An Application of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and College and University Classroom Environment Inventory in a Multicultural Tertiary Context

The research reported in this inquiry consisted of the application of two classroom learning environment questionnaires developed in a Western context to a culturally diverse context, namely, the Pacific Islands. The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) instruments were administered to intact classes of first- and second-year science students ( n= 257) at a regional university in the Pacific Islands, containing a total of 12 ethnicities. The data reveal that the QTI instrument holds good reliability for all scales, whereas the CUCEI holds reliability for only two scales. This may be due to the simple nature of the questions on the QTI whereas the questions on the CUCEI require more interpretation, the latter exacerbated by the fact that English is a second or third language for most participants. Surprisingly, there were few differences in perceptions of teacher student interaction based on ethnicity, but substantial differences based on gender. As reported in previous classroom environment research at the secondary school level, in this study, females perceived their environment more favourably than males. The data for the QTI reveal that the students perceive their classrooms to be highly teacher dominated, consistent with previous naturalistic studies of secondary schools and exploratory studies at the tertiary level in Fiji. Since almost all the graduates from this institution become science teachers, a cycle is completed.     

Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of Family Functioning in Families Having Children With Disabilities

The present research investigated the relationship between mothers' and fathers' perceptions of family functioning in a sample of parents having children with disabilities using the Family Support Scale, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, and the Comprehensive Evaluation of Family Functioning. Analyses were conducted at the subscale and item level using a multivariate framework. Results support previous research indicating that mothers and fathers have different perceptions of family functioning, identify different stressors, and report different sources of support as helpful. Additionally, internal consistency reliability analyses for mothers and fathers suggests that some subscales should be interpreted with caution for fathers. Implications for early intervention services and assessment with this population are discussed.     

Mythmaking and mythbreaking in the mathematics classroom

Constructivism has become a major focus of recent pedagogical reform in mathematics education. However, epistemological reform that is based on the constructivist referent of learning as conceptual change has a very limited viability in traditional mathematics classrooms because of its cultural insensitivity. By contrast, the social epistemology of critical constructivism addresses the socio-cultural contexts of knowledge construction and serves as a powerful referent for cultural reform. From this perspective, the social reality of traditional mathematics classrooms is governed by powerful cultural myths that restrain the discursive practices of teachers and students. The power of the repressive myths of cold reason and hard control is evident in the ways in which they act in concert to create a highly coherent and seemingly natural social reality. Epistemological reform of traditional mathematics classroom learning environments is, therefore, synonomous with cultural reconstruction. Critical constructivism, which has a central concern with discourse ethics and the moral agency of the teacher, draws on the social philosophy of Jurgen Habermas and argues for an alternative culture of communicative action to be established in mathematics classrooms. Teachers are expected to work collaboratively as agents of cultural change in forums beyond their classrooms.Religions, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth.(Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, 1968, p. 8.)     

An Evaluation of an Ongoing Consultation Model to Train Teachers to Treat Challenging Behaviour

A primary school student with severe intellectual disabilities was referred to the Intellectual Disability Research and Training Unit at University College Dublin by his teacher. He was described as exhibiting high levels self‐injury and aggression. An in‐depth functional assessment identified the operant function of these behaviours. This information allowed for the development of an extensive behaviour support plan. The classroom teacher was then trained to implement the support plan and received ongoing consultation from a psychologist regarding her adherence to the behavioural techniques. The intervention resulted in significant decreases in challenging behaviour. Teaching staff were positive about the intervention results and the consultation model used.     

“Big is Beautiful.” Organisational Change in Universities in the United Kingdom: New Models of Institutional Management and the Changing Role of Academic Staff

In recent years, pressures for change in universities in the United Kingdom have stimulated the emergence of new models of institutional governance and management. In turn, these new models have led to significant changes in the position of academic staff in the running of their institutions. This paper looks at change within four leading UK universities, the motivation for change, the new models that have developed, some of the issues which have emerged and the impact upon academic staff.     

The trials and tribulations of partnerships in refugee settlement services in Australia

The ascendency of neoliberal ideas in education and social policy in the 1980s and 1990s was succeeded in the new millennium by a ‘new’ social democratic commitment with emphases on community empowerment, building social capital and a ‘whole of government’ approach to partnering with civil society to meet community needs. In Australia, this approach has resulted in the development of partnerships between schools and community organisations formed as part of a targeted, holistic approach to service delivery to meet the settlement and educational needs of refugee youth. Drawing on interviews conducted with community workers and government officers involved in the school–community partnerships, we document how these partnerships are working ‘on the ground’ in Queensland schools. We analyse our findings against the international literature on changing notions of neoliberal governance, and discuss the implications of the shift to the ‘partnering state’ for schools and community organisations working with refugee young people.     

Responding to the Special Needs of Refugee Children: Practical Ideas for Teachers

Increasing numbers of refugee children are entering our public schools. In addition to carrying with them memories of untold trauma, they bring with them many special needs. This article explores these needs and ideas for assisting teachers in making our classrooms more responsive to our refugee children.     

The misallocation of students to academic sets in maths: A study of secondary schools in England

Drawing upon data gathered from 9301 Year 7 students (12–13 years old) from 46 secondary schools in England, this study represents the first larger-scale attempt to compare their actual set allocations in maths with the counterfactual position where their allocation to sets is based solely on their prior attainment at the end of primary school [using their Key Stage 2 (KS2) fine-grained scores in maths]. Through such an analysis, the study found that nearly a third of students (31.2%) had been misallocated to lower or higher sets than their KS2 results would have warranted. Beyond this, school setting practices were found to exacerbate differences in set allocation in relation to gender and ethnicity, but not socioeconomic background. The odds of girls being misallocated to lower sets in maths than their prior attainment would warrant was found to be 1.5 times higher than that for boys. Similarly, the odds of Black students being misallocated to lower sets was 2.4 times higher than for White students, whilst the odds of Asian students being misallocated to lower maths sets was 1.7 times higher than for White students. The article concludes by reflecting on the significant role that setting by attainment in secondary school can play in exacerbating already established patterns of educational inequalities in gender and ethnicity.