Teachers’ emotions in the context of education reform: labor process theory and social constructionism

In recent years, many teachers suffered different kinds of negative emotions in the context of education reforms. A typical explanation was that the education reforms disempowered teachers in teaching, so teachers were forced to do much non-instructional work. Teachers considered their work meaningless but were powerless to change it, and eventually indulged themselves in negative emotions. However, the present research suggested that this explanation had neglected teacher agency and might be incomplete. Arguing from the perspective of social constructionism, the research showed that teachers in Hong Kong experienced negative emotions in education reforms because, on top of the disempowerment, the reforms structurally displaced teachers’ educational goals with administrative goals. The goal displacement impeded teachers’ evaluation of the instructional values of their work. Thus, teachers perceived their work as inconsistent with their major purpose of teaching (i.e. making a difference) and they felt negative towards work.     

How can we enhance enjoyment of secondary school? The student view

This paper considers enjoyment of formal education for young people aged 14 to 16, largely from their own perspective, based on the view of around 3000 students in England. The data include documentary analysis, official statistics, interviews and surveys with staff and students. Enjoyment of school tends to be promoted by factors such as successful social relationships, small classes, variation in learning and students having some control of their learning. Enjoyment tends to be inhibited by perceived lack of respect or concern by teaching staff and passive pedagogy. For some disengaged students, a work or college environment with more adult relationships appears to restore enjoyment and enthusiasm. Enjoyment, unlike attainment, for example, is not particularly stratified by the standard student background variables. Nor is there evidence of a clear school effect. This means that enjoyment should be easy to enhance more widely, positively affecting the learner identities of all young people, including the more reluctant learners.     

Can Maltreated Children Inhibit True and False Memories for Emotional Information?

The authors examined 284 maltreated and nonmaltreated children's (6- to 12-year-olds) ability to inhibit true and false memories for neutral and emotional information using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Children studied either emotional or neutral DRM lists in a control condition or were given directed-remembering or directed-forgetting instructions. The findings indicated that children, regardless of age and maltreatment status, could inhibit the output of true and false emotional information, although they did so less effectively than when they were inhibiting the output of neutral material. Verbal IQ was related to memory, but dissociative symptoms were not related to children's recollective ability. These findings add to the growing literature that shows more similarities among, than differences between, maltreated and nonmaltreated children's basic memory processes.     

The development of Chinese education in Malaysia, 1952–1975: political collaboration between the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Chinese educationists

This paper examines the development of Chinese education in Malaysia from 1952 to 1975, focusing on the political collaboration between the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Chinese educationists to advance the cause of Chinese education instead of the usual macro policy analysis. This collaboration was compounded by the different stand adopted by the MCA and the Chinese educationists on issues relating to Chinese education. This different stand reflected the MCA’s political limitations to advance the cause of Chinese education. The MCA had to abide by the elite accommodation model adopted by the coalition government since it was a partner of this coalition. Such an accommodative approach could not meet the assertive demand of the Chinese educationists on issues relating to Chinese education. Meanwhile, the political collaboration between the MCA and the Chinese educationists was also constrained by internal conflict within the MCA that compromised the interests of Chinese education.     

Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Teaching: ‘Punish[ing] Those Who Fail To Do Their Gender Right’

Higher Education - A significant body of work problematises the assumption that student evaluations of teaching (SET) actually measure teaching quality. This is concerning, given that SET are...     

新店溪流域土地利用型态与径流特性之研究

土地利用是人与环境互动展现在地表的现象,土地利用的议题一直是地理学研究中重要的课题。近年来,都市化及社会结构的迅速发展和变化,土地面临极大的开发压力,尤其是在不当的开发行为中,所造成的各种土地利用型态 ,不仅使得流域的径流特性发生变化,更造成人民的生命财产产生威胁。因此,该研究以台湾新店溪流域宝桥子集水区为例,收集前人应用SPOT卫星影像所判释出1989年、1990年、1993年、1994年、1995年、1997年、1998年、1999年、2001年共9个时期的研究区各种土地利用型态数据,采用美国农业部水土保持局所研发的径流曲线指数法,分析出上述9个时期中,不同土地利用型态下的标准径流曲线值,再依据历年雨量资料整理出上述各年的前期5日 降雨型态,将径流曲线值加以修正后,求出年径流系数值。该研究进一步运用多元回归分析方法,探讨研究区土地利用型态与径流特性二者间之关系。结果显示,利用林地、农地、草地、都市用地、水体这5种地表土地利用型态,所能说明的年径流系数值的总变异程度,达80％以上,可供后续研究者参考。