The cultural shaping of parental involvement: theoretical insights from Israeli Jewish parents’ involvement in the primary schooling of their children

This paper presents a theoretical argument regarding the power of school to shape parental involvement in culturally informed ways. The paper emerges out of preliminary fieldwork among Jewish middle-class parents in a town in northern Israel, during which our attention was drawn to the intense activity in and around their children’s transition to primary school. This activity became a lens for the exploration and articulation of a theoretical claim, according to which parental involvement is not just a matter of the fit or lack of fit between the cultural capital imported from home into school, as posited by much of the relevant literature. Rather, the cultural shaping of parental involvement takes place within and through encounters between school and family: by means of the school’s cultivation of ‘proper’ disposition and comportment for parents, the power of emotional community and the recruitment of a key cultural symbol.     

School engagement mediates well-being differences in students attending specialized versus regular classes

The authors examined (a) differences in school engagement and the subjective well-being (SWB) of 330 Israeli students (Grades 7–10, 52% girls) in specialized school classes (arts and science) versus students in classes with no specialized subject and (b) the role of engagement as a mediator between class choice and SWB. A multivariate analysis of covariance examined intergroup differences and structural equation modeling was used to test the mediation model. The results indicated that students in both specialized classes felt more engaged than students in regular classes and that students in science classes experienced higher SWB than did students in art and regular classes. The difference between specialized classes and regular classes in terms of student SWB was fully mediated by student engagement. The results suggest that educators and policymakers should consider enabling students to enroll in specialized classes that may not only increase their engagement but also their SWB.     

Student’s local top-up higher education choices

Making decisions about education choices is challenging and difficult for students. Utilising the theory of reasoned action, we specify and estimate a conceptual framework that captures the cognitive process of decision making of students in choosing top-up higher degrees in Hong Kong. Top-up higher or bachelor’s degrees are top-up undergraduate programmes forming a progression route for sub-degree graduates to earn bachelor’s degrees. We argue that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived value influence a student’s top-up higher education choices. Our results show that family members, educators, job availability and security, social image and difficulty of curriculum play critical roles in influencing students’ decision. We also find differences between females and males, between business and non-business students and between Year 1 and Year 2 students in higher education choices. These findings underscore the importance of educational institutions developing effective policies for promoting top-up higher degree programmes by taking cognisance of gender, the field of study and year of study differences and for policy makers to understand the dynamics of higher education.     

Homework involvement and functions: perceptions of Hong Kong Chinese primary school students and parents

This study examines the perceptions of Chinese students and parents in Hong Kong on homework involvement, assignment type and homework functions. The relationships of homework perceptions to student and parent attributes are also assessed. The sample includes 1393 pairs of students and their parents from 36 primary schools in Hong Kong. Findings of this study show similarities in preference for assignment type across students and parents. Between‐group discrepancies are observed in preference for homework involvement and endorsement of homework functions. Moreover, homework perceptions are found to relate to students’ and parents’ efficacy attributes and involvement behaviour. Findings of this study are discussed in light of the Chinese sociocultural context in Hong Kong. Suggestions are made on the design and use of homework in primary schools by incorporating the views of different stakeholders.     

The importance of context: Vietnamese,Somali, and Iranian refugee mothers discuss their resettled lives and involvement in their children’s schools

Parental involvement in schools is regarded as critical to student success in Australia, Canada, and the USA, the world’s top refugee resettlement countries. Refugees can be disadvantaged when they are unfamiliar with the practices and when their own cultural beliefs conflict with expectations in their new communities, or when they are consumed by other pressing needs. As part of an evaluation of a nonprofit US refugee agency’s liaison program, three groups of refugee mothers from different world regions spoke about their lives and connections with their children’s schools. Focus groups revealed satisfaction with many aspects of their children’s schools as well as contrasts between the groups’ needs and experiences. Differences indicate the need for the education community and other service providers to be aware of international backgrounds that bring refugees to the countries of resettlement and cultural differences that create diverse concerns of these groups.     

英国高等教育评估中的学生参与机制研究

英国高等教育部门在总结国内外经验的基础上,建立了学生参与高等教育评估的机制。学生不仅参与质量管理与决策、参加院校内部定期评估,还在外部评估中提交学生报告、出席学生会议,甚至还参加院校的审核或审查。英国高等教育部门在高等教育评估中树立了以学生为中心的评估理念,构建了全面和全过程的学生参与机制,确立了广泛的合作伙伴关系,建立了积极的国际合作机制。     

从来如此,就一定对吗？——走出“唯物主义”和“唯心主义”的使用误区

按照恩格斯的观点,＂唯物主义＂和＂唯心主义＂产生于对哲学基本问题的第一个方面即世界本原问题的不同回答。然而,人们常常对＂唯物主义＂和＂唯心主义＂这一对概念产生误解和误用。逻辑分析告诉我们,＂原汁原味＂的＂唯物主义＂和＂唯心主义＂各自只有一种形态。     

群体性突发事件产生根源的主观博弈分析

本文运用主观博弈模型分析了我国群体性突发事件的产生根源。社会弱势群体考虑对收入差距敏感程度这一私人信息后，其行动策略集合发生变化，运用前向归纳法对弱势群体采取非子博弈纳什均衡的斗争策略具体条件进行了分析。结果表明，群体性突发事件的产生条件取决于弱势群体对博弈收益差距敏感程度、自身收益的变化率和现存社会体制下各社会阶层采取不同策略的预期收益等因素。     

大学生心理健康、主观幸福感与复原力关系的研究

运用复原力量表、情感指数量表和一般心理健康问卷,对664名大学生的复原力、主观幸福感、心理健康进行评估.结果表明,大学生复原力水平在年级、性别、是否为独生子女、有无男女朋友等变量上差异明显;一方面主观幸福感与心理健康可以较好地预测复原力水平,另一方面心理健康可以预测主观幸福感,能够建立三者的协方差结构模型.     

先验演绎基础：审美判断的特性及主观原则——康德美学思想研究之四

纯粹审美判断虽然没有概念的客观有效性,但其存在情感的主观普遍性问题,有必要对这种普遍性要求进行演绎。对纯粹审美判断进行的演绎,既要探寻其主观的根据,又要阐明其客观上的表现及其可能性条件。鉴赏判断的特性为普遍性与个别性;鉴赏判断是自律的而不是他律的。一般判断力的主观原则就是鉴赏的原则,即必须以鉴赏判断在逻辑上的形式特征为指导来进行,而不能从经验中去寻找,因此,这种原则只能是主观原则。