How Sustainable Are In‐service Teacher‐training Courses?

The present research addressed the issue of ‘life after a course’. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of four in‐service teacher‐training courses at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in terms of their usefulness and relevance to the teachers’ needs on return to school. An end‐of‐course evaluation questionnaire and a follow‐up questionnaire were sent six months after the courses to see if there were any significant differences in the participants’ views on the effectiveness of a course at two different time points. Qualitative data collected from interviews between the tutors and participants six months after the courses were also analysed to find out which aspects of the courses were considered to be most useful to the teachers on their return to school, and why they were useful. The findings from the research give valuable insights into the design of teacher‐education courses.     

Instruction in secondary cotaught classrooms: Three elements,two teachers,one unique approach

Coteaching is a widely used service delivery model for students with disabilities who access the general curriculum. Instruction in cotaught classrooms is meant to be qualitatively different from instruction in solo-taught classrooms; however, this is not always the case. In this article, we describe a framework for thinking about and planning instruction in cotaught classrooms that includes evidence-based practices from special education and specially designed instruction. Examples are included and discussed.     

Scaling Performance Assessments: A Comparison of One-Parameter and Two-Parameter Partial Credit Models

In one study, parameters were estimated for constructed-response (CR) items in 8 tests from 4 operational testing programs using the l-parameter and 2- parameter partial credit (IPPC and 2PPC) models. Where multiple-choice (MC) items were present, these models were combined with the 1-parameter and 3-parameter logistic (IPL and 3PL) models, respectively. We found that item fit was better when the 2PPC model was used alone or with the 3PL model. Also, the slopes of the CR and MC items were found to differ substantially. In a second study, item parameter estimates produced using the IPL-IPPC and 3PL-2PPC model combinations were evaluated for fit to simulated data generated using true parameters known to fit one model combination or ttle other. The results suggested that the more flexible 3PL-2PPC model combination would produce better item fit than the IPL-1PPC combination.     

The information requirements and information-seeking behaviours of health and social care professionals providing care to children with health care needs: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this work were to identify the sources of information currently received, information-seeking behaviours, information requirements and preferences for future information provision amongst health and social care professionals providing care to children with health care needs. METHODS: Data were collected using a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey. RESULTS: A wide range of information resources was reported as being available to professionals. However, a large proportion of respondents found it necessary to perform additional searches for information, suggesting that current resources were not satisfying their needs. The majority of professionals reported a preference for electronic formats, whilst a smaller proportion preferred hard copy materials. Participants promoted the use of informal networks as a means of support and exchange of information. CONCLUSION: Supplementing the information that is provided in electronic and hard copy formats, by enhancing informal networks, may be the most effective way of meeting the information needs of this group of professionals.     

Modifications in children's goals when encountering obstacles to conflict resolution

Previous studies have demonstrated that children's goals are associated with their success in peer relationships. The current study extends earlier findings by examining changes in children's goals during hypothetical conflicts. Participants were 252 children ages 9 to 12 years old (133 boys, 119 girls). As predicted, children's goals changed significantly when they encountered obstacles to conflict resolution, and these changes were predictive of their subsequent strategy choices. Both aggressive- and submissive-rejected children were more likely to evidence antisocial changes in their goals, including an increased desire to retaliate. They also showed reluctance to forego instrumental objectives. Other findings highlighted the need to investigate the combinations of goals children pursue as predictors of their strategies and the quality of their peer relationships.     

I felt so guilty: emotions and subjectivity in school‐based teacher education

Research in the field of emotions in relation to teaching is relatively new, but expanding. However, studies addressing the emotional dimension of preservice teacher education, particularly with respect to the role of school‐based teacher educators are currently under‐represented in the literature. This paper reports findings from a study focussed on the emotional dimension of the practicum for school‐based teacher educators as they support preservice teacher colleagues. It adopts a qualitative method informed by feminist post‐structural theory in an attempt to give meaning to teachers’ narratives of their personal responses to supporting a less than successful preservice teacher. The study investigates teachers’ shifting sense of agency throughout the experience as they work within apparently intersecting discursive frames. The case study reveals the depth of emotions experienced by teachers and examines the impact of the emotions on teacher identity. It appears that the tertiary sector has failed to recognise the emotional costs of such experiences and the associated needs of school‐based teacher educators. Finally, the paper asks in what ways can staff in universities work collaboratively with teachers to address the concerns being raised by a study such as this, as there appears to be a genuine need to assist teachers copes with the emotional outcomes of working with problematic preservice teachers.     

Expert Workshop Assesses the Significance of Birth Location on Maternal and Infant Outcomes

On March 6–7, 2013, some of the greatest minds in research and the provision of maternity care came together for a workshop on “Research Issues in the Assessment of Birth Settings,” hosted by the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) and sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.     

A longitudinal evaluative study of student difficulties with engineering graphics

We have previously reported in this journal that spatial ability influences academic performance in engineering. We have also reported that spatial ability is trainable, and can be increased through instruction focused on using perception and mental imagery in three-dimensional representation. In this article, we present the results of a longitudinal evaluative study of student difficulties with engineering graphics at our university, involving research over a 24-year period. Prior to our intervention, the first-year engineering graphics course at our university had a failure rate of 36% for all engineering students, and failure rates of 80% for African students studying at our university. In terms of outcomes, our study indicates that changed teaching practices have been associated with increased pass rates, which currently average 88% for all students. There is clear evidence that African students no longer experience major difficulties in passing the course. This can be attributed both to changes in teaching methodology, as well as broader contextual changes occurring in South Africa over the period reviewed.

Despite evidence of increased pass rates, our data suggest that there is a continuing relationship between three-dimensional spatial perception and academic performance in engineering graphics, as well as with aggregated first-year engineering marks. For this reason, many students still require academic support. There is also evidence that female students experience difficulties with engineering graphics due to lack of previous technical experience, and use a variety of strategies to overcome their study problems. The most effective appear to be use of peers and friends, and in particular students who had previously taken the course, as mediators of the course content and materials. Those female students who have not taken technical drawing at school level, and female students who do not network with other engineering students, are those at greatest disadvantage.