Quality Assessment and 'Self-regulation': the English Experience, 1992–94

This paper examines issues in the debate on quality assurance in the English system of higher education as they have developed between the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992 and the review proposed by the Secretary of State at the end of 1994. The main focus is on the development by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of its method of quality assessment and the call for the restoration of 'self-regulation' in such matters to the institutions. The role of the institutions in developing the methods adopted by the Funding Council is outlined, and the chief criticisms of its effects evaluated. The paper concludes by reviewing options for change in the immediate future and the conditions that will have to be met. It is argued that systems could undoubtedly be improved, but that key elements of 'self-regulation' have already been won in the continuation of external peer review.     

Can we have a unified theory of quality?

This paper examines a number of concepts of quality from Plato to Taguchi. That there is no generally accepted theory has led researchers to report various problems and adopt various devices to get round this difficult situation. Governmental concern with accountability and its implications in the current 'quality debate' are considered and a simple theory to meet all cases is proposed.     

Alienation in mathematics education: a problem considered from neo-Vygotskian approaches

In a recent article published in this journal, Williams (Educational Studies in Mathematics, 92, 59–72, 2016) offers a critique of neo-Vygotskian perspectives exemplified in recent work on the funds of knowledge and on cultural-historical activity theoretic perspectives. The critique has great value in that it asks interesting questions that often go unnoticed and fail to be discussed in mathematics education research—e.g., the question of alienation or the role of agency in Vygotsky’s notion of the zone of proximal development. Despite the great value of the questions raised, the critique fails because its idealist theoretical epistemological underpinning is at odds with Vygotsky’s thought and cultural-historical activity research in general. The critique falls short especially on the point of realizing the materialist dialectical method Vygotsky employed. The goal of this article is to address Williams’ critique by (a) revisiting the main argument of the critique, (b) articulating the departures of the critique from the materialist dialectical method, (c) conceptualizing development along the theoretical lines of the late (Spinozist-Marxian) Vygotsky, and (d) formulating a materialist dialectical approach to alienation. We conclude by summarizing three main problems of the critique.     

Assessing self-regulated learning in higher education: a systematic literature review of self-report instruments

The growing interest in the field of learning strategies has led to an increasing number of studies and, with that, the development of numerous instruments to measure the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. Due to the complexity of this research field, the types of assessment methods are diverse. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review of self-report instruments that measure SRL in higher education and highlight their main characteristics. In doing so, we applied the general principles of systematic reviewing—we conducted a systematic search of established psychological and educational databases with previously defined inclusion criteria and applied a multistage filtering process. In an additional step, we examined a subsample of nine established instruments in terms of their implementation characteristics, psychometric properties, and additional characteristics. The results illustrate the distribution of self-report instruments used in higher education and point to a growing use of course- or domain-specific questionnaires over the past decades as well as a lack of emotional and motivational regulation scales.     

Educational psychology service contribution to community cohesion: an appreciative inquiry

ABSTRACT

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) calls for education to prepare children for ‘ … responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin’. The current study examines the potential role of Educational Psychologists (EPs) in addressing the UNCRC call to promote community cohesion through their work in schools. Through an Appreciative Inquiry cycle EPs considered facilitators of and barriers to working with communities. Facilitators included EP practices, skills and knowledge and seeing schools as communities in themselves. Barriers included public service funding and aspects of service delivery. A multi-level approach to promoting community cohesion is put forward, including acknowledgement of the context within which the work takes place as well as positing a continuum of community cohesion to community conflict.     

在线考试：机遇与挑战

在线考试是一种通过网络来实现的计算机考试。本文就这种考试的特点、模式、应用范围,以及它在美国的应用情况和给中国带来的机遇和挑战等问题进行了初步探讨。     

Risk-taking and teachers' professional development: The case of satellite remote sensing in science education

The introduction of satellite remote sensing into the U. K. National Curriculum for Science, and the tasks facing teachers in bringing about this innovation, are discussed in terms of risk, its evaluation, reduction, and address. Conclusions are drawn about strategies by which teachers can confront the risk involved in curriculum innovation in school science and technology. Specializations: science and technology education     

Students with learning disabilities and hearing impairment: issues for the secondary and postsecondary teacher

Although the number of students with both learning disability and hearing impairment (LDHI) currently enrolled in secondary and postsecondary programs has not been precisely determined, it is clear that these students are currently receiving inadequate assessment and support in many institutions. The best route for serving these students would seem to be collaborative efforts between deaf educators and learning disabilities specialists, yet serious gaps exist between these two professions in regard to interpretation of laws governing special services, training of professionals, and locations of educational programs. The difficulties of developing collaborative work have been compounded by controversies within each field and the heterogeneity of the populations served by both disciplines. Those interested in creating good LDHI assessments should begin by considering the qualifications needed by those conducting evaluation procedures. The inadequacies of current formal assessment devices for this population need to be recognized; informal procedures, such as teacher observation and curriculum-based assessments, are still some of the best tools available for identification and educational planning.