public.     

The attitudes of teachers towards inclusive education in Vojvodina

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of preschool, primary, secondary and high school teachers towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs. In addition, the study established the correlation between these attitudes and gender, education level, teaching experience, formal training in the special education field, and the duration and quality of work experience with children with special education needs. The sample comprised 322 teachers from the Serbian province of Vojvodina. The My Thinking about Inclusion Scale (Stoiber, K. C., M. Gettinger, and D. Goetz. 1998. “Exploring Factors Influencing Parents' and Early Childhood Practitioners Beliefs about Inclusion.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 13 (1): 107–131) was used. The results show that, in general, the participants held neutral attitudes towards inclusive education and more positive expectations regarding the outcomes of inclusion. This study also emphasised teaching performance in an inclusive class as a subject of great concern. The high school and preschool teachers as well as the teachers with previous positive experience with working in an inclusive environment reported more positive attitudes towards inclusive education than those from primary and secondary schools and those with negative experiences with the implementation of inclusive practices.     

The effects of features of examination questions on the performance of students with dyslexia

This research investigated whether features of examination questions influence students with dyslexia differently to others, potentially affecting whether they have a fair opportunity to show their knowledge, understanding and skills. A number of science examination questions were chosen. For some questions two slightly different versions were created. A total of 54 students considered by their teachers to have dyslexia and a matched control group of 51 students took the test under exam conditions. A dyslexia screening assessment was administered where possible and some students were interviewed. Facility values and Rasch analysis were used to compare performance between the versions of the same question and between those with and without dyslexia. Chi‐square statistics found no statistically significant differences in performance between groups or between question versions. However, some tentative implications for good practice can be inferred (e.g. avoiding ambiguous pronouns, using bullet points).     

Student background factors influencing student achievement in Serbia

This paper describes student‐level findings of the first large‐scale comprehensive school effectiveness study of the primary education in Serbia. Twenty‐five student‐level variables were examined in a three‐level HLM model using a study sample of almost 5000 students, over 250 classrooms and over 100 schools. Differences between the students were in large part responsible for differences in achievement scores in mathematics and Serbian language. Parental education, Roma minority status, developmental or family problems, gender, student motivation, parental involvement in student work and homework were some of the factors associated with student achievement. Serbian policy‐makers are alerted to possible actions in order to improve mathematics and Serbian language achievement.     

The relevance of parents’ beliefs for their involvement in children’s school life

Parents play a very important role in all aspects of children’s experiences, and parental involvement in children’s school lives is associated with numerous educational outcomes. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of several parents’ demographic characteristics, parental self-efficacy, as well as beliefs regarding the value of education and the nature of children’s abilities, in modelling and reinforcement behaviours through which parents attempt to become involved in children’s school lives. The obtained results indicated that parental self-efficacy and beliefs regarding the nature of children’s abilities predicted modelling and reinforcement behaviours. Furthermore, parents’ attitudes towards education were identified as a significant predictor of modelling behaviours, whereas their gender predicted reinforcement behaviours. These findings confirm and extend previous knowledge regarding the role of parents’ beliefs in some aspects of their involvement in children’s school life that represents a relevant contributor to students’ academic achievements.     

Effects of rule changes on physical demands and shot characteristics of elite-standard men’s squash and implications for training

The physical demands and rally characteristics of elite-standard men’s squash have not been well documented since recent rule changes (scoring and tin height). This information is needed to design optimal training drills for physical conditioning provided here based on an analysis of movement and shot information. Matches at the 2010 (n = 14) and 2011 (n = 27) Rowe British Grand Prix were analysed. Rallies were split into four ball-in-play duration categories using the 25th (short), 75th (medium), 95th percentiles (long) and maximum values. Cohen’s d and chi-squared tests of independence evaluated effects of rally and rule changes on patterns of play. The proportion of long, middle and short shots was related to the duration of the rally with more shots played in the middle and front of the court in short rallies (phi = 0.12). The frequencies of shots played from different areas of the court have not changed after the adoption of new rules but there is less time available to return shots that reflect the attacking nature of match play for elite-standard men players. Aspiring and current elite-standard players need to condition themselves to improve their ability to cope with these demands using the ghosting patterns presented that mimic demands of modern match play.     

