Academic socialization,parental educational expectations,and academic self‐efficacy among Latino adolescents

This study examined the direct association between parental educational expectations and adolescents’ academic self‐efficacy, as well as the moderating influence of parental academic socialization messages. Participants were 148 Latino parent–adolescent dyads with the majority of Mexican origin (80.4%). Most of the parent participants were mothers (85.8%). Adolescents were 13 (46%) or 14 (54%) years of age, and 53% identified as female. Adolescents reported their academic self‐efficacy and perceptions of their parents’ educational expectations; parents reported on their academic socialization messages of shame/pressure and effort regarding academics. The results suggest that, after accounting for parents’ level of education and immigrant status, parental educational expectations were positively associated with adolescent academic self‐efficacy. This association was stronger among adolescents whose parents reported transmitting fewer messages of shame/pressure and academic effort. These results point to the importance of nuances in the content and type of academic socialization messages within Latino families.     

Using Multicultural Resources for Teachers to Combat Racial Prejudice in the Classroom

As the American population continues to become more diverse there is a need to provide children in early education with factual information about all ethnic groups to decrease prejudice. First, teachers must examine their own beliefs prior to implementing a multicultural approach into the curriculum. Three questions are presented that will assist teachers in evaluating their views and behaviors toward ethnic groups. Informative resources are provided for teachers to educate themselves, parents, and students. Through children's literature, instructional materials, and Internet sources, teachers can promote more positive attitudes among students and educate children to be respectful and accept the individuality of others.     

Conditions of domination: reflections on harms generated by the British state education system

Education in Britain increasingly appears to serve a very narrow notion of pedagogy, partly reflecting the ‘conditions of domination’ generated by the rise of the new managerialism in the delivery of public services. In the name of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, social progress is increasingly seen to lie in achieving continual increases in ‘productivity’, realised through giving management the absolute freedom to arrange its resources in whatever way it feels appropriate. At the heart of this critical reflection on these contemporary developments lies a concern for the role of education in democratic development, as well as the various harms that are the direct result of a profoundly reductionist and dehumanising ‘education’ system. The article concludes by outlining some alternative possibilities for more humane and democratic pedagogical processes.     

Competencies evaluation in engineering programmes

Results are reported in this paper from a study aimed at evaluating significant competencies in final-year students of some engineering programmes in Chile. The study was carried out by a group of eight universities that were interested in exploring ways to assess learning outcomes such as those demanded by the recent Chilean accreditation system. The authors actively participated in all stages of the study, contributing directly to the design, application and results evaluation of some tests. A sample of 150 students was tested, under conditions that guaranteed the comparability of results. In this paper the authors present results relating to the evaluation of effective communication. The study was backed up by a conceptual model and some hypotheses that are explained and discussed in this work.     

‘Research as dialogue’ and cross-cultural consultations: confronting relations of power

In this paper, we discuss methodological issues that emerged as we worked through a small empirical research project, ‘Engaging Aboriginal students in education through community empowerment’. Recent national policy statements (see, for example, MCEETYA 2000, NBEET 1995) argue the importance of education/research that keeps the locus of control within the Aboriginal community as a means to further the goal of self-determination and improve educational outcomes. In keeping with these recommendations, our project aimed to challenge assimilationist frameworks and sought to ‘empower’ members of the local Aboriginal community through participation in the project.     

Kindergarten Transition Preparation: A Comparison of Teacher and Parent Practices for Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

The transition to kindergarten represents an important developmental milestone for children and may pose unique challenges to children with disabilities, their families, and teachers. The primary goal of the current study was to investigate teacher concerns regarding the transition to kindergarten as well as teacher and parent-reported transition preparation practices and involvement for a sample of children with autism spectrum disorders (n = 19) and children with other developmental disabilities (n = 76). Teachers reported significantly more concerns for children in the ASD group than for children in the DD group, although there was no difference in total involvement in transition practices between groups. Although teacher and parent involvement in transition preparation was generally high, generic less individualized practices often were utilized. Study findings are discussed in the context of future research directions to help facilitate kindergarten transitions for young children with disabilities.     

Prediction assessments: Using video-based predictions to assess prospective teachers’ knowledge of students’ mathematical thinking

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental elementary mathematics field experience course, we have designed a new assessment instrument. These video-based prediction assessments engage prospective teachers in a video analysis of a child solving mathematical tasks. The prospective teachers build a model of that child’s mathematics and then use that model to predict how the child will respond to a subsequent task. In this paper, we share data concerning the evolution and effectiveness of the instrument. Results from implementation indicate moderate to high degrees of inter-rater reliability in using the rubric to assess prospective teachers’ models and predictions. They also indicate strong correlation between participation in the experimental course and prospective teachers’ performances on the video-based prediction assessments. Such findings suggest that prediction assessments effectively evaluate the pedagogical content knowledge that we are seeking to foster among the prospective teachers.     

Stability in Mother-Child Interactions from Infancy through Adolescence

OBJECTIVE: The current study examines homotypic stability in mother-child interactions, applying similar rating scales of mother-child interactions at 1 and 4.5 years, and heterotypic stability from 1 to 13 years and 4.5 to 13 years, using conceptually similar but not identical rating scales at age 13. DESIGN: We coded videotaped mother-child interactions in 202 families when children were 1, 4.5, and 13 years of age during age-appropriate and developmentally salient structured tasks for relationship quality. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses controlled for the effects of child birth order and gender as well as maternal age and education. Maternal and dyadic, but not child, mother-child interaction qualities at 1 year significantly predicted similar or equivalent constructs at 4.5 and 13 years. Heterotypic stability from 1 to 13 years was partially or fully mediated by the same constructs at 4.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal behaviors showed a pattern of homotypic and heterotypic stability, whereas dyadic behaviors were somewhat less stable. Child behaviors showed evidence of both homotypic and heterotypic instability.