Transition from School to Adult Life: Views of School Leavers with Disabilities

USING a structured interview format this exploratory study sought the views of 73 young people with a range of disabilities regarding means for ensuring an effective transition from school to adult life for people with disabilities. A wide range of views was elicited focussing on the roles that both the school and community can play. Included in their suggestions were the need for a planned transition process, a job‐related school curriculum and structured procedures to facilitate community integration. Most importantly, however, the study has highlighted the valuable contribution made by service consumers in providing useful and meaningful information. Implications of the results of the study for future program development and research efforts are discussed.     

Digital Cultural Heritage and the Crowd

Libraries, archives, and museums have a long history of collaboration with members of the public. There is already considerable interest in extending this relationship, inviting members of the public, often referred to as “the crowd,” to tag and classify, transcribe, organize, and otherwise add value to digital cultural heritage collection content. In this essay, current discussions of crowdsourcing are connected with the mission and values of cultural heritage organizations and a framework is offered for thinking about distinct components of different kinds of projects that have been lumped together.     

Political persuasion on social media: A moderated moderation model of political discussion disagreement and civil reasoning

Abstract

Social media and news use arguably contribute to the prevalence of contentious politics because individuals may express dissent through their social networks as they consume news. This study seeks to test whether individuals might be more open to political persuasion in this context, especially if they are exposed to political disagreement or discuss politics in a civil manner. Relying on survey data from the UK, results based on a moderated moderation model show that (a) social media news use predicts political persuasion on social media (direct effects) and, (b) discussion disagreement and civil reasoning moderate this relationship in two-way and three-way interactions.     

A mathematical model of the oar blade – water interaction in rowing

Abstract

Our aim was to present a mathematical model of rowing and sculling that allowed for a comparison of oar blade designs. The relative movement between the oar blades and water during the drive phase of the stroke was modelled, and the lift and drag forces generated by this complex interaction were determined. The model was driven by the oar shaft angular velocity about the oarlock in the horizontal plane, and was shown to be valid against measured on-water mean steady-state shell velocity for both a heavyweight men's eight and a lightweight men's single scull. Measured lift and drag force coefficients previously presented by the authors were used as inputs to the model, whichs allowed for the influence of oar blade design on rowing performance to be determined. The commonly used Big Blade, which is curved, and it's flat equivalent were compared, and blade curvature was shown to generate a 1.14% improvement in mean boat velocity, or a 17.1-m lead over 1500 m. With races being won and lost by much smaller margins than this, blade curvature would appear to play a significant role in propulsion.     

Matching Personal Attributes to those of the Course and the Workplace: Examples from Veterinary Science

It is desirable that students entering a professional course acquire both the personal attributes and the other key attributes needed for success in that particular profession. For veterinary science, these include skills in: communication; working with other people; handling animals; solving problems; self‐confidence; enthusiasm; motivation; the ability to work hard; and to be able to cope with stress. When students starting the veterinary course were surveyed, some were not confident that they had developed the key attributes including self‐confidence; interpersonal skills; and the ability to cope with stress. Given the importance of these attributes, this could help explain the distress felt by some recent veterinary graduates when faced with the realities of professional work. This analysis may be relevant to other careers, especially if the main attractant — in this case positive attitudes towards animals — is not sufficient to ensure contentment in the career.     

Classroom teacher effectiveness research: a conceptual critique

Teacher effectiveness research now informs the rationale of much Australian education policy aimed at redressing student under‐achievement. The approach draws a ‘straight line’ between teacher practice and student outcomes, ‘controlling’ for and ultimately dismissive of other possible influences. The paper calls into question this conception of teaching–learning relations, particularly the extent to which teaching practice can be reasonably quantified and improvements in students' academic achievement can be solely attributed to and/or sole responsibility placed on the pedagogic strategies employed by teachers. Drawing on the theoretical resources of Foucault and Bourdieu, the paper argues further that teacher effectiveness research is flawed in both means and ends. It concludes that in its ranking of student and teacher performance, such research actually works against the purposes of education; specifically, authentic teaching and learning.