The use and usefulness of a parent questionnaire to help schools identify disability

The Equality Act 2010 will be implemented in full in 2011, and schools in the UK will have to provide special aids or services for children with disabilities where this provision is considered reasonable. This paper reports on staff perspectives on the use and usefulness of a parental questionnaire on disability from a sample of 49 schools (mainstream and special) located in 12 local authorities. Most schools found the process of administering the parent questionnaire undemanding; just under half of the sample indicated that they would take some action as a result of the data collected from the parental questionnaire (e.g., to inform plans for targeting or monitoring support for children, and to contact parents and follow‐up issues they had mentioned); and about one‐third of schools recorded unanticipated findings from the parental questionnaire, that is, the identification of children whose disabilities were not previously known to the school. Implications for schools are discussed.     

中国文化现状与公共图书馆开展多层次多样性信息服务的思考

从中国文化正处于多元化发展和创新的现状,深层次思考了公共图书馆如何发挥主流意识文化的作用,开展多层次多样性信息知识服务,如何为落实科学发展观、构建和谐社会服务,并结合四川文化发展的实际提出了看法和建议。     

韩非师从荀卿考论——兼及荀、韩思想之"异"与"同"

韩非师从荀卿的经历是其生平事迹研究中的重要问题之一。本文根据《史记》之《老子韩非列传》和《李斯列传》,以及《荀子》《韩非子》等材料,对韩非早年求学荀卿的经历作了考论：时间在前255至前247（荀卿重返楚任兰陵令）年间,地点即在楚之兰陵;其所学内容更多是有关“帝王之术”的内容。荀子的儒家学说对韩非也有着深远的影响,二者思想在这一点上又体现出了内在的一致性。在目前研究者更多看到荀、韩思想之不同、更多强调二者的对立性时,这种一致性更是我们所不能忽视的。     

‘That teacher really likes me’ - Student-teacher interactions that initiate teacher expectation effects by developing caring relationships

Teacher expectations are associated with student academic achievement, but no research has generated new theory that explains how teacher expectation effects occur from students' perspectives. A substantive theory explaining the process through which students reconcile with their teachers' expectations is presented in this paper, emphasising the role of caring student-teacher relationships in teacher expectation effects on academic achievement. The theory was constructed with 25 grade 10 participants across three Western Australian secondary schools, with data including 100 interviews and 175 classroom observations. The analysis and synthesis of the data confirmed that the students acted in ways that they reflected improved their academic attainment when their teachers communicated high expectations of them. Noddings' enduring philosophy of the ‘ethic of care’ is used as a discussion framework, emphasising implications for how teachers practise and learn to interact with their students so that they can initiate positive teacher expectation effects on student learning.     

A conducive learning environment in international higher education: A systematic review of research on students’ perspectives

Higher education institutions (HEIs) strive to meet international students' needs and expectations regarding their learning environments. Current literature covers a wide range of needs, expectations, and HEIs' responses. However, there doesn't seem to be a consensus about the needs and expectations to be addressed. A coherent theoretical framework may help HEIs identify areas of need and provide additional resources and comprehensive services. We performed a systematic review to obtain an overview of international students' needs, expectations, and experiences regarding their learning environments as described in the literature. We categorized students' perspectives into dimensions. Subsequently, we investigated whether these dimensions related to the three key domains outlined in the theoretical framework and the coverage of these key domains by HEIs. Sixty-three studies were eligible for inclusion. We identified 18 dimensions of international students' needs, expectations, and experiences that could be mapped onto the framework. Based on these results, the content of the three domains could be summarized as goal direction, relationships, and supporting services. Thirteen studies covered one domain, 14 covered two domains, and 36 covered three domains. To provide optimal support, HEIs should cover all three domains. Our study may help to better understand and optimize learning environments for international students.