Niamh Stack

An explorative study into the possible benefits of using humor in creative tasks with a class of primary five pupils

Abstract Creativity now occupies a legitimate place in the curriculum of U.K. schools. Research on the benefits of creativity and an acute awareness of its necessity in the modern workplace have both served to raise its profile. A number of researchers have investigated factors which are most likely to enhance creativity. Ziv (1983) in particular, has researched how humor can be used to promote creativity in adolescents. This study investigates the potential benefits of introducing humor before tasks which require a creative output from pupils of a younger age. The experiment tested the hypothesis that exposure to humorous stimuli in the form of a film cartoon would improve childrens subsequent creativity scores in the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (2006). One group observed animated cartoons with humorous spoken dialogue while the other group observed animated cartoons without humorous content before test booklets were administered. The mean overall creativity score in the humorous condition (M = 59.43, SD = 13.11) was lower than the mean for the non-humorous condition (M = 67.00, SD = 8.98). Possible explanations for the results and directions for future research in this relatively new field, exploring the use of humor within education, are discussed.

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

Child employment and female genderrole stereotypes in the Republic of Ireland

Recent research in the UK and the US indicates that a large proportion of secondary school students have a part-time job. The present research examines the nature and extent of students’ part-time employment in the Republic of Ireland, a previously neglected population. In addition this research investigates the suggestion that one of the possible psychological consequences of students’ part-time employment may be the endorsement of female gender-role stereotypes, which provide the foundation for sexual divisions and discrimination in the adult work force. The findings indicate that 45% of students were working at the time of the study and 71% had worked at some time. The study found girls were more likely to be engaged in part-time employment than boys. Male students earned significantly more per week than female students. In spite of these differences, the results of the present study did not indicate that working children differentially endorsed female gender-role stereotypes.

Moving beyond the ‘language problem’: developing an understanding of the intersections of health, language and immigration status in interpreter-mediated health encounters

ABSTRACT Health systems internationally are dealing with greater diversity in patient populations. However the focus on ‘the language problem’ has meant little attention is paid to diversity within and between migrant populations; and how interpreted consultations are influenced by intersecting migratory, ethnicity and sociodemographic variables. Our analysis of the experiences of patients, health care providers and interpreters in Scotland evidences the need to move beyond language, addressing multiple hidden inequalities in health care access and provision that operate in both clinic and, especially, home-based settings. We call for a practice-evidenced research agenda promoting cultural communication across health care and home settings, acknowledging immigration status as a social determinant of health.

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.

Making a Case for Early Intervention: The Role of Developmental Neuroscience

Early intervention refers to a wide range of programmes designed to augment the development of children from at-risk populations or with developmental disabilities. However this term incorporates a diverse range of government and local intervention programmes, and their efficacy and appropriate resourcing are much-debated issues within the literature and in public and policy discourses. This chapter will consider the implications of findings from the field of developmental neuroscience for evaluating and enhancing these programmes. It will discuss how advances in our understanding of neurobiological issues, such as neural plasticity, synaptic pruning and sensitive periods, might inform policy and practice in this area.

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.

Developmental significance of part-time employment for Irish adolescents

Research in both Britian and the United States has established that paid employment is part of the normal experience of most adolescents in the middle and later years of schooling. Evidence is also available suggesting that such work may have an impact, sometimes beneficial and sometimes harmful, on the education of those who work, as well as on their social and cognitive development. Interpretation of research data is complicated by the fact that those doing least well at school may be most inclined to seek employment. Research on adolescent employment in Ireland has so far been limited, but it would appear that Irish children are about as likely to have part-time jobs as children in Britain. Since the possiblity of cultural differences makes generalization between societies problematic, it is proposed that research is needed on both the extent of adolescent employment in Ireland and on its educational and psychological impact.