河南农村中学英语课程改革存在的问题与对策研究

通过问卷调查和访谈方式对河南省农村中学英语课程改革情况进行调查探究发现,农村中学英语课程改革存在的问题主要涉及教育理念、教师的专业和职业能力、学生学习方法和学习压力、教育评价方法以及办学条件等五个方面。要针对这些问题调整师资队伍培训的内容和范围、编写适合农村使用的教材、加强教育监督与管理、改变人才选拔方式、加大政府投入、注重教学方法的探讨和研究。     

The ‘entrepreneurial university’, family and gender: changes and demands faced by fixed-term workers

Managerialism and neoliberal changes and demands influence the work and family lives of academics differently in different positions and contexts. In this article, I explore how Finnish academics on short fixed-term contracts have been treated, and how they interpret recent changes and their effects on their work and private lives. I ask how the demands and changes are gendered and what consequences they have for work–family balance and gender equality, as well as whether the changes have been internalised or resisted. Managerialism seems to create new ways to govern oneself and to approach academic work, home, children and gender. I argue that these profound changes are veiled by more visible reforms that seem to threaten academic autonomy, such as time surveillance.     

Witness recall across repeated interviews in a case of repeated abuse

In this illustrative case study we examine the three forensic interviews of a girl who experienced repeated sexual abuse from ages 7 to 11. She disclosed the abuse after watching a serialized television show that contained a storyline similar to her own experience. This triggered an investigation that ended in successful prosecution of the offender. Because this case involved abuse that was repeated on a weekly basis for 4 years we thus investigated the degree to which the child's narrative reflected specific episodes or generic accounts, and both the interviewer's and child's attempts to elicit and provide, respectively, specific details across the 3 interviews collected in a 1 month period. Across the 3 interviews, the child's account was largely generic, yet on a number of occasions she provided details specific to individual incidents (episodic leads) that could have been probed further. As predicted: earlier interviews were characterized more by episodic than generic prompts and the reverse was true for the third interview; the child often responded using the same style of language (episodic or generic) as the interviewer; and open questions yielded narrative information. We discuss the importance of adopting children's words to specify occurrences, and the potential benefits of permitting generic recall in investigative interviews on children's ability to provide episodic leads. Despite the fact that the testimony was characterized by generic information about what usually happened, rather than specific episodic details about individual occurrences, this case resulted in successful prosecution.     

The effect of drawing on children's experiences of investigations following alleged child abuse

The primary aim of the study was to evaluate investigative interviews from the perspectives of the children, comparing children who drew with children who did not. One hundred twenty-five children, alleged victims of sexual abuse, were asked about their investigative experience. The uniqueness of the study is that all of the interviews were conducted according to the NICHD Protocol and that children were randomly assigned into one of the two research conditions (drawing vs. non-drawing). The results clearly demonstrate the advantage that drawing has on the children's experience of the investigation, with children in the drawing group more often reporting feelings of hope and success. This study provides practical guidelines for practitioners by emphasizing the beneficial effects that drawing can have. The study stresses the importance of integrating into forensic investigations interventions that enhance children's testimonies and ensure that the investigation is an empowering experience that generates feelings of trust, self-worth, and justice.     

Preservice teachers’ preparedness to serve different family compositions

ABSTRACT

This study explored preservice teachers’ (PSTs) perceived competencies and weaknesses in regard to working with a diverse range of students’ families, as well as what contributes to their level of preparedness to serve different family types. A sample of 25 Elementary Education PSTs completed surveys and participated in interviews related to their family-related coursework and experiences, memories of home-school connections, and future plans to connect with students’ families. Numeric frequencies of responses showed that PSTs felt the most prepared to serve traditional (‘nuclear’) families and the least prepared to serve divorced, single and same-sex parents. A thematic analysis revealed a contrast between participants who simply desired to serve and those who felt ready to serve different family types. Participants also rejected the notion of a ‘normal’ family, while simultaneously using heteronormative language when discussing different family types. The article offers implications for teacher educators.     

The advantages of repeat interviews in a study with pregnant schoolgirls and schoolgirl mothers: piecing together the jigsaw

Qualitative interviewing is a commonly used approach in the social sciences and is generally regarded as an effective way of developing understandings about everyday experiences and the meanings people attach to them. Where fieldwork time-frames are relatively short, a single interview with each participant is common. This paper explores the potential benefits of adopting a repeat-interview design even when research time-frames are short. Illustrative examples from a study of the educational experiences of pregnant schoolgirls and schoolgirl mothers are used to show what additional data were gathered via the use of repeat interviews as well as how this impacted on data quality. The key benefits of repeat interviews relate to the quality of the relationship that developed with participants over time, the opportunities this afforded to develop understandings about multiple identities and shifting realities and the way in which they allowed the researcher to seek clarification or additional information about issues raised in earlier interviews. The paper concludes that repeat interviews provide opportunities not available within a single-interview research design and that such an approach is particularly appropriate for research that deals with vulnerable populations and sensitive issues or research which aims to capture something about events, experiences and perceptions over time.     

How and Why of User Studies: RLG's RedLightGreen as a Case Study

SUMMARY

This article documents a lifecycle approach to employing user-centered design, covering both qualitative and quantitative data gathering methods in support of using this approach for product design, usability testing, and market research. The author provides specific case studies of usability studies, focus groups, interviews, ethnographic studies, and web log analysis. The article supplies practical advice and tools for those interested in exploring user-centered design concepts for web-based tools and services in archives, libraries, and museums.     

Hurry Up and Wait

Summary

This article offers practical suggestions for doing chat reference, including setting up, using language, interviewing techniques, and composing responses. It contains comparisons to in-person, phone, and email reference techniques.     

A PUBLIC JOURNALISM RESPONSE TO ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS VIOLATIONS

In summer 2001, residents of a small Midwestern town in the United States were confronted with an incomprehensible trauma, thrusting them into a national public health crisis involving toxic mold contamination. The conflict centered on an infected high school campus, fearful and angry community members, and an intractable school board. Assertive coverage by the local press not only provided substantial investigative reporting, but gave focus and voice to an oppressed public. Written from personal experience, this research narrative critiques the ethics of public servants and identifies three significant windows of illumination when local press coverage made alternative viewpoints known, built understanding and stimulated deliberation, helping to lead the community through this period of crisis. As a consequence of this practice of public journalism, the local press demonstrated its vital role in cultivating good citizenship when public stewardship fails.