Reviews

Moseley, D. and Moseley, C. (1977) Language and Reading among Under achievers: a practical review of research. Pumfrey , P. D. (1977) Measuring Reading Abilities: Concepts, Sources and Applications.     

Digital portfolios: fact or fashion?

The value of portfolios as an assessment tool is thoroughly researched and their use in education is well documented (Woodward, 2000 Woodward, H. (2000). Portfolios: narratives for learning. Journal of In‐Service Education, 26(2): 329–347. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]). Research on the introduction of digital portfolios is substantially based on general portfolio research; however, additional specific factors and features need to be considered. One of the inherent dangers with digital portfolios, for example, is that the technological novelty of the product could overshadow the purpose of the portfolio. The danger is that learning to use the technology itself could then subsume the learning opportunities of portfolio construction. While the significance of technology is recognized, a balance must be sought so that the fundamental value of developing a portfolio is maintained. Can digital portfolios add value to existing practices or are they a fashion soon to be forgotten? This paper discusses the first phase of research, being conducted with undergraduate students, to interrogate not only the products created but also the processes used as they develop their digital portfolios for their initial teacher education degree. Students were offered the opportunity to develop a first draft of their final semester portfolio within the supportive environment of an elective subject. This trial has prompted us as educators to further explore the ways students can be supported as they develop digital portfolios.     

Creation and development of an All-Wales Health Library Catalogue

This article focuses on the collaboration between the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) libraries and the Welsh National Health Service (NHS) libraries to create a joint library catalogue. The goal was to create an all-Wales resource that gave users one access point to search for the location and availability of health-related material in any Welsh medical library. This venture grew out of the existing collaborative scheme, the All-Wales Health Information and Library Extension Services (AWHILES). Currently, all seven UWCM libraries and 17 NHS libraries contribute to the catalogue. Four more libraries are due to join in late 2003 or early 2004. All UWCM and AWHILES libraries would then be contributing members of the joint catalogue. The article discusses the background and motivation to the creation of the database. It explores the positives and negatives of the project plus what was learnt as the venture progressed. It reviews the establishment and operations of the Welsh Health Voyager User Group (WHVUG) created to involve all contributing members in the running and future development of the library catalogue.     

Reading reform in Egypt: Do the second-grade textbooks reflect the new direction?

In light of disappointing scores on the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Arabic-speaking countries have begun to reexamine, and in some case reform, how they teach reading in the early grades. Egypt was one of the first countries to initiate early-grade reading reforms in 2010. This article presents a single case study from Egypt, examining whether the grade 2 Arabic-language textbook supports its reform goals. Data were collected through detailed content analysis of the textbook and coded using a “best practices” framework. While the textbook has strengths, it is not consistently in alignment with current research on reading in Arabic. We contend that modest textbook reform could be the easiest and fastest way to improve the teaching and learning of reading in Egypt and the region, in part because teachers depend so heavily on textbooks for lesson structure and because textbooks are generally available.     

Bureaucratic governance,family economies and the 1930s NSW teachers’ marriage bar,Australia

This paper reports the findings of an analysis of a collection of Statutory Declaration forms completed by teachers seeking exemption from dismissal under the NSW Married Women (Lecturers and Teachers) Act (1932–1947). Most sought exemption on hardship grounds, recording details of their husbands’ inability or unwillingness to provide them with ‘adequate’ support. The collection offers insight into the gendered finances of a particular group during the 1930s Depression, revealing some complex interdependencies—such as the need to support extended kin—and offering insights into the role of the state in the making of the family as a social and economic unit. The bureaucratic apparatus of regulation and standardised paperwork operated materially and discursively to distinguish the exceptional (salaried married women) from the more desirable or legitimate order of gendered responsibilities (financially dependent wives). Finally, the forms are strikingly silent about the professional teaching work of the women.     

The perceptions and experiences of young people with a BESD/SEMH classification

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, previously Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD), is the most frequently occurring category of Special Educational Need (SEN) in secondary schools in England, associated with school exclusion and poorer outcomes in later life. This study explores the perceptions of young people of the “label” BESD/SEMH and their school experiences. A social constructionist grounded theory approach was used to analyse data from semi-structured interviews with nine young people with a statement of SEN for BESD. Findings show that eight of the participants were previously unaware of their classification of BESD and that it was predominantly negatively evaluated. The grounded theory model arising from the research describes the perceptions of young people of the struggles and strengths that they experience at school. Teacher–pupil relationships were found to contribute to both strengths and struggles at school depending on their perceived quality. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Dealing with difference in the divided educational context: balancing freedom of expression and non-discrimination in Northern Ireland and Israel

It has long been established that an effective citizenship education in a multicultural society must incorporate some exposure to a variety of views on different topics. However, the ability and willingness to deal with difference relating to controversial matters of national identity, narrative and conflict vary. This is not least the case in the ethno-nationally divided and conflict-affected jurisdictions of Northern Ireland and Israel. This article relates qualitative research conducted among students, teachers and policy-makers in these two jurisdictions that explores the area of dealing with difference within citizenship education. Using the starting point of a framework based on international law on education, the article goes on to consider how freedom of expression and non-discrimination are variously interpreted and balanced when exploring controversial issues in the classroom of a divided society.     

Universal newborn hearing screening and early identification of deafness: parents' responses to knowing early and their expectations of child communication development

This article presents results from an interview study of 45 parents/caregivers (representing 27 families) whose infants were correctly identified as deaf during the first phase of the implementation of the national universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in England. Average age of children when parents were interviewed was 25 weeks. Two issues are explored: (a) how parents talk about significance of knowing early that their child is deaf and (b) parents' expectations of their child's development in light of early identification. Although results demonstrate clear support from parents' perspective of knowing early, they also identify the psychological complexities of recognizing both the grief and reassurance that early knowledge brings; the risks of early knowledge-inducing timetables of expectations that create distress when not met speedily; the extent to which parental models of the developmental advantages of early identification are underpinned by notions of normal speech and the possibility of being like hearing children; and the pervasiveness of deficit and illness models associated with having identified deafness early. Implications for parental support and professional responses are also discussed.     

Resurgence of behavior during extinction depends on previous rate of response

In two experiments, food-deprived rat subjects leverpressed for food in three successive training phases. In the first phase of both experiments, rats were exposed to a multiple schedule, one component of which produced a high rate of response, and the other of which produced a lower rate of response (multiple random ratio [RR], random interval [RI] in Experiment 1, and multiple differential reinforcement of high rate, differential reinforcement of low rate in Experiment 2). Rats were then transferred to a multiple fixed interval (FI; 60-sec, 60-sec) schedule, until the effects of the first phase on response rate were no longer apparent and their response rates did not differ from those of rats responding on a multiple FI 60-sec, FI 60-sec schedule without previously experiencing a multiple RR, RI schedule. During the third stage oftraining, all rats were placed into extinction. During extinction, rates of responding were higher in the component previously associated with the high rate of responding in Phase 1, and they were lower in the component previously associated with low rates of responding in Phase 1. These results suggest that resurgence effects, like other history effects, are controlled by previous rates of responding.