The differential impact of academic self-regulatory methods on academic achievement among university students with and without learning disabilities

Although research on academic self-regulation has proliferated in recent years, no studies have investigated the question of whether the perceived usefulness and the use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies provide a differential prediction of academic achievement for university students with and without learning disabilities (LD). We developed and tested a model explaining interrelationships among self-regulatory variables and grade point average (GPA) using structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis for students with LD (n = 53) and without LD (n = 421). Data were gathered using a new instrument, the Learning Strategies and Study Skills survey. The results of this study indicate that students with LD differed significantly from students without LD in the relationships between their motivation for and use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies, which in turn provided a differential explanation of academic achievement for students with and without LD. These paths of influence and idiosyncrasies of academic self-regulation among students with LD were interpreted in terms of social cognitive theory, metacognitive theory, and research conducted in the LD field.     

Role of adjunct questions and reading ability levels on rote and conceptual learning from prose

This research evaluated the effect of question type (rote, conceptual) and adjunct question response mode (multiple choice, short answer) on rote and conceptual learning outcomes of high and low ability readers. Subjects were 98 freshman students of a small, historically black, undergraduate institution. Students studied a passage containing either rote- or conceptual-level adjunct questions or no questions. They were then administered a rote and a conceptual post-test over the presented concepts. A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design was used. The results indicated, contrary to most other research, that rote adjunct questions were more helpful to readers than conceptual adjunct questions on both rote and conceptual post-tests. As expected, high reading ability students performed better than low reading ability students within treatments. There were no significant aptitude-treatment interactions.     

Can 'ears-on' help hands-on science learning for girls and boys?

The primary objective of the research was to establish whether the use of the newly developed audiopilot (a personalized auditory commentary system) facilitates both hands-on exploration and the understanding of scientific principles in a science centre. Twenty-four ten year-old children used the AudioPilot while they interacted with a set of pendulum experiments. A control group of 28 children from the same classes experienced the same experiments but without the Audio-Pilot. Videos were made of all the children and their behaviours were later coded. They completed a questionnaire about pendulums before and after going to the science centre. A gender effect emerged. The audio-pilot greatly facilitated the girls' hands-on activity and improved their questionnaire scores, which was highly statistically significant. This suggests that auditory commentaries are a good way of communicating difficult scientific concepts, especially to girls. Further research is needed to confirm whether this finding can be generalized over different schools.     

Dimensions of Secondary School Effectiveness: Comparative Analyses Across Regions

Recent UK government policy implementing new systems of evaluation and accountability have highlighted the use of performance data to inform judgements about secondary schools and stimulate school improvement. However, these developments have been informed by a relatively small number of research studies addressing the methodology of measuring school effectiveness, and often employing limited or incomplete datasets. This paper reports the findings of an Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) funded study that employs 6 extensive and detailed regional datasets (drawn from Lancashire, London, Jersey, Scotland, the Netherlands and England as a whole). The study aims to provide new evidence to assist school staff, policy-makers and academics in understanding the multi-faceted nature of school effectiveness and the need to evaluate school performance in detail. The objectives were to investigate 1) the optimal models for measuring secondary school effectiveness across a range of outcomes in the UK and abroad; 2) the extent of regional differences in the results; 3) the definition of the underlying dimension(s) of school effectiveness across different regional and policy contexts. The findings show that at least 4 dimensions of secondary school effectiveness can be defined, specifically in terms of different outcomes, pupil groups, pupil cohorts and curriculum stages. In addition regional differences appear to exist in the size and impact of school effects, and these are mirrored by differences in regional context in terms of pupil selection. In conclusion it is argued that effectiveness at different levels of the education system (e.g., individual pupils; departments; whole school; region and nationally), as well as interactions between levels, needs to be continually monitored in order to map out the boundaries of school effectiveness and how these change over time. The findings are discussed in relation to developing a value added framework for school evaluation in the UK.     

‘Heroes’ and ‘villains’ in the lives of children and young people

This paper explores the responses of nearly 1200 children and young people in Wales who were asked to identify which three famous people they most admired and which three they most disliked. Analysis of these young people's responses reveals a number of sociological and educational issues. Their selections confirm other research which has highlighted the importance of celebrities in the lives of young people. Their ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ are drawn mostly from the worlds of popular music and sport. Their choices are also highly gendered and ‘raced’. Of particular interest is the finding that someone's ‘villain’ is more than likely to be someone else's ‘hero’. Our young people's selection of heroes and villains reflects the broader landscape of celebrity culture, where female fame is as much about appearance as talent and Black and minority ethnic celebrities are to be found largely in the fields of sport or popular music. The paper concludes by discussing the chasm between our young people's ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ and those which are ‘officially sanctioned’ within the school curriculum and considers what schools and teachers might do about it.     

US Federally‐Funded Teacher Centers: A Descriptive Study

This article examines the decision‐making processes which accompanied the establishment of one City Technology College. It looks at both the political and educational influences and suggests that the appointment of a project director with wide‐ranging powers was crucial to the success of the initiative.     

The participation of Australian Indigenous students in higher education: a scoping review of empirical research, 2000–2016

While access to higher education has increased for Indigenous Australians, participation and completion rates remain lower than those of non-Indigenous Australians. A sound evidence base is needed to ground equity initiatives if they are to address the specific needs of Indigenous students. This paper presents the results of a scoping review of empirical research focusing on the participation of Indigenous students in higher education. The purpose of the scoping review was to synthesise empirical research on aspirations for, and barriers and enablers to, higher education that were published between 2000 and 2016 (n = 57), and identify areas where further research is needed. Despite a recent increase in research on this topic, relatively little attention has been paid to Indigenous students’ aspirations while they are at school. We argue that future research should take account of school students’ aspirations for higher education, including primary school students; the similitude of barriers and enablers across the student life cycle; differences within Indigenous community and among Indigenous students; and, the insights emerging from Indigenous methodologies and scholarship.     

Social justice and education in the public and private spheres

This paper explores the complex relationship between social justice and education in the public and private spheres. The politics of education is often presented as a battle between left and right, the state and the market. In this representation, the public and the private spheres are neatly aligned on either side of the line of battle, and social justice is commonly seen as the prerogative of the public sphere. This paper challenges this representation. It shows how the language of what counts as public and private in education is historically specific, culturally contingent and ideologically loaded. Through drawing on a range of education policies and practices, the paper demonstrates that ‘public’ and ‘private’ are not simple opposites. Moreover, it argues that social justice can be conceptualised in ways that have complex and multi-faceted implications for public and private sphere involvement. The paper concludes that if we are to enhance our understanding of the relationship between social justice and education we need to recognise the multi-faceted nature of what counts as private, what counts as public and what counts as justice.