Non‐at‐risk adolescents' attitudes towards reading in a Singapore secondary school

In this paper, we examine the various nuanced dimensions of adolescents' dispositions towards reading in one secondary school in Singapore, where a high‐stakes examination culture often threatens to colonise the practices of leisure reading. Our focus is on the better and more avid readers as they were the ones that developed the more negative attitudes towards reading at the end of their first year in secondary school. Our analysis found that there were no significant differences between boys and girls in their declining attitudes, and that for both ‘intrinsic motivation’ saw the greatest decline. However, attitudes related to learning orientation remained stable, suggesting both the impact of constraints in an exam‐oriented educational structure as well as possibilities for developing reading pedagogy and adolescent reading programmes. We argue that the more educators are aware of the multidimensionality and complexity of the attitudes and values that students bring to their reading, the more effectively they will be able to design and implement programmes and pedagogy to foster positive attitudes and promote a lifelong love for reading.     

Going to Prison: The Effect of a Prison Tour on Students’ Attitudes Toward Punitiveness

The pedagogical approaches of a criminal justice education affect the attitudes and perceptions of those most likely to develop and administer criminal justice policies in the future. This study examines the effect of a prison tour on students’ understanding of prison and attitudes about punishment. Undergraduate criminal justice students were given a survey to assess their attitudes about prisons, prisoners, and alternative sanctions before and after a field trip to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. Post-survey responses showed changes in students’ perceptions regarding punitiveness, prisons, prisoners, and rehabilitation. We discuss this finding within the framework of the contact hypothesis, and we recommend including this type of first-hand exposure as part of a criminal justice curriculum.     

Differences in Career Attitude and Career Knowledge for High School Students with and without Paid Work Experience

A large sample (N =1,279) of high school students was assessedusing the Career Maturity Inventory (CDI-A;Lokan, 1984). The two composite scales ofCareer Development Attitude and CareerDevelopment Knowledge were examined in relationto age, gender and whether the students hadengaged in paid work experience. Levels ofcareer maturity increased with age, and ingeneral, females at all age levels reportedhigher levels of maturity than males. Studentswith paid work experience reported higherlevels of Career Development Attitude thanthose with no paid work experience. CareerDevelopment Knowledge was not associated withpaid work experience. Gender differences alsooccurred, with females with paid workexperience generally reporting higher levels ofcareer maturity than males with paid workexperience. Results are discussed in adevelopmental context.     

Theoretical and Practical Perspectives for the Future of Educational and Vocational Guidance in Australia

This article highlights therelationship between social change andeducational and vocational guidance provision,and emphasises the theoretical and practicalimperative to renew and refocus educational andvocational (career) guidance services. Afterdescribing the major influences on a changingeducational and vocational guidance nature andprovision, it describes a number of specificdevelopments in Australia.     

More Than Manga

This paper describes a partnership project between Hazel Grove High School, Stockport and Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester, during June 2001. In celebration of National Children’s Art Day, all year 10 students (14–15 year olds) spent a full day at the Cornerhouse, engaging with different types of manga (the Japanese word for comic). Pupils explored its diversity and developed their own storyboards and graphic styles. Pupils worked alongside artist, Adela Jones, with each pupil making their own sculptural comic book at school the following week. All artwork produced was exhibited either at the Cornerhouse or at school in celebration of the project. This was a unique experience for all pupils and staff, and the outcomes of the project exceeded all expectations.     

Can training improve marker accuracy at detecting contract cheating? A multi-disciplinary pre-post study

Contract cheating occurs when students outsource assessed work. In this study, we asked experienced markers from four disciplines to detect contract cheating in a set of 20 discipline-specific assignments. We then conducted a training workshop to improve their detection accuracy, and afterwards asked them to detect contract cheating in 20 new assignments. We analysed the data in terms of sensitivity (the rate at which markers spotted contract cheating) and specificity (the rate at which markers spotted real student work). Pre-workshop marker sensitivity was 58% and specificity was 83%. Post-workshop marker sensitivity was 82% and specificity was 87%. The increase in sensitivity was statistically significant, but the increase in specificity was not. These results indicate that markers can often detect contract cheating when asked to do so, and that training may be helpful in improving their accuracy. We suggest that markers’ suspicions may be crucial in addressing contract cheating.     

A Critical Reflection on Career Development

The science and professional practices of vocational psychology and career development are brought into question via a critical polemic informed by the work of Foucault, with a particular focus on the application of theory and techniques of objective assessment and psychometrics. It is asserted that the scientific and professional discourse and constructs of traditional approaches to career development have been reified. The context of this discourse is discussed with respect to the risk that career development scientists and practitioners have become unwitting or complicit instruments of a broader economic and political discourse. Their alignment with the client is ultimately questioned.