Multicultural Inclusion of Lesbian and Gay Literature Themes in Elementary Classrooms

This article provides a rationale for and methods to assist elementary educators in creating spaces where the enhancement of awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-themed literature could be explored in elementary schools and classrooms. The authors assert that an approach to providing gender and sexuality diversity in the elementary grades is part of multicultural practice in elementary classrooms. Through document analysis, the authors discovered the existing theories, practices, and evidence available in the literature that would provide elementary educators support to use LGBTQ-themed children's literature in academic spaces. The authors then provide a set of guidelines for educators to modify their existing instructional practices in order to empower young learners with the critical literacy attributes necessary in order to gain access to knowledge, power, and opportunities.     

Is adaptation to task complexity really beneficial for performance?

Theories of self-regulated learning assume that learners flexibly adapt their learning process to external task demands and that this is positively related to performance. In this study, university students (n = 119) solved three tasks that greatly differed in complexity. Their learning processes were captured in detail by task-specific questionnaires and computer-generated log files. Results indicate that students adapted almost all learning processes significantly to task complexity. For example, students accessed more hypertext pages for complex tasks than for simple tasks. However, this kind of adaptation was not consistently related to performance. For variables capturing learners’ self-regulation, such as the number of accessed hypertext pages, more pronounced adaptation was significantly and positively related to performance even when learners’ general processing depth was statistically controlled. Results were less consistent for variables capturing learners’ self-monitoring, such as their judged task complexity.     

Spontaneity and planning in arts attendance: insights from qualitative interviews and the Audience Finder database

ABSTRACT

Arts managers frequently use customer relationship management systems to identify early and late ticket bookers, but to date there has been no comparable investigation of spontaneity and planning through qualitative academic audience research. This paper combines two radically different datasets to draw new insights into booking patterns of audiences for contemporary arts events. Quantitative data from Audience Finder has been analysed to look for trends in early and late booking amongst audiences for contemporary art forms. Qualitative data has been drawn from the Understanding Audiences for the Contemporary Arts study, which used in-depth individual interviews to investigate the contemporary arts attendance of audience members in four UK cities. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was then used to draw out insights about where the purchasing point sits within the longer decision to attend. Following a review of marketing and audience research literature on the decision to attend, we present the findings from each of these analyses, looking at moments where they confirm, supplement, contradict, or say something completely outside the remit of the other dataset. We show how the timescale of the decision to attend is influenced by (1) art form conventions and price, (2) geographical region and availability of the arts, (3) attending arts events with companions, and (4) personal preference for planning or spontaneously choosing activities. We end by suggesting a new three-part model for understanding booking patterns, and considering how these insights might be acted upon by arts organisations.     

Using Constructivist Instructional Design Featured in Two Online Courses: Notes From the Field

Abstract

We thought that the close integration of theory and practice offered by constructivism promises unique opportunities to maximize learning in online courses using interactive software as the primary medium of communication. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the ‘goodness of fit’ between principles drawn from constructivist theories and the design and implementation of the interactive online course.     

The shifting role of the special needs assistant in Irish classrooms: a time for change?

The education of pupils with special educational needs in Ireland has generally been influenced by national and international inclusion policy and legislation so that the majority of these children now take their place alongside peers in mainstream classrooms. In Ireland, a support network comprising the teacher and additional classroom assistance now characterises much inclusive school provision. Such support is often provided via learning support teachers, resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs), the latter group being the focus of this article. Whilst the professional credentials of this post have evolved in other jurisdictions, the position of the SNA in Ireland has remained largely unchanged, with a job specification that continues to emphasise its caring, non-teaching nature. This article will consider the juxtaposition of the statutory functions of SNAs with their reported role(s) in Irish classrooms. Using quantitative and qualitative data, it will explore the professional profile of the SNA, identify current perceptions on the nature of this post and consider its collaborative potential within an inclusive education system.     

A Longitudinal Examination of Validity and Temporal Stability of Organizational Dissent Measurement in France

ABSTRACT

This study examines the extent to which the Organizational Dissent Scale (ODS) maintains validity and temporal stability over time in a French sample. A longitudinal panel study was conducted. The results do not support that the ODS maintains validity nor temporal stability over time. These results are not indicative of problems with the original measure; it could be that conceptually dissent is a different process with different understandings in French culture. Cultural differences may render measures unusable between cultural groups.     

Dissecting “Peer Presence” and “Decisions” to Deepen Understanding of Peer Influence on Adolescent Risky Choice

This study evaluated the aspects of complex decisions influenced by peers, and components of peer involvement influential to adolescents’ risky decisions. Participants (N = 140) aged 13–25 completed the Columbia Card Task (CCT), a risky choice task, isolating deliberation-reliant and affect-reliant decisions while alone, while a friend monitors choices, and while a friend is merely present. There is no condition in which a nonfriend peer is present. Results demonstrated the risk-increasing peer effect occurred in the youngest participants in the cold CCT and middle-late adolescents in the hot CCT, whereas other ages and contexts showed a risk-decreasing peer effect. Mere presence was not sufficient to influence risky behavior. These boundaries in age, decision, and peer involvement constrain prevailing models of adolescent peer influence.