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The article offers information on the Chinese joss paper tradition for art educators. Particular focus is given to how this paper tradition can be implemented into multicultural or integrative education programs. Additional topics discussed include how art education can increase cultural awareness, the spiritual aspects of the joss paper tradition, and how paper money is burned in the joss tradition as an offering to deceased ancestors.

This archive report discusses the files contained in EAA Rowse's papers in the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Research Collections. Rowse was a leading figure in planning education in mid-century Britain who is nevertheless somewhat peripheral in the intellectual history of planning. The article gives a brief biographical overview and analyses the key themes present in the archive, namely Rowse's anxiety about the future and his belief in planning as the only way to avoid a potentially species-ending catastrophe. It contextualizes some of his ideas and examines his conceptualization of the 'composite mind' through a close analysis of the various notes and reports in the archive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a comment on Björn Sahlberg's paper on the function of training analysis in the Swedish psychoanalytic association and discusses some aspects of the candidates' personal analysis and supervision. The paper further suggests some possible sources for inspiration and perspective on organizational and educational issues, for example taking an interest in the epistemology of professions, in what the concept of 'reflection-in-action' could mean in the training situation, or in empirical research about the educational models and the practice of psychoanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A repeated crossover experiment comparing learning among students handing in pen-and-paper homework (PPH) with students handing in web-based homework (WBH) has been conducted. The system used in the experiments, the tutor-web, has been used to deliver homework problems to thousands of students in mathematics and statistics over several years. Since 2011, experimental changes have been made regarding how the system allocates items to students, how grading is done, and the type of feedback provided. The experiment described here was conducted annually from 2011 to 2014. Approximately, 100 students in an introductory statistics course participated each year. The main goals were to determine whether the above-mentioned changes had an impact on learning as measured by test scores in addition to comparing learning among students doing PPH with students handing in WBH. The difference in learning between students doing WBH compared to PPH, measured by test scores, increased significantly from 2011 to 2014 with an effect size of 0.634. This is a strong indication that the changes made in the tutor web have a positive impact on learning. Using the data from 2014, a significant difference in learning between WBH and PPH for 2014 was detected with an effect size of 0.416 supporting the use of WBH as a learning tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year several hundred non-geology majors, mostly juniors and seniors, take our Environmental Geology classes (Geology 300) to meet their Upper Division General Education course requirements. In order to encourage environmental curiosity and personal responsibility, in lieu of a traditional term-paper, a 30-page homework packet, which is based on ongoing environmental issues and realistic data, has been developed. The packet was initiated in the spring semester of 2002 and has been revised several times to reflect top environmental issues, the course's general requirements/expectations, students' writing and mathematical skills and their general environmental background knowledge. Through the assessment of this newly developed packet, although more than half of the students surveyed (58.8%) indicated that the packet is more challenging than doing a traditional term paper and some had difficulties with mathematical sections of the packet, 88.7% of those surveyed recommended the continuation of the packet. The packet contains several components in which the students are given the opportunity to conduct research on some specific local environmental issues and through their documentation to advance their writing and mathematical skills. Through up to four in-class small group 30-minute discussions, the students help each other to improve their mathematical skills and exchange ideas on understanding the related concepts and initiate original discussions on various environmental issues. The packet is flexible enough to be readily adapted to other geographical regions and various educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of the three papers in this issue discuss and analyze the practice underlying "critical exploration," a research pedagogy applied in common within their separate art, science, and teacher education classrooms. Eleanor Duckworth developed critical exploration as a method of teaching by involving students so actively and reflectively with a subject that they have "wonderful ideas" that arise from their own questioning. Teachers who encourage critical exploration support their students in encountering complex materials, experiencing confusion, considering multiple possibilities, and constructing new understandings. Teachers refrain from providing answers, or even implying that there is an acceptable answer or technique, and instead facilitate the personal process of development that Jean Piaget, Bärbel Inhelder, and others documented and analyzed. Applying Piaget's findings requires teachers to sustain what David Hawkins described as "triangular relationships" of trust and respect among teacher, learners, and subject matter. The three classroom studies that follow narrate these exploratory qualities in the contexts of middle school girls learning Chinese brush painting, undergraduates investigating mirrors, and teacher education students exploring