Racialising Discourses in Higher Education

The origins of the paper were from a small study initiated by a group of staff concerned about motivational problems among their first year undergraduate students. Researchers were invited to interview staff teaching on first year modules. As the data collection progressed it became clear that the discussion of motivation was overlaid by a racialising discourse, which allowed some staff to present the issue as an 'Asian problem'. We, therefore, felt the need to think more deeply about how issues of student learning are represented. The paper sets out the context of the study and reports on the data. However, rather than seeking to draw any firm conclusions, we have used our experience to reflect on issues of racialisation and to open up the area for discussion. The paper is intended to be part of a broader discussion about racialising discourses in higher education, which we believe should be critically addressed and debated.     

Through Student Eyes: Perceptions and Aspirations of Students from the Armenian State Agrarian University and Selected European Universities

Abstract

This research compared attributes of students enrolled in the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) with university students from 30 European countries (EFMD) about graduate study policy issues. A cross-national comparative design used a survey questionnaire to explore contextual, social and cultural phenomena. Samples included 801 ASAU and 3,265 EFMD students. Demographics of samples were similar. Students were largely unaware of the Bologna reforms and the impact on study abroad. Slightly more than half of EFMD participants were in a bachelor's programme compared to 96% of ASAU students. ASAU students held a more pragmatic rationale for foreign study, ranking ‘advancing professional careers’ as the top reason, while EFMD students chose ‘overall experience’. Obstacles included bureaucracy, funding and accommodations. Although groups had similar geographical preferences for foreign study, Eastern Europe was more preferred by ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students planned graduate enrollment ‘immediately following the degree’ compared to one-quarter of ASAU students. Half of the EFMD students were aware of mobility scholarships compared to three-quarters of ASAU students. One in two EFMD students reported university media rankings important compared to one in seven ASAU students.

The Bologna Declaration accelerated horizontal collaboration among European universities. Students have a larger collective voice in curriculum change. The findings of this research provide a better understanding of student aspirations, motivations, expectations and barriers. These findings can contribute to guiding policies and procedures for recruitment, admission, retention and mobility.     

Practices of effective writing teachers

This study analyses the practices of nine New Zealand teachers of upper primary and middle-school students (N = 210) whose classes had consistently shown gains in writing far greater than normative expectations. Data from observations of three writing lessons and related interviews with each teacher, plus interviews with three focus students after each lesson, were considered in relation to learner gains in writing. To analyse these data, a content analysis matrix was constructed from selected writing research literature, yielding eight dimensions of effective practice: expectations; learning goals; learning tasks; direct instruction; responding to learners; motivation and challenge; organisation and management; and self-regulation. Instructional moves associated with each were defined. There was a significant association between three dimensions (learning tasks, direct instruction and self-regulation) and learner gains. Analysis also indicated that these effective teachers of writing employed an interconnected range of instructional moves in a strategic and flexible way. Instructional actions and activities are particularly effective if regarded as purposeful by learners and if they include meaningful opportunities for learner involvement. The findings detail strategies for generating higher than anticipated gains by learners.     

Exercise during the childbearing year

Many women wish to continue to pursue an active lifestyle during pregnancy, while the pregnancy itself may provide the motivation for other more sedentary women to begin an exercise program for the sake of improved health/fitness. Also, female competitive athletes, upon becoming pregnant, may wish to continue sports performance and require careful monitoring to assure maternal-fetal safety. This review is designed to assist the perinatal educator who is in the position to advise the pregnant patient on the risks and benefits of physical activity during the childbearing year and provide suggestions for developing individualized exercise programs.     

The reactivity of think-alouds in writing research: quantitative and qualitative evidence from writing in English as a foreign language

Reading and Writing - The reactivity of think-alouds (TAs) (i.e., their effects on thinking) has remained an inevitable concern whenever their use is considered or evaluated. This paper reports...     

Cluster analytic classification of reading disability subtypes

Cluster analysis was employed to identify subtypes of reading disability in a sample of 140 reading-disabled children using factor scores obtained from a battery of psychometric tests. Preliminary results suggested the existence of three subtypes, but closer scrutiny of the data indicated that individual differences are more accurately characterized by continuity in the measurement space. This result demonstrates the need for detailed validation of findings from applications of cluster analysis. Despite the absence of homogeneous subtypes, the characterization of individual strengths and weaknesses on psychometric measures may nonetheless be important for diagnosis and remediation in the educational setting.Behavioral Research Institute     

‘Identity work in a dialogic international teaching practicum’

Since the 1970s, international fieldwork has provided opportunities for small numbers of pre-service teachers to teach and learn in a culture different from their own. Research into this fieldwork suggests that pre-service teachers are positive about their experiences, although questions remain about the ethics underpinning some of these programs. This article reports on a dialogic model of international practicum, involving Australian pre-service students and two mentors (authors of the essay) on a 22-day placement in South Africa. The authors begin with a traditional qualitative case study of the practicum program, identifying benefits for some students. They then proceed to use more reflexive ethnographic methods to tease out the complex identity work undertaken by pre-service teachers and their mentors as they negotiate cultural, pedagogical, and ethical challenges.