Alienation in mathematics education: a problem considered from neo-Vygotskian approaches

In a recent article published in this journal, Williams (Educational Studies in Mathematics, 92, 59–72, 2016) offers a critique of neo-Vygotskian perspectives exemplified in recent work on the funds of knowledge and on cultural-historical activity theoretic perspectives. The critique has great value in that it asks interesting questions that often go unnoticed and fail to be discussed in mathematics education research—e.g., the question of alienation or the role of agency in Vygotsky’s notion of the zone of proximal development. Despite the great value of the questions raised, the critique fails because its idealist theoretical epistemological underpinning is at odds with Vygotsky’s thought and cultural-historical activity research in general. The critique falls short especially on the point of realizing the materialist dialectical method Vygotsky employed. The goal of this article is to address Williams’ critique by (a) revisiting the main argument of the critique, (b) articulating the departures of the critique from the materialist dialectical method, (c) conceptualizing development along the theoretical lines of the late (Spinozist-Marxian) Vygotsky, and (d) formulating a materialist dialectical approach to alienation. We conclude by summarizing three main problems of the critique.     

Career preferences,self-concept,and vocational maturity

This study explored the differences in self-concept and vocational maturity variables between freshmen students who made congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choices. The self-concept variables were operationally defined by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. The vocational maturity variables were defined by the Career Questionnaire, Form IV, and the Vocational Development Inventory. Congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choice groups were defined operationally using the Vocational Preference Inventory. The analysis of variance revealed the main effect of groups (congruent, incongruent, and undecided) to be significant for four vocational maturity variables. The test for the main effect of sex was found to be significant for one vocational maturity variable. The test for interaction was found to be significant for one self-concept variable. The findings tentatively suggest that subjects in the congruent male and female groups tend to be more vocationally stable and mature than subjects in the undecided male and female groups. Limitations in the reults of the present study were pointed out.     

The Positive Impact of Early Intervention for Children With Developmental Delays,Gestational Cocaine Exposure,and Co-Occurring Risk Factors

This article examined transition rates of young children (n = 102) from an early intervention program at the Linda Ray Intervention Program (LRIP) who had documented developmental delays and co-occurring prenatal drug exposure often coupled with verified child maltreatment. Findings indicated that there was significant group improvement from entrance to exit across all six Battelle Domains at the p < .05 level. Also, children who were enrolled for a longer period of time saw significantly better adaptive, personal-social, communication, and Battelle total scale scores at the p < .05 level. Finally, data revealed that boys were 5 times more likely than girls to be transitioned to Part B services after exit from LRIP. A longitudinal study of a subgroup of these children indicated that LRIP children who were in grades K–3 needed fewer special education services in elementary school than they needed at age 36 months, indicating a further reduction in special education needs for these children.     

The Systems Theory Framework of Career Development and Counseling: Connecting Theory and Practice

The practice of career counseling has been derived from principles of career theory and counseling theory. In recent times, the fields of both career and counseling theory have undergone considerable change. This article details the move toward convergence in career theory, and the subsequent development of the Systems Theory Framework in this domain. The importance of this development to connecting theory and practice in the field of career counseling is discussed.     

Assessing self-regulated learning in higher education: a systematic literature review of self-report instruments

The growing interest in the field of learning strategies has led to an increasing number of studies and, with that, the development of numerous instruments to measure the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. Due to the complexity of this research field, the types of assessment methods are diverse. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review of self-report instruments that measure SRL in higher education and highlight their main characteristics. In doing so, we applied the general principles of systematic reviewing—we conducted a systematic search of established psychological and educational databases with previously defined inclusion criteria and applied a multistage filtering process. In an additional step, we examined a subsample of nine established instruments in terms of their implementation characteristics, psychometric properties, and additional characteristics. The results illustrate the distribution of self-report instruments used in higher education and point to a growing use of course- or domain-specific questionnaires over the past decades as well as a lack of emotional and motivational regulation scales.     

THE STUDENT–TEACHER RELATIONSHIP QUALITY OF ABUSED CHILDREN

Considering the association between children's quality of relationships with teachers and their academic adjustment, information pertaining to how abused children are functioning in their relationships with teachers could be useful in promoting their academic success—yet there has been limited research in this area. The purpose of this study was to use cluster analyses to explore within‐group differences in relational schemas and quality of student–teacher relationships for 70 abused children. Two clusters of abused children emerged, and as hypothesized, there were significant differences in student–teacher relationships for the two clusters. The cluster with more positive relational schemas had less conflict and less dependency reported by their teachers compared to the cluster with negative relational schemas. However, there were no differences between the clusters in terms of closeness with teachers. Implications for practice in schools are discussed.     

Comparison of anxiety levels of students in introductory earth science and geology courses

Students in geology and earth science courses were not anxious about taking these courses as measured by the State-Triat Anxiety Inventory. Students in each course were split into two grade groups. It was shown that students whose grades were in the higher group had low anxiety, which continued to be reduced during the course. Students in the lower grade group had high anxiety, which increased during the course. There was no difference between anxiety scores of males and females. In general, students who planned to elect additional courses had lower state anxiety and higher grades than students who did not plan to elect additional courses in geology and earth science.     

Creating home–school partnerships: examining urban and suburban teachers’ practices,challenges, and educational needs

This study examines suburban and urban teachers’ family involvement practices, challenges they face in involving families, and their educational needs. A questionnaire was administered to 89 teachers. Data were coded using a constant comparative analysis. Codes were analyzed to determine the number of teachers whose responses fell into each category and by comparing suburban and urban teachers’ responses. Results of this study suggest that although urban and suburban teachers share some similarities in terms of their practices, challenges, and needs, a number of differences were evident. Overall, suburban teachers’ responses were more detailed and included specific strategies. We also found that urban teachers’ interests in further education did not necessarily align with the areas in which they reported challenges.     

A comparative study of dialogue and response journals

This study compared the use of dialogue and response journal formats in a graduate class for literacy educators. Data came from student journals, interviews, and questionnaires. The findings indicated that students comparably completed each type of entry and believed the two formats served similar functions, for example, exploring selected topics and/or connecting them with a classroom environment, improving their writing, reading critically, and influencing classroom practice. However, students preferred the dialogue format. They felt the feedback promoted collegial consultation, improved task engagement, and affirmed their feelings and ideas.     

The freshman course: A curricular schema

Research on college students indicates that (a) attrition is greatest during and at the end of the freshman year and (b) retention is associated with the degree to which a student is integrated socially and academically. Recently, freshman courses have been introduced to increase the integration of students into college environments. The core components are informal contact with peers and faculty or staff, a small group setting, and cognitive and affective learning. A classification system for freshman courses formulated from dominant themes that emerged from a review of current practices of 20 colleges and universities is reported. Characteristic features and analogous programs of the interdisciplinary, developmental and utilitarian approaches are presented.