Margaret Sutherland

Successful in Science Education and Still Popular: A pattern that is possible in China rather than in Germany or Russia

Across several countries, science is often regarded as unpopular and a male-dominated domain. Furthermore, the number of students who are interested in science education or intend to work in the field of science is relatively low. This might be due to expectations adolescents hold towards science and successful scientists. The current cross-national study investigates the expectations of students in relation to highly achieving peers in science education in the three countries China, Germany and Russia (N = 420). Students were asked to indicate their expectations about two fictitious new classmates with respect to three categories: intelligence, social competence and eagerness. Besides national differences, differences concerning the gender of the participating students, the gender of the target students (fictitious highly achieving students in science education) and interaction effects were investigated. Whereas the effects of gender and target gender are inconsistent and negligible, there are significant national differences. Notably, Chinese students hold the most positive expectations about successful peers in science education. The results are discussed with regard to possible explanations and educational consequences.

Setting or mixed ability? Teachers' views of the organisation of pupils for learning

This paper examines how staff in schools formulate decisions about pupil organisation. A small sample of primary and secondary schools from across Scotland was involved in the study. In 1996 Her Majestys Inspectors published a report entitled Achievement for All (SOEID, 1996) which, it was envisaged, would form the basis of school evaluations into the effectiveness of classroom organisation. This report, and in particular the six principles on which it suggested effective organisational arrangements should rest, formed the organising framework for the study. The study had three main aims: 1to ascertain the extent to which the principles outlined in the HMI report had been used by school staff when making decisions about which form of organisation to use 2to comment on the perceptions of teaching staff of how well the arrangements in place were working 3to ascertain how the impact on teaching and learning was being evaluated.

Creating a community of teacher-learners

Abstract Professional development is an essential component of retaining high quality teachers. Current US legislation, as stated in No Child Left Behind, emphasises this premise. Although professional development opportunities have been abundant for decades, a closer look at standards and criteria for effective professional development is essential in order to increase the possibility of programing opportunities that will truly impact teacher behaviors. According to the National Staff Development Council, effective professional development places teachers into learning communities. This can be a challenge to professional development center administrators, who often program single-session workshops for teachers from different school systems as the primary mode of delivery or instruction, minimising the opportunities for collaboration among a cohort. The purpose of this study is to determine instructional preferences of teachers, taking into account teaching experience and grade level, and suggest methods for placing teachers into learning communities by these preferences in order to meet current standards of professional development

A cross-cultural study of possible iatrogenic effects of gifted education programs: tenth graders' perceptions of academically high performing classmates

Previous empirical studies have yielded inconclusive results about peer perceptions of academically high performing students. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the intellectual ability, positive social qualities, and popularity of a hypothetical new high performing classmate. Participants were 1060 Vietnamese, South Korean, British, Australian, Peruvian, and Spanish boys and girls in 10th grade. The results revealed that the perceptions of academically high performing classmates differed by country group. Positive perceptions of intellectual ability and social qualities were commonly found in all countries except the two Asian countries (Vietnam and South Korea), where the students reported more neutral views of high performers. In conclusion, it is argued that there is no evidence for possible iatrogenic effects of gifted education programs aiming at high achievements

COMPARE Forum: The Post-2015 Education and Development Agenda.

As the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, there are a growing number of processes, preparations and debates on what a post-2015 agenda and framework will look like. The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) (as chaired by the United Nations Development Programme) is leading the planning of efforts to catalyse a ‘global conversation’ on post-2015 through a series of some 100 national consultations and 11 global thematic consultations. The aim of these consultations has been to bring together a broad range of stakeholders to review progress on the MDGs and to discuss the options for a new framework. The overall global thematic consultation on education is co-led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Germany and the Government of the Republic of Senegal. The education consultations focus on the progress to date as well as the possible scope and shape of education within the post-2015 agenda.The purpose of this special edition of the Compare Forum is to contribute to this debate in relation to ideas about how progress towards greater education quality and equity can be achieved, including how and what goals and targets need to be defined and owned and how governments can be made accountable for them.

Developing inclusive practice in Scotland : the National Framework for Inclusion

This paper reports on the collaborative development of a ‘National Framework for Inclusion’ under the auspices of the Scottish Teacher Education Committee by a working party representing each of the Scottish Universities providing initial teacher education. Recent research, international legislation and Scottish education policy have refocused the notion of ‘special educational needs’ based on ideas of individual deficit to support and provision for all learners. As teachers are therefore charged with responsibility for an increasingly diverse population of learners, the National Framework of Inclusion was developed to support both pre-service and qualified teachers to work inclusively to provide fair and meaningful experiences for all learners. The paper examines the underpinning principles of the Framework, describes the collaborative process of its development and provides one innovative example of its use.

