Peer review and panel decisions in the assessment of Australian Research Council project grant applicants: what counts in a highly competitive context?

Applications submitted to the Australian Research Council Large Grants Scheme in five discipline groups were examined with a view to determining the extent of influence of biographical and academic track record variables on ratings by independent assessors (peers) and on final outcomes as determined by the Council's discipline review panels. Variables considered included age, gender, type and status of position, institutional base, previous grants history and publication records of the applicants. Age and gender of the applicants did not have a significant impact on outcomes. Those in research only positions were rated more highly, and those in more prestigious institutions were more likely to win support, but these factors were partly accounted for by the more impressive publication records of these groups. The academic status of the applicant was, however, found to make a significant contribution to an explanation of the variance in independent assessor's ratings of the strength of the researcher, along with but additionally to that contributed by publication components of their track record. Assessor's ratings of the strength of the proposal were, as would be expected, the major influence on the final decisions made by review panels, although academic status of the applicant did, again, make a small but significant additional contribution to an explanation of variance in outcome. These results lend some support to the idea that the Matthew effect, or theory of accumulative advantage, has some impact on peer and panel review of applications within the highly competitive arena of Australian Research Council large grants.     

Software that assists learning within a complex abstract domain: the use of constraint and consequentiality as learning mechanisms

This paper describes a research project into undergraduates’ use of a software tool to learn symbolic logic—a complex abstract domain that has been shown to be intimidating for students. The software allows the students to manipulate proofs in certain ways and then calculates the consequences of their actions. A research method has been developed that allowed students’ use of this tool to be modelled, and this model was then used to identify, refine and create visual cues that provide support for students’ reasoning. The focus of this paper is the role of the software as an artefact to aid students’ visualisation of reasoning processes rather than the logic itself. The main mechanisms by which this visualisation is supported are the imposition of constraints on the actions available and the demonstration to students of the consequences of their actions. The study shows that the software encouraged experimentation with different routes to a proof, and constituted a challenge to fixated reasoning.     

Who are the staff developers in UK universities and polytechnics?

This article is based on a survey of universities and polytechnics in the United Kingdom carried out in 1979. The results shed light on the question of who the people are who provide training and development for teachers in institutions of higher education: their departmental attachment, their timetabled involvement, and the facilities that they offer. The article concludes with a discussion of the background to, and implications of, the disparate resources for staff development in universities and polytechnics.     

An overview of Prolog debugging tools

In this paper we present an overview of the advances in debugging standard Prolog programs. The analysis offered is in terms of a classification of tools that provide different degrees of activity in the debugging process. Other possible dimensions of analysis are also outlined.     

A Model of Effective Fieldwork Supervision for Trainee Educational Psychologists

This study seeks to provide current survey data from qualified psychologists about effective supervision, in view of increased fieldwork supervision demands, due to restructured initial professional training. A model of effective fieldwork supervision emerges in which a well‐managed and communicative partnership between trainee psychologist and supervisor is formed, in the context of the psychological service, its partners and clients. The authors anticipate that this may support the supervision needs of qualified colleagues, and speculate upon what additional provisions might be relevant in Years 2 and 3 when trainee psychologists will have a dual role as university students and practitioners within services.     

Liminal spaces constructed by primary schools in predominantly white working-class areas in England

ABSTRACT

Despite successive policy interventions, students’ socio-economic status continues to strongly predict educational outcomes. Many schools aspire to ‘close’ this ‘gap’. This paper presents an ethnographic study of a group of Primary schools in predominantly white working-class areas in the Midlands of England. Generating ethnographic data through time-recurrent, multi-sited fieldwork including observation, informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, photography and documentary analysis, findings were constructed through critical dialogue between the group of six researchers. A concept of liminal spaces is used to analyse the schools’ work in seeking to move individuals, families, and communities beyond that which they previously knew, foregrounding norms, practices, and discourses constructed on the ‘inside’, and highlighting aspects in tension with the imagined ‘outside’. These schools’ conceptualisations of poverty are shown to be complex and multifaceted, and suggestions are made to employ liminality for articulating and critically exploring the spaces and transformations that schools seek to construct.     

Psychological health of doctoral candidates,study-related challenges and perceived performance

Psychological distress is prevalent in doctoral degree training and affects students' completion time. It is crucial to monitor the amount of distress experienced and understand the causes for it to inform the type of support most needed. This mixed method study explored challenges related to candidature, self-reported progress and measures of perceived and actual psychological distress with a convenience sample of 81 doctoral candidates in an Australian university. Using validated survey instruments, participants reported higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than age-matched general population normative data. Additionally, those who self-reported being behind or exceeding their study schedule had significantly higher scores for depression, anxiety and stress than those who reported they were meeting schedule. Conversely, stage of candidature did not affect any of these attribute scores. The responses to open-ended questions about challenges associated with doctoral study were coded and explored with an existing typology. The most frequent challenge reported in doctoral study is related to the development of generic skills, followed by management of self, including motivation. Given that not all challenges could be included in the existing typology, we recommend expansion to the typology.     

Early Childhood Education and Public School Principals: Constructing a Relationship

This article discusses the results of a statewide study of elementary school principals' perceptions of barriers to the establishment of preschool programs in the public school setting. The study was conducted in response to current federal an: state mandates requiring school districts to provide comprehensive services for developmentally delayed and at-risk preschoolers, as well as other preschool populations. A representative sample of principals responded to a comprehensive questionnaire that included principals' knowledge of child development and their attitudes about establishing programs for preschool children in the public school sector. Results indicate that, across the board, elementary principals foresee major barriers to the effective implementation of such federal mandates as Public Law 99-457. Specific barriers are identified and discussed. Implications for practice and policy are presented.