Showing papers in "American Journal of Education in 2016"
TL;DR: The authors investigate how policy design, often the balance between sanctions and rewards, shapes individual choices and how that relates to intended and unintended outcomes. But their focus is on the way that individual action is shaped by social interaction and peer effects.
Abstract: How does policy influence human behavior? All theories of policy implementation have at their root assumptions about the nature of human action. Some (e.g., principal-agent theories) emphasize autonomous actors making a series of individual choices to maximize their interests. Studies of policy implementation in this vein (e.g., Lane 2013; Loeb and McEwan 2006; Sabatier and Mazmanian 1980) investigate how policy design—often the balance between sanctions and rewards—shapes individual choices and how that, in turn, relates to intended and unintended outcomes. Other theories (e.g., social networks) focus on the ways that individual action is shaped by social interaction and peer effects. Studies that take a network perspective on implementation (e.g., Coburn, Russell, et al. 2012; Frank et al. 2004) investigate how individuals’ embeddedness in systems of social relations influences what they learn about policy in the first place and how they respond. Other theories of implementation (e.g., sensemaking theory, institutional theory) focus on the way that individuals’ and groups’ interpretations of policy are shaped by cultural ideas available to them in the environment. This approach (e.g., Bridwell-Mitchell 2015; Burch 2007; Coburn 2004; Spillane et al. 2002) investigates how cultural ideas are embedded in social structure, influencing what individuals even think to do as they implement policies in the classroom,
90 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare pathways from principal leadership through school organizational processes to student outcomes that include teacher influence as a mediating factor to pathways that do not include teachers influence, and suggest that effective principals use teacher leadership to improve the school learning climate while they work directly on professional development and school program coherence.
Abstract: School principals can play an important role in promoting teacher leadership by delegating authority and empowering teachers in ways that allow them influence in key organizational decisions and processes. However, it is unclear whether instruction and student learning are enhanced by promoting teacher influence in all aspects of school organization or whether it is better for principals to directly work on certain processes while delegating influence on others. We compare pathways from principal leadership through school organizational processes to student outcomes that include teacher influence as a mediating factor to pathways that do not include teachers’ influence. Our results suggest that effective principals use teacher leadership to improve the school learning climate while they work directly on professional development and school program coherence.
85 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the importance of caring in schools and school leadership and introduced a model of caring school leadership situated within a broader exposition of literature including academic and professional works from education and education-related fields and disciplines.
Abstract: This article examines the importance of caring in schools and school leadership. It analyzes the concept of caring and how it functions and introduces a model of caring school leadership situated within this broader exposition. The analysis and model are informed by literature including academic and professional works from education and education-related fields and disciplines—philosophy, ethics, feminist theory, positive psychology, and the organizational sciences. In addition, the analysis and model draws on literature of human-service occupations—health care, social services, and the ministry—that consider caring and caring leadership at both interpersonal and organizational levels. The synthesis of this literature results in a multidisciplinary and cross-occupational model that extends and deepens current understanding and theory about caring school leadership.
72 citations
TL;DR: This paper showed that policies are rarely implemented as written nor necessarily as intended, and that policies rarely dictate exactly what happens in districts and schools, they do shape the daily work of the actors in these organizations.
Abstract: Policy implementation is a daily event in schools and districts. Educators engage with policies in many forms and must consider how to implement their multiple ideas in a coordinated manner. Take a classroom teacher who manages the following policies for one child identified with a disability: the federal policy on disability (IDEA), state policies around curriculum standards, her district’s policy on access to assistive technology, her school’s policy on inclusion, and her individual classroom policy on homework. Ample implementation research demonstrates that policies are rarely implemented as written nor necessarily as intended (e.g., Cohen and Hill 2001; Correnti and Rowan 2007; Kennedy 2005; Rowan and Miller 2007; Rowan et al. 2004; Stein et al. 1996). Yet while the policies rarely dictate exactly what happens in districts and schools, they do shape the daily work of the actors in these organizations (Coburn 2004; Drori and Honig 2013; Sherer and Spillane 2011). Across the United States, and internationally, reforms are both delivered to schools and districts at an
50 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employed multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between school characteristics and the likelihood that a student will drop out of high school using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), a large nationally representative sample of US high school students.
