Habermas, Carr and the Possibility of a Science of Education

A recent attempt to answer questions on the scientific status of education draws on the thoughts of Jürgen Habermas. There is a tension in Habermas's work because he consigns scientific endeavour to the realm of instrumental action, while attempting to base his theory of communication on scientific results. This suggests that either his theory is wrong and science is not merely instrumental, or that his recent proposals mistake manipulation for understanding. This proposition is considered by examining the work of Wilfred Carr, who has taken up the ideas of Habermas. Carr interprets and develops Habermas's theory within an analytical framework, situating it in relation to recent developments in the philosophy of education and philosophy more generally, bringing new light on the relationship between critical theory and education, and overcoming certain limitations of previous scientific characterisations. However, it is argued here that Habermas's idea of science is too abstract to provide a sufficiently complex grounding for substantive, socially liberating, educational practise.     

Internal,External, and Government Political Efficacy: Effects on News Use,Discussion, and Political Participation

News use and political discussion are often studied as important factors in understanding the effects of political efficacy on participation. However, measurements of external efficacy often blur distinctions between personal ability and government responsiveness. This study establishes a measure for perceptions of competence in the institutions of democratic government—government efficacy (GE). Drawing on panel survey data from the United States, confirmatory factor analysis introduces GE as a unique construct. Political efficacy dimensions are tested for their impact on news consumption, discussion, and political participation. Results add to the extant literature revolving the role of political efficacy on news use, discussion, and participation.     

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.     

Schools as learning communities: Building capacity through network learning

This article reports on the results from a study which investigated the impact of guidance given in writing tasks on children's writing performance. Six hundred eleven year olds completed writing tasks with varying content and structural support and their writing was analysed for purpose and organisation, style, spelling, clause structure, word class, paragraphing and punctuation. The aim was to find out if support facilitated better writing and if the type of support had differing effects. The findings suggested that the support did not significantly affect performance in narrative and persuasive writing. Possible implications and initial indications from a follow-up qualitative study of children's thinking are discussed.