Towards National Security and Peace: The Strategic Role of Libraries

This article is aimed at examining the causes of insecurity and violence in Nigeria and around the world. It discusses the active roles libraries play in promoting peace and security in different countries. It highlights the fact that several threats to lives, ranging from terrorism, communal and tribal clashes, kidnapping, pollution, health, physical and environmental hazards, and economic crisis among others, can be curbed through information and intelligence services. Premised on these, this article seeks to analyze and make recommendations for the promotion of literacy by libraries, build collaborative relationships between librarians and security operatives, and provide suggestions for the provision of current information against terrorism and security of lives and properties. It also seeks to provide current news on terrorism and intelligence services in Nigeria and around the world, and on social and national security for peaceful co-existence in communities.     

Distribution of Methods of Teaching Arithmetic in Primary Schools in England and Wales∗

Background When an exam question is read, a mental representation of the task is formed in each student's mind. This processing can be affected by features such as visual resources (e.g. pictures, diagrams, photographs, tables), which can come to dominate the mental representation due to their salience.

Purpose The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of visual resources in exam questions and, in particular, to investigate how and when students use images and whether subtle changes to these salient physical features can affect whether a question is understood and answered in the way intended by the question-setters.

Sample The participants were 525 16-year-old students, with a range of ability, in four secondaryschools.

Design and methods Experimental test papers were constructed including six questions based on past examination questions and involving graphical elements. For five of the six questions, two versions were designed in order to investigate the effects of changes to visual resources on processing and responses. A sample of the students were interviewed afterwards.

Results Where two versions of a question were trialled in parallel, the differences in the visual resources significantly affected marks for one question and had smaller effects on marks and the nature of answers with some of the others. There were mixed views from students over whether a visual resource that is not strictly necessary should be used. Some considered it reassuring, whilst others deemed it unnecessary. Evidence in the literature suggests that caution may be needed since there is a risk that some students may pay too much attention to the image. Findings from one question (question 6) indicated that visuals can increase the likelihood of students making unhelpful interpretations of a question. Students were seen to have sensible expectations regarding when to use information from a visual resource and what is important in an illustration. In addition, more use tended to be made of a technical diagram (in question 12) in comparison to pictures or sketches, and it was found that if an image provides a clue to an answer, this may be used in preference to information in the text.

Evidence regarding the use that students made of a table (question 1) indicated that the data in the table cells were given more attention than some of the preceding text and text in a header. This might apply similarly to other resources like graphs and charts.

Conclusions It is important to ensure that the inclusion of a visual resource is carefully considered and appropriately designed. If a visual resource is not strictly needed in a question, the writer will need to balance the advantages and disadvantages. Authors should also consider whether and how students are likely to use or be affected by the particular visual resource chosen. The findings and suggested implications of this study are most applicable to high-stakes testing but may also be useful to those preparing school textbooks and to teachers in their preparation of classroom materials.     

Revaluing the enlightenment: reason and imagination

In higher education teaching, enhancing learner autonomy has become a key concern for curriculum planners and classroom teachers. The significant body of research about learner autonomy in language learning over the last 20 years (e.g. Holec 1981, 1988; Riley 1985; Dickinson 1987, 1992; Wenden & Rubin 1987; Little, 1991; Dam, 1995; Benson & Voller, 1997) has indicated an on-going search for more understanding of how learner autonomy can be implemented in different contexts. This paper is based on a research study which was conducted in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. The study explores learners' attitudes and expectations of language learning, teacher and learner roles, their learning preferences and perceptions of learner autonomy. The paper reports the results and discusses their implication on the development of a learner-centred approach in higher education.     

Moral Development,HIV/AIDS Knowledge,and Attitude toward HIV/AIDS among Counseling Students in the United States

People living with HIV/AIDS will likely require services from mental health professionals to address the complex psychosocial effects of the illness. In the United States, counseling students are not likely to be well prepared to serve clients affected by HIV/AIDS, and little is known about their HIV-related knowledge and attitudes. The present study assessed the moral development, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS among a national sample of counseling students in the United States. Results indicated that students held biases toward people living with HIV/AIDS and that their attitudes toward HIV/AIDS were inversely related to their level of moral development.     

