Beyond the doorstep. Arabian (k)nights and personal nightmares: a working life in Oman

Working in a country where the work culture is unknown to you—Oman in the Middle East—you are faced with yourself. What you need is a profound knowledge of the cultural, social and educational surroundings you are working in, which I did not have. Coming from a working‐class background, I was not unfamiliar with adjusting to cultural differences, but here I was the ‘advantaged’. I was the ‘expert’, with western knowledge: highly valued by some, feared by others. Living up to your expert role in unknown territory is a daunting process, as this article highlights.     

Development of a Learning Progression for the Formation of the Solar System

This study describes the process of defining a hypothetical learning progression (LP) for astronomy around the big idea of Solar System formation. At the most sophisticated level, students can explain how the formation process led to the current Solar System by considering how the planets formed from the collapse of a rotating cloud of gas and dust. Development of this LP was conducted in 2 phases. First, we interviewed middle school, high school, and college students (N?=?44), asking them to describe properties of the current Solar System and to explain how the Solar System was formed. Second, we interviewed 6th-grade students (N?=?24) before and after a 15-week astronomy curriculum designed around the big idea. Our analysis provides evidence for potential levels of sophistication within the hypothetical LP, while also revealing common alternative conceptions or areas of limited understanding that could form barriers to progress if not addressed by instruction. For example, many students' understanding of Solar System phenomena was limited by either alternative ideas about gravity or limited application of momentum in their explanations. Few students approached a scientific-level explanation, but their responses revealed possible stepping stones that could be built upon with appropriate instruction.     

Student empowerment in an english language enrichment programme: an action research project in Hong Kong

This paper describes how students are empowered in an action research project. The author argues that, given the opportunity, students are willing and have the ability to exercise their power to control their learning. In addition, the author contends that the more power students have in deciding what and how to learn, the harder they will work, the stronger their learning motivation will be, and the more they will gain in their learning. The experience gained in this project pointed to three important components of student empowerment efforts, i.e. empowerment through involvement, empowerment through partnership and empowerment through action research.     

Handwriting in the New Curriculum

How to interpret and assess the handwriting requirements of the National Curriculum is still far from clear. Dr Jean Alston, editor of Handwriting Review, and formerly senior lecturer in special needs at Crewe and Alsager College of Higher Education, Cheshire, continues the discussion begun by Christopher Jarman in the December 1990 issue of the journal.     

Effective,Sustained Inquiry-Based Instruction Promotes Higher Science Proficiency Among All Groups: A 5-Year Analysis

Student’s performance in science classrooms has continued to languish throughout the USA. Even though proficiency rates on national tests such as National Assessment of Educational Progress are higher for Caucasian students than African-Americans and Hispanics, all groups lack achieving desired proficiency rates. Further, the Next Generation Science Standards detail a new higher benchmark for all students. This study analyzes a professional development (PD) project, entitled Inquiry in Motion, designed to (a) facilitate teacher transformation toward greater quantity and quality of inquiry-based instruction, (b) improve student achievement in science practices and science concepts, and (c) begin to narrow the achievement gap among various groups. This 5-year PD study included 11 schools, 74 middle school teachers, and 9,981 students from diverse, high minority populations. Findings from the quasi-experimental study show statistically significant gains for all student groups (aggregate, males, females, Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics) on all three science Measure of Academic Progress tests (composite, science practices, and science concepts) when compared to students of non-participating teachers. In addition to an increase in overall performance for all groups, a narrowing of the achievement gap of minority students relative to Caucasian students was seen. When combined with other studies, this study affirms that, when facilitated effectively, inquiry-based instruction may benefit all students, for all demographic groups measured.     

Adolescents’ developing awareness of inequality: Racial and ethnic differences in trajectories

To advance knowledge of critical consciousness development, this study examined age-related change in awareness of inequality by race and ethnicity, gender, parent education, generation status, and their interactions. With longitudinal data (2013–2017) from 5019 adolescents in grades 6–12 (55.0% female) from California, Minnesota, and West Virginia, multigroup second-order latent growth curves were estimated for Black (13.7%), Latinx (37.0%), Asian (8.1%), and white (41.3%) youth. Black, Latinx, and Asian adolescents increased awareness of inequality longitudinally; white youth showed no change. Multiracial youth accelerated awareness of inequality in mid-adolescence; changes in race and ethnicity predicted decline, followed by increases. Girls with more educated, immigrant-origin parents started out more aware of inequality. Results signal the need for race-specific and intersectional approaches to studying critical consciousness development.