Have We Passed Peak Book? The Uncoupling of Book Sales from Economic Growth

This paper uses time series data on UK book sales to establish what correlation exists between the national income of a country and its sales of books. This is tested by comparing series data in real terms for GDP per capita and for various data series for the UK market, including sales invoiced by publishers and point of sale data on consumer purchasing. The first period, from 1985 to 1999, shows a strong relationship between total sales and GDP per capita. In the second period, from 2001 to 2015, the link appears to disappear when we examine invoiced sales from publishers, even before the impact of the 2008 crisis. This is also including the growth of digital sales towards the end of the period. The direct consumer data shows sales tracking GDP until the onset of the financial crisis; thereafter the only trade sector to have kept pace with GDP is children’s, and this contrasts with the areas of adult fiction and non-fiction. Have we therefore seen a structural shift in the book market? If we have passed peak book, what has brought about this uncoupling of book sales from economic growth? Factors are considered including changes in retail, competition from other media, and a prioritization of experience over the accumulation of stuff.     

On Describing a Student's Cognitive Structure

For several decades, a model has been developing which depicts the learning process in terms of interaction between a student's cognitive structure and the structure of the discipline being studied. There arc a number of conceptual difficulties here that are trapping researchers in cognitive psychology, especially the problem of not confounding the two types of structure. Doubts can even be raised about the usefulness of the notion of cognitive structure as it is presently developed. Throughout the paper, insights from recent relevant philosophical work are used to throw light on the empirical research that is being carried out.     

From Curriculum to Activism: a graduate degree program in literacy to develop teachers as leaders for equity through action research

This article presents findings from a 2-year reflexive action research study of a cohort-based Master's degree program in literacy for practicing teachers. Questions revolved around whether and how the program brought about changes in candidates' conceptions about literacy, expertise in literacy, and leadership/activist skills to foster equity in their classrooms and schools. Faculty used data from action research to make cyclical changes to the program each semester. Data sources included candidate interviews, e-mail correspondence, course notes, classroom observations, questionnaires and a survey. The candidates own evolving action research projects within their schools also became data sources. A qualitative analysis suggests that the program was generally successful in meeting its goals. The elements of the program contributing to its success were: the evolving program design based on action research data; the collegiality of the cohort; broadening conceptions of literacy; learning action research; and developing leadership skills. Factors contributing to factors around which candidates failed to meet these goals are also explored.     

Beyond Travellers' Tales: Some nineteenth-century British commentators on education in Germany

This paper draws on the five stages of development in comparative education postulated by Noah and Eckstein (1969) to determine at what points in the chronology the work of three mid-19th century commentators on education in Germany might be placed. The three British observers are William Howitt (1792-1879), Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) and Matthew Arnold (1822-1888). Their work is described against the background of British interest in educational developments in Germany and the lessons to be learnt from German experience.     

Gibbon Redivivus: eighteenth‐century OxfordREVIEW ARTICLE

Recent thinking on the possibilities of a spiritual education in a modern secular state are reviewed and found wanting. The methodology used in such discussion is typified as reductionist, in that the concept of spirituality is held in opposition to other concepts, rather than being seen to pervade all phenomena. The view of the various correspondents on the nature of the notion of the education of the whole child is held to be mistaken. An alternative conception is offered, stemming from an holistic viewpoint. This conception sees spiritual education as being involved with the cultivation of qualities of the heart and mind. These qualities are nurtured through spiritual practice, and are not the domain of only a few selected areas of the curriculum, but can be utilised in effective education in all areas of learning. It is suggested that the main points of the argument could be accepted even if a term other than 'spiritual' were used to denote this area of human experience. Support for this position is taken from existing spiritual traditions, and also from recent work in the area of cognitive psychology. The education of spiritual sensibility is held to be an aim of education for all people, and is critical for any conception of good educational practice.     

Disciplinary traditions and the dissemination of knowledge. An international comparison of publication patterns in journals of education

This paper presents findings from two studies of publication patterns in leading English, German, European and US journals of education. The studies were funded by the German Research Association and conducted by an international team of researchers. All papers published in 14 selected journals between 2001 and 2010 were analysed in terms of their author profile, their methodological approach and their thematic focus. The analyses resulted in publication patterns for the selected journals and at an aggregated level for the four geographic areas in which journals are published, highlighting many similarities, but also distinct differences. As far as the differences are concerned, the lower share of female authors and the relative low proportion of papers drawing on empirical research in German journals are noteworthy. For US journals, the comparatively low importance of papers drawing on the international research discourse seems to be particularly important. Based on an analysis of related studies in this field the paper demonstrates a degree of alignment of publication patterns with disciplinary traditions and formation processes in the field of education. However, the trend analysis provided also shows that some of the traditional boundaries of education as an academic discipline are in a state of flux.     

Leveraging Change to Integrate Library and Informatics Competencies into a New CTSC Curriculum: A Program Evaluation

This program evaluation reports on the curricular development and integration of library, biomedical informatics, and scholarly communications (LBS) skills into a required informatics course for a new graduate degree program in the University of New Mexico's Clinical and Translational Sciences Center (CTSC). The course built on the opportunity presented by the new degree program to integrate LBS competencies rarely included in most traditional clinical research training programs. This report tracks the experiences and evaluations of two cohorts of graduate students who have completed the course. This article presents lessons learned on curricular integration and offers thoughts for future work.     

Selected List of GLBT Academic Publications

An annotated list is presented describing twenty-one peer-reviewed journals that cover significant aspects of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community, in whole or in part, in a scholarly manner. The titles included are a selective and representative sampling. The entry for each periodical includes the following information: periodical title, publisher/editor and address, basic information, publication data, content, Internet information, book review information, and an abstract.     

Stay Behind the Yellow Line: Young Children Constructing Knowledge from an Art Exhibition

Studies exploring very young children visiting museums and art galleries are few. The majority of research about museum and gallery visitors explores family group interactions. This paper examines the findings of a study involving three‐ and four‐year‐old children visiting an art exhibition in a national museum on more than one occasion. The children's construction of knowledge about being a museum visitor and exhibitor indicates their ability to develop an appreciation of art and an understanding of the purposes of museums and art galleries.