Problems of reforming educational systems in post-communist countries

The main problems of educational reform in post-communist countries are identified, by use of an interactive model of education and developmental dimensions of society. The relation of implicit and explicit educational goals and characteristics of a society is reviewed, and a typology of the relations between political and economic state regulation on the one side, and the structure of educational goals on the other is suggested. It is established that the so-calledsocialist pedagogy decreases the transparency of educational goals and obstructs a systematic analysis of education. The role of education in the transition policy of post-communist countries in discussed, with a special emphasis on economic and political reforms, and ideological changes. It is concluded that the Europeanization of education in Eastern European countries will be impeded because of the stalemate in the transformation of ownership and political modernization, as well as ideological conservatism. The educational effects of European cooperation in the economic recovery of the East are to be expected in the areas of standardization and unification of education, while the effects in the internalization of modern values and attitudes are expected to be much less prominent.

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Zusammenfassung Die Hauptprobleme der Bildungsreform in post-kommunistischen Ländern werden mit Hilfe eines interaktiven Modells über die Ausmaße der gesellschaftlichen Bildung und Entwicklung ermittelt. Die Beziehung zwischen hintergründigen und vordergründigen Bildungszielen und den Charakteristika einer Gesellschaft wird dargelegt. Der Autor befürwortet eine Typologie der Beziehungen zwischen politischen und wirtschaftlichen Regelungen durch den Staat einerseits und der Struktur von Zielen im Bildungsbereich andererseits. Er stellt fest, daß die sogenanntesozialistische Pädagogik die Transparenz erzieherischer Ziele mindert und eine systematische Analyse der Bildung behindert. Die Rolle der Bildung in der Übergangspolitik post-kommunistischer Länder wird unter besonderer Beachtung der wirtschaftlichen und politischen Reformen und der ideologischen Veränderungen erörtert. Es wird gefolgert, daß die Europäisierung der Bildung in den osteuropäischen Ländern durch Stillstand der Privatisierungsmaßnahmen und der politischen Erneuerung und durch ideologischen Konservatismus behindert wird. Für das Erziehungswesen sind die Auswirkungen der europäischen Zusammenarbeit beim Wiederaufbau der Wirtschaft im Osten in den Bereichen Standardisierung und Vereinheitlichung der Bildung zu erwarten, während der Einfluß bezüglich der Aufnahme moderner Wertvorstellungen und Haltung als viel geringer angesehen wird.

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Résumé Les problèmes majeurs de la réforme éducative dans les pays postcommunistes sont identifés en faisant appel à un modèle interactif fondé sur l'éducation et les dimensions développementales de la société. On examine la relation entre les objectifs éducatifs implicites et explicites et les caractéristiques d'une société. On suggère une typologie des relations entre le fonctionnement politique et économique de l'Etat d'une part, et la structure des buts de l'éducation d'autre part. Il est établi que la pédagogie ditesocialiste réduit la transparence des buts éducatifs et empêche leur analyse systématique. On analyse le rôle de l'éducation dans la politique de transition des pays postcommunistes en mettant en relief les réformes économiques et politiques et les changements idéologiques. On conclut que l'européanisation de l'éducation dans les pays de l'Est sera retardée par la situation de point mort à laquelle sont arrivées la transformation de la propriété et la modernisation politique, ainsi que par le conservatisme idéologique. Les effets en matière d'éducation de la coopération européenne sur le redressement économique des pays de l'Est se feront sentir dans les domaines de la standardisation et de l'unification de l'éducation, tandis que ceux produits par l'assimilation de valeurs et attitudes modernes seront vraisemblablement beaucoup moins importants.