Voices at the gate: Faculty members’ and students’ differing perspectives on the purposes of the PhD comprehensive examination

Abstract

The comprehensive examination is a customary, yet relatively unexamined, requirement in North American doctoral education. This case study explored the purpose of a comprehensive examination as perceived by faculty members and students in a Faculty of Education program, at a Western Canadian University. We found that, in addition to the traditional gatekeeping function of the examination, other purposes emerged. Contrasting views about whether the examination was designed to assess content mastery necessary for teaching or designed to assess readiness for doctoral research were found. The use of the comprehensive examination as an opportunity to learn and as a means for identity formation, including introducing students to the pressures of academic life, also contrasted with its traditional assessment function. The purposes of the comprehensive examination remained ambiguous to students, even though they had been privy to discussions concerning the design and development of the examination. Moreover, faculty members did not always agree on the purposes of the comprehensive examination. The differences in perspective and how these affect the administration of the comprehensive examination have an impact on students’ experience, including examination preparation. Implications for the implementation, preparation, and assessment of the examination are discussed.     

Parental perspectives of home-schooling of children with special educational needs and disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: a review

The purpose of this paper is to review recent literature on parental perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the home-schooling of children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as to consider implications for their education and well-being. Eleven papers were reviewed, published between 2020 and 2021, selected according to a systematic protocol from three widely used online databases. Analysis of the reviewed papers found that transitioning to home-schooling during the pandemic had negative consequences for most of the children, as well as for their parents, though a small but significant number reported positive consequences. Three key areas of concern were identified in the analysis: balancing home-schooling with parent work activities; parent relationships with schools and support services and agencies and home-schooling effects on the well-being and mental health of parents and children.     

Children’s views and preferences regarding their outdoor environment

This study aims to enhance awareness of what young children want to do outside and their preferences regarding their outdoor environment. Views of children as active participants, the affordance of the environment and the importance of place for children’s learning constitute the theoretical background of the study. The study was part of a research and development project on education for sustainable development in which preschool children and compulsory school children participated in decision-making about how their common school ground should be constructed. Data were gathered through observations and interviews with children and teachers. The findings show that the children wanted to challenge themselves as well as to be secure, explore things, be in contact with others, find or create nests and enjoy beautiful things outdoors. The children highly valued the natural environment and liked diversity in playground equipment.     

‘I think it's about the teacher feeding off our minds,instead of us learning off them,sort of like switching the process around’: pupils' perspectives on being consulted about classroom teaching and learning

This article reports on selected findings from a doctoral study which investigated how teachers in an 11–16 secondary school in the UK consulted pupils about teaching and learning in their classrooms. It presents the views of pupils on the consultation practices and responses of their teachers. While interest in consulting pupils has increased over the last decade, there is little published research on pupils' perspectives on being consulted apart from Rudduck and McIntyre who themselves draw upon data from the study reported here. Qualitative case-studies of four teachers were carried out over one academic year. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews (with the teachers, with 75 Year 8 pupils and with school management) and lesson observation. Analysis was guided by a systematic inductive approach aided by NVivo. Key findings were that pupils: (i) welcomed consultation; (ii) had much to say about its benefits; (iii) valued feedback from teachers post-consultation; and (iv) had concerns clustered around issues of trust and anonymity. The article suggests there are implications for teachers, school management and policy-makers if significant benefit is to be realised from teachers consulting pupils on teaching and learning in the classroom.     

Children’s rough and tumble play: perspectives of teachers in northern Canadian Indigenous communities

Ten teachers in kindergarten and grade one classrooms in remote northern Canadian Ojibway communities, and two consultants from a First Nations Student Success Program participated in focus group discussions about the place of rough and tumble and superhero play, and teachers’ roles in preventing relational and physically aggressive play in school. This paper reports on issues related to sociocultural influences on perceptions of play involving objects to which Indigenous children assign implicit roles as guns, and teachers’ concerns about external perceptions of teachers’ roles vis-à-vis rough and tumble play in school. Implications for teacher practice and for teacher education include establishing boundaries and negotiating rules and consequences with students, and teaching problem-solving approaches. Teachers’ expressed need for exposure to research on rough and tumble play in teacher education and professional development initiatives is consistent with the findings of previous research. This study provides perspectives from teachers in a non-mainstream teaching context on a controversial topic with mixed views coming from researchers and media reports.     

