An Alternative Understanding of Education and Empowerment: Local-Level Perspectives of Refugee Social Integration in the United Kingdom

This article draws on research with a group of refugee women who attend English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes at a community center in London. It considers the role education can play in their social integration processes, employing an approach that has been developed from feminist notions of empowerment and social practice theories of literacy and language use. It suggests that an exploration of factors that regulate their opportunities to access resources, expand agency, and experience opportunities they value from a gendered perspective is crucial for understanding how to provide more suitable avenues for refugee women’s social integration in the United Kingdom.     

Using the web to encourage student-generated questions in large-format introductory biology classes

Students rarely ask questions related to course content in large-format introductory classes. The use of a Web-based forum devoted to student-generated questions was explored in a second-semester introductory biology course. Approximately 80% of the enrolled students asked at least one question about course content during each of three semesters during which this approach was implemented. About 95% of the students who posted questions reported reading the instructor's response to their questions. Although doing so did not contribute to their grade in the course, approximately 75% of the students reported reading questions posted by other students in the class. Approximately 60% of the students reported that the Web-based question-asking activity contributed to their learning of biology.     

Improving credibility assessment in child sexual abuse allegations: the role of the NICHD investigative interview protocol

OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to explore whether the credibility of children's statements regarding their alleged experiences of child sexual abuse could be assessed in a more valid and reliable way when investigative interviews were conducted using the NICHD protocol rather than in an unstructured manner. METHODS: Forty-two experienced Israeli youth investigators each assessed the credibility of allegations of sexual abuse made by alleged victims of sexual abuse when interviewed either with or without the protocol. Half of the alleged incidents were judged likely to have happened ("plausible") on the basis of independent evidence, while half were deemed unlikely to have happened ("implausible"). RESULTS: More non-protocol than protocol interviews were rated as "No judgment possible" rather than either credible or incredible. Allegations made in protocol interviews were more accurately rated as credible or incredible when they were either plausible or implausible, respectively, than those made in non-protocol statements. Levels of inter-rater reliability were also higher when protocol interviews were rated. The differences were significant only for plausible cases, however. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the NICHD protocol facilitated the assessment of credibility by child investigators although incredible allegations (those describing incidents that were unlikely to have happened) remained difficult to detect, even when the protocol was used.     

Making a positive impact in rural places: Change agency in the context of school–university–community collaboration in education

International Review of Education -     

Scoring Stability in a Large‐Scale Assessment Program: A Longitudinal Analysis of Leniency/Severity Effects

Although much attention has been given to rater effects in rater‐mediated assessment contexts, little research has examined the overall stability of leniency and severity effects over time. This study examined longitudinal scoring data collected during three consecutive administrations of a large‐scale, multi‐state summative assessment program. Multilevel models were used to assess the overall extent of rater leniency/severity during scoring and examine the extent to which leniency/severity effects were stable across the three administrations. Model results were then applied to scaled scores to estimate the impact of the stability of leniency/severity effects on students’ scores. Results showed relative scoring stability across administrations in mathematics. In English language arts, short constructed response items showed evidence of slightly increasing severity across administrations, while essays showed mixed results: evidence of both slightly increasing severity and moderately increasing leniency over time, depending on trait. However, when model results were applied to scaled scores, results revealed rater effects had minimal impact on students’ scores.     

Christian Higher Education in the United States: The Crisis of Evangelical Identity

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is the most successful higher education organization to emerge from the modern American evangelical movement. Especially within the context of the United States, higher education has been a key element of neo-evangelicalism since the 1940s. Rather than choosing between biblical truth and cultural outreach, post–World War II neo-evangelicals called the church toward a thoughtful approach to address the needs of the world. The early movement was focused not only on evangelistic ministry efforts, but also on education as a primary means for shaping the culture. As modern evangelicalism took shape in the 1950s, the movement struggled to find a consistent moral voice. From early challenges related to the civil rights movement to current debates over poverty and immigration, evangelicals have engaged with cultural issues, but with a wide variety of strategies and viewpoints. Political issues have brought evangelicals into public life, and some leaders have used elections as the primary means for promoting moral concerns. Consequently, the public may often view U.S. evangelicals as activists concerned with political voting rather than as sincere followers of Christ who are committed to social ethics. Yet, the Christian college represents a significant platform for sustaining evangelical thought in public life. Evangelicalism has suffered a fracturing in the last decade or so, and the term now carries a negative connotation in some circles. Many colleges in the CCCU are searching for a new way to describe their evangelical identity. The historical meaning of the term evangelical focused on gospel proclamation and social reform. A return to this emphasis, as well as an alignment with the international focus of evangelical movement, can provide a more accurate and consistent legacy for evangelical institutions.     

Changing minds or rhetoric? How students use their many natures of science to talk about evolution

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Recommendations for teaching the nature of science (NOS) are grounded in a deficit view of students and/or the public—wherein people accept...     

Factors associated with school psychologists' perceptions of campus violence

Recent concern about school violence has increased demands on school psychologists to respond to safety concerns on their school campuses. In this study, 123 school psychologists responded to a survey about their perceptions, experiences, and readiness to meaningfully address school violence. School psychologists reported that they do not worry about their personal safety at school (78%), but most felt unprepared to deal with school violence (73%) and had received no specialized training in this area (85%). A principal components analysis of the types of violence school psychologists perceived to occur on their campuses identified a range of incidents from bullying to antisocial behavior. School psychologists working in inner-city schools were more likely to believe that their schools had high levels of violence (45.6%) compared with those working in urban-not inner-city (14.3%), suburban (4.9%), or rural (0%) schools. Recommendations to prepare school psychologists to help prevent, reduce, and respond to campus violence are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.