Examples as Method? My Attempts to Understand Assessment and Fairness (in the Spirit of the Later Wittgenstein)

What is 'fairness' in the context of educational assessment? I apply this question to a number of contemporary educational assessment practices and policies. My approach to philosophy of education owes much to Wittgenstein. A commentary set apart from the main body of the paper focuses on my style of philosophising. Wittgenstein teaches us to examine in depth the fine-grained complexities of social phenomena and to refrain from imposing abstract theory on a recalcitrant reality. I write philosophy of education for policy makers and teachers. Scrutiny of examples plays a vital role in communicating with such an audience. Starting points include 'accommodations' for disabled students, allegedly gender-biased tests, and the recruitment procedures of 'elitist' music conservatoires. A key intuition that fairness is associated with test validity turns out to be seriously flawed. Problems centre on the idea of a 'construct', and the supposed divide between an underlying construct and its behavioural manifestations. Equality of opportunity notions underlie some accusations of unfairness but there are alternative approaches to a just society. Both the judgments about fairness, and the proposed remedies are open to serious philosophical criticisms. There are widespread conceptual difficulties, together with inconsistent and contestable value judgments.     

Taking Students Seriously: Their rights to be safe at school

In a broader study of students' rights at school, high school students in New Zealand were asked about whether gay/lesbian/bisexual students would feel safe at their school. Data are reported from a nationwide survey of 107 high schools involving 821 students (aged 15-16 years) and 438 staff who responded to a questionnaire. The article focuses on how students and staff describe attitudes to lesbian/gay/bisexual students, and identifies the most prevalent discourses, including a counter-discourse of acceptance. Although attention to a discourse of acceptance risks the effect of undermining the implications of extreme violence against lesbian/gay/bisexual students, it also challenges the pervasive construction of lesbian/gay/bisexual students as victims. The authors argue that attention to discourses of acceptance might open up further discursive and material strategies for working towards the safety of all school students, including lesbian/gay/bisexual students.     

建设性新闻:一种正在崛起的新闻形式——对凯伦·麦金泰尔的学术访谈

目前,新闻主要被负面和冲突的框架主导.本访谈围绕国外主流媒体兴起的建设性新闻进行理论的探讨.文章厘清了学术界和业界对方案新闻、好新闻、幸福新闻、恢复性新闻等概念的误读与理解偏差,首次提出建设性新闻概念.对建设性新闻的积极心理策略的运用、传媒实践、研究现状、学科建设、发展趋势等问题进行剖析,并指出建设性新闻将为新闻学研究和实践提供新的范式.     

Burnout and Counselor Practitioner Expectations of Supervision

The authors assessed counselor expectations of supervision and counselor burnout. A sample consisting of 120 members of the Oregon Personnel and Guidance Association completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Counselor Supervision Inventory (CSI).     

Dual Supervision: A Model for Counseling and Supervision

The counseling practicum is generally accepted as an essential part of a counselor-training program. Likewise, the training of future counselor educators necessitates experiences in supervision of counseling-practicum students. The dual supervision model described in this article is an approach that simultaneously meets the training needs of future counselors and counselor educators. The rationale for the dual supervision model, the results of an exploratory study of the counselor trainees' attitudes toward the dual supervision process, and the counseling-practicum supervisors' reactions to the model are described. Both the students enrolled in their second quarter of counseling practicum and the supervisors had very positive reactions to the dual supervision model.     

Factors in Students' Endorsement of Counseling as a Requirement for Graduation from a Counseling Program

This study investigated factors involved in students' endorsement of personal counseling as a requirement for graduation from a counseling program. Implications for counselor educators are discussed.     

Comparing England,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: The case for 'home internationals' in comparative research

The differences among the four education systems of the UK are often perceived as a nuisance by comparative researchers. This paper argues that they are also an opportunity. It describes the four systems and summarises their similarities and differences. It then presents five reasons for giving 'home international' comparisons a more prominent role in comparative research. These are, respectively: their potential contribution to theoretical debates; specific differences among the four systems, which touch on core problems of educational research; the practical value of home international comparisons; their potential for policy learning; and the relative ease of conducting them.