‘Trying to find the extra choices’: migrant parents and secondary school choice in Greater Manchester

This article, based on qualitative research in Greater Manchester, examines the experience of migrants in navigating the education system, and in particular in choosing secondary schools for their children. There has been extensive research on the process of choosing schools since the policy reforms of the 1980s, but none has examined how the process of choosing a secondary school is impacted by the material and affective impact of migration. The article argues that migrants’ experience is embedded in gendered, classed and racialised processes and that, despite the heterogeneity of the category, migrants often face particular barriers in negotiating the school system. Nonetheless it also explores the importance put on education by the migrants who were interviewed and the active labour they engage in to try and achieve the best results for their children.     

Shared Family Identity,Age Salience,and Intergroup Contact: Investigation of the Grandparent–Grandchild Relationship1 This study was part of the first author's doctoral dissertation and portions of the study were presented at the National Communication Association annual meeting,Chicago, 2004.

This study investigated communicative and relational aspects of the grandparent–grandchild relationship that lead to perceptions of age salience and shared family identity with the grandparent. The perceptions represent manifestations of inter- and intragroup levels of categorization in dealing with the other family member. The association between these group-oriented categorizations and perceptions of intergenerational contact outside of the family was examined. Participants (N?=?369) completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of experiences with multiple grandparents. Findings showed that general family identification of the grandchild, parental encouragement, and personal communication (social support and reciprocal self-disclosure) are positively associated with perceptions of shared family identity, whereas intergroup communication (under/overaccommodation) and perceptions of impaired health are associated with age salience. Results suggest that age salience may moderate the relationship between shared family identity and perceptions of older adults in some circumstances.     

毛泽东的政治美学思想探析

在毛泽东思想的理论宝库中,蕴藏着丰富的美学原理与美学艺术。实事求是观是毛泽东政治美学的理论基础;社会实践观是毛泽东制定和执行政策政治审美的依据;全心全意为人民服务观是毛泽东执政美学的灵魂;人民观是毛泽东政治美学的核心;群众观是毛泽东政治美学的生命基因。     

An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s“I’m Nobody! Who are you?”

Emily Dickinson is a witty and great poet in the 19th century.She is sensitive and full of humanity.She was living in almost total seclusion and wrote in secret whatever she was to feel,to see,to hear.The article is aimed to introduce Dickinson’ s attitude towards public life and her writing technique by analysing the poem," I’ m Nobody! Who are you?"     

幼儿教师教学责任的内涵、冲突及其实现——兼论幼儿园教育“小学化”的规避

幼儿园教育“小学化”现象是当前学前教育领域的一个突出问题,作为直接实施者的教师负有不可推卸的责任。通过对幼儿教师教学责任的内涵及特征的分析,能进一步地揭示幼儿园教育“小学化”现象背后的真实原因——幼儿教师在面临教学责任冲突时进行了不合理的选择,为了实现幼儿教师的教学责任进而有效地规避幼儿园教育“小学化”现象,需要以下五个条件的保障：（1）创造自由的教学环境;（2）提升幼儿教师的教学责任能力;（3）增强幼儿教师的教学责任感;（4）加强学前教育督导工作;（5）加强宣传,在全社会树立科学的儿童观、教育观。     

US news magazine images of black‐Asian American relationships, 1980–1992

During the past 20 years, primarily Latinos and Asians have immigranted to these shores and settled in urban areas. Media sources assert that this influx created particularly problematic relations between blacks and Asian Americans. Using Frame theory and textual analysis, we explored the images newsmagazines produced of this relationship. We found that one frame predominated: the nature of group relations had to do with each group's “essential”; qualities. Within this frame there also appeared four media packages: 1) the nature of the urban space, 2) the role of culture in the quality of relationships, 3) the essential qualities of urban residents and 4) the preeminence of class over race. Analysis of black‐Asian American relationships, while not strictly hegemonic, rarely deviated from accepted critiques. The nature of the coverage constrained understanding to personal shortcomings, while poverty and racial strife were rarely associated with historical and structural factors.     

