Interventions in schools’ curricula to achieve quality in learning: experiences from the Commonwealth Caribbean

Abstract

For some four decades governments in Commonwealth Caribbean (CC) countries have been introducing interventions in their school systems to provide quality education for all. Examples of these are learner-centred teaching pedagogy and the integration of technology into teaching and learning. The data for the paper is based on published research and evaluation studies of these interventions. How successful have these interventions been? Following a discussion of how quality in education and learning has been interpreted, this paper seeks to answer this question through a review of selected interventions in schools in three CC countries. Challenges that CC countries need to address as they pursue goals relating to quality education are: the intersection of quality with access and equity, limitations in teacher training which have militated against change in teaching pedagogy, and resources and infrastructure.     

Learning computer programming at a distance

Several strategies for distance education in computer programming are described with particular reference to the provision of computing facilities and the integration of theory and practical work. Experience from two years of presentation of two different courses has shown that the most satisfactory results are obtained with portable stand‐alone microcomputers loaned off‐campus, and course design based on a modified Keller plan in which each unit has interactive practical exercises preceding the discussion of theory topics.     

What Journals are the Most Cited Journals in Criminology and Criminal Justice’s “Big Three” Journals?

Recently, scholars have sought to learn more about scholarly activity within the fields of criminology and criminal justice (CCJ). Research in this area has examined which departments have the most productive faculty, which scholars are the most productive, and which journals are the most prestigious. However, no study of which we are aware has determined what journals criminologists are most likely to cite in their scholarly research. In this study, we rank the most influential journals by the number of times those journals were cited between 2009 and 2013 in Criminology, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Justice Quarterly. Our analyses suggest that Criminology is clearly the most influential CCJ journal in terms of citations, while the American Sociological Review, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and the American Journal of Sociology remain influential in CCJ as well.     

Developing a Collaborative Research Strategy with Teachers for the Study of Classroom Computing

ABSTRACT

This paper reflects on a three‐year study of computers in high school classrooms undertaken by members of an education faculty. By reviewing the process we followed, we hope to encourage another iteration in the development of a model of educational research which respects the needs and abilities of teachers, while at the same time striving to achieve theoretical insights which can enrich education as both an academic discipline and a professional practice.

In designing a collaborative research strategy for a study of computers in high school classrooms, a number of difficult decisions had to be faced. Choices had to be made between styles of ‘research’ and ‘evaluation'; among competing methods of data gathering and analysis; and among many different ways of relating to the participants in the study.

In making these difficult choices, we were guided by the basic ethical and epistemological demands of a social constructionist perspective, and by the central imperative of providing a ‘fair trade’ to all the parties involved. By adhering to these guiding principles we were able to fashion a research strategy which moved beyond the technical issues of computer implementation, to provide a story of action within a theory of context.     

Using Wikipedia to Teach Information Literacy

ABSTRACT

Today's college student often starts his research by using a search engine. Because of this, Wikipedia is increasingly becoming the go-to reference resource for the newest generation of students. However, many students do not know about the problems (e.g., vandalism) associated with this tool other than ambiguous warnings from librarians and faculty who say that it should not be used for research. Librarians and faculty should help remove the stigma associated with Wikipedia by embracing this Website and its imperfections as a way to make information literacy instruction valuable for the twenty-first-century student.     

Resource and Technology: A beacon for change in the reform of Jamaica’s secondary education system – or a “pipedream”?

Different strategies are being employed worldwide to prepare school-leavers for the world of work. Central to the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) in Jamaica in the 1990s was the achievement of goals of access, equity and quality through the implementation of a common curriculum in all schools. Within this reform, Resource and Technology (R&T) was an innovation designed to develop the creative potential in technology and to transform pedagogical practices from being teacher-centred to being student-centred. This paper examines how teachers and principals involved in the implementation of R&T perceive its attributes, such as need and relevance and observability. The findings reveal how the achievement of goals was frustrated and which challenges the users faced, including a lack of clarity of the means for implementing R&T.     

Docile bodies: commonalities in the history of psychiatry and schooling

The following paper sketches a parallel between the development of professional psychiatry in nineteenth century France and the development of geography as a school subject in England in the late nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. In each case, the activities were developed, not in response to clients#shlearners needs, but in the interest of professional status and authority. The authors contend that until complex relations between professional power and professional knowledge are studied, “schooling” will not become true education, and psychiatry will not be synonymous with mental health.     

Group composition and National Curriculum assessment at seven years

This paper presents the initial findings of a long-term study to examine whether the introduction of compulsory school science for pupils in UK schools in 1991 is effective in raising the general level of scientific literacy. The use of the term 'scientific literacy' in the literature is considered and a definition of the term as it is applied in this study is offered. The scientific literacy level of two groups of initial teacher training studentswith contrasting experiences of school sciencewas compared. Students completed a simple science test that had been originally written for 11-year-old children. The average test score of students who had experienced compulsory school science from the ages of 11 to 16 was found to be significantly higher (p = 0.014) than that of students for whom school science was optional at secondary level. The study also highlights specific areas of conceptual difficulty in basic science experienced by almost all of the students tested. Test questions relating to the circulatory system, light and sound produced very low scores from almost all students, regardless of their science background. The paper considers the implications of these findings for science teachers and policymakers in both the primary and secondary sectors.     

The Lexical Approach is dead： long live the lexical dimension!

Ivor Timmis argues that while the Lexical Approach may be dead,we should add a Lexical Dimension to our teaching. In 1996,Michael Swan reported a teacher saying to him,"We don't do grammar any more,we've all gone over to the lexical approach",and a couple of years later,our own Director of Studies reported that"most UK centres now use a lexical approach".The revolu-