Testing and Grading Practices and Opinions of Secondary Teachers of Academic Subjects: Implications for Instruction in Measurement

What are secondary school teachers' views on testing and grading practices? What clusters of opinions can be categorized as ‘flexible,”“opposed to difficult testing,” or “hard-nosed?” How should the use of test results for grading be treated in teacher in-service training programs?     

Conceptions of scientific literacy: Reactionaries in ascendency in the state of Victoria

Schooling as much as any other social activity is determined by ideology. The introduction of the VictorianCurriculum &; Standards Framework is a case in point. The alliance between the new Victorian State government and traditionalists has “reformed” the schooling of science. Evidence is presented that points to a return to a conception of scientific literacy in which the central mythology of value-free science is the guiding principle. Here is a vision for an “educated” Australia, which begs the question: Whose Australia?     

Validity of E-Advice: The Evaluation of an Internet-Based System for Career Planning

The paper provides data on the evaluation of an Internet-based system for self-directed career planning that has been developed in Croatia. Rich in occupational information and career-management advice, this application also contains an interactive questionnaire tapping the client's personal skills and interests. Based on the client's answers, the computer proposes an e-advice– a limited set of occupations that match the users' individual characteristics. The evaluation utilized data gathered from a self-selected sample of users (N = 2,064) and two smaller student samples. Apart from the users' satisfaction, the analyses explored various aspects of e-advice validity: factor structure of users' self-assessments and expert occupational ratings, differences in e-advice given to different groups of users, congruence with the classifications based on Holland's Self-Directed Search, and congruence with the advice given by expert human counsellors. The analyses supported the validity of e-advice. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The benefits and challenges of academic writing retreats: an integrative review

The immediate drivers to increase publication outputs in higher education are government and research funding, organisational status, performance expectations and personal career aspirations. Writing retreats are one of a range of strategies used by universities to boost publication output. The aims of this integrative review were to synthesise the available evidence, identify the attributes, benefits and challenges of academic writing retreats and examine the components that facilitate publication output. The review was based on a systematic search of six electronic databases. Of the 296 articles identified, 11 primary research papers met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis of the data highlighted a raft of personal, professional and organisational benefits of writing retreats. The five key elements of writing retreats conducive to increasing publication output were protected time and space; community of practice; development of academic writing competence; intra-personal benefits and organisational investment. Participants involved achieved greater publication outputs, particularly when provided ongoing support. Further research is required to examine more substantively the feasibility of writing retreats, their cost-effectiveness and the features that increase publication outcomes.     

Sex and Risk: Parental Messages and Associated Safety/Risk Behavior of Adult Children

The importance of both parent–child conversations about sex and general family communication climates has been emphasized in numerous studies. This study compared general family communication via family communication patterns (FCP) to specific parental communication about sex in understanding young adults’ sexual communication/risk (avoidance, threat, and risk behavior). Results suggest that FCP were stronger predictors of adult children’s perceptions of sexual communication as threatening and overall avoidance of sexual communication with their partners compared to the frequency of and overall quality of parent–child conversations about sex. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.     

Teaching about Diversity in Black and White: Reflections and Recommendations from Two Teacher Educators

In this article, two teacher educators reflect on their experiences teaching a diversity course for preservice middle-school teachers. The first author is an African American male teacher educator, and the second author is a White female teacher educator. While the authors bring distinct experiences, backgrounds, and epistemologies to this work, both seek to prepare preservice teachers with the skills and dispositions needed to meet the needs of culturally diverse students. Including their narratives in their own words, the authors share their experiences teaching this course and make recommendations for those doing this work in their respective spaces.     

A Comparative Case Study of Student Preparation for Postsecondary Education: How GEAR UP,Socioeconomic Status,and Race Influence Academic and Non-academic Factors

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of early preparation for postsecondary education and explore the effectiveness of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). This comparative case study included 836 students from two cohorts (GEAR UP and Non GEAR UP). We compared high school attendance, retention, behavior incidents, GPA, graduation rates, and college attendance by GEAR UP, socioeconomic status, and race. GEAR UP students performed significantly better on all measures. There were differences found in both cohorts along SES and racial lines; these differences were less pronounced within the GEAR UP cohort. Recommendations for school reform, collaborations between education institutions, and further research are included.