Determinants of participation and expenditure patterns of private tuition received by primary school students in Penang,Malaysia: an exploratory study

In this exploratory study, the censored Tobit model is applied on primary data collected amongst parents of primary school students in Penang, Malaysia to examine the determinants of participation and expenditures on private tuition (PT). Results of the marginal effects indicate that socio-demographic characteristics – ethnicity, household income, level of schooling, and marital status – affect the probability of participation and its corresponding conditional (amongst those whose spending is positive) and unconditional (overall) expenditures. Specifically, compared to ethnic Malays, households of Chinese and Indian descent are more likely to send their children to PT, whilst spending more on conditional and unconditional expenditures, ceteris paribus. Low-income households have a lower likelihood to enrol their children in PT classes and spend less on conditional and unconditional expenditures than higher income households. Upper primary students are more likely to attend PT and spend more on conditional and unconditional expenditures than lower primary students. Single-parent households spend more on conditional and unconditional expenditures than households where both parents are together, all else equal. Based on these findings, several observations in terms of comparisons to other studies and policy implications are noted vis-à-vis the demand for PT amongst primary school students.     

Digital video for fostering self‐reflection in an ePortfolio environment

The ability to self‐reflect is widely recognized as a desirable learner attribute that can induce deep learning. Advances in computer‐mediated communication technologies have led to intense interest in higher education in exploring the potential of digital tools, particularly digital video, for fostering self‐reflection. While there are reports pointing to the salutary effects of digital video on learners’ reflective ability, a systematic inquiry into how digital video can be utilized to promote self‐reflection in an ePortfolio context remains under‐reported. In this paper, we pose two questions: (1) Do students have the confidence to create their own digital videos for reflection and do they find this activity relevant to their learning needs?; and (2) To what extent does digital video affect the level of self‐reflection and the nature of peer feedback? Results from this small‐scale exploratory case study provide evidence in support of video use as a reflective tool in an ePortfolio context and highlight the need for considering pedagogical and technological issues that are of significance for teachers, educators and ePortfolio developers.     

Secondary students’ modelling conceptualisation in situations related to particle dynamics: a clinical perspective

This study investigates the modelling conceptualisation of secondary school students in two situations related to particle dynamics: pendulum’s motion and horizontal motion. We performed in-depth clinical interviews with secondary school students (N?=?10). Participants’ ideas about properties which are not ‘given’ in empirical observations were explored in order to investigate signs of abstractions and idealisations in their reasoning processes. We proposed contributions to modelling in science education based on Mario Bunge’s epistemology and we employed his basic concepts as the axis to analyse our results: (1) abstractions and idealisations, considered as thought processes required to build conceptual counterparts of concrete objects; (2) theoretical models, meaning hypothetico-deductive systems concerning those conceptual objects; and (3) general theoretical frameworks that allow us to derive those theoretical models. We developed our analysis viewing the ideas presented by participants as concepts-in-action and theorems-in-action as regarded by Gérard Vergnaud’s Theory of Conceptual Fields. Results indicated a gradation in the concepts-in-action mobilised in terms of levels of idealisation and showed that participants do not spontaneously recognise the use of a general theory as a possible way to obtain a theoretical model. These results suggest that science education practices must pay better attention to make abstractions and idealisations explicit in scientific concepts formation, as well as to the heuristic role of theories in model construction.     

Development of the ‘Museum Health and Social Care Service’ to promote the use of arts and cultural activities by health and social care professionals caring for older people

ABSTRACT

It is well documented that engagement in arts and cultural activities contributes to improving and maintaining the health and well-being of older people. Despite this, many health and social care professionals do not recognize or accept arts and cultural activities as relevant to their care remit. To address this, a team of 17 individuals comprising older service users, and staff from a range of health and social care, arts, and museum and archive services in North East England worked collaboratively to design and develop the Museum Health and Social Care Service (MHSCS). MHSCS is a resource and training package that reinforces the care and clinical benefits of arts and cultural activities to older people’s health and wellbeing, aimed at supporting health and social care professionals to acknowledge and use these activities as integral to care delivery.     

Beyond Dependency Theory: A postcolonial analysis of educating Papua New Guinean high school students in Australian schools

This paper explores the social and educational implications of the Secondary Schools Scholarship Project (SSSP) in which Australia gave over 1,000 adolescents from Papua New Guinea three-year scholarships to study in Australian high schools. Drawing from postcolonial theory, the paper uses concepts of ambivalence, hybridity, hegemony, contradiction, and national discourse to analyse an array of issues which would not be in the purview of dependency theory. These issues include not only the cultural “border-crossings” and tensions experienced by the Papua New Guinean scholarship winners during their Australian sojourn and return to Papua New Guinea, but also the complex ambiguities in the outcomes and implications of a foreign aid project for a decolonising country. The scholarship programme illustrates the politics of foreign aid in education, including the contradictions of receiving aid from a donor country which is garnering substantial benefits from the recipient country, and the complexity of the postcolonial challenge of utilising this aid in a way that meets national educational goals in a globalising world.     

Australian social work academics’ perceptions of their teaching roles within higher education

The marketisation of higher education (HE) has created a number of tensions and ideological dilemmas that may influence how academics see their roles and teaching practices. This paper explores how academics in the discipline of social work (who were also in leadership roles) perceive their roles and identities and manage the tensions and dilemmas that arise for them as teachers in the current HE environment. Unless the tensions and dilemmas are articulated, it is not possible to understand and manage their impact on academics. This may lead to the loss of quality learning experiences for students and lower workplace satisfaction. This paper addresses the research question: were there ideological dilemmas experienced by social work academics in the current environment and if so, what subject positions did they adopt in response to these? A discursive psychology approach was used to answer this question. Data showed a range of ideological dilemmas represented by each of the different subject positions adopted. The paper concludes with questions for readers to consider, generating ideas for transferring understanding of these ideological dilemmas into positive action within the workplace.     

Legal and definitional issues affecting the identification and education of adults with specific learning disabilities in adult education programs

Although the exact prevalence is not determined, a noticeable subset of individuals who enroll in adult education and training programs have either diagnosed or undiagnosed specific learning disabilities (SLD). Understanding SLD is important basic information for adult educators to inform program policies as well as determine effective instructional practices. This article discusses the development of definitions of SLD and current agreement on the nature of SLD relevant to working with adults. It concludes with implications for adult education programs.     

Indigenous technology of Sierra Leone and the science education of girls

Female school enrolment in Sierra Leone is consistently and significantly lower than that of boys at all levels of the educational system. Certain traditional beliefs, values and practices discriminate against the education of girls. There is an urgent need to adapt the science curriculum to the needs of girls, by including aspects they can relate to and identify with. Using indigenous technology as a basis for science education is a good way to begin. The use of familiar materials and processes will remove the fear often associated with science, thereby encouraging more female participation.     

Reading fluency: implications for the assessment of children with reading disabilities

The current investigation explored the diagnostic utility of reading fluency measures in the identification of children with reading disabilities. Participants were 50 children referred to a university-based clinic because of suspected reading problems and/or a prior diagnosis of dyslexia, where children completed a battery of standardized intellectual, reading achievement, and processing measures. Within this clinical sample, a group of children were identified that exhibited specific deficits in their reading fluency skills with concurrent deficits in rapid naming speed and reading comprehension. This group of children would not have been identified as having a reading disability according to assessment of single word reading skills alone, suggesting that it is essential to assess reading fluency in addition to word reading because failure to do so may result in the under-identification of children with reading disabilities.