‘Close the door on your way out’: parent perspectives on supported transition planning for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Ireland

Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities encounter complex and circuitous transitions from post‐primary settings to Higher Education. In Ireland, inequitable access to Individual Education Plans, and a lack of policy infrastructure to provide formal transition planning, means that these journeys are varied and uncertain. This study presents findings from surveys completed by parents supporting students with disabilities in their final 3 years of mainstream secondary school (n = 69), and in‐depth interviews with a self‐selected subset of parents (n = 8). Results point to: (i) disparate levels and quality of support and guidance, (ii) fissures in communication channels between parents and schools, (iii) insufficient awareness and understanding of the interplay between disability and successful post‐school outcomes, and (iv) high levels of stress, anxiety and frustration experienced by students, parents and carers.     

西方科学观演变探析

 基于已出版的有关文献研究探析西方社会对科学认识的历史演变过程,发现可分为从古希腊时期把科学视为个人纯粹理性认识的真理,到文艺复兴时期起强调观察实验并追求实效的科学知识,到19世纪后半期起逻辑思维和经验验证并重的科学认识,20世纪后半期起重视科学共同体的共同理解解释活动,再到深受社会政治、经济和文化制度和情境深刻影响和制约的社会科学活动,直到目前将科学视为高度体现人类能动性的科学实践活动。这些不同阶段的科学观根据其特点被分别概括为真理科学观、经验科学观、表象科学观、文化历史主义科学观、社会科学观和实践科学观。最后简要讨论西方科学观演变对我国科学发展的启示。     

中西方文化差异视角下舞龙舞狮运动的国际化发展

舞龙舞狮作为一类民俗文化活动,在国内外得到了大力的发展。通过相关的逻辑研究、文献资料、对比研究方法,基于中西方文化符号对比的视角,进一步研究舞龙舞狮国际化的传播之道。按照已有的调查表明,在表象、内涵这两个层面上,中西方文化符号在模糊和精确、主观和客观上具有较大的差异性,被视为是舞龙舞狮运动国际化的文化壁垒。鉴于此,需针对民族性的全面认识、娱乐健身功效、神话故事的重现、艺术特色的体现、教育价值的进一步挖掘等,探索出一条崭新的传播思路。在此基础上,进一步提出发展路径,也就是舞龙舞狮运动的国际化需围绕传统与现代、东方与西方的关系全面地进行处理,通过多元化手段展开传播。     

框架语义视角下文化意象的创造性翻译策略

框架语义学作为一种意义理论综合性地考虑了包括语境、原型、感知以及个体经验等元素,并为语义构建提供了较为全面的解释,因而对于翻译研究具有相当的解释力和应用价值。由于一些文化意象对于特定民族具有唯一性,会给译者翻译带来困难。此时译者可以充分调动其主体性,运用由框架语义学中的视角转换概念所构建的创造性翻译策略完成意象传递,力求让目标意象与原意象之间实现功能或语用对等。     

Supports for children with disabilities in regular education classrooms: an account of different perspectives in Flanders

This paper presents the experiences and interpretations of children, parents, teachers and support persons concerning the implementation of supports in regular school environments in Flanders, Belgium. The data were gathered through observations, interviews and focus group meetings. Those multiple perspectives provide insights into the complexity of implementing supports in a regular education context. The conclusions offer some possibilities for debate and alternative ways of thinking about supports that facilitate inclusive school communities by tapping into resources such as the children, the environment, creativity and courage to leave the beaten path.