Correlating Spatial Ability With Anatomy Assessment Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Interest in spatial ability has grown over the past few decades following the emergence of correlational evidence associating spatial aptitude with educational performance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The research field at large and the anatomy education literature on this topic are mixed. In an attempt to generate consensus, a meta-analysis was performed to objectively summarize the effects of spatial ability on anatomy assessment performance across multiple studies and populations. Relevant studies published within the past 50 years (1969–2019) were retrieved from eight databases. Study eligibility screening was followed by a full-text review and data extraction. Use of the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) was required for study inclusion. Out of 2,450 screened records, 15 studies were meta-analyzed. Seventy-three percent of studies (11 of 15) were from the United States and Canada, and the majority (9 of 15) studied professional students. Across 15 studies and 1,245 participants, spatial ability was weakly associated with anatomy performance (r_pooled = 0.240; CI at 95% = 0.09, 0.38; P = 0.002). Performance on spatial and relationship-based assessments (i.e., practical assessments and drawing tasks) was correlated with spatial ability, while performance on assessments utilizing non-spatial multiple-choice items was not correlated with spatial ability. A significant sex difference was also observed, wherein males outperformed females on spatial ability tasks. Given the role of spatial reasoning in learning anatomy, educators are encouraged to consider curriculum delivery modifications and a comprehensive assessment strategy so as not to disadvantage individuals with low spatial ability.     

Across the campuses and around the globe: Reaching online learners through high-level embedded librarianship

In response to strategic and administrative goals, a large R1 public university with 24 campuses developed a programmatic embedded librarian pilot in 2016. This pilot provided high-level embedded librarianship to a growing online education program with learners located domestically and abroad. Embedded teams included librarians at regional campuses, instructional designers, and course faculty. Together the teams created new support systems and resources for online learners. This case study offers reflections and considerations for a team-based approach to high-level embedded librarianship online. Ultimately, the authors determined that successful programmatic embedded librarianship must be strategic and intentional with carefully cultivated, team-designed courses.     

“Your Tern Now My Tern Later”: A Tribute to the Outlaw Writer Russell Hoban

Russell Hoban died in December 2011. In this article, Victoria de Rijke celebrates this mysterious writer’s huge contribution to children’s literature over 52 years; a career which began and ended with two mythological books: The Mouse & His Child (1967) and Soonchild (2012). Published in CLE over the years, Hoban wrote about the importance of myth and the writer’s “outlaw self”. This piece explores his unique thinking about the craft of writing fantasy and actuality, and argues for books in “nameless categories” which children and adults can appreciate together.     

The Evolution of Smokey Bear: Environmental Education About Wildfire for Youth

Many environmental education programs in the United States educate youth about the prevention of wildfire and its role in ecosystems. We reviewed 50 wildfire education programs for youth (WEY) in the U.S. through an Internet search and interviews with program providers. We investigated whether they reflect current wildfire science, environmental education (EE) instructional strategies, and place-based education (PBE) approaches. We found that while one-third of the programs focus exclusively on wildfire prevention, suppression, and safety topics, one-third focuses on fire ecology, management, and science, and one-third includes all these topics, mirroring evolving scientific approaches to wildfire. Also, while state and federal agencies design and disseminate much of the curricula used, 60% of WEY programs incorporate local social and ecological contexts, revealing the close relationship between WEY and PBE.     

Teachers’ negative experiences and expressions of emotion: being true to yourself or keeping you in your place?

A discourse of marketisation prevails in recent publications on higher education in Ireland. Higher education is urged to heed the call to the markets and to become the driver of Ireland's future economic success, as Ireland seeks to build a knowledge-based economy. This article questions the dominant marketisation discourse in higher education. It explores the arguments for and against a market-led approach to education and argues that there can be no pure markets in education. It suggests that the real discourse is one of urging universities to follow government- or corporate-led agendas. It proposes a wider-encompassing discourse on higher education's role in society rather than one confined to the socially constructed language of performativity.