Preparing More Confident Preservice Elementary Science Teachers: One Elementary Science Methods Teacher's Self-Study

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Foreign aid and inclusive education in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati: a question of ownership

ABSTRACT

This study examines the influence of foreign aid and local ownership in the introduction of inclusive education in Kiribati. The data reported in this paper were collected through interviews with key local stakeholders and these data are part of a larger study. Data were analysed under the major theme of ownership, and were grouped into the four sub-themes of: local responses to inclusive education initiatives; support for inclusive education principles; local attitudes regarding the contribution of Australian Aid; and, sustainability with or without aid support. The results indicate that a positive commitment towards inclusive education is emerging and that Australian Aid provided essential advocacy for children with disabilities in Kiribati through direct management of initiatives by the expatriate administered Kiribati Education Facility. Inclusive education initiatives remain dependent on Australian Aid for direction and sustainability. Sustainability of inclusive education initiatives in Kiribati will depend on continued development of local ownership including community support and commitment by the Government of Kiribati, particularly budgetary support.     

A call to action: exploring and responding to educational developers’ workplace burnout and well-being in higher education

ABSTRACT

There is a gap in research exploring stress, burnout, and well-being within the context of educational development. The purpose of this study was to examine the concepts of burnout and workplace well-being among educational developers across the international landscape. Thematic analysis from the survey responses (n = 210) revealed characteristics around four themes that both enhanced or hindered participants’ sense of well-being: a) colleagues, b) manager/director, c) institution/senior administration, and d) workplace. Our findings highlight the need to further amplify conversations related to burnout, as well as examine and promote workplace well-being for educational developers.     

Exploring the social inclusion of deaf young people in mainstream schools,using their lived experience

Research suggests that children with hearing loss face a number of difficulties in the education system, including socially. Although there has been much research with the severe to profound deaf population there has been little research into the life experiences of children with moderate hearing loss who attend mainstream secondary schools. This research sought to examine the experiences of social inclusion for five young people with moderate hearing loss. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews in the young person’s school setting and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Although each participant had distinctive experiences, there were a number of common themes that emerged indicating the factors that support social inclusion and those which create barriers for deaf children in schools. Implications for educational psychologists are considered and the limitations of the research are outlined.     

Parallels between the reading and spelling deficits of two subgroups of developmental dyslexics

The spelling errors of third graders who fit phonological andsurface profiles of developmental dyslexia were analyzed, alongwith the errors of younger (reading level matched) andchronologically age matched non-dyslexic comparison groups. InStudy 1, errors were analyzed as phonologically constrained,unconstrained, or inaccurate and as either orthographicallyacceptable or unacceptable. Study 2 extended the errorclassification system to nonword spellings. The main finding wasthat different types of dyslexics produced different types oferrors. Both studies found that children produced spelling errorsconsistent with their type of dyslexia. The phonological groupshowed poor knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences,consistent with the existence of a phonological deficit. Thesurface group's spelling error profile differed from thephonological group and closely resembled the younger normalcomparison group. This pattern is consistent with other evidencethat surface dyslexia represents a general delay in acquiringliteracy skills. The studies provide converging evidence, from aspelling task, that developmental dyslexia is a non-homogeneouscategory consisting of at least two major subtypes with distinctetiologies and behavioral sequelae.     

Science education goals and curriculum designs in American and Chinese High Schools

This paper reports findings from a comparative study of science education goals and curriculum designs in American and Chinese high schools, based on data gathered from a survey of Chinese educationists who came to the USA as visiting scholars between 1991 and 1994. The ideal goals of science education are similar in the USA and China, but the real emphases are quite different in the two nations' schools. In curriculum design, American science education has wider scope but much less depth than its Chinese counterpart. These differences are also reflected in text-books and classroom activities. Implications for change in science education are discussed for both American and Chinese high schools.

---

Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel befaßt sich mit den Ergebnissen einer vergleichenden Studie zu den Zielen der wissenschaftlichen Erziehung und Curriculumsentwürfen in amerikanischen und chinesischen Hochschulen; basierend auf einer Studie chinesischer Erziehungswissenschaftler, die zwischen 1991 und 1994 als Gastschüler in die USA kamen. Die Idealziele wissenschaftlicher Erziehung sind in den USA and in China gleich, aber die reale Umsetzung ist in den Schulen beider Nationen sehr unterschiedlich. Im Curriculumsentwurf hat die wissenschaftliche Erziehung der Amerikaner einen breiteren Umfang aber weniger Tiefgang als die ihrer chinesisischen Kollegen. Diese Unterschiede zeigen sich auch in Textbüchern und Aktivitäten im Klassenraum. Diskutiert werden anschließend Änderungsvorschläge sowohl für amerikanische als auch für chinesische Hochschulen.

---

Résumé L'article commente les résultats d'une étude comparative entre les Etats-Unis et la Chine sur les objectifs de l'enseignement scientifique et l'élaboration des programmes correspondants. Ces résultats proviennent de données collectées lors d'une enquête réalisée par des pédagogues chinois séjournant dans des lycées américains entre 1991 et 1994. Les objectifs théoriques fixés pour l'enseignement des sciences correspondent dans les deux pays, mais les applications pratiques divergent notablement. En ce qui concerne la structure des programmes, l'enseignement américain est plus vaste mais moins approfondi que son équivalent chinois. Cette différence se reflète également dans les manuels scolaires et les activités en classe. S'ensuit une discussion sur les conséquences qu'aurait une révision de l'enseignement de cette matière dans les lycées des deux pays.

---

Sumario Este trabajo informa los resultados de un estudio que compara los objetivos de la educación y los delineamientos de currículo de las universidades estadounidenses y chinas, basándose en datos recogidos de un informe confeccionade por especialistas en pedagogía chinos que permanecieron en los EE UU entre 1991 y 1994 como eruditos invitados. Si bien los objetivos ideales de los estudios científicos son similares en los EEUU y en China, los énfasis reales son bastante diferentes en los sistemas de ambas naciones. en el delineamiento del currículo americano, la educaíon científica presenta una gama más amplia, pero mucho menos profunda que la de su equivalente china. Estas diferencias también se reflejan en los libres de textos y en las actividades en las aulas. Se están discutiendo las consecuencias para un cambio en la educación científica, tanto para universidades estadounidenses como para las chinas.

     

Ideas and the future of higher education

Travellers who begin their pilgrimage to the uncertain future by attending colleges or universities need an educational experience characterized by specific consideration of ideas as ideas and overt attention to the process of challenging assumptions. Effective higher education in the future may be recognized by its participants' focus on ideas in general as the foundation of the curriculum and their simultaneous willingness to challenge any particular idea. To the extent to which these two activities do not presently characterize American higher education, the most critical innovation for the future may be a change of mind.