Comparing the job satisfaction of hourly paid and salaried preschool teachers in Turkey

This two-phase mixed-methods study compares the job satisfaction of Turkish preschool teachers who are paid hourly against the satisfaction of those on regular contracts. The participants in its first, quantitative phase were 260 preschool teachers, of whom 81 also participated in the second, qualitative phase. Initial data collection from all phase-one participants was via the Job Satisfaction Scale. Then, in phase two, the members of the hourly paid group were asked three open-ended questions, and the regular-contract teachers two of the same questions, related to the advantages and disadvantages of hourly paid teaching. The results indicated a significant difference in job satisfaction levels between the two types of teachers. None of the interactive effects between preschool teachers’ working status and their gender, age, marital status, and in-service training was statistically significant. In phase two, moreover, more than half of the 41 hourly paid teachers (n?=?22) emphasised that they worked as hourly for economic reasons, while more than a third (n?=?30) of the overall phase-two sample stated that there was no advantage of working as an hourly paid teacher. Working conditions for hourly paid teachers were described as disadvantageous by almost half the members of the phase-two sample (n?=?37).     

How students with intellectual disabilities evaluate recommendations from internet forums

Social networks enable people with intellectual disabilities (ID) to participate actively in society and to promote their self-determination. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential limitations of people with ID to deal with untrustworthy information sources on the Internet. In an experiment, we assessed how adult students with ID evaluated recommendations in Internet forums authored by either self-reported experts or by users under pseudonyms who supported their claim either with documentary sources or their personal experience. We compared the performances of students with ID to that of students of similar ages but higher educational levels (chronological age-matched control group) and to younger students with similar verbal mental age (verbal mental age-matched control group). Participants were asked to evaluate to what extent a fictitious user should follow particular recommendations given in a forum and to justify their evaluations by writing a message to the fictitious user. Students with ID, as opposed to the two control groups, recommended the forum advice to a higher extent regardless of authorship and evidence used, and they included in their messages to the fictitious user a higher number of opinions and information sources not present in the forum without linking them to the actual discussion. The pattern of results suggested that students with ID have a limited ability to evaluate recommendations in forums and that they do not necessarily present a delay in the development of these abilities, but rather an atypical development. Finally, we discussed the potential implications for teaching digital literacy to students with ID.     

The Interplay between Habitus,Social Variables and Occupational Preferences

European researchers have recently introduced Bourdieu’s habitus theory and research methods into the research field of career development. The advantage of Bourdieu’s theory is to overcome the theoretical problems that in this field have resulted from overemphasis on individual aspects of career development at the expense of social aspects. The habitus concept allows for the dichotomy between the individual and the social dimensions to be overcome. The research reported here looks at the interplay between habitus, social variables and career preferences but in a younger age group than has previously been studied. It also wonders whether habitus groups exist in the relatively homogenous population of Iceland at a relatively young age, i.e., before divergence in the educational system. Analyses resulted in five habitus groups being formed on the basis of endorsement of cultural and leisure activities. Furthermore, the five groups differed both in terms of sex composition and — importantly — of preferred future occupations. It was concluded that habitus groups form readily and have important implications for research and practice within the field of career counselling. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Role of Private Universities and Colleges in the Spatial Restructuring of Higher Education in Poland

The development of private higher education institutions in Poland since 1989 has become a thorny political issue. The question is discussed in terms of the overall expansion of higher education in Poland, the Polish national development strategy, the spatial distribution of higher education institutions in Poland, and the role of higher education in the formation of the Polish national e´lite. The author argues strongly in favour of the equal treatment of private higher education.     

Methodologies for the inclusive education of students with severe visual impairment or blindness / Metodologías que garantizan la inclusión educativa de estudiantes con discapacidad visual grave o ceguera

The aim of this paper is to present the educational experiences that have been implemented in the community of Madrid (Spain) with students with severe visual impairment or blindness. We highlight why and how the new educational policies being implemented have achieved the genuine inclusion of these students in line with European educational objectives. The study was carried out during the academic years 2010–11 to 2015–16. We conclude that the educational inclusion of students with visual impairment becomes a reality upon the effective participation of two specialized teams, namely, the educational psychologists for young children (divided in stages from zero to three years and from four to 12 years of age) and the educational specialists in visually impaired children. This constitutes a prime example that can be extended to other contexts and other disabilities. It becomes evident that, to be effective, inclusive education requires a joint and coordinated response from all professionals involved in the education process.     

Game-based career learning support for youth: effects of playing the Youth@Work game on career adaptability

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions that youth has to take but many young people find this a hard issue to engage with. Current career counselling practice does not appear very compelling or motivating to young people. Professional games could provide a more engaging and motivating way of acquiring professional awareness and competence for career decision making and learning. We present the design and effects of playing a game that aims to increase career awareness and adaptabilities in youth (13–19 years). In a Randomized Controlled Trial, 93 high school students from Iceland and Romania were asked to carry out career-oriented activities, with half playing an interactive game and the other half performing a paper-and-pencil version of the same activities. The students were compared on career adaptability, career learning and career awareness scores before and after these interventions. Main results show that engaging players in these career-oriented activities has short term effects on outcome scores for career adaptabilities and for perceptions of career learning competences. Students who played the game report significantly faster growth on career adaptabilities that deal with “concern”, “control” and “confidence”. It can therefore be concluded that introducing game-based learning in career decision support for youth is a promising endeavour.     

Measuring systematic long-term trajectories of school effectiveness improvement

The objective of this study was to identify trajectories of school improvement experienced by Chilean elementary schools over the last decade. Using econometric analysis and controlling for potential confounding factors, we created an index of school performance combining outcome indicators focused on different school dimensions, and estimated the 2002/2010 evolution of school improvement for all Chilean schools with available data. Broadly, we estimated an average increase in the school performance of about 0.19 SD; nevertheless, while 41% of the schools increased their educational performance by at least 0.1 SD, 25% of the schools decreased it during the same period; we also found that improving school effectiveness was more probable among schools with lower student socioeconomic status (SES). Finally, we found that the observed school improvement trajectories tended to be non-linear; thus, we estimated that only 13.4% of the schools improved their performance in a systematic way during the entire decade.     

The impact of visuals: using a poster to present metaphor

Studying metaphor with students from similar fields but from different specializations may seem an overwhelming experience. However, the use of a contextualized poster where the images are more important than the actual words has demonstrated how the use of images in the classroom is a valuable tool. Analysis of a questionnaire handed out to a sample of 'English for Specific Purposes' students confirmed these conclusions. The following paper deals with the pedagogical implications that the use of a poster has proved to have with a multidisciplinary group of students.