seeds, pendulums, and the moon. In teaching art and science via critical exploration, curiosity and a sense of beauty reinforce one another, and open a window into the processes of—and connections between—art and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive technology (AT) is a powerful enabler of participation. The World Health Organization’s Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) programme is actively working towards access to assistive technology for all. Developed through collaborative work as a part of the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit, this position paper provides a “state of the science” view of AT users, conceptualized as “People” within the set of GATE strategic “P”s. People are at the core of policy, products, personnel and provision. AT is an interface between the person and the life they would like to lead. People’s preferences, perspectives and goals are fundamental to defining and determining the success of AT. Maximizing the impact of AT in enabling participation requires an individualized and holistic understanding of the value and meaning of AT for the individual, taking a universal model perspective, focusing on the person, in context, and then considering the condition and/or the technology. This paper aims to situate and emphasize people at the centre of AT systems: we highlight personal meanings and perspectives on AT use and consider the role of advocacy, empowerment and co-design in developing and driving AT processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased awareness, interest and use of assistive technology (AT) presents substantial opportunities for many citizens to become, or continue being, meaningful participants in society. However, there is a significant shortfall between the need for and provision of AT, and this is patterned by a range of social, demographic and structural factors. To seize the opportunity that assistive technology offers, regional, national and sub-national assistive technology policies are urgently required. This paper was developed for and through discussion at the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit; organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization’s Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) program. It outlines some of the key principles that AT polices should address and recognizes that AT policy should be tailored to the realities of the contexts and resources available. AT policy should be developed as a part of the evolution of related policy across a number of different sectors and should have clear and direct links to AT as mediators and moderators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The consultation process, development and implementation of policy should be fully inclusive of AT users, and their representative organizations, be across the lifespan, and imbued with a strong systems-thinking ethos. Six barriers are identified which funnel and diminish access to AT and are addressed systematically within this paper. We illustrate an example of good practice through a case study of AT services in Norway, and we note the challenges experienced in less well-resourced settings. A number of economic factors relating to AT and economic arguments for promoting AT use are also discussed. To address policy-development the importance of active citizenship and advocacy, the need to find mechanisms to scale up good community practices to a higher level, and the importance of political engagement for the policy process, are highlighted. Policy should be evidence-informed and allowed for evidence-making; however, it is important to account for other factors within the given context in order for policy to be practical, authentic and actionable. Implications for Rehabilitation: The development of policy in the area of asssitive technology is important to provide an overarching vision and outline resourcing priorities. This paper identifies some of the key themes that should be addressed when developing or revising assistive technology policy. Each country should establish a National Assistive Technology policy and develop a theory of change for its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author conducted sampling and statistical analysis of papers on education policy research collected by the China National Knowledge Infrastructure in the period from the years 2004–2013. Under the current state of education policy research in China, the number of papers correlates positively with the year; the papers are concentrated in education journals; the researchers are primarily associated with institutions of higher education; and the studies cover a broad range of topics, while emphasizing the practice of education policy. The development trends of education policy research in China include a general rising trend for research on education policy; in the future, researchers from institutions of higher education will continue to be a dominant force in education policy research, and the authors’ regional distribution will continue to be imbalanced; education policy research will focus more on educational equity and improved quality, and studies of foreign education policies will continue to be a topic of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Programme for International Assessment (PISA) is an important cross-national study of 15-year olds academic achievement. Although it has traditionally been conducted using paper-and-pencil tests, the vast majority of countries will use computer-based assessment from 2015. In this paper, we consider how cross-country comparisons of children’s skills differ between paper and computer versions of the PISA mathematics test. Using data from PISA 2012, where more than 200,000 children from 32 economies completed both paper and computer versions of the mathematics assessment, we find important and interesting differences between the two sets of results. This includes a substantial drop of more than 50 PISA test points (half a standard deviation) in the average performance of children from Shanghai-China. Moreover, by considering children’s