Educational Philosophy, Theory and Research: A Psychiatric Autobiography

Interpretations of educational theory as essentially empirical conceive education and teaching as skill-based technologies which can be scientifically researched. Those in the educational research community who resist this picture nevertheless often regard good educational practice as empirically researchable by more 'particularistic' means (for example, action research). However, this chapter argues that such empiricist approaches neglect or distort what are essentially moral rather than scientific or technical questions. On this view, education is essentially a moral practice, ethical deliberation lies at the heart of principled educational enquiry and the expertise of teachers is better conceived in terms of virtues rather than skills.     

Philosophy and Method in Educational Research

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the idea of method now shapes the self‐understanding in terms of which many educational researchers make sense of their work. It does so by comparing the modem ‘methodical’ approach to educational research with the premodern style of philosophical theorising it has largely replaced. On the basis of this comparison it shows how some important questions about the future of educational research begin to emerge.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the stay safe primary prevention programme for child sexual abuse

OBJECTIVE: This child abuse prevention study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Stay Safe Programme in training unscreened 7 and 10 year old children in personal safety skills. Subsidiary aims were to evaluate the program's impact on children's self-esteem and parents' and teachers' knowledge and attitudes of relevance to child abuse and protection. METHOD: Changes in safety knowledge and skills and self-esteem of 339 children who participated in the Stay Safe Programme were compared with those of 388 waiting list controls. Children in the training group were also followed up at 3 months. In addition, the knowledge and attitudes of parents and teachers of children who completed the program were evaluated before and after the program and 5 month follow-up data were collected from teachers only. RESULTS: Compared with waiting-list controls, trained children showed significant improvements in safety knowledge and skills and these gains were maintained at follow-up. The greatest gains were made by 7 year olds. Children who participated in the program also showed significant improvements in self-esteem which were maintained at 3 months follow-up but only the 7 year olds in the training group made significantly larger gains in self-esteem than their control group counterparts. Children with a higher socioeconomic status benefited more from the program than less privileged children. Both parents and teachers showed significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes concerning protection over the course of the program and for teachers, these gains were maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the Stay Safe Programme was effective in training children in safety skills and so may usefully be used as a primary prevention intervention for child abuse.     

“Score-for-Credit”: An Analysis of AP Chemistry Policies at Medium-Sized,Full-time, 2-Year Undergraduate (MFT2) Institutions

This study aimed to identify a consensus Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry exam score among MFT2 institutions, and determine how this value compared against target schools within the State of Alabama. AP Credit Policies for MFT2 institutions and popular destination schools were researched using The College Board website (https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies). The resulting data was analyzed using simple statistical approaches to gain generalized information. Most MFT2 schools were found to offer college credit when the student obtained a 3/5 or higher on the AP chemistry exam. This outcome is one point lower than popular destination universities for our students at Central Alabama Community College. Community colleges can use lower AP chemistry exam scores to attract students who are likely to be college ready, but may not have the ability (academic, financial, social, or otherwise) to thrive at popular destination schools. A word of caution is included.