Inspire to aspire: raising aspirational outcomes through a student well-being curricular focus

Australian Government policy initiatives to increase young peoples' participation in higher education are pursued in this paper. It argues that pedagogy and curriculum have a direct influence on student engagement. The interrelationships between pedagogical practices, curriculum based on a well-being framework, and the shaping of subjectivities and aspirations of young people in a region characterised by socio-economic challenge are explored. This 2-year case study used action research by university academics, school-based teachers and school students in an R-12 school in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Findings drawn from narratives, field notes, student work samples and professional conversations, situate well-being as central to young people's self-awareness of their aspirations. The themes of: Pedagogies and learning activities; Relationships, caring and connections, and; Places, spaces and belonging help to arrange the argument that concludes that young people living in low socio-economic areas do have aspirations for the future. Furthermore, the educational implications highlight the significance of the role of the teacher within the social and emotional domains which connect student life-worlds within their particular contexts, building cultural capital and broadening capabilities, self-awareness, aspirations and achievement.     

Cable TV

Robert L. Steiner, Visions of Cablevision: The Prospects for Cable Television in the Greater Cincinnati Area (Stephen H. Wilder Foundation, 1017 Provident Tower, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202–free to residents of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana; $3.00 to others)

Cable TV: for the Neighborhood and For the Region (Citizens League, 84 South 6th St., Minneapolis, Minn. 55402–free on request)     

What Difference Does a Major Make? The Influence of College Major Field on Persistence by African American and White Students

The results from this study indicate similarities and differences in the factors related to the persistence of White and African American students in their freshman and sophomore years in college. Using random samples of data from students enrolled in public institutions of higher education in a Midwestern state, OLS regression analyses indicated that African American sophomores in the high-demand major fields (e.g., Business, Health, and Engineering/Computer Science) were more likely to persist than were those in other major fields, but there were no statistically significant differences in persistence for African American freshmen in other fields. While major fields were not statistically significant for White sophomores, White freshmen in social sciences or undecided about their majors were less likely to persist. The effects of financial aid packages on persistence varied across race.     

Enhancement and Analysis of Science Question Level for Middle School Students

The effects of instruction and achievement on science question level for high and low science topic interests were investigated. Eight seventh‐grade classes were randomly assigned to two treatments: instruction and no instruction on researchable questioning. Each student completed the Middle School Students' Science Topic Interest Rating Scale (test‐retest reliability, r = .84); selected two topics in which she or he was least interested and two topics in which she or he was most interested; wrote questions for each topic; and took the Stanford Achievement Tests in reading, mathematics, and science. The questions were rated using the four levels described by the Middle School Students' Science Question Rating Scale (interrater reliability, r = .96). The scores for each question were averaged for two raters, then summed for each interest level for each student. The data were analyzed for main and interaction effects using general linear modeling procedures. Question level was modeled with one within‐subjects factor (science topic interest) and four between‐subjects factors (instruction and three achievement scores). The results indicate that students who received instruction outperformed those students who were not instructed; and high achievers in mathematics, reading, or science outperformed low achievers. There were no interaction effects. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 210–224, 2000     

Gender and doctoral studies: the perceptions of Ph.D. students in an American university

Twenty students enrolled in Ph.D. programmes were interviewed to examine the role of gender in their academic experiences. Gender was examined in three ways: gender of the student, gender of the student’s faculty supervisor and gender make‐up of the faculty within the student’s department or academic unit. All students reported the importance of supportive faculty mentors and that financial worries, time pressure and the uncertainty of future employment were sources of stress. Family formation and striving toward personal as well as professional goals were particularly of concern for women, as were perceptions of differential treatment. Women students valued women faculty mentors, although female faculty were perceived as less supportive than male faculty of family concerns when these women had themselves sacrificed family formation for the sake of their careers. Both men and women experienced less stress and reported greater career commitment when faculty in their departments exhibited less traditional values regarding the balancing of personal and professional goals. The implications of these findings for reducing doctoral student attrition rates and for creating a more supportive environment for Ph.D. students are discussed.