Differentiation in the Making: Consequences of School Segregation of Roma in the Czech Republic,Hungary, and Slovakia

This article examines how various forms of ethnic segregation in education affect everyday life and future aspirations of Roma youth in three Central and Eastern European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It draws on a comparative European investigation about the diverging experiences and paths of ethnic minority youth in Europe (EDUMIGROM¹¹EDUMIGROM “Ethnic differences in education and diverging paths for ethnic minority youth in an enlarged Europe” was an FP7-funded research led by Prof. Júlia Szalai and Viola Zentai at the Center for Policy Studies (CPS), Central European University (CEU), between 2008 and 2011. The author was a member of the coordinating team at CPS, CEU. www.edumigrom.eu.). The article investigates how segregation actually comes about in Central and Eastern Europe and looks at ways in which various forms of separation shape the everyday experiences and future aspirations of youth through the lenses of 14–15-year-old Roma students and their teachers. It reveals that studying in segregated Roma schools limits young Romas’ chances for further education and deprives them of interethnic social networks. Meanwhile, studying in segregated classes of ethnically mixed schools has a devastating effect on the development of young people’s identity, self-esteem, and interethnic relationships.     

Integrative assessment of Evolutionary theory acceptance and knowledge levels of Biology undergraduate students from a Brazilian university

The integrative role that Evolutionary theory plays within Biology is recognised by most scientific authors, as well as in governmental education policies, including Brazilian policies. However, teaching and learning evolution seems problematic in many countries, and Brazil is among those. Many factors may affect teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards evolution, and studies can help to reveal those factors. We used a conceptual questionnaire, the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) instrument, and a Knowledge test to assess (1) the level of acceptance and understanding of 23 undergraduate Biology students nearing the end of their course, (2) other factors that could affect these levels, including course structure, and (3) the most difficult topics regarding evolutionary biology. The results of this study showed that the students, on average, had a ‘Very High Acceptance’ (89.91) and a ‘Very Low Knowledge’ (59.42%) of Evolutionary theory, and also indicated a moderate positive correlation between the two (r?=?0.66, p?=?.001). The most difficult topics were related to the definition of evolution and dating techniques. We believe that the present study provides evidence for policymakers to reformulate current school and university curricula in order to improve the teachers’ acceptance and understanding of evolution and other biological concepts, consequently, helping students reduce their misconceptions related to evolutionary biology.     

Corporate support of higher education: Trends in Canada and the United States

United States and Canadian trends in corporate philanthropy and support of higher education are presented for the past 11 to 15 years. Comparative analyses reveal different corporate priorities and giving agendas which signal the need for unique approaches to university and college fund raising in each country. Though the percentage of U.S. corporate contributions allocated to higher education has not changed in 11 years, Canada's institutions of higher education appear to be competing directly with beneficiaries in culture and the arts, in terms of annual corporate giving priorities. Regarding allocations for various purposes within higher education, U.S. firms tend to have sponsorship agendas that follow established priorities and are programmatic in nature, unlike Canadian companies whose support for these purposes has varied considerably. This gives university and college fund raisers in Canada an opportunity to establish and nurture long-term programs of corporate support for capital projects, research, and student financial aid.     

A primer of research on cognitive strategy instruction: The important issues and how to address them

Five types of strategy research are reviewed. (1) We argue it makes sense first to determine whether there is a need for strategy instruction. If there is, (2) development of a treatment with preliminary evaluations can follow, as can (3) formal evaluation of the resultant intervention in true experiments. As instructional need research, strategy development, and experimental evaluation proceed, two other types of research should be conducted. (4) It is important to study the acceptability of strategy interventions to educators and students. (5) Research on material modifications can provide information about how strategy benefits can be made available to students when strategy instruction is not effective or unlikely to occur. Very little strategy instruction has been evaluated in all five types of research covered here, making obvious the need for more systematic research on strategies. Observational, ethnographic, and experimental methods are required in order to address the many issues comprising comprehensive empirical analysis of any type of strategy instruction, with many recommendations made here about how to conduct informative studies.     

Academic spaces, computer technologies, and difference: toward a multidisciplinary approach to academic participation of nonnative English speaking students

The growing trend of the internationalization of universities has provoked an interest in the academic participation of students coming from non-English speaking universities. Fashioned by theory and research as a group with “problems”, nonnative English speakers are depicted as in constant need for help, and unsatisfied with Western academic practices. Consequently, the researchers interested in the potentials of computer technologies have turned toward the ways computer technologies might facilitate students’ participation. By taking for granted the nonnative English speaking students’ dissatisfaction with traditional academic practices because of students’ cultural/linguistic differences, this approach fails to explore how the differences between the nonnative English speakers and other students have been established and maintained in traditional classrooms in the first place. This paper argues that we need a better understanding of the complex nature of relations between students and academic spaces that would challenge the approach that offers computer technologies as a “solution” to the problems of classroom participation by nonnative English speakers and develop a new framework to consider all aspects involved in the process. Empirical component of the paper offers several possible approaches in the analysis of nonnative English speaking students’ academic participation.     

Beliefs von Studierenden sonder- und grundschulpädagogischer Studiengänge

The implementation of inclusion in schools currently requires new reflections of competence profiles of the teachers involved. Especially in elementary school, which can so far be considered as the most developed institution of inclusive schooling in Germany, questions of differences in the profiles of elementary and special education teachers have been raised. As professional skills also have motivational and volitional aspects, a beliefs model (domain overlapping) was developed based on the construction of the TEDS-M research project, which aims to study specific special educational beliefs. Using a quantitative questionnaire designed in the context of a corresponding preliminary investigation a three-factor-solution for mapping a special supportive belief profile among student teachers and teachers in the field of elementary and special education was tested. Initially this profile model was confirmed by the results of a subsequent analysis based on a nationwide sample of elementary school and special education students (N = 951). In addition to these findings different manifestations of the beliefs model could be identified among student teachers for elementary schools and student teachers for special education.     

Voice Recognition for On-line Literacy: Continuous Voice Recognition Technology in Adult Literacy Training

This study explored whether over-the-counter continuous voice recognition software could be used to support the delivery of a standardized reading curriculum to adults with low-level literacy skills. Three primary questions were addressed in the study. First, how readily could mass-market continuous voice recognition software programs be adapted for use in adult literacy training? Second, what role(s) might the voice recognition technology play in facilitating the computer-based delivery of a standard text-based reading curriculum? And third, does the use of the voice recognition software positively affect the technological skills and computing comfort levels of adults with low-level literacy skills? Five adults with low-level literacy skills completed the computer-based curriculum, using the voice recognition software to practice and check their reading and writing efforts. A literacy tutor guided the participants through the curriculum, recorded and saved the participants' responses and videotaped the sessions for subsequent analysis. The findings reported here suggest that currently available over-the-counter continuous voice recognition technology, while essentially effective and accurate with fluent readers, is not yet ready, as a stand-alone system, to meet the needs of these adults with low-level literacy skills. The voice recognition software was most effective when it was used in the presence of a tutor. Having tutors provide on-going and immediate support to learners was a vital component of literacy training in this computer-based environment. In general the computer-based programs seemed to provide participants with a `motivational boost'. Specifically, the computer-based lessons helped develop participants' technological skills and confidence levels and promoted sustained focus on instructional tasks. Implications associated with these findings for future research with voice recognition software and adult literacy training are discussed.