responses to particular test items, we show how differences are unlikely to be solely due to the interactive nature of certain computer test questions. The paper concludes with a discussion of what the findings imply for interpretation of PISA results in 2015 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to the proliferation of information available online and through academic libraries, students are increasingly reading from the screen. Academic documents can be long and complex, requiring sustained concentration to read deeply. This paper reviews current literature on the advantages and disadvantages of electronic and paper media for academic reading. Theoretical and empirical research into screen reading in academic institutions falls broadly into the following categories; reading and comprehension theory, the effect of a document’s platform, design and tools on reading, and screen versus paper research studies. These categories inform and provide the structure for this review. This paper concludes by considering how academic librarians can manage their collections and deliver library services in response to recent screen reading research. This overview of the literature on reading theory, the platforms and tools integral to reading electronic documents, and screen versus paper reading research, will enable academic librarians to make more informed collection management and library service decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, following some brief introductory remarks, I provide a context to this Symposium by presenting a brief autobiographical account explaining how I became involved in curriculum theory and the idea of a knowledge-led curriculum and how I was led to write the paper under discussion. I then make brief comments on each of the six papers individually, concluding with some thoughts about the implications of the collection of papers as a whole for the future of curriculum theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Academic dishonesty is a serious and increasing problem in higher education. The authors describe a procedure to store, sort, and search student research papers submitted via e-mail. The objective of the research paper database is to assist in creating an educational climate promoting high academic honesty. Procedures were noted documenting the convenience and efficiency in identifying student papers warranting further scrutiny for originality. A small random sample of student research papers submitted for course credit in previous semesters was evaluated for originality of content. Results suggest that the database has value in discouraging some forms of academic dishonesty. The database provides a measure of certainty in detecting instances of academic dishonesty such as a cut and paste from a website or submitting a paper that was submitted in a previous semester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although medical school typically lasts 4 years, little attention has been devoted to the structure of the educational experience that takes place during the final year of medical school.Summary: In this perspectives paper, we outline goals for the 4th year of medical school to facilitate a transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education. We provide recommendations for capstone courses, subinternship rotations, and specialty-specific schedules, and we conclude with recommendations to medical students and medical schools for how to use the recommendations contained in this document.Conclusions: We provide an overview of general competencies and specialty specific recommendations to serve as a foundation for medical schools to develop robust 4th-year curricula and for medical students to plan their 4th-year schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contextualises Education in Pakistan, a White Paper (2007), an influential education policy paper in Pakistan. The focus is on the ways the White Paper constructs its own contexts as a complement to the policy solutions proffered. Here we recognise Seddon's point about the discursive work of policy in constructing context. We focus on the way the White Paper constructs its political/ideological context and its global/national context. The White Paper works with the trope of a binary construction of Islam - fundamentalist or moderate - which rearticulates Orientalist Western constructions. The analysis of the construction of the global/national contexts demonstrates the framing of the policy by the Millennium Development Goals, and the Washington and post-Washington consensus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We utilized cross tabulation statistics, word frequency counts, and content analysis of research output to conduct a bibliometric study, and used CiteSpace software to depict a knowledge map for research on entrepreneurship education in China from 2004 to 2013. The study shows that, in this duration, the study of Chinese entrepreneurship education experienced a progression through three stages, an “exploratory stage of learning from foreign models,” a “developmental stage geared toward employment problems,” and a “transformative stage promoting cultivation of student abilities,” and featured three primary characteristics, “multidisciplinary fusion,” “imbalanced regional distribution,” and “policy orientation.” In the future, popular fields in the study of entrepreneurship education are to be concentrated in the three areas, namely “entrepreneurship education and talent cultivation,” “entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial environments,” and “entrepreneurship education and innovation education.