Formation of a talking space and gender discourses in digital diaspora space: Case of a female Korean im/migrants online community in the USA

This article explores an online community of female Korean im/migrants in the USA in order to investigate the formation of a digital diaspora of women on the web. Employing multiple research methods including in-depth interviews, textual analysis, and participatory observation, this article examines the largest online community of female Korean im/migrants in the USA (www.MissyUSA.com), focusing on how their unique talking space was created on this site and the ways in which the relevant gender discourses are presented and constructed in relation to their diasporic conditions. The findings show that these women's shared identity (i.e. being Korean, married, female, and living in the USA) is an important element in the formation and development of this online community, especially in the creation of a candid talking space – sokpuri – where they vent their innermost feelings about their lives in the USA. The Missy and ajuma are the two salient identity discourses and selective use and flexible appropriation of the terms are found. The ajuma image (less individualistic, more active in sharing information and helping others) is adopted when these women identify their online community as a place where the empowering ajuma spirit is alive; meanwhile, they still adopt the Missy image of a young, independent, and modern woman for their individual identities, despite its consumerist origin. Although the issues of housewifization and having an enhanced gender relationship are quite often discussed, this online community has a limitation in that it does not produce a consistent and systematic challenging voice.     

Visual stimulation using microcomputers

ABSTRACT

The dominant approach to the education of young visually handicapped children currently hinges on the idea of encouraging the use of sight through visual stimulation. This takes various forms, including the optimization of the child's visual environment, training children to use their sight efficiently, and photo‐stimulation to alter the early development of the brain. It is argued that microcomputers have an important part to play in providing visual stimulation. VDU monitors can present materials in a ‘back‐lit’ manner, avoiding the problem of occlusion of the light source. Moreover, input devices such as the touch‐sensitive screen allow children to interact directly with the images on the computer screen, ensuring that the visual stimulus received is related to their own actions.     

Attitudes of Greek parents of primary school children without special educational needs to inclusion

Successful inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in school settings depends largely on the attitudes of parents of peers without SEN. The purpose of the present study was to explore the attitudes of Greek parents of primary school children without SEN towards inclusion. The participants were 338 parents (182 fathers, 156 mothers), aged 27 to 58 years (mean age = 39 years and 5 months). They were asked to complete the My thinking about inclusion scale and a further short questionnaire. The findings revealed that Greek parents of primary school children not identified as having SEN had an overall positive attitude towards inclusion. Gender differences were also established—fathers held more positive attitudes towards inclusion than mothers, even when controlling for age, educational level and the presence of a child with SEN in their child’s classroom. However, mothers were overall more willing than fathers to engage themselves and their child in interaction with a child with SEN.     

Examining Factors Affecting Science Achievement of Hong Kong in PISA 2006 Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling

This study uses hierarchical linear modeling to examine the influence of a range of factors on the science performances of Hong Kong students in PISA 2006. Hong Kong has been consistently ranked highly in international science assessments, such as Programme for International Student Assessment and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; therefore, an exploration of the factors that affect science performances of Hong Kong students can give a lens to examine how science education can be improved in Hong Kong and other countries. The analyses reveal that student backgrounds as male, at higher grade levels, and born in mainland (when in the same grade) are associated with better science performance. Among the attitudinal factors, enjoyment of science and self-efficacy in science play important roles in scientific achievements. Most of the parental factors, on the other hand, are not having significant impacts on achievement after student attitudes are taken into account, with only parents’ value of science having a small effect. School student intake is found to be a strong predictor of school average achievement, as well as a major mediator of the effects of school enrollment size and school socio-economic status. The findings differ from recently reported results, which suggested that school enrollment size was associated with achievement. This study also points out the problems of the use of science instruction time as a school-level variable to explain science achievement in Hong Kong.