Abstract: Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09)—a large nationally representative sample of US high school students—we employed multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between school characteristics and the likelihood that a student will drop out of high school. We used a multifaceted framework on school climate to assess the degree to which school attachment, disciplinary order, disciplinary fairness, and academic climate are associated with individuals dropping out of high school. Additionally, we examined how structural and compositional characteristics of schools influence school climate and dropping out of school. Our findings indicate that attending a high school with better disciplinary order and stronger school attachment for the students is associated with a decreased likelihood of dropping out, above and beyond individual characteristics.
43 citations
TL;DR: This paper used a qualitative approach of social network analysis to uncover the mechanisms through which first-year principals encountered particular beliefs about instructional leadership, and found that preparation programs mattered for how the principals conceptualized instructional leadership.
Abstract: First-year principals encounter multiple messages about what it means to be instructional leaders; this may matter for how they enact instructional leadership. This cross-case qualitative study uses a qualitative approach of social network analysis to uncover the mechanisms through which first-year principals encountered particular beliefs about instructional leadership. To do so, I studied six first-year principals who came to their positions through four distinct paths, examining their informal social networks. I found, first, that their networks’ structures influenced the spread of instructional leadership ideas from the environment to individuals at the mesolevel. Second, the findings suggest that preparation programs mattered for how the principals conceptualized instructional leadership. This research contributes to our understanding of the relationship between institutional ideas and practice in schools, principal preparation, and professional development. It also extends research on social network...
38 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present findings on the institutional logics of reading instruction in an urban school district, portraying how district leaders and coaches enacted two logics: Accountability First and Just Read, which coexisted within the district to provide formal and informal rules to structure action.
Abstract: This article presents findings on the institutional logics of reading instruction in an urban school district, portraying how district leaders and coaches enacted two logics. Findings are grounded in observation, interview, and document data on district leaders and literacy coaches from a 13-month period. Using neoinstitutional theory, this article highlights the interrelationship between macrolevel structures and microlevel practices, particularly discussing the lived logics used throughout the implementation of a new reading program. I explicate two logics of reading instruction: Accountability First and Just Read, which coexisted within the district to provide formal and informal rules to structure action. To reveal the complexities of educators’ enactment of logics, this article portrays how district leaders advanced each logic. It also depicts how coaches hybridized the logics, with consequences for the direction of reform. It shows how educators in different leadership positions engage together with...
38 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the individualized education program (IEP) meetings for five high school students identified with specific learning disabilities and found that the IEP document served as the dominant script, or structure, for the meetings, which established roles for participation and influenced participants' agency within the meetings.
Abstract: In this comparative case study, we draw from neoinstitutional and structuration theory to examine the individualized education program (IEP) meetings for five high school students identified with specific learning disabilities. Specifically, we examine how participants interacted during the IEP meetings and how learning, instruction, and postsecondary transition were discussed. Findings suggest that the IEP document served as the dominant script, or structure, for the IEP meetings. This dominant script established roles for participation and influenced participants’ agency within the meetings. We also highlight instances of disruption when participants exerted agency and went off script, breaking from the institutionalized structure of the meetings.
33 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the extent to which teacher perceptions of school cohesion and intrinsic motivators stemming from two theoretical traditions contribute to the intent to leave one's school, and found that elementary teachers report higher levels of organizational cohesion within their schools along with stronger intrinsic motivation compared with peers teaching at the high school level, drawing on data from 548 teachers in Los Angeles schools.
Abstract: Lifting achievement in many schools depends on reducing the exit of effective teachers. We examine the extent to which teacher perceptions of school cohesion and intrinsic motivators stemming from two theoretical traditions contribute to the intent to leave one’s school. We find that elementary teachers report higher levels of organizational cohesion within their schools along with stronger intrinsic motivation compared with peers teaching at the high school level, drawing on data from 548 teachers in Los Angeles schools. Teacher perceptions of school cohesion are moderately correlated with intrinsic motivators. However, views of strong leadership and teacher cohesion, not one’s own intrinsic motivation, more strongly predict the likelihood of remaining at one’s school, based on structural equation estimation with IRT-adjusted measurement models. We discuss implications for shaping interventions to strengthen the social cohesion of schools rather than simply rewarding individual teachers.