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Where a student can benefit from having an examination paper presented aurally, the traditional method is to provide a reader. This can be socially uncomfortable for students, and offers of readers are frequently declined. A trial is reported in which examinations were presented on an Apple iPod. This is a medium with which many students are comfortable, which facilitates easy exploration of the examination paper and repetitive listening and which is both socially acceptable and practical in a normal examination room. The findings indicate that it removes one of the significant barriers to greater take‐up of aural presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of diaries and journals as learning and assessment vehicles into programmes of study within higher education has enabled the further growth of reflection, creative writing, critical thinking and meta-cognitive processes of students' learning. However, there is currently little research that aims to compare how different types of diary are used and for what specific learning and teaching purposes, so, with this in mind, a study was carried out to investigate digital diary use within a group of undergraduates, to some of whom the authors allocated Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), which they used to contribute to a blog (digital diaries), and to some of whom hard-backed format (paper diaries) were given. This paper is the first of two from this study. The findings indicated that whilst students found both forms of diary acceptable and convenient, differences emerged in the way that the diaries were being used on a day-to-day basis, both in the frequency of entry and in the length of entries made. Throughout the study, the digital diaries were used more frequently, although the entries were often brief and incomplete. Conversely, students completing the paper diaries made significantly fewer entries in total, but those that were made were longer and more discursive in nature. Further, it was found that the paper diaries possessed positive qualities related to handling and attractiveness that promoted more prolonged use, whilst the negative qualities of the digital diaries were linked to technical limitations. The implications of this work are considered in relation to more general notions of using dynamic devices to encourage students to engage in reflexive criticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the findings of a study, in which Dutch geography teachers reflect on their students’ research papers in the higher level of secondary education in the Netherlands. Accordingly, the study reveals that several teachers have their various ideas concerning the essence of an innovative method of instructing students in geographical way of thinking, in order to enhance the geographical foundation of research papers. Additionally, it seems to focus more on investigating the potentiality of designing a structure for geographical way of thinking on the quality of research papers regarding geography.

This case study investigated how 23 students adapted to using a completely online textbook in lieu of a traditional paper text. All were enrolled in a single advanced MSW practice course. A variety of adaptation styles evolved. The students' primary strategy was to revert to making paper copies when permitted to do so instead of reading the assigned materials online. While a few students adapted to the electronic textbook, most generally did not because of interface design, time constraints, and study strategies. Implications for further research on relying completely on electronically-distributed reading materials are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fair access and widening participation currently occupy a prominent position in the UK higher education agenda, but these terms remain ambiguous. In this paper we identify two prominent strands of policy in the government's approach to access and the widening of participation and contrast these with a third, more progressive perspective. The academic strand seeks to attract 'gifted and talented' young people into an unreformed higher education system. The second strand, which we term the utilitarian approach, posits a need for reform. However, this is undertaken largely to meet the requirements of employers and the economy. In contrast, a transformative approach values diversity and focuses on creating a system of higher education that does not place the burden of change upon potential entrants. This framework is used to explore some of the implications of the government's White Paper The future of higher education. First, the purpose of higher education is discussed, with particular reference to the distinction between economic and social objectives. Second, the government's view of the structure of the higher education sector is examined, by scrutinizing the notion of institutional differentiation and the role of the access regulator. We conclude that within a more differentiated higher education sector different aspects of the access discourse will become dominant in different types of institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests that some refinements might need to be considered to current codes of ethics for dissemination of research. The growth of research in music education over the last decade is reviewed, with examples from new journals, conferences and professional associations. It is argued that nowadays researchers have to address a multidisciplinary number of audiences and this should be taken into account in the regulations for conferences and publications with the incorporation of guidelines for contributors to address their specific audience and to explain any previous dissemination. The authorship of papers is also considered, in particular issues arising from multiple authorship, as well as the research participants' contribution to the final report. Some of these issues are discussed with reference to studies focused on a particular topic (creativity in music education) within the context of music education research, but it is acknowledged that the discussion also applies to other fields of the humanities and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the proposal on education and training systems in Europe, White Paper of the European Commission presented to an European Union council on education. Impact of the proposal on education in European Union; Types of proposals given in the White Paper; Criticism of the proposals presented in the White Paper.

