Modelling the ‘learning divide’: Predicting participation in adult learning and future learning intentions 2002 to 2010

This article presents multivariate analyses of the characteristics associated with both participation in adult education and the intention to participate in future learning. It uses questionnaire data from more than 47,000 individuals collected by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) over the course of nine annual surveys administered between 2002 and 2010. It reviews both recent and historical policy in the area of ‘lifelong learning’ and considers the findings of previous empirical research in the area. The results of the current study support previous findings suggesting that participation in ‘later’ learning is most strongly associated with positive ‘learning dispositions’ and extended participation in initial, full‐time education. While other socio‐economic factors were related to participation in adult learning, the explanatory power of these variables was much weaker. Despite dramatic changes in online technologies and a ‘massification’ of Internet access over the period studied, there was no evidence that information and communications technologies were either increasing or widening access to participation.     

Self-Esteem, Locus of Control, College Adjustment, and GPA Among First- and Continuing-Generation Students: A Moderator Model of Generational Status

The role of generational status (first-generation vs. continuing-generation college students) as a moderator of the relationship between psychological factors and college outcomes was tested to determine whether generational status acts as a risk factor or as a sensitizing factor. The sample consisted of 322 undergraduate students who completed online measures of self-esteem, locus of control, and academic adjustment and provided self-reports of GPA. Generational status significantly moderated the relationship between psychological factors and academic outcomes. Generally, it was found that the relationship between psychological factors and academic outcomes were strongest among first-generation students. Further, it was found that for the majority of the interactions with locus of control, first-generation status acted as a sensitizing factor that amplified both the positive and negative effects of locus of control. In contrast, for self-esteem, first generation status acted as a risk factor that only exacerbated the negative effects of low self-esteem. These results are interpreted as reflecting motivational differences between first- and continuing-generation students and are discussed with respect to the social/cultural capital hypothesis that is most frequently presented in the existing literature.     

Conversation and Conflict: Supporting Authentic Dialogue in the Classroom

This paper presents an exploratory study of MSW students who self‐identified as having political/religious world views differing from what they perceived to be dominant at their school. A goal was to learn about conditions that fostered or inhibited authentic speech for those students. A secondary goal was to learn how students dealt with their political views differing from political positions taken by the profession. Eleven student volunteers participated in structured interviews. Qualitative analysis of these allowed the construction of themes concerning both how faculty may discourage and how faculty support expression of minority views.     

Pedagogy and Diversity: Enrichment and Support for Social Work Instructors Engaged in Social Justice Education

The primary purpose of faculty development is to create and sustain a culture of teaching excellence. For social work faculty, an important part of teaching excellence involves incorporating core social work values such as social justice and diversity across the curriculum and developing pedagogical skills and strategies to teach these issues effectively. In this article, we present a model of a faculty development seminar that offers a facilitated space for instructors to discuss how issues of diversity, social identity, and oppression influence their teaching, the classroom environment, student interactions, and the overall campus climate.     

Nonstandard maternal work schedules: Implications for African American children's early language outcomes

In this study, observed maternal positive engagement and perception of work–family spillover were examined as mediators of the association between maternal nonstandard work schedules and children's expressive language outcomes in 231 African American families living in rural households. Mothers reported their work schedules when their child was 24 months of age and children's expressive language development was assessed during a picture book task at 24 months and with a standardized assessment at 36 months. After controlling for family demographics, child, and maternal characteristics, maternal employment in nonstandard schedules at the 24-month timepoint was associated with lower expressive language ability among African American children concurrently and at 36 months of age. Importantly, the negative association between nonstandard schedules and children's expressive language ability at 24 months of age was mediated by maternal positive engagement and negative work–family spillover, while at 36 months of age, the association was mediated only by negative work–family spillover. These findings suggest complex links between mothers’ work environments and African American children's developmental outcomes.     

Training and mentoring: Family child care providers’ use of linguistic inputs in conversations with children

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two professional development models in increasing family child care providers’ frequency of linguistic inputs in conversations with young children. The first professional development model consisted of a 10-h in-service training focused on supporting early language development. The second included the same 10-h in-service training program and mentoring. Providers and children at 48 family child care programs participated in this study. The family child care programs were randomly assigned to one of the two professional development models (i.e., training or training with mentoring) or to a control group. Audio recordings of the language environment were collected prior to the in-service training, at the completion of the in-service training, and at the completion of the mentoring. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the average increase in the frequency of providers’ use of linguistic inputs over three observations, conducted before training, immediately at the end of training, and 6 weeks after training. Results indicate that both forms of professional development increased linguistically stimulating inputs as compared to the control group. The professional development model including mentoring support was related to greater increases in providers’ use of informational talk and teaching utterances over in-service training without mentoring.     

Developing a System of Program Assessment Within Teacher Education: Lessons Learned

Our intention in this article is to present one institution's efforts to take on program assessment and respond to calls for accountability. To do so, the teacher education program simultaneously sought to address the narrowly defined measures called for by policy makers and politicians, while at the same time broadening and expanding outcomes (such as student learning) and the missions, themes, and values of the teacher education program. The following describes the accountability movement in teacher education and then offers the lessons learned within one program developing a system of assessment within teacher education.     

School Culture and School Effectiveness in Emergencies: Lessons from Israeli Experience during the Gulf War∗

This paper examines the relationship of school culture to school effectiveness in emergencies. It presents a study of: (a) the nature and variability of Israeli schools’ emergency preparation and response to the Gulf War, and (b) the association of school culture with school effectiveness during this emergency. The findings show that two dimensions of school culture, religious orientation and school level educational approaches, have different associations with preparation for the war and with different measures of effectiveness during the war. Results indicate that policy guidelines for preparation for emergencies need to address aspects of school culture that may influence school effectiveness in emergencies.

     

Services and Supports for Students with Traumatic Brain Injury: Survey of State Educational Agencies

Long-term follow-up studies conducted during the K–12 school years suggest that challenges related to childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) tend to persist or worsen over time. A 1999 survey of State Directors of Special Education revealed that most states had emerging initiatives for children with TBI and were expanding their capacity to serve this growing population. To determine whether significant changes in patterns of identification and service delivery had occurred, State Directors and brain injury consumer organizations were surveyed. Survey results show some improvement, but significant gaps remain. Most state education administrators perceive a gap between incidence of childhood TBI and identification of students with TBI to receive special education services. Recommendations for policy changes and research are provided.