32 citations
TL;DR: The authors empirically tested whether this convergence has permeated to less prominent foundations and their grantees, or if these foundations are pursuing alternative organizational strategies to shape K-12 outcomes using correspondence analysis, network analysis, and geographic information science.
Abstract: Previous research focusing on major philanthropic foundations suggests that these actors have collectively converged around a set of jurisdictional challengers promoting market-based education reforms. Using correspondence analysis, network analysis, and geographic information science, this article empirically tests whether this convergence has permeated to less prominent foundations and their grantees, or if these foundations are pursuing alternative organizational strategies to shape K–12 outcomes. The analysis draws from a sample of 15 nonmajor foundations and their 1,069 grantees serving some aspect of K–12 education in 2010. We find that nonmajor foundations have adopted some elements of major foundations’ organizational strategies to influence K–12 education but that their strategies are heterogeneous and reflect both challenges to—and opportunities for—a more varied and democratic structure of policy making.
30 citations
TL;DR: The authors examine the interplay between structure and agency in education markets to examine how a school's position in the market hierarchy influences how it is represented and viewed as a rival by network competitors.
Abstract: School choice is expected to place pressure on schools to improve to attract and retain students. However, little research has examined how competition for students actually operates in socially embedded education markets. Economic approaches tend to emphasize individual actors’ choices and agency, an undersocialized perspective, whereas sociological approaches emphasize social structures such as race, class, and institutions over agency, an oversocialized view. In this study, I examine the interplay between structure and agency in education markets to (a) examine how a school’s position in the market hierarchy influences how it is represented and viewed as a rival by network competitors and to (b) explore how a school’s position in the network of competitors influences the possible and actual strategic actions that schools adopt in response to market pressures. Using case studies from New Orleans, I find that school leaders’ positions in the socially constructed market hierarchy and in a social network o...
TL;DR: This paper investigated the role of mentors' sense-making in shaping responses to changes in the broader institutional environment and identified how the introduction, and later withdrawal, of direct financial support for mentoring installed a new logic of mentoring as a professionalized job and how mentors creatively employed elements of this new logic in their daily interactions.
Abstract: This article addresses how institutional logics are translated, maintained, or disrupted by actors and their (inter)actions within schools. The changing policy environment for mentoring beginning teachers in Flanders (Belgium) provides a fertile context for answering this question. Combining neoinstitutional and sensemaking lenses and analyzing the mentoring practices in one school, we investigated the role of mentors’ sensemaking in shaping responses to changes in the broader institutional environment. Based on semistructured interviews, observations, and document analyses, the study identifies how the introduction, and later withdrawal, of direct financial support for mentoring installed a new logic of mentoring as a professionalized job and how mentors creatively employed elements of this new logic in their daily interactions. The study contributes to the recent research on inhabited institutionalism by demonstrating that organizations are not only the instantiation of institutional logics, but are sit...
TL;DR: This article explored subgroup variation in parents' and teachers' perceptions of their relationship, and examined the potential of a school-based family engagement program to shift these perceptions, finding notable misalignment in parents and teachers’ perceptions when parents are Spanish-dominant Latinos.
Abstract: Strong parent-teacher relationships are critical to students’ academic success. Mismatches in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of each other may negatively affect children’s outcomes. Using survey data collected from parents and teachers in 52 low-income, predominantly Latino schools, we explore subgroup variation in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of their relationship, and we examine the potential of a school-based family engagement program to shift these perceptions. We find notable misalignment in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions when parents are Spanish-dominant Latinos. We also find that a family engagement program improves parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of their relationship but does not eliminate the gap between teachers’ and Spanish-dominant Latino parents’ perceptions of one another.
TL;DR: This paper examined how teachers whom students identified as being relatively more or less engaging spoke differently about how they use information on student engagement to inform their teaching and found that highly engaging and less engaging teachers differed along dimensions of reflectiveness, adaptivity, and support.