This paper focuses on the recent production of multimodal writing in an indigenous community in Brazil, resulting from the equally recent introduction of literacy. Seeing this form of writing as part of the process of intercultural semiosis and cultural translation, the paper discusses how concepts of local indigenous oral culture and received wisdom interact with the Western concept of writing as the 'record' or 'representation' of speech, bringing to writing the indigenous notion of cultural 'enactment' or 'performativity'. In an effort to overcome a view of alphabetic writing as semantically only propositional, mimetic and decontextualized, the Kashinawá community, by adding visual components to alphabetic texts, appear to transform writing into contextualized performative 'poiesis' which simultaneously inaugurates a complex process of semiosis inseparable and only comprehensible from their local cultural perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A remarkable feature of the set of papers in this issue is the consistent pattern of tending to deal with non-linear situations as if they are linear that is shown by students widely differing in age and educational systems, and studying various topics within mathematics. Methodological issues about the difficulty of interpretation of student behavior, and the need to avoid attributing more rationality than is warranted, are raised. Suggestions about educational steps that could be taken to avoid an over-dependence on linearity are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Swann Report in Great Britain in 2005. The issues investigated by Swann remains resonating both in Great Britain and beyond and the significance and the legacy of the report remain subjects of significant debate. There were 51 papers presented over the two days conference at the University of Birmingham. The subject of Gary McCulloch's article is about class and more particularly the education of the middle age class. Christine Mayer's article is providing details on the changing educational practices for girls and women between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries in Germany.

This study investigated factors related to score differences on computerized and paper-and-pencil versions of a series of primary K–3 reading tests. Factors studied included item and student characteristics. The results suggest that the score differences were more related to student than item characteristics. These student characteristics include response style variables, especially omitting, and socioeconomic status as measured by free lunch eligibility. In addition, response style and socioeconomic status appear to be relatively independent factors in the score differences. Variables studied but not found to be related to the format score differences included association of items with a reading passage, item difficulty, and teacher versus computer administration of items. However, because this study is the 1st to study the factors behind these score differences below Grade 3, and because a number of states are increasing computer testing at the primary grades, additional studies are needed to verify the importance of these 2 factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While the domination of the Eurocentric paradigm in communication studies in the last half century is a problem, the blind acceptance of the universal applicability of the Eurocentric paradigm by educators and scholars in other areas, including Asia, reflects a more serious problem. It is a good sign that criticism of Westernization in communication education and research in Asia has grown stronger in recent years, and more scholars have attempted to propose a direction for the future of Asian communication studies ... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of teachers’ use of fear appeals and efficacy statements on student affective learning, motivation, likelihood of taking a course with the instructor, and likelihood of visiting with the instructor for help. The results suggest that fear and efficacy interact to more positively influence students’ perceptions of these variables compared to the use of fear alone. Pedagogical implications as well as suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact that information technology can have on development is the subject of an ongoing debate. Central to this debate is the role of universities. Education shapes people's attitudes toward technology and determines how it will be used. This research shows that in India, students at higher educational institutions are socialized to believe that information technology can have a very positive impact on their country. They do not share the skepticism commonly found in Western literature. This research finds that first and foremost, IT is seen as a tool for personal development, where students can leverage their education to become rich and successful, either in India or abroad. Second, IT is seen as a tool for Indian ascension, lifting India to the status of a great global power. Only thirdly is IT seen as a means to assist in the development of India's poor population. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study will examine masters students’ perceptions of keeping a reflective journal (referred to here as ‘learning log’) in initial and continuing psychotherapeutic training. In line with education, medical and management training, amongst others, the use of a learning log has become an established part of initial and continuing professional development in counselling and psychotherapy. If expressive and reflective writing in this context is considered to be a significant part of the development of reflective practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy questions arise about its facilitation and assessment in relation to student perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without achieving gender equality for girls in education, the world has no chance of achieving many of the ambitious health, social and development targets it has set for itself. (UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, March 2005) [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article examines the educational dimension of the General Agreement on Trade in Services of the World Trade Organisation (WTO/GATS), with a special focus on its potential implications for the Latin American region. This ambitious strategy to transform education into a tradable commodity in a global economy cannot be isolated from other international treaties and from the neoliberal policies that have impacted Latin American societies for the last two decades. In this regard, we argue that the WTO/GATS educational agenda has the potential to further the project of privatisation to a higher level, opening the door for international competition. In a continental political economy characterised by large asymmetries in educational export markets and in interactive technologies, such competition will not take place on an even playing field, as the USA is better positioned than most countries in the region to take advantage of a 'free educational market'. If the proposed WTO/GATS goes ahead in such a context, Latin American countries can be adversely affected in terms of their sovereignty on cultural policy, the quality and accessibility of their public education systems, the training of scientists and researchers oriented towards national development, and the contribution of their education systems to the common good and to the equalisation of opportunities in largely unequal societies. We recommend that Latin American governments do not commit themselves to the educational agenda of the WTO/GATS before holding a wide process of public participation, information and reflection in national parliaments and in civil society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traces the evolution of the elementary PROTEACH teacher education program. Goal of the program; Key features of elementary PROTEACH; General structure of the program; Thematic focus; Factors influencing the implementation and revision of PROTEACH.

