Use of Print Media in Teacher Training 1

Abstract

Primary Education is seen as a critical element for general improvement of the economic and social future of Honduras and the most significant action currently underway is the work being done through the Primary Education Efficiency Project which is financed by a major grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Project has as its major objective the improvement of the quality of educational services at the primary level through the development of new textbooks for grades one through six and extensive in‐service teacher training which is described here. This article presents the three essential elements of a specific training implemented; the contents, the media to be used and the methodology for its delivery. The medium chosen for the training was a printed document in a newspaper format which was given the name Accion Educativa. The general reaction from the teachers to this form of presentation was highly positive and the success of the use of the print medium led to the conclusion that the project should continue using similar publications, and should study the possibility of establishing Accion Educativa as a monthly periodical for primary school teachers.

     

Ombuds processes and disputant reconciliation

Effective dispute resolution systems are critical to the functioning of large universities and organizations. However, the design of dispute resolution systems is often inadequate to achieving the stated goals of the system. Analysis of the cases of 45 disputants reveals how the design of a university dispute system and the social context can prevent an ombudsperson from successfully reconciling relationships. This study shows how a dispute system that generally failed to utilize face-to-face meetings or mediation techniques between disputants in a social context of fear and limited social ties was unable to reconcile or preserve working relationships. Analysis from normative pragmatic and social contextual approaches to disputing provides a mechanism for understanding the problems encountered by this ombudsperson and provides a tool for designing more effective dispute resolution systems.     

Gender Relations and the Production of Difference in School-based Sexuality and HIV/AIDS Education in Australia

HIV/AIDS discourses have not only made people aware of HIV as a disease entity but have opened up new ways of thinking and talking about sex and sexuality. This article draws on findings from an evaluation of a pilot sexuality education programme, conducted in secondary schools in Victoria (Australia), to examine gender relations and the production of difference. Participating schools were required to incorporate teaching and learning experiences which normalised and affirmed sexual diversity and explored issues around HIV-related discrimination and homophobia. Two examples, gender, power and menstruation and heterosexism and homophobia, are used to analyse the language and practices students engage in as part of the process of achieving a (hetero)sexual identity. It is argued that HIV/AIDS education and sexuality education, more broadly defined, presents a particular challenge to dominant forms of masculinity and that programmes need to address gender, power and heterosexuality and its discontents if they are to have a positive impact on HIV-related discrimination and homophobia.     

Mining Induced Displacement and Mental Health: A Call for Action

India is a country of unparalleled diversity within both the cultural and ecological spheres of life. This paper examines the author’s experience exploring and inquiring into the mental health implications of mining and mining induced displacement within several Adivasi (tribal) communities in Andhra Pradesh, India. Through collaboration with Samata, a local Non-Government Organization (NGO), a qualitative pilot study was conducted to explore potential effects of mining on three communities that have been threatened by mining for a number of years. A particular focus is paid to women and the unique challenges they currently face.     

We blame the parents! A response to ‘Cultural capital as an explanation of variation in participation in higher education’ by John Noble and Peter Davies (British Journal of Sociology of Education 30, no. 5)

This paper offers a response to a recent article where the authors argue cultural capital is the only determinant of the propensity of young people to seek to enter higher education, dismissing other indicators such as social class. This response questions the support the original authors draw from other literature and offers criticism of the sample used in their study, the survey tool employed, the analysis undertaken and their conclusions relating to the agenda of ‘widening participation’. In reality, the wider literature suggests that social class, as represented by parental occupation, continues to have a role in explaining educational trajectories, even once other factors are controlled for.     

Simple but complex: components of the simple view of reading across grade levels

The purpose of this study was to examine the simple view of reading (SVR) and contributions of verbal proficiency and reading fluency to reading comprehension for fourth‐, seventh‐ and ninth‐grade readers (N=271). The SVR explained a significant proportion of variance in reading comprehension for all grades with decreasing explained variance in higher grades. The variance explained by decoding decreased from fourth grade to higher grades. The variance explained by listening comprehension increased from fourth‐ to seventh‐grade, but did not change from seventh‐ to ninth‐grade. In all grades, verbal proficiency and reading fluency contributed substantial additional variance to reading comprehension beyond the SVR. Changes in the predictive relation between listening and reading comprehension and factors influencing reading comprehension in each grade are discussed.