An experimental comparison of three techniques for communicating a problem‐solving pattern to members of a discussion group

This programmatic research tests a model of social interaction. Six elements: content, interpretation, emotion, transference, selection, and relationships, abstracted from the literature, are said to constitute the domain of social interaction. In the model the substances exchanged in the interaction are posited to determine their form of expression, and variables at deeper phenomenal levels are hypothesized to determine those at more surface levels. Phase I examined three alternative models based on this perspective of social interaction and identified the superior of the three, which is also tested here. Phase II corrected some methodological problems detected in the first phase and further confirmed the utility of the model examined here. The current phase of this research, Phase III, extends the model to the context of non‐enduring interactions. It uses respondent self‐reports to test the model in the following experimental situations: interacting in the presence of radio news, radio entertainment, television news, and television entertainment. The results, as in the previous phases, are quite supportive of this perspective of social interaction and demonstrate that it can be extended to the context of initial interactions.     

‘Where is the post‐modern truth we have lost in reductionist knowledge?’ A curriculum’s epitaph

This essay suggests a way for creating a curriculum for the future amidst the challenges of post‐modern uncertainty. Curriculum discourse in the past has been dominated by widely‐accepted key questions, which produce and maintain curricula that are essentially fragmented and reductionistic, and directly opposed to the essential demands of the holistic nature of life. The essay proposes a contemporary curriculum philosophy that is fundamentally heuristic, with a radically eclectic, contingent character.     

Perspectives on and conceptualizations of compliance and compliance‐gaining 1

Scholars have offered a number of different conceptualizations of compliance and compliance‐gaining which reflect broader competing perspectives. While there have been attempts to synthesize and clarify the empirical literature on compliance‐gaining, there has been little attention devoted to reviewing critically perspectives and conceptualizations focusing on persuaders attempting to get persuadees to do what they want. A review of the theoretical literature reveals that scholars have frequently developed their conceptualizations of compliance and compliance‐gaining from a social exchange or power perspective. It is shown how these two perspectives are manifested in the empirical research, especially those studies focusing on factors affecting strategy selection. The argument is made that conceptualizations and empirical studies reflecting these perspectives typically push communication into the background and reward/cost and power principles into the foreground of the compliance‐gaining process. Studies on teacher power in the classroom are provided as examples of how it is possible to adopt a power perspective and not undercut the role of communication in the gaining of compliance.     

Are the needs of children and young people with social,emotional and behavioural needs being served within a multi‐agency framework?

This article discusses the effect that recent policy and legislation has had on services for children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs (SEBN), particularly ‘Looked After Children.’ The article highlights the Government's overarching plan to promote social inclusion and effective multi‐agency collaboration and discusses the confusions arising from the use of ‘multi‐agency’ terminology. Two case studies of individual children then illustrate the manner in which collaborative working is either supportive of, or hinders, positive intervention. Finally the article discusses how general policy issues impact on practice with children with SEBN.     

Listening to the views of those involved in the inclusion of pupils with Down's syndrome into mainstream schools

Debbie Johnson is a teacher who provides an account of her involvement in researching the inclusion of pupils with Down's syndrome over a number of years. Her work has not only increased her own understanding but has had a significant influence upon her practice, both as a class teacher and in her current advisory role. Writing in a highly personalised way, Debbie describes how she developed a systematic approach to collecting data and analysing this to provide her with insights into those factors which may encourage or inhibit inclusive practice.