This paper presents a theoretical discussion of recent policy efforts to raise the qualification levels of the Australian early childhood workforce. Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical tools enable the early childhood profession to be conceptualised as a dynamic field in which particular forms of symbolic and cultural capital are valued, with consequences for the relative position of educators at different qualification levels. The paper briefly considers the historical and structural forces that have shaped the relative position of differently qualified educators in Australia. It then applies Bourdieu's theories to the policy proposition that these positions can be improved through the acquisition of higher qualifications; a proposition that not all educators have embraced. It concludes by considering implications for practice arising from this theoretical approach; both in raising awareness of the different positions of educators in the professionalisation agenda, and in creating opportunities for diverse forms of capital to be recognised and valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a lack of explicit criteria for the assessment of students' research reports. Teachers tend to use their own, idiosyncratic sets of implicit criteria. A well-defined set of criteria could foster reliable and valid assessment of students' research reports. Aim: The aim of this study was twofold: to detect the strengths and weaknesses of students' research reports and to develop an assessment tool for students' research papers. Methods: On the basis of the literature and advice from experts, we developed a list of 19 criteria, comprising 15 specific items and 4 global items. Three raters, using the list, independently scored a sample of 18 research reports. Results: The strengths of the reports were the structure of the results and the description of materials and methods. The weaknesses were the research questions, the grounding of the study in the research literature, the analysis, the statistics, and the clarity of visuals. With three raters, the reliability of the rating scale was reasonable. Conclusion: The rating scale seems to be a useful tool for judging and giving feedback on students' research reports. These findings will have to be confirmed in studies with larger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of this abstract is a reaction to the various articles appearing in this special section of the Journal of Psychology in Africa with a focus on the Psychology of Poverty in African countries. The articles deal with the psychology of poverty from different perspectives, as they impact on African children, men and women. Some of the topics covered are focussed on poverty and education, poverty and employment, poverty and marital relationship, poverty in relationship to men and women who are friends on intimate basis. What is clear from the various presentations is that poverty is obviously affecting Africans adversely and presents a serious challenge to men and women. Such a serious challenge must be addressed by all those concerned so that Africans can lead a better life than that which they have been sentenced by poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to write up research in the form of a paper is a crucial requisite for academics. The skills required are manifold and are acquired piecemeal during an individual’s training. Matters would be facilitated by a short and intensive course that would cover all of these facets. Such a course would ideally be delivered by experienced writers and editors. It is for this very reason that WASP (Write a Scientific Paper) was created. WASP was held outside of Malta for the first time, in London. This paper describes the preparations required in order to plan and execute a course of this or similar nature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Increasingly, there are expectations internationally that schools will use research to inform their improvement initiatives. Within this context, this paper brings together findings from two large-scale Australian studies – the Monash Q Project and the University of Newcastle's Quality Teaching Rounds Project – to explore educators' patterns of engagement with research. The combination of these studies provides data from a larger and more diverse sample (n = 774) than other recent Australian studies, and integrates insights from direct and indirect approaches to investigating educators' research engagement. The analysis highlights several common themes associated with educators' research use including: the perceived credibility of different sources; the relevance and usability of research; and affordances of access to research and time to use it well in practice. Newer and more nuanced insights include: the interrelationships between collaborative and directed research use; the need for research to be convenient in terms of access and usability; the role of trusted colleagues in helping to bridge gaps between research and practice; and educators' distrust of research itself. The paper argues that these insights provide important cues as to how systems and school leaders can help educators to increase and improve their use of research in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a comment from the author on the work of Mark Ashton, commenting the former's article "Education for Capability: A Critique." Views on conceptual analysis; Concept of a person's capability to fulfill his tasks and responsibilities; Discovery of a hidden message in the author's work in what Ashton cites as a highly satirical passage.