Abstract: We examine how teachers whom students identified as being relatively more or less engaging spoke differently about how they use information on student engagement to inform their teaching. Using 3 years of data from teacher focus groups in which 21 teachers discussed their perceptions of student engagement and reactions to annual student surveys, we found that highly engaging and less engaging teachers differed along dimensions of reflectiveness, adaptivity, and support. Together, these orientations revealed a sense of agency over student engagement that was more evident in the comments of more engaging teachers. The differences in how the two groups conceptualized engagement and used information on engagement to change their practice have important implications for efforts to increase student engagement.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the relationship between teacher collaboration and Latino students' math achievement, taking into account the great diversity of Latinos/as in America, and found that teacher collaboration has, on average, a nonsignificant effect on the mathematics achievement growth of all Latino/a students between kindergarten and fifth grade.
Abstract: Latino/a students’ low mathematics achievement is a pressing issue given their increasing numbers in the United States. This study explores the relationship between teacher collaboration and Latino students’ math achievement, taking into account the great diversity of Latinos/as in America. Using multilevel growth models, we analyze Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-K data from approximately 1,900 Latino/a students and find that teacher collaboration has, on average, a nonsignificant effect on the mathematics achievement growth of all Latino/a students between kindergarten and fifth grade. However, when analyzed separately, teacher collaboration is shown to have a positive relationship with the math academic trajectories of Latino immigrant students, while having a negative association with the math trajectories of Latino/a students who do not speak English at home.
TL;DR: The authors found that high school underachievement in Latino children of immigrants can be attributed in part to the bureaucratic nature of schooling and a constant onslaught of bureaucratic errors and omissions.
Abstract: Scholarship on Latinos’ lagging US high school graduation and college enrollment rates has focused on systematic biases and inequities in schooling. This article argues for an additional complementary explanation for underachievement and school failure. Namely, it suggests that high school underachievement in Latino children of immigrants can be attributed in part to the bureaucratic nature of schooling and a constant onslaught of bureaucratic errors and omissions. Based upon a 5-year multiple-case study in the southeastern United States, it finds that bureaucratic dysfunctions figured prominently in the education of Latino immigrant youth. The article calls for more research on the impact of bureaucratic errors on educational paths of immigrant students and argues that educators might profitably draw from work on organizational failure to help Latino children of immigrants navigate school bureaucracies more successfully.
TL;DR: The authors examined how the introduction of U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Black Colleges" section influenced undergraduate admissions among historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and found that college rankings have little correlation with admissions outcomes at HBCUs.
Abstract: College rankings have become a ubiquitous part of American higher education. As the popularity of rankings has increased, so have the number of research studies attempting to better understand the impact rankings have on college/university admissions outcomes. In the past, these studies have focused almost exclusively on elite national universities and liberal arts colleges. This study broadens research in this area by examining how the introduction of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Black Colleges” section influenced undergraduate admissions among historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The findings suggest that college rankings have little correlation with admissions outcomes at HBCUs.
TL;DR: This article examined resource decision making in two urban school districts using the case of a 2009 California school funding deregulation policy and argued that expertise is a key political dynamic in district resource decision-making, setting the framework by which decision makers interpret and weigh local school quality, cost, and equity concerns and, as a result, reallocate deregulated dollars.
Abstract: Decentralization and deregulation policies assume that local educational leaders make better resource decisions than state policy makers do. Conceptual models drawn from organizational theory, however, offer competing predictions about how district central office administrators are likely to leverage their professional expertise in devolved decision making about school funding. To explore deregulation policy in practice, I examine resource decision making in two urban school districts using the case of a 2009 California school funding deregulation policy. I argue that expertise is a key political dynamic in district resource decision making, setting the framework by which decision makers interpret and weigh local school quality, cost, and equity concerns and, as a result, reallocate deregulated dollars.
TL;DR: A significant advantage in reading achievement for first- and second-generation immigrant youth, as compared to the third generation, is indicated, which persisted even after controlling for important child, parenting, human capital, neighborhood, and demographic covariates.
