Fascinating technology: computer games as an issue for religious education

Computer games as an important part of youth culture can, from a certain perspective, be highly relevant for religious education. I will review the role of computer games, and then give a brief overview, suggesting a specific phenomenological approach for research on computer games and religious education. After presenting one example of such research I will explore the potential religious dimensions of computer games and raise the question of the possible consequences for religious education.     

Building bridges across fields,universities, and countries: Successfully funding communication research through interdisciplinary collaboration

Even though there are few directorates explicitly dedicated to communication research at places like the National Science Foundation, there are significant opportunities for funding of interdisciplinary research on "communication problems." This article informally shares some principles, rules of thumb, and ideas about funding communication technology research projects, though it applies to other areas as well. The article draws on the experience of the communication technology research experience at the international, cross-university, and interdisciplinary network of Media Interface and Network Design (M.I.N.D.) Labs.     

The Silent Minority: Supporting students with Selective Mutism using systemic perspectives

Selective Mutism (SM) is an under‐researched area of child development. While the incidence rate is low, the impact of this difficulty can be pervasive and can present as a significant risk for student mental health and wellbeing. The following article presents a case study focusing on parent‐student intervention for a preadolescent male, using an eclectic programme which blended psycho‐education, aspects of a manualised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programme, and specific selective mutism strategies. This article does not seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme but instead highlights practice considerations derived from systemic theoretical perspectives and present considerations for school staff.     

Factor structure of child behavior scale scores in peruvian preschoolers

Behavior rating scales aid in the identification of problem behaviors, as well as the development of interventions to reduce such behavior. Although scores on many behavior rating scales have been validated in the United States, there have been few such studies in other cultural contexts. In this study, the structural validity of scores on a Spanish translation of the six‐factor Child Behavior Scale (CBS) was assessed in a sample of 265 Peruvian preschool children who ranged from 2 to 6 years in age. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a four‐factor structure, and reliability estimates for scores on the four factors were adequate. The authors suggest replicating the study and examining the utility of CBS scores in predicting future problem behaviors in this population. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Building bridges across fields, universities, and countries: Successfully funding communication research through interdisciplinary collaboration

Even though there are few directorates explicitly dedicated to communication research at places like the National Science Foundation, there are significant opportunities for funding of interdisciplinary research on "communication problems." This article informally shares some principles, rules of thumb, and ideas about funding communication technology research projects, though it applies to other areas as well. The article draws on the experience of the communication technology research experience at the international, cross-university, and interdisciplinary network of Media Interface and Network Design (M.I.N.D.) Labs.     

The magic of hope: Hope mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic achievement

Two studies examined whether hope partially mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Guided by recent theoretical formulations about social class and the social cognitive process, in Study 1 a mediational pathway from SES to academic achievement via hope was documented in a diverse sample of adolescents. The mediational pathway was replicated in Study 2 in a minority sample of high school students. In both studies, hope was found to partially mediate the relationship between SES and grade point average. In addition, the unique contribution of hope to academic achievement replicated across the 2 studies, indicating that the additional stressors and challenges associated with being a minority did not affect the mediation. These results have implications for achievement gap interventions.     

The impact of university incorporation on college lecturers

In South Africa, recent government plans tochange the institutional landscape of highereducation have resulted in mergers of collegesinto universities or technikons. The researchreported in this article focuses solely on theimpact of a ``college-into-university'incorporation as manifested in the personal,emotional and career experiences of thesecollege staff members. It traces the changes intheir perceptions and emotions during and afterthe incorporation process. It also identifiesrecurring themes and issues evident in thepersonal lives of those affected by thisincorporation.A unique research methodology was engaged: TheCollege staff who had been appointed to theuniversity after the merger, identified sevencritical themes and then designed and conducted30 semi-structured interviews among themselves.This article thus documents the impact ofincorporation into a university on theindividual and collective lives of theresearchers themselves.The data suggest that the emotional impact ofincorporation was intense and that theuncertainty, especially, led to considerabletrauma. The most important concern emanatingfrom this joint research project is that whilea certain degree of distress is unavoidable inany institutional merger, inattention to themanagement of human resources, emotions andaspirations could linger on, possibly having anegative effect on the ambitions for thetransformation of the new entity.     

South African teachers’ ability to argue: The emergence of inclusive argumentation

This paper explores the argumentation ability of ten science teachers in two South African schools on opposite ends of the resource spectrum. Toulmin's model is used to analyse individual contributions in six group discussions. The findings show that levels of argumentation improve with teachers’ involvement in the development of teaching resources and the closeness of the argumentation task. The nature of the arguments is permeated by inclusiveness, thus precluding the use of rebuttals, traditionally a requirement for high-quality arguments. Based on the ubuntu worldview, a model of inclusive argumentation is proposed with implication for teaching and a scheme of assessable levels of argumentation.