Educational Trends for Expanding Women's Occupational Lives

Institutional changes are described which would facilitate the expansion of women's occupational lives. Part I reviews educational trends in schools, focusing on legislation and other activities to eliminate sex discrimination in federally supported educational institutions. Part II discusses current trends to interface education and work, and proposes a transitional work group model which incorporates feminist values and legitimizes the work place as a place for learning. Part III discusses trends towards participatory democracy and asserts that the training of women to use new technologies in communications and computers will increase their power to shape public policy. The conclusion points to the necessity for compensatory and anticipatory measures to ensure the representation of all groups of women in decision-making environments.     

Rethinking Emancipation,Rethinking Education

In this paper I discuss the possibility of the idea of emancipation within an educational philosophy that does not accept schooling as its first premise. The first part of the paper will take Sweden as an example of an educational state defined through educational policies such as life long learning, accountability and evidence-based research, and argue that these words are only meaningful within the myth of schooling and not in a language of education/emancipation. The second part of the paper discusses different but related conceptions of emancipation by exploring its ambiguous nature. In the third part of the paper I specify the role and place of emancipation within a philosophy of education that seeks to articulate its social value.     

Future avenues for education and neuroenhancement

Education, in epistemological terms, presents an arena in which the development of knowledge and its transmission frame fundamentally distinct assignments: in social contexts knowledge exchange is prioritised to equip individuals as knowers; in theoretical contexts, an understanding of knowing as a state of mind is the primary objective. Distinguishing between education and its institutionalised product –the school–, this paper reviews the notion that today's modern classroom settings limit the applicability of neuroscience research by focusing on equipping individuals as knowers. In contrast, educational research has become increasingly grounded in brain sciences, with future premises examining artificial intelligence technologies (AI) targeted at enhancing learning and memory based on an understanding of the nature of knowing. Taking into account this bifurcation between education and school, this paper examines how the paths of educational, neuroscience, and AI research cross beyond school-enabled learning. This is contemplated across three sections. The first section examines the historical basis of the bifurcation between education and schooling. The second reviews the potential impacts of current neuroscience knowledge on educational implementations. The third discusses how and why neuroscience and AI technologies could be pertinent to educational discourse in the future.     

Critical Places Beyond the Psychology of Well-Being and Competitiveness

The purpose of the present contribution is to look beyond the limits evident in dualistic discourses in educational practices. Torn between the promises of well-being or the hard facts of competitiveness, educational institutions at all levels of instruction might miss the point of a more holistic approach to learning and creativity. Looking beyond dichotomous discourses in educational practices is harder than ever, in a world where globalisation demands high standards of competitiveness and neoliberalism denies all but economic growth targets. Approaches that envision different solutions are necessarily imaginative, critical and alternative to rigid discourses. In order to find foundational evidence for alternative ways of thinking and talking about learning, I will look at how Dewian and Vygotskyan conceptualisations walk the same paths and go towards holistic suggestions. Concluding remarks will address the disruptive potential of critical thinking in schools for the future.     

Social Representations of Gender in Peer Interaction and Cognitive Development

The paper discusses how social representations of gender and their development in childhood relate to the structuring of communication on collaborative problem solving in the educational context and the consequences of such communication dynamics for learning and cognitive development. In the theoretical framework and the empirical work outlined an emphasis is given on the articulation of different levels of analysis (intra‐personal, inter‐personal, inter‐group/positional and ideological/social representations) (Doise, W. 1986. Levels of Explanation in Social Psychology: European Monographs in Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) in a way that explanatory power is increased for understanding the often contradictory findings in the literature around gender talk in mixed‐sex dyads in the educational context.     

The effect of microlevel and macrolevel signaling on learning with 360° videos

The application of 360° videos raised the attention of educators and researchers, as it appears to be an approachable option to mediate complete environments in educational settings. However, challenges emerge from the perspective of educational psychology. Learning irrelevant cognitive strains might be imposed because it is necessary to navigate through spherical material. However, these potential downsides could be compensated for using signaling techniques. In a two (macrolevel vs. no macrolevel signaling) × two (microlevel vs. no microlevel signaling) factorial between-subjects design plus control group, 215 fifth-and sixth-grade students will watch a 360° video about visual and behavioral characteristics of animals. Learning outcomes, cognitive load, disorientation, and presence will be investigated. It is expected that macrolevel signaling will enhance learning and presence and reduce cognitive load and disorientation. Microlevel signaling will have comparable advantages, but these effects will be more pronounced when macrolevel signaling is implemented.     

Influence and development: Two basic paradigms of education

The article discusses two basic paradigms of western educational theory, namely the concept of “influence” and the concept of “development”. Two historical contextes are analyzed, John Locke's theory of human learning and Jean-Jacques Rousseau's theory of natural development. Both theories are rejected in favour of a position beyond “influence” and “development”. This position of a theory of education (Erziehung) is marked with the term “moral communication”.     