Abstract: Using data from a household-based, stratified random sample of youth and their caregivers from low-income inner-city neighborhoods, this study examined the variability in the academic achievement of Latino youth. The results indicate a significant advantage in reading achievement for first- and second-generation immigrant youth, as compared to the third generation, which persisted even after controlling for important child, parenting, human capital, neighborhood, and demographic covariates. Follow-up analyses within the subsample of the first- and second-generation youth indicate that more recent arrival to the United States predicted higher reading achievement. Yet, there was no evidence of a similar immigrant advantage in math. The implications of these findings, limitations of the present study, and directions for future research are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine variation in EAP participation across California's public high schools and what accounts for the variation in the early years of the program, and they find that schools with higher participation in these aligned assessments witnessed small improvements on the state's primary accountability metric, but not through raising individual stakes for students.
Abstract: State K–12 assessments may soon include measures for college readiness, as California’s already do. We seek to understand how California’s Early Assessment Program (EAP, designed to assess high school juniors’ college readiness in English and math) may have influenced overall school-level college readiness and state accountability outcomes. Using administrative data, we first examine variation in EAP participation across California’s public high schools and what accounts for the variation in the early years of the program. Second, we ask whether different levels of EAP participation have influenced school outcomes. Finally, we ask whether the EAP has led to changes in schoolwide accountability measures by increasing eleventh-grade students’ testing performance. We find that schools with higher participation in these aligned assessments witnessed small improvements on the state’s primary accountability metric, but not through raising individual stakes for students. Results have important consequences for p...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of a quantitative study involving 810 respondents, examining Slovenian preschool teachers' views on the implementation of the idea of the competent child and child participation in preschools.
Abstract: With the new paradigm of the sociology of childhood the traditional notion of childhood as a developmental phenomenon has been replaced by the recognition of childhood as an integral part of society and culture rather than simply an antecedent, and by the need for children to be regarded as significant contributors to our society and culture. The concept of "the competent child" and the related concept of child participation poses theoretical as well as practical dilemmas. The paper presents the results of a quantitative study involving 810 respondents, examining Slovenian preschool teachers’ views on the implementation of the idea of the competent child and child participation in preschools. Descriptive statistics have been carried out, along with a cluster analysis using Ward’s method. The findings suggest the existence of two clusters of beliefs, representing the division between the teachers who support the traditional notion of childhood as a state of immaturity and lack of competence, and those supporting the postmodern concept of the competent child. The first is associated with the concept of participation through a mediator and the latter with the concept of autonomous participation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify and describe students and teachers' perceptions on the most valued teaching actions in order to learn, and propose new research lines such as teachers’ beliefs on learning and assessment in higher education.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify and describe students and teachers’ perceptions on the most valued teaching actions in order to learn. Two samples were used for this study: 352 university teachers and 2634 undergraduate students answered to a questionnaire on different teaching actions. Results showed that teaching actions assessed in the questionnaire were considered important by both samples, since they favor students’ learning. Teachers considered as the most valued actions presenting the class topic and linking it with reality using examples, asking questions to students to make them participate or identifying if they understood the topic and clarifying doubts. On the other hand, students gave a similar appraisal but with significantly lower scores. Some new research lines are suggested such as teachers’ beliefs on learning and assessment in higher education.
TL;DR: Manouchehri et al. as mentioned in this paper found that the degree of decision-making and abstract reasoning expected of children was remarkably higher than the standardized state achievement exams on the new national assessments.
