Inequality/difference in New Zealand education: Social reproduction and the cognitive habitus

A programmatic study of inequality/difference in New Zealand education has been carried out, for a quarter of a century, within a family resource framework that has supported both theoretical and empirical research. Although deeply influenced by Bourdieu's theories of social and cultural reproduction, its adherence to a realist philosophy of science means that its structure-disposition-practice explanatory schemes cannot be represented as Bourdieusian. This article takes the concept of habitus (as a set of learned dispositions)and argues that durable embodied cognitive schemes, acquired by children in classed environments, are a principal cause of observed class variation in educational performance. This view challenges accounts in which 'ability'is regarded as 'socially constructed'. The entire history of the sociology of education might be written in terms of its struggle against the dominant influence of IQ theory as an explanation of inequality/difference in education. It is not clear that our discipline has yet been successful in that struggle. These matters are discussed with reference to empirical data on the association between social class and educational achievement in New Zealand. The evidence suggests that class patterns of attainment, particularly on standardized tests designed to assess verbal intelligence, support the thesis that cognitive operations effected by the cognitive habitus are fundamentally involved in the reproduction of inequality/difference. It seems that the primary effects of socialisation may be more important than the secondary effects that many sociologists have taken as their proper area of concern. Some policy implications of this thesis - which is neither a move to encode IQ theory in a radical discourse nor an attempt to reinstate classical deficit theory - are discussed in the context of state-sponsored possibilism currently being imposed on many educational systems.     

THE PLOWDEN REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IDENTIFYING CHILDREN IN NEED OF EXTRA HELP

The inadequacies of an area or school‐based approach to the problem of identifying children who are in need of extra help at school are illustrated with data collected from the infant reception classes of 12 schools. These sample schools were each nominated for one of three categories according to the characteristics of the areas which they served. The two local education authorities involved each nominated an advantaged school, a settled working‐class school, and four deprived schools. The socio‐economic and developmental characteristics of the infant reception class intakes of these categories of school type were examined. The findings were that categories of school type are not as socio‐economically disparate as may often be assumed; and that there appears to be a sizeable relationship between school type and the school entrants’ developmental characteristics, but there are too many exceptions to this general trend to justify the use of school characteristics for identifying ‘children at risk’.     

New Horizons for Environmental Education

Abstract

Ecology and Our Endangered Life-Support Systems, Eugene P. Odum. Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 1989. 283 pages. Paperback, $15.95. Reviewed by Frank Knight.

Nontoxic, Natural, &; Earthwise, Debra Lynn Dadd. Los Angeles, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. 1990. 360 pages. Paperback, $12.95. Reviewed by Diane Wiessinger.

Dreamers and Defenders: American Conservationists, Douglas H. Strong. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1988. 295 pages. Paperback, $9.95. Reviewed by John F. Disinger.

Seabrook Station: Citizen Politics and Nuclear Power, Henry F. Bedford. University of Massachusetts Press, 1990. 224 pages. Hardback, $22.95. Reviewed by Margaret Millett Zemach.     

The swinging of a pendulum

This paper reports on the findings of a funded research project that explores the implementation of the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda within the Greater Merseyside area. The research team explore how primary schools and external agencies are currently working together to deliver this agenda in order to highlight areas of good practice as well as potential sites of conflict. The aim is to develop an effective response to the challenges currently faced by schools and other agencies in meeting the requirements of the principles underpinning the ECM agenda. The research project implemented a mixed-method case-study approach, using questionnaires, policy documentation and stakeholder interviews as data sources. Responses were elicited from members of school staff, parents and professionals from the education welfare, health and social services to gauge their perceptions of how well they felt schools and agencies were responding to the challenges of implementing the ECM agenda. There is strong evidence of effective multi-agency working, particularly in relation to children who are ‘at risk’ or have special educational needs, and in terms of contributions to the curriculum and life of the school for all pupils. There are also clearly identified areas for further development, for example on shared operational frameworks. There are also concerns that poor resourcing and a lack of practical support could hamper the embedding of reforms.     

Audiences and Providers of Distance Education

Abstract

As noted by Moore (2007 Moore, M. G. 2007. “The handbook in brief: An overview”. In Handbook of distance education, 2nd, Edited by: Moore, M. G. xv–xxix. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.  [Google Scholar], xxiii), the fifth section of the second edition of the Handbook of Distance Education focused on “some of the main consumers and suppliers of distance education programs,” including elementary and secondary education, community colleges, universities, the corporate sector, continuing professional education, the armed forces, and the virtual organization. Each chapter considered the historical development of distance education within each arena as well as policy developments and possible future trends.     

Bayesian Data-Model Fit Assessment for Structural Equation Modeling

Bayesian approaches to modeling are receiving an increasing amount of attention in the areas of model construction and estimation in factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and related latent variable models. However, model diagnostics and model criticism remain relatively understudied aspects of Bayesian SEM. This article describes and illustrates key features of Bayesian approaches to model diagnostics and assessing data–model fit of structural equation models, discussing their merits relative to traditional procedures.     

An Analytical Study of Sex Differences as They Affect the Program of Physical Education

Abstract

During the eighth decade of the nineteenth century, the American sporting scene was enriched by a series of five fabulous international pedestrian races. Sir John Astley, the English sporting baron, inaugurated the transatlantic six-day and six-night marathon races. These quintuple struggles roused nationalistic pride and sporting blood on two continents, were witnessed by tens of thousands, and resulted in feats of unprecedented human endurance.     

Microfluidics-enabled method to identify modes of Caenorhabditis elegans paralysis in four anthelmintics

The discovery of new drugs is often propelled by the increasing resistance of parasites to existing drugs and the availability of better technology platforms. The area of microfluidics has provided devices for faster screening of compounds, controlled sampling/sorting of whole animals, and automated behavioral pattern recognition. In most microfluidic devices, drug effects on small animals (e.g., Caenorhabditis elegans) are quantified by an end-point, dose response curve representing a single parameter (such as worm velocity or stroke frequency). Here, we present a multi-parameter extraction method to characterize modes of paralysis in C. elegans over an extended time period. A microfluidic device with real-time imaging is used to expose C. elegans to four anthelmintic drugs (i.e., pyrantel, levamisole, tribendimidine, and methyridine). We quantified worm behavior with parameters such as curls per second, types of paralyzation, mode frequency, and number/duration of active/immobilization periods. Each drug was chosen at EC₇₅ where 75% of the worm population is responsive to the drug. At equipotent concentrations, we observed differences in the manner with which worms paralyzed in drug environments. Our study highlights the need for assaying drug effects on small animal models with multiple parameters quantified at regular time points over an extended period to adequately capture the resistance and adaptability in chemical environments.