Language and reading development in profoundly hearing-impaired children—Intelligence,learning, and communication factors: A review

This review defines educational underachievement and presents information confirming the low reading and even lower language development of profoundly hearing-impaired children. It then discusses the role of intelligence, learning ability, and communication factors in this educational underachievement. Teacher and pupil classroom communication are identified as major factors in the poor educational performance of hearing-impaired children. Some research needs are discussed.     

Regulatory mode preferences for autonomy supporting versus controlling instructional styles

Background Three studies carried out in educational settings examined determinants of teacher's instructional styles and students' degree of satisfaction with the learning climates created by such styles. Aims Based upon regulatory mode theory, Studies 1 and 2 tested the hypotheses that teachers' locomotion orientation will be positively related, and their assessment orientation will be negatively related, to autonomy supportive (vs. controlling) instructional styles. Study 3 tested the hypothesis that students' regulatory mode will exhibit a fit effect with the prevalent learning climate in their school. Samples Participants for Study 1 were 378 teachers (278 females); for Study 2 were 96 teachers (65 females); and for Study 3 were 190 students (all males). Method Participants completed questionnaires that included measures of teaching styles (Studies 1 and 2), perceived learning climate and satisfaction (Study 3), and regulatory mode orientations (Studies 1 and 3). In Study 2 regulatory mode orientations were experimentally induced. Results Results confirmed that teachers' autonomy supportive versus controlling styles were positively related to their locomotion orientations and negatively related to their assessment orientation, and that students with a stronger locomotion (vs. assessment) orientation reported a higher level of satisfaction when the learning climate was perceived as autonomy supportive (vs. controlling). Conclusions The present studies show that teachers' preference for adopting an instructional style is influenced by their regulatory mode orientations, and that the effects of a learning climate on students' satisfaction are contingent on a fit between type of learning climate and students' regulatory mode orientations.     

The Role of Christian Educational Institutions in Improving Economic Self-Reliance

This article argues that Christian educational institutions in Africa can play a major role in improving economic self-reliance within the continent, if those who establish Christian universities there take time to plan the programs and activities in those institutions. Specifically, it argues that with proper planning of quality education–the curriculum, the choice of extra-curricular activities, the teaching methods, and proper assessment–Africa's situation, especially its economy will improve. The paper insists that God gave a mandate to Christians to lead out in the world when He called them the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16) as well as promised that they would be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13). Finally, it ends with several recommendations that will help leaders of Christian universities in Africa to plan education in such a way to improve the economy of the continent. While the paper addresses Christian institutions of higher learning in general, it focuses its attention on Seventh-day Adventist educational institutions of higher learning in Africa and draws its examples from Babcock University in Nigeria, West Africa.     

The Public Schools: America's Achilles Heel

In a 1973 paper in The American Psychologist, a case was made for why it would take many decades for Blacks to improve their performance on school achievement and other cognitive tests. The paper was in opposition to Jensen's conclusion which emphasized genetics. One important part of the argument was deliberately omitted in that paper. The present paper deals with that omission which concerns the fact that our schools violate what is known about context for productive learning, a fact by no means peculiar to city schools. The near total failure of the educational reform movement has had and will continue to have consequences beyond the educational arena, one of these being Black anti-Semitism. Our cities are social time bombs. When they will ignite and explode is unpredictable. If classrooms become context for productive learning, the predicted positive outcomes require changes outside the schools, that is, the work arena.     

Faith in the Classroom: The Perspective of a Pastor Called to College Teaching

Abstract. Can one uphold a call from an ecclesiastical body while teaching in a college classroom? This paper will argue that the dual roles of pastor and professor can be integrated by the adoption of faith development as a learning goal. This goal seems to stand at odds with three important aspects of academic teaching: the demographic reality of religious pluralism, the ethical requirement to preserve student autonomy, and the overarching goal of a university education to promote critical thinking. My argument will be that, far from violating these three areas, faith development as a broad learning goal can actually provide a valuable deepening of pluralism, autonomy, and critical thought in the educational experience of students. The method of exploration will be autobiographical. I will show how it is that in my dual roles as an ELCA pastor called to a faculty post I articulate and use faith development as an overarching learning goal in the context of (1) a theological pedagogy based on an interfaith logos theology, (2) a value‐laden pedagogy vis‐à‐vis consumerist self‐formation, and (3) an adaptation of stages of faith development to the classroom.     

Spirituality in African Education: Issues,contentions and contestations from a Ghanaian case study

This article explores Ghanaian educators' and students' understandings of spirituality and its role and implications in education. Using a Ghanaian case study of two selected school sites, the article addresses local conceptions and responses to educational reform initiatives and the specific implications of spirituality and values in education. In particular, the article examines how students and teachers employ local meanings of self, personhood, and the individual identifications with the group/collective to promote learning and teaching. Attention is paid to understanding what it means to teach and learn culture, history, and spirituality within a holistic paradigm. The article also highlights contestations in educators' and students' views regarding the place of spiritual and religious values in the educational system. It is argued that educational change will emerge from understandings of the goal and purpose of education as pursued through educators' and students' teaching and learning practices.     