Abstract: Reasoning vs. Extracting Clues from Visual Imageries Although in the previous section we offered a description of the type of tasks that demanded abstract and generalized thinking, a closely linked major difference between the new national items at all grade levels and those on previous state exams included the level of abstraction and formal knowledge expected of children when solving problems. Although the state items often included images, representations, pictures, and models from which the children could extract information to solve problems, the new national items either did not provide such visual clues or when they did, the images could not be used directly to find answers. On state items, most typically, when children were asked to find the area, perimeter, or volume of geometric shapes, those shapes were presented on a grid where children could count to obtain answers. Additionally, whole numbers were often used rather than fractions. Such was not the case for similar items on the new national assessments. Notice that in the example showing in Figure 5, children need to alter or manipulate the accompanied image to answer the question. Notice also that the visual media presented to children does not include features that could be used to solve the problem without understanding the concept of perimeter. Indeed, knowing the formula alone would not be sufficient to solve the tasks. Vol. 3, No. 4 Manouchehri et al.: What Do Mathematics Achievement... 326 Figure 5. National Grade 4 Item #29 Source: Retrieved from bit.ly/22rtSrM. We do stress that the analysis offered in this paper was based solely on the available practice items from one of the two assessment consortia creating the new national assessments, and on items from released state sample tests. The released tests did not include all open response items or performance-based tasks that are used. Any inferences about the state tests or national assessments must be cautionary due to the fact that neither full examinations nor an accurate distribution of items according to content strands was made available. The primary value of analysis is to help identify new types of knowledge children would need to master on the new national assessments. It is often said that in educational settings what is tested is what is taught. If that is indeed the case, and if the released national practice items are a representative of what knowledge is to be valued, then there is some indication that teachers must help children develop skills consistent with mathematical practices so to successfully meet the demands of the new assessments. As discussed in previous sections, while no significant differences existed among the achievement tests used by different states and the new national released achievement items according to the cognitive load they demanded of children, Athens Journal of Education November 2016 327 the degree of decision-making and abstract reasoning expected of children was remarkably higher than the standardized state achievement exams. Certainly both in quality and in quantity, the questions that measured abstract reasoning, structural knowledge, and tending to precision ranked higher on the new national items as compared to the prior state items. As we mentioned earlier, questions addressing some of the content strands were not included among the items designed for certain grade levels on the new national assessment items, or they appeared less frequently. For instance, Geometry items were limited to only 4 in the fourth grade. However, in reviewing fifth grade Geometry items it is clear that meeting the mathematical expectations of knowledge of Geometry at that grade may not be met without adequate preparation in the previous years. The same applies to the Data Analysis/Probability items appearing in Grade 6. A large number of the new national assessment items require students to do a substantial degree of abstracting. They also demand that students be flexible problem solvers. The skills needed for student success on these items require the skills to be built over time and through the use of activities and lessons that focus on the development of mathematical thinking among children. Attempts at educating mathematics teachers must capitalize on the demands of these tasks and engage them in explicit discussions focused on understanding the mathematical connections that need to be unveiled in instruction.
TL;DR: The authors explored the cultural transformation of kindergarten from a separate play-based experience to the first year of formal schooling and found that parents increasingly opted to enroll their children in formal schooling prior to compulsory attendance requirements, regardless of mothers' work status.
Abstract: The emergence and transformation of kindergarten in the United States is the quintessential example of the irrepressibility of schooling expansion, the ever-greater institutionalization of education in children’s lives, and the rise in formal education’s emphasis on cognitive skills among young children. This article explores the cultural transformation of kindergarten from a separate play-based experience to the first year of formal schooling. This happened all while kindergarten enrollments expanded. Over the course of the twentieth century, parents increasingly opted to enroll their children in formal schooling prior to compulsory attendance requirements, regardless of mothers’ work status. Instead, enrollment rates are associated with mothers’ education levels.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify and analyse the concepts and ideas related to the nature of science, scientific concepts, and teaching and learn about science developed by a group of teachers during a training course for the teaching of sciences skills.
Abstract: The aim of this research was to identify and analyse the concepts and ideas related to the nature of science, scientific concepts, and teaching and learn about science developed by a group of teachers during a training course for the teaching of sciences skills. The educational strategy was developed from a critical position on the expository models and guided discovery. Teachers assumed the role of students, reflecting on their learning and teaching and, eventually, rebuilding this learning situation with their students. In conclusion, the workshop promoted a conceptual change related to the topics and subjects addressed in the classroom: teachers’ and the students’ideas related to learning about science; the evaluation of teaching; the development of creative and critical thinking; and, the development of scientific tools. Overall the teachers enjoyed the course and reoriented their approach to working in the classroom.
TL;DR: The aim of the study was to analyze the experiences and needs of the parents that could contribute to a better collaboration with the care professionals, and shows that the parents emphasized the following as important for good collaboration.