This paper critically examines the discursive practices used by secular social work educators when teaching ultra-Orthodox students, whose strict interpretations of Jewish religious law often clash with professional values. Utilizing data from a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 16 social work faculty members, the paper elaborates van Leeuwen’s framework for analyzing legitimation in discourse. The findings indicate that the lecturers often encounter controversial situations that require them to abandon their professional ethics in order to accommodate the differential needs of their ultra-Orthodox students. I contend that in order to legitimize and camouflage conflictual pedagogic actions, such as the exclusion of women, self-censorship or the acceptance of discriminatory attitudes, the interviewees use social work concepts and terminology, such as cultural sensitivity, discretion or rapport. That is, the lecturers paradoxically use their professional identity to suspend social work principles in an attempt to implement multicultural politics in the classroom. The study uses identity construction as a complementary analytical lens to van Leeuwen’s approach and illuminates the use of discursive legitimation in educational and professional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks if there is deficiency of investment in people in Japan. To answer this question we examine comparative and historical data, as well as the reasons behind the data. We then look at public policies of recent administrations, particularly the Kishida administration, since one of its core policy agendas is 'investment in people'. We find that there is a deficiency of investment in people, by governments, companies and people themselves, for a variety of reasons, and that the Kishida administration has to date only proposed temporary measures without long term solutions. The paper concludes with policy implications and some proposals for additional action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines discourses that place refugee students in an inequitable position in school. Focussing on decontextualisation – a depoliticising way of seeing education that overlooks contexts – the paper is based on semi-structured interviews with teachers (n = 15) and open questions of a survey data (n = 267) collected from teachers, principals and teacher assistants at the end of 2022 in Finland. After analysing discourses, we found that educators both resisted and maintained the discourse of valuing skills in terms of the starting points/readiness of refugee students and in language hierarchies; the discourse of normality in inclusivity and in behaviour; the discourse of silence in antiracism education for teachers and in addressing racism in students’ peer relations. The paper concludes that decontextualisation is grounded in everyday schooling and fails to recognise the differing intersecting positions and contexts that create inequitable possibilities for different people in society. This paper calls for a continuous systematic effort of antiracism education at all levels, as well as curricular structures that support schools in understanding contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, research on relative age effects (RAEs) consistently shows that relatively older individuals are advantaged in sport and other contexts. With the recent proliferation of studies on RAEs, periodic knowledge synthesis becomes imperative. Our purpose was to conduct a cross-disciplinary citation network analysis of RAEs literature to enhance our knowledge of RAEs citation structures and the interconnectivity of RAEs studies. We analysed 484 RAEs articles found in Web of Science that were published before 2022. Descriptive results revealed a 12.6% annual growth rate for total RAEs articles published since 1980. The articles appeared in 151 journals, had 1,180 unique authors, and averaged 23.9 citations received. Three theoretical/review papers had the most substantial influence on the field. For the conceptual structure of the field, it was apparent that RAEs research focused mainly on sport performance, maturity, and competition. Regarding intellectual structure, three distinct clusters of articles were cited together, and 13 authorship clusters were detected with few between-cluster connections. The results describe a field with productivity but little interconnectivity among authors and papers. We offer insights into this trend and the role that influential authors/articles have in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on an oral history project which focuses on former coalminers' experiences of education and training. It presents the stories of five participants, all of whom undertook significant programmes of post-compulsory education during or immediately after leaving the coal industry and achieved a degree of social mobility over the course of their working lives. The paper compares and contrasts their experiences with those which now exist in Britain's former coalmining communities which, it is argued, have been substantively attenuated over time, especially for young men. Whilst it is evident that individual choice and motivation can play an important role in helping (or hindering) young people's journeys through education and employment, the central argument of the paper is that individual labour market success lies at the intersection of structure and agency – although the data presented also demonstrate the extent to which opportunities available to young men in the former coalfields have been diminished by de-industrialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]