Gender inclusive Curricula: A focus on two responses

One of the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum Framework (Ministry of Education, 1993a) is that all curricula developed in New Zealand must be gender inclusive. Developers of the recently released science curriculum, and the draft technology curriculum, have responded to this requirement in different ways. In this paper I discuss a theorisation of the term ‘gender inclusive’ within national curriculum development generally, and explore and analyse these different responses within the specific context of the science and technology curriculum developments. Particular emphasis is placed on the historical difference between science education and technology education in New Zealand schools, and on the impact theoretical discourses have on the way in which terms such as ‘gender inclusive curricula’ are conceptualised, and viewed as appropriate, or not, for specific purposes. Specializations: feminist theory, science education, technology education, technology curriculum development.     

Aversive, appetitive and flavour avoidance responses in the presence of contextual cues

Appetitive, aversive and avoidance responses to a flavoured solution in distinct contexts were examined. Rats placed in either a white or black box were given access to saccharin. Consumption was followed by an injection of a toxin in one but not the other box. Rats showed more aversive responses in anticipation of and during the presentation of saccharin in the box paired with the toxin than in the box paired with vehicle. The reverse was true for appetitive responses. The acquisition of conditioned avoidance paralleled the acquisition of aversive and appetitive responses. These findings demonstrate that the toxin does not have to overlap exposure to contextual cues to produce conditioned aversive responses, that the aversive and appetitive responses to a flavour can be modulated by visually distinct environments that predict the toxin, and that conditioned avoidance and conditioned aversions develop simultaneously during acquisition. Thus, environmental cues can modulate anticipatory nausea and may prove helpful in the control of nausea in clinical settings.     

Enhancing academic engagement: Providing opportunities for responding and influencing students to choose to respond

Although educators often provide opportunities for students to engage in active academic responding, in many situations, students either cannot or will not respond. In the current article, we analyze the reasons students fail to respond. Practical procedures educators can use to prevent can't do problems are provided. Won't do problems are conceptualized as choice behaviors. Both applied and theoretical research on choice behavior provides the basis for recommendations designed to enhance the probability of students choosing to engage in active accurate academic (AAA) responding. Such procedures can increase skill development and achievement while decreasing inappropriate behaviors that are incompatible with AAA responding. School psychologists may utilize this information during the initial stages of collaborative problem solving (e.g., consultation) to help conceptualize problems. This conceptualization may then guide the assessment and intervention processes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 389–403, 2005.     

Making the Connection: Broadband Access and Online Course Enrollment at Public Open Admissions Institutions

Postsecondary students increasingly enroll in online courses, which have the potential to further democratize higher education by expanding access for historically underserved populations. While a number of studies have investigated student outcomes in online courses, past data limitations have hindered robust examination of a potential mechanism underlying the decision to enroll in an online course: access to high speed broadband. With data from the National Broadband Map and IPEDS, I fit a number of Bayesian regression models to investigate the relationship between various measures of broadband access—download speed, upload speed, and the number of providers—and the number of students who take online courses at public colleges and universities with open admissions policies. Results show that increases in broadband speed at the lower end of the speed spectrum are positively associated with the number of students who take some of their courses online, but that the marginal gain diminishes as speeds increase. This finding suggests that there may be a minimum threshold of necessary broadband access, beyond which increases in speed become a less important factor in the take up of online coursework. Open admissions colleges seeking to improve access for local students through increased online course offerings should consider broadband access in the area, particularly if the targeted populations live in communities with low average broadband speeds.

     

The effects of multisensory structured language instruction on native language and foreign language aptitude skills of at-risk high school foreign language learners

Research findings suggest that most students who have foreign language learning problems have language-based difficulties and, in particular, phonological processing problems. Authors of the present study examined pre- and posttest scores on native language and foreign language aptitude tests of three groups of at-risk high school students enrolled in special, self-contained sections of first-year Spanish. Two groups were instructed using a multisensory structured language (MSL) approach. One of the groups was taught in both English and Spanish (MSL/ES), the other only in Spanish (MSL/S). The third group (NO-MSL) was instructed using more traditional second language teaching methodologies. Significant gains were made by the MSL-ES group on measures of native language phonology, vocabulary, and verbal memory and on a test of foreign language aptitude; the MSL/S group made significant gains on the test of foreign language aptitude. No significant gains on the native language or foreign language aptitude measures were made by the NO-MSL group. Implications for foreign language classroom instruction of at-risk students are discussed.     

Foods for health: Involving organizations in planned change

The development of effective strategies for planned change presents a challenge to an organization operating in a modern, complex society. A change agency often faces two barriers to the diffusion of innovations —the lack of direct contact with individual receivers on a daily basis, and limited and perhaps shrinking resources. Two strategies which help a change agency address these barriers are: a) the use of co‐change agencies in innovation development and b) the diffusion of innovations through other organizations at the system‐receiver level. The use and effectiveness of these modifications to the traditional diffusion model are illustrated in the development and diffusion of a health education program called Foods for Health.     

Exploring ways that ePortfolios can support the progressive development of graduate qualities and professional competencies

Since the late-1990s, the University of South Australia has embedded seven Graduate Qualities across all programs. Subsequently, the higher education landscape has changed dramatically in terms of national policies and standards, as well as technologies available to support learning and teaching. Most higher education institutions now have their own list of qualities or attributes developed by graduates. Further changes in Australia include quality assurance accredited through a national body, such as the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, and the development of disciplinary Threshold Learning Outcomes under the Learning and Teaching Academic Standards project. Similar changes are underway internationally. A multi-disciplinary research project at University of South Australia explored how ePortfolios might enhance this learning environment with a focus on aligning standards, Graduate Qualities and professional requirements. This paper outlines approaches taken in Engineering and Law undergraduate programs using two different ePortfolio tools (PebblePad and Mahara), where we sought to discover if this would empower learners to articulate their achievements and to understand professional frameworks. Lessons learnt and evaluation data are presented, along with recommendations to support a progressive developmental approach across programs. Whilst the experiences relate to two disciplinary areas, the approach taken can be adapted for other programs. Many of the insights gained also apply to strategies that exclude ePortfolio tools.