Paradigmatic shift or tinkering at the edges

In their target paper, Ziegler and Phillipson present a long awaited call for a paradigmatic shift in thinking within the field of gifted education. This paper considers how educators and researchers within the field could bring about such a change. They challenge the prevailing conceptualization of gifted and talented education and rightly call into question the hitherto accepted methodology for selecting students who are already, or have the potential to, demonstrate high ability. The opening sections of the paper thus set the scene for the possibility of some radically different thinking. The hypothesis presented within the paper is one which I would generally support. However, for me, an overriding shortfall throughout the article is the lack of reference to how the issues raised articulate with wider discussions within general education. Issues and possible ways to address them are looked at only through the lens of gifted education. There is no cognizance, within this paper, that these issues pertain to the effective learning and teaching of all children or to education systems as a whole. Rather, the paper concentrates on those considered to be highly able or in need of an “individualized learning pathway” (Ziegler & Phillipson, p. 27). While I accept the paper is looking specifically at issues within gifted education the danger is that unless we look beyond such narrow fields of research the ideas put forward will languish in the academic arena, being debated and discussed at gifted and talented conferences while practice remains firmly rooted in the old paradigm. In defense of Ziegler and Phillipson, trawling through the literature related to special, gifted or inclusive education reveals that educators in all camps are questioning how they can best meet the needs of specific groups (Ainscow, 1999; Balchin, Hymer, & Matthews, 2008; Lewis & Norwich, 2005) and, generally, this occurs within their own field with little horizon scanning taking place. However common issues seem to emerge from the literatures and from this paper:

Identification of More Able Pupils: A Pilot Survey of Scottish Schools:

It is ten years since the publication of the HMI report The Education of Able Pupils P6 - S2 (SOED, 1993). A major concern resulting from this report was that many pupils were not being sufficiently challenged during the transition period from primary to secondary school. A national survey was undertaken to determine the progress schools and education authorities in Scotland have made in developing appropriate provision for the group of pupils identified by the report. The survey involved gathering information from four distinct groups: education authorities, schools, parents and pupils. This paper will focus on the results from schools. Of key importance to the implementation of the recommendations made in the 1993 report was a clear system of identification for able pupils. This paper will outline: Issues surrounding the identification procedure The results from the pilot survey Discussion of the results Final reflections

Seeing beyond statistics: Examining the potential for disjuncture between legislation, policy and practice in meeting the needs of highly able Scottish students

The question of how best to identify and provide for gifted students has a long and contentious history internationally. In contrast to other countries where there are specialist programmes and in some cases specialist teachers for gifted pupils, Scotland has chosen to adopt an inclusive approach to provision for these students and has created a legislative and curricular framework that in theory provides a strong structure for meeting their educational and developmental needs. While there are significant benefits to this approach, care must be taken to ensure that within the space between intention and practice the needs of these learners have been explicitly identified, considered and met. Each year the Scottish Government conducts a census to collect data from all publically funded schools in Scotland. In accordance with Scottish legislation as part of this process it gathers data pertaining to pupils identified as requiring additional support for their learning, including highly able pupils. However there are anomalies within this data, for example, there are unusual and unexplained discrepancies between the proportions of pupils identified as being highly able in different geographical contexts. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine the potential causes for these anomalies and to assess the implications for the identification of, and provision for, highly able pupils in Scotland. Thirteen structured telephone interviews were conducted with Local Education Authority personnel across Scotland. These interviews aimed to get behind the statistics and examine how highly able pupils are identified, and provided for, in practice. Several interesting issues emerged from the interviews that may begin to help to explain the anomalies and to help us better understand everyday practice. The results, while encouraging, suggest that there is a need for teachers, educational psychologists, schools and authorities to ensure that the needs of this group of learners are explicitly considered.

Universal education or open education opportunities for all

As the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, there are a growing number of processes, preparations and debates on what a post-2015 agenda and framework will look like. The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) (as chaired by the United Nations Development Programme) is leading the planning of efforts to catalyse a ‘global conversation’ on post-2015 through a series of some 100 national consultations and 11 global thematic consultations. The aim of these consultations has been to bring together a broad range of stakeholders to review progress on the MDGs and to discuss the options for a new framework. The overall global thematic consultation on education is co-led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Germany and the Government of the Republic of Senegal. The education consultations focus on the progress to date as well as the possible scope and shape of education within the post-2015 agenda.The purpose of this special edition of the Compare Forum is to contribute to this debate in relation to ideas about how progress towards greater education quality and equity can be achieved, including how and what goals and targets need to be defined and owned and how governments can be made accountable for them.