Operants Were Never "Emitted," Feeling Is Doing, And Learning Takes Only One Trial: A Review Of B. F. Skinner's Recent Issues In The Analysis Of Behavior

This final collection of Skinner's papers was intended for the professional, although other readers will find much of interest. The first five chapters are devoted to what Skinner called “theoretical issues” and include clear presentations of his positions on “feelings” and on the “self” as an apparent agent of volition. Skinner skillfully discusses thinking, the origins of cognitive-mediational theories, and a favorite topic: the similarity of processes occurring in the histories of species and of individuals. The next four chapters cover what he called “professional issues,” including the often-misunderstood philosophy known as radical behaviorism as well as the operant aspects of behavior therapy and attempts to influence educational practices. He seemed disappointed in the lack of acceptance of programmed learning methods and pessimistic about the possibility of improving education practices. This pessimism was evident in the final section, “personal issues,” in which he expressed doubt that the powerful and self-serving forces of government, business, and religion will ever permit the changes that could be wrought by the application of behavior analysis to the great problems of society. Two other chapters in the last section will be useful to historians who are curious about the influence of logical positivism on Skinner's thinking (apparently there was not much influence) and to sophisticated readers who are interested in Skinner's retrospective consideration of his work.     

A model for assessing student interaction with educational software

We present a simple model of generative learning that permits us to define four kinds of interactions and a system for tracing and recording how students use educational technology. We believe that this model will maintain a link between interaction and learning, thus providing one method for the assessment of a wide range of educational technology environments. Two results are presented from an evaluation of ConStatS, a program for teaching conceptual understanding of probability and statistics. The results illustrate the kinds of insight into generative learning that a detailed trace method can provide.     

家长参与在家庭社会经济地位和高中生学习品质之间的中介作用——师生关系的调节作用

为了考察在中国背景下,家长参与在家庭社会经济地位与高中生学习品质之间的中介作用,以及师生关系对上述中介效应的调节。以东部某省13442名高中二年级学生为被试,采用家长的受教育程度、家长的职业以及家庭拥有物三个指标测量家庭社会经济地位。采用家长参与子女学习和家长参与子女日常生活两个指标测试家长参与度。采用学习兴趣、学习自信心、学习策略、自主学习能力、学习习惯五个分指标测量学生的学习品质。采用师生关系量表测量师生关系。结果表明：（1）家庭社会经济地位可以正向显著预测高中生的学习品质;（2）家长参与在家庭社会经济地位与高中生学习品质之间起完全中介作用;（3）家庭社会经济地位经由家长参与影响高中生学习品质的中介作用受到师生关系的调节;（4）因家庭社会经济地位不同造成的学生学习品质的差异,在一定程度上会受到师生关系的弥补作用。     

Neuropsychological complications of insulin dependent diabetes in children

Previous research suggests that children with insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) show selective impairments on neuropsychological tests, with those developing IDDM before 5 years of age appearing to be the most affected. The effect of hypoglycaemia on the developing brain has been suggested as a possible risk factor as has the disruptive effect of chronic hyperglycaemia on myelinisation. A cohort of children (n = 124) with newly diagnosed IDDM, managed at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne has been assembled and evaluated 3 months post diagnosis on standardised tests of general intelligence, attention, memory, new learning, executive functions, and educational achievement. The performance of the children with IDDM has been compared with that of a demographically representative control group (n = 129) of healthy children. At this baseline assessment, the findings strongly support the hypothesis that the neuropsychological and educational profiles of newly diagnosed children are not different from that of controls early in the course of the illness. Both groups will be reassessed 2 and 5 years after the initial evaluation when it is hypothesised that children with diabetes will perform more poorly. Parameters of the illness, such as age of onset, major metabolic crises, and history of glycaemic control will be related to the test performance of the children with IDDM to identify specific risk factors for neuropsychological and educational sequelae in that population.     

Children's knowledge acquisition through film: influence of programme characteristics

Several characteristics of educational programmes for children are discussed to influence learning of content. In the present study, positive effects of a preview and inserted summaries in educational films for learning are examined. A total of 127 6‐and 8‐year‐old participating children watched one of the four educational film versions: The original film (without preview and summaries), a version with a preview, with inserted summaries or with a verbal ‘preview’. One week later, children's recollection of facts was tested in a memory interview. Results show that previews and summaries in educational films can enhance learning, and that visual scene repetition appears to further boost knowledge acquisition. Formal and content characteristics of educational programmes are discussed in terms of the underlying mechanisms influencing children's cognitive processing and learning. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.