Striving for autonomy in a contingency‐governed world: Another challenge for individuals with developmental disabilities

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an orientation to the concepts and principles of autonomy and self‐determination and the application of those concepts and principles to working with children and adolescents who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), including autism. Self‐determination is essentially the ability of a person to be autonomous as to meaningful life choices and encompasses activities such as problem solving, decision making, goal setting, self‐observation and evaluation, self‐management and reinforcement, acquiring an internal locus of control, experiencing positive attributions of efficacy and outcome expectancy, developing a realistic and positive self‐image, and self awareness. The lack of opportunities for self‐determination, personal expression and consideration of personal preferences experienced by this population has been associated with increased psychiatric disturbance. Several principles supporting self‐determination, including positive psychology and use of positive alternatives, are discussed by the authors. Further, practices that generate more opportunities for individuals to exercise personal control and autonomy across activities and environments in order to prevent psychological problems are discussed. Finally, the school psychologist's role in promoting the development of autonomy and self initiative among children and adolescents with ID/DD are outlined within the contexts of assessment practices, interventions and curriculums, positive behavior support technology, and continued educational reforms and systems change. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 143–153, 2004.     

Being altruistically motivated: the postgraduate and career motivational orientations of access students at an Irish University

The relative lack of research about postgraduate education, and especially from a widening participation (WP) perspective, is noteworthy in a context of an increasingly expanding and important postgraduate sector internationally. This paper draws on the findings of a study about the ‘impact’ of WP initiatives at an Irish university, exploring the undergraduate, postgraduate, and employment experiences of two groups of former access students. A mixed-methods research design (employing a self-completion questionnaire sent to all relevant individuals (N=195), and 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews) was employed. This paper examines these individuals’ postgraduate progression in relation to a number of factors, with a particular focus on their views about progression, the programmes pursued, and their related motivational orientations. Many of the research participants were altruistically motivated in their selection of postgraduate programmes and related careers, and this motivational orientation is explored in terms of its genesis and implications in a WP context.     

Assessment co-creation: an exploratory analysis of opportunities and challenges based on student and instructor perspectives

In recent years, research and practice focused on academics and students working in partnership to co-design learning and teaching in higher education has increased [Deeley and Bovill 2017. ‘Staff student partnership in assessment: enhancing assessment literacy through democratic practices.’ Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 42 (3): 463–477. doi:10.1080/02602938.2015.1126551]. Student generation of content has been advocated as a means of fostering deep learning and high levels of students engagement, leading to enhanced conceptual understanding [Draper 2009. ‘Catalytic Assessment: Understanding how MCQs and EVS can Foster Deep Learning.’ British Journal of Educational Technology 40 (2): 285–293.]. However, within the discourse exploring staff-student co-creation, some concerns have been raised about whether students ought to, or indeed can, meaningfully act as partners in assessment [Cook-Sather, Bovill, and Felten 2014. Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.]. This paper describes the introduction of a co-creation assignment into an undergraduate tax module. Students’ and instructors’ perceptions of several aspects of the assignment were examined, facilitating the cataloguing and elucidation of the tensions involved in assessment co-creation. The paper suggests techniques to manage these challenges effectively, thereby providing a case study for others with an interest in implementing assessment co-creation within their own disciplinary context.     

A Method to Increase Student Interaction Using Student Groups and Peer Review over the Internet

A method of peer review for student groups is proposed. In this method, groups of students publish their assignments results over the Internet. A fellow student group reviews their work and publishes their findings (on the Internet). Finally, the two groups debate their points of view in front of the class. The debate and healthy competition among groups give the students a chance to learn how to give and receive criticism in a constructive way. This should increase the students' ability to interact and work in groups, an important skill for computer science professionals.     

Words with Pictures: The Role of Visual Literacy in Writing and its Implication for Schooling

This paper reports on two studies undertaken independently by the authors, both of which provide indicative evidence that the system of target setting in writing is exerting an influence on children’s perception of what is involved in authoring meaningful texts. In particular, the current emphasis on technical accuracy and neatness in handwriting has worked to limit the role of drawing in children’s construction of text. The authors suggest that this tendency has adverse consequences for the development of pupil confidence as the authors of their own meanings, particularly marked in boys. They argue that teachers and educators need to be more understanding of differences in the modes in which pupils choose to make sense of their social and cultural contexts.     

Global injustice,pedagogy and democratic iterations: some reflections on why teachers matter

Abstract

The article argues teachers matter because of their potential to engage in critical reflection on values associated with connecting the local, the national and the global. Their practice can support those who are dislocated, and who have no place. Teachers matter because they can help us understand how we share humanity and aspirations across many differences. The discussion identifies some similarities between approaches to pedagogy and Seyla Benhabib’s notion of democratic iteration. Both concepts suggest a navigation between the general, the particular and some of the complexities of their contradictions which can guide teachers’ work. Frameworks from cosmopolitanism and the capability approach are explored for detail they provide on how this navigation can be considered in practice across differently politically constituted formations and diverse, unequally situated groups. Drawing on some reflections on work in an international classroom, the conclusion explores some of these navigations across inequalities.