Problems of assessment in religious and moral education: the Scottish case

This article is concerned with assessment issues in Religious and Moral Education (RME) offered in Scottish non-denominational schools. The analysis of the findings in this article is weighed against the framework of the new ‘3–18’ Scottish curriculum called ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE). CfE was introduced in primary schools in 2009 and a year later in secondary schools as replacement of the much criticised ‘5–14’ Curriculum which had been in use since 1992. It is based on qualitative data collected from schools in five Scottish local authorities between 2009 and 2011 as part of a moderation project. What is being problematised in this article is the revelation from the data about issues that impact adversely on good assessment in RME in five key areas, namely: planning, religious knowledge, progression, self and peer assessment, literacy and values. The implications of these assessment problems for effective teaching and learning in RME are analysed.     

Movement in the ipsilesional hand is segmented following unilateral brain damage

Unilateral stroke results in hemiplegia or hemiparesis of the contralateral side of the body. The ipsilateral side of the body, the so-called "good" side, is often assumed to have no deficit. However, there is increasing evidence that the function of the unaffected limbs, especially the upper extremities, is different from that of normal age-matched controls. In the present study, we examined the motor control of both hands of chronic stroke subjects, 6 with left hemisphere brain damage (LHBD) and 5 with right hemisphere brain damage (RHBD). The control group consisted of 5 normal age-matched subjects. The task of the subject was to move a handle by flexing his/her fingers until the target position was reached. The target position was set as 33% of the range of each subject. No time constraints were imposed. The movements of the normal subjects were basically smooth, with few hesitations. In contrast to this, the movements of both hands in the two stroke groups were segmented and characterized by multiple starts and stops. As compared to normals, the time to reach the target, the number of pauses during the movement, and the percent of time spent in pauses, were significantly greater for both hands of the LHBD group. In the RHBD group, the percent of time spent in pauses was significantly greater than the control group for the ipsilesional hand. The increased segmentation seen in the movements of the ipsilesional, as well as the contralesional. hands of the hemiplegic subjects suggests that the motor deficits in stroke patients may be due to a global inability to correctly plan and carry out movements.     

Marital History and Current Marital Satisfaction in Chronic Depression

Marital functioning is an important consideration in the treatment of depression. Although there are several studies of the marriages of depressed individuals, there is little data on the marital lives of those with chronic depression. In this article, we compare the marital history and marital satisfaction in a sample of carefully diagnosed outpatients with chronic depression compared to those with nonchronic depression. The groups were similar in terms of a history of divorce and for the percentage who had ever been married. However, the chronic group had significantly lower levels of marital satisfaction. Increased attention to marital functioning in this group may be beneficial during treatment.     

Word Diagrams in Teaching Classical Conditioning

The Psychological Record - The present experiment examined the value of word diagrams on the concept learning of university students. All students learned the concept of classical conditioning by...     

A randomized trial of a representational intervention to decrease cancer pain (RIDcancerPain).

OBJECTIVE: Based on theories regarding cognitive representations of illness and processes of conceptual change, a representational intervention to decrease cancer pain (RIDcancerPain) was developed and its efficacy tested. DESIGN: A two-group RCT (RIDcancerPain versus control) with outcome and mediating variables assessed at baseline (T1) and 1 and 2 months later (T2 and T3). Subjects were 176 adults with pain related to metastatic cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome variables were two pain severity measures (BPI and TPQM), pain interference with life, and overall quality of life. Mediating variables were attitudinal barriers to pain management and coping (medication use). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty subjects completed the study. Subjects in RIDcancerPain (T1-T2 and T1-T3) showed greater decreases in Barrier scores than those in control. Subjects in RIDcancerPain (T1-T3) showed greater decreases in pain severity than those in control. Change in Barriers scores mediated the effect of RIDcancerPain on pain severity. CONCLUSION: RIDcancerPain was efficacious with respect to some outcomes. Further work is needed to strengthen it.