Exploring practicum: student teachers’ social capital relations in schools with high numbers of pupils living in poverty

The complexity of practicum in initial teacher education, in terms of the range of diverse social relations and differing school contexts, provides a challenge for teacher educators worldwide, aiming to guide and shape opportunities for student teachers learning to teach. This challenge is further compounded by societal problems linked to child poverty. Drawing from social capital theory, this paper explores the kinds of social relations that are currently associated with student teachers’ practicum experience in schools located in areas of social and economic deprivation or with significant proportions of pupils living in poverty. The paper brings to the surface types of social relations that are beneficial to mitigating the effects of poverty on educational outcomes. The case is made that practicum does not currently support the principles of social capital theory by enabling student teachers to develop an understanding of how to make connections, and develop the social relationships required to support positive educational outcomes for the children and young people in such contexts. Findings indicate that more effective ‘joint practice’ is required to better support student teachers’ professional learning.     

MOTIVATIONAL AND INFLUENTIAL COMPONENTS OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

Fifteen pianists were asked to study the same piano piece for a period of time. They were then interviewed about motivation to pursue musical performance and factors which influence the generation of performance. Participants were encouraged to raise their own issues or refute the ones presented. The data were then subjected to a content analysis. It was assumed that emotion plays an important part in motivating a performer over a long period of time and also influences actual playing. Four main components common to the participants emerged as influencing performance generation. There also appeared to be four main components describing motives for pursuing music. The results suggest that emotion is intertwined with both performance generation and motivation for musical performance. Findings may have a bearing on the nurturing of musical talent, and imply that competitiveness could be detrimental rather than beneficial to an artistic endeavour.     

University Lecturers' Perceptions of Gender and Undergraduate Writing

It has been argued that male and female undergraduates adopt different, gendered writing styles. This paper discusses findings from a project that examined this issue, and explores lecturers' perceptions of gender and undergraduate writing. It shows that, in the case of 'second-class' awarded essays, a majority of academics were unable to correctly identify the authors gender. Applying analysis of discourse to the explanations of academics concerning their attempts at gender identification, we found that narratives used by academics tended to support discourses of gender difference, particularly in terms of ability. These various narratives, and the resulting constructions of male and female students, are discussed. It is argued that the narratives position male and female students in stereotypical ways, with implications for their power positions. We conclude that while it is important that gendered trends around undergraduate writing are recognised and addressed, the stereotyping of students according to gender must be avoided.     

Sharing Stories: Parents' Involvement in Reading with Inner-City Nursery Children

Recent research has underlined both the benefits of parents reading stories to their children before they start school and of parental involvement in the early reading stages. A one-year project was carried out in the nursery class of an inner-city primary school to set up a regular book borrowing service to enable and encourage parents to read regularly to their pre-reception class children. The level of parental and child interest was monitored throughout. An attempt to measure the effect of the input was made by testing the children involved in the project at the end of their reception class year. Although the results do not show any significant difference in the level of achievement between the experimental school and the two control schools, the project did reveal an unexpectedly high level of parental interest in orienting children towards literacy.     

Father Involvement During Early Childhood and Its Association with Children's Early Learning: A Meta-Analysis

Research Findings: In the present meta-analysis, information from 21 studies (representing 22 separate samples) was pooled across a 10-year period (1998–2008). Across 2 primary dimensions of direct father involvement (frequency of positive engagement activities and aspects of parenting quality) and 5 dimensions of children's early learning (representing social and cognitive domains), findings revealed small to moderate associations. Among group differences tested to further explain the relationships between these constructs, residential status and the ethnic/racial identification of fathers' surfaced as significant moderators, whereas income status was only meaningful at the trend level. Practice or Policy: In recent years, national attention has increased concerning the important influence of fathers on children's development. Concurrently, national interest has turned to the early childhood period as marking a major transition for young children, during which children are confronted with new and diverse developmental challenges that require emotional, social, and cognitive competence across their home and school environments. Although there is a growing body of research on fatherhood and father involvement, this literature has not been examined systematically to determine the strength of associations between specific dimensions of father involvement and young children's early learning that could inform the efforts of early childhood practitioners and family engagement programming decisions.     

Killing God? Secular and spiritual elements in some recent literature for children

What beliefs and values are upheld, implicitly or explicitly, by recent writers of fiction for older children? The first of Philip Pullman’s trilogy, Northern lights, was published in 1995 and the first of the 10-year sequence of Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling came out in 1997. This paper begins by considering Pullman and Rowling’s fantasies. It briefly appraises recent books by four leading authors, set either in secular Britain or a historical context in which Christian churches had a significant role. (In the order in which they are considered these are: Kevin Brooks, Meg Rosoff, Siobhan Dowd and Theresa Breslin.) It concludes with the work of another Carnegie Medal winner, David Almond, which seems to bring earth and heaven into meaningful contact with each other.     

In memory of all the broken ones: catalytic validity through critical arts research for social change

The authors of this article use data produced in a collaborative community arts group in BC Canada as a way to think about validation in arts-based educational research (ABER). As Lather attempted to find middle ground between ‘rampant subjectivity’ and ‘pointless precision’ in research, she (1986) suggested that studies with an ideological or critical agenda might be validated by their catalytic potential – the ability to generate change. She has further argued that such work must be both conceptually and methodologically rigorous. With this charge in mind, the authors describe and discuss a memory box made by one participant in a two-year federally funded postdoctoral research project. They consider the catalytic validity of this artefact and reflect upon research methodology in ABER, in terms of triangulation, face and construct validities and member checks. They conclude with a challenge: What new and imaginative research methodologies might be invented for critical research in arts-based education?     

Are there differences between children’s display of self-regulation and metacognition when engaged in an activity and when later reflecting on it? The complementary roles of observation and reflective dialogue

Recent years have seen considerable growth of evidence that young children possess metacognitive and self-regulatory skills, alongside a view that some research tools, including observation and video-stimulated interviews, may provide better opportunities to see them. This paper examines possible differences in the evidence these two tools may afford. Data from 29 children aged 4–5 years in a London Reception class were analysed using a behavioural coding scheme. Overall, children were significantly more likely to display self-regulation and metacognition in post hoc interviews about an activity rather than during the activity. This was particularly so for metacognitive knowledge. Children were more likely to show regulatory aspects such as planning and monitoring during an activity, whilst evaluation was more evident in later discussion. Observations and video-stimulated interviews are suggested as valuable tools when combined with one another, offering complementary insights, and helping make children’s learning more visible to both themselves and to adults.     

The effectiveness of teleconferencing in fostering interaction in distance education

A recent investigation indicates that using teleconferencing in teaching mathematics by distance education gives the students access to a flexible educational medium. Results confirm that this technology can support interaction between teacher and students similar to that in a conventional school. The investigation concludes that using teleconferencing in teaching mathematics by distance education gives the students access to education that, although different from that available in a traditional classroom, forms part of an effective teaching and learning environment. It also highlights the need to address pedagogical issues to maximise interaction within this environment.