Abstract: The paradigm of residential child care, providing education and care for children outside the family is changing worldwide. The emphasis is shifting from a narrow child-focused approach to a more child-and-family centred one, foregrounding the quality of collaboration between parents and everyone involved in the child’s care. Several Slovenian studies draw attention to the difficulties of maintaining a collaborative partnership with parents that is based on trust and contact. We introduce the findings of a qualitative research study that included 32 individuals with children in different residential care homes throughout Slovenia. The aim of the study was to analyze the experiences and needs of the parents that could contribute to a better collaboration with the care professionals. The findings show that the parents emphasized the following as important for good collaboration: communication and dialogue, being informed, included and accepted as an important part of the team.
TL;DR: A qualitative study focused on the characteristics of those who are willing to cope with mathematical challenges and on the emotions evoked by these challenges, and sought to evaluate the potential role of positive emotions in this context as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Mathematics has been perceived as a discipline centered on intellectuality. However, recent studies have found interaction between a variety of emotions and the quality of learning. This qualitative study focused on the characteristics of those who are willing to cope with mathematical challenges and on the emotions evoked by these challenges, and sought to evaluate the potential role of positive emotions in this context. The research was conducted among participants in the Israel International Math Competition for Girls (IIMCG). The participants were 12 of the top finalist competitors in the previous competitions. Research instruments included an in-depth interview and a Math Emotions Measuring Instrument (MEMI), measuring the emotions expressed while coping with the mathematical challenges. Major results indicated the intensity of positive emotions. The positivity ratio was 4:1. Among those emotions, determination and curiosity were dominant, stressing the importance of the motivational factor. The findings indicate the importance of positive emotions and their ability to broaden the thought repertoire and encourage creativity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the underpinning theory and activities suggested for the organisation and delivery of the workshops sessions on simplex didactics aimed at in-service teachers and primary school pupils as part of a teachereducation course.
Abstract: The contemporary proteiform education system characterised by complexity and dynamism and brought about by the acknowledgement of the diversity in students’ needs, requires teachers to constantly put into practice numerous problem-solving and decision-making strategies. The underpinning capability required to face challenging situations is a form of cognitive flexibility; i.e. the ability to find alternative solutions and strategies. This approach has been a subject to numerous studies and research, which provide worthy evidence on the role of creative thinking to apply detour strategies during the teachinglearning processes so as to respond to the inherent need to have a plurality of solutions to ensure a better control of the system at one’s fingertips. The article presents the underpinning theory and the activities suggested for the organisation and delivery of the workshops sessions on simplex didactics aimed at in-service teachers and primary school pupils as part of a teachereducation course.
TL;DR: This article argued that through dialogue lecturers can stimulate students to think and argue for themselves, rather than defer to tradition and authority, and argued that the context that is conducive for dialogic education, especially in a country such as South Africa that needs to come to grips with the presence of people who differ by ethnicity, class, gender, age and religion, is not known.
Abstract: The principle of dialogue is the innovative teaching and learning practices with a transformative agenda. This paper argues that through dialogue lecturers can stimulate students to think and argue for themselves, rather than defer to tradition and authority. However, the context that is conducive for dialogic education, especially in a country such as South Africa that needs to come to grips with the presence of people who differ by ethnicity, class, gender, age and religion, is not known. The paper aims to share the teaching experience emanating from a lecture hall engaging in difficult topics to talk about, followed by reflection on its implication for transformative educational agenda. Emerging from the analysis of the case study is the competing dichotomy of \"us\" and \"them\". I therefore argue for a nuanced context specific process facilitation model to help participants rise above the default codes of \"us\" versus ‘them’ and look at issues in broad social contexts, irrespective of who is talking.
TL;DR: It is shown how virtual 3D rooms should be constructed for the purpose of etutorials to address the challenges which arise by teaching very heterogeneous student groups and advantages and limitations using virtual3D rooms in university teaching are discussed.
Abstract: At universities, we observe a great range of variation in previous knowledge and decreasing mathematical competences of students – partly due to less limited qualification rules at universities in Germany. To address the challenges which arise by teaching very heterogeneous student groups we use e-tutorials as an addition to traditional classroom teaching. We show how virtual 3D rooms should be constructed for the purpose of etutorials. Based on our experience we discuss advantages and limitations using virtual 3D rooms in university teaching.