bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sources of Stress for Primary School Head Teachers in New Zealand
Authors: Galloway David , Panckhurst Fay , Boswell Kathleen , Boswell Colin , Green Kathy
Published: June 2007

A stratified sample of 40 primary school head teachers in the North Island of New Zealand completed a 63 item check‐list on sources of stress. The most highly rated items referred to stress arising from management of time, administrative tasks and interpersonal relationships. A principal components analysis identified four factors, labelled: staff, work‐load/administration, role conflict, and meetings. Comparison between groups suggested that experiences of stress were related to the school's catchment area, to the adequacy of its buildings and to the head's teacher's responsibilities.
Approaches to Teaching in Colleges of Higher Education
Authors: Gibbs Ian , Harland John
Published: June 2007

The article outlines, and then discusses the implications of, student reaction to different approaches to teaching and instruction in former colleges of education. The research, commissioned by the Combined Colleges Research Group, presents a series of snapshots clustered around subject groupings, courses and teaching techniques.

With increasing pressure on staff student ratios, higher education, and the colleges in particular, have been forced to place greater emphasis on lecture based teaching. For the former colleges of education this is especially unfortunate at a time when so many of their BEd and BA graduates wilt teach in schools and would benefit from good models. In addition, there is an urgent need for the colleges to offer their students new approaches to learning as part of the attempt to develop a more distinctive profile.
The Role of the Telephone in Educational Research
Authors: Dicker Rod , Gilbert John
Published: June 2007

Summary Within a framework which includes a review of the comparative strengths of questionnaire and interview based research and of the use of the telephone within both traditions, an account is given of an apparently innovative technique used to, evaluate the trials of an educational database. As work had to be conducted quickly to a low budget and in respect of dispersed respondents, a postal questionnaire followed by telephone interview technique was devised and implemented. The paper concentrates on a critical review of the processes involved, and points to areas of future research development.
Talking about Science Based Issues: do boys and girls differ?
Authors: Solomon Joan , Harrison Kate
Published: June 2007

A research project which encouraged 17 year‐old students to form friendship groups and record their own discussions of controversial issues presented on video, provided one set of data for examining the talk of girls and boys. Another set of data was obtained from the individual questionnaire responses. In the light of previous models of gender responses to science and technology, and to ethical dilemmas, these data were analysed and compared. Although the questionnaire data yielded many of the expected differences there were far fewer in the actual discussions. The expected tendency of boys to make more decontextualised moral statements was only to be found in the opening sequence of the discussions. The authors argue that social factors bring about an exchange of perspectives which blur gender differences, and render group discussion a valuable co‐educational process.
The Significance of Educational Strategies*
Authors: Illeris Knud
Published: June 2007

This paper focuses on the long‐term effects of the Danish primary school (folkeskole, age 7‐16) on its pupils. It is a summary of the concluding report from a research project comprising interviews with 141 former pupils of experimental schools and 103 former pupils of ordinary schools, chosen for comparison, about their experiences in the Danish primary school and the subsequent course of their lives.
Personal Reflections on the Use of Photography in an Ethnographic Case Study
Authors: Prosser Jon
Published: June 2007

In the past photography has been little used in educational research. If it is to play a greater role in the future there will be a need to establish a set of practical and theoretical guidelines. This article describes a practical application of photography to a case study of a newly formed comprehensive school. A broad strategy is presented, giving an outline of photographic techniques and their uses within a qualitative research framework. The approach described is not intended to be a definitive model, merely a modus operandi upon which to focus debate.
Arguing for Your Self: identity as an organising principle in teachers' jobs and lives
Authors: Maclure Maggie
Published: June 2007

Biography and life history are currently enjoying a revival in educational research and development. This article considers the implications of adopting a ‘biographical attitude’ to research and policy issues, and explores the notion of identity as an organising principle in teachers' jobs and lives. Identity, it is suggested, can be seen as a kind of argument—a resource that people use to explain, justify and make sense of themselves in relation to others, and to the world at large. While identity is a site of permanent struggle for everyone, teachers may be undergoing a particularly acute crisis of identity, as the old models and exemplars of teacherhood disintegrate under contemporary social and economic pressures. The article is based upon an empirical study of 69 primary and secondary teachers.
Field Relations and the Problem of Authenticity in Researching Participants' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in Classrooms
Authors: Cooper Paul W.
Published: June 2007

The need for precise and detailed procedures in the collection of qualitative data is of paramount importance. This paper describes qualitative procedures that were developed in the course of a study of teachers' and pupils' perceptions of effective teaching and learning. Particular consideration is given to problems of: (1) establishing appropriate field relations with staff and pupils, and (2) ‘authenticity’ of subject responses. Procedures for enhancing subject recall in ‘informant’ type interviews are described. Issues surrounding the development of effective field relations in educational settings are discussed, and particular concerns relating to working with pupils are dealt with.
Managing Marginality: teacher development through grounded life history
Authors: Woods Peter
Published: June 2007

In exploring an exceptional educational event in his school, a teacher had recourse to his life history. The event was the fullest expression in his teaching to date of his self, and to understand the event fully, it was necessary to see how that self had come into being, developed, resisted attack, been mortified, survived, and at times prospered. His philosophy of teaching was rooted in these childhood experiences, which he saw as starkly divided between the alienating world of formal schooling and a natural world of real learning. Critical incidents and degradation ceremonies marked those occasions when the two came into conflict. The sense of marginality that resulted has stayed with him throughout life, though it has had its moments of exquisite pleasure as well as intense pain. In managing his marginality, he has cultivated private places and a reference group of significant others who have supported and developed his preferred beliefs. But success in teaching is the main support. Finally, I discuss grounded life history as a research method, and as yet another potential resource for the teacher.
Facet Importance and the Job Satisfaction of School Principals
Authors: Johnson Neil A. , Holdaway Edward A.
Published: June 2007

The theory that perceptions of job facet satisfaction are already weighted by importance was investigated with reference to elementary and junior high school principals in Alberta, Canada. Relationships were examined between (a) the importance of job facets for satisfaction and (b) satisfaction with job facets and overall job satisfaction. Results indicated that, contrary to findings in professions other than education, assessments of facet importance may not be implicit in assessments of job satisfaction. Facet importance and facet satisfaction should therefore be investigated as separate variables, and initiatives to enhance school administrators' satisfaction may best be focused on important matters such as involvement in hiring of staff (elementary schools) and the performance of students and teachers (junior high schools). In view of the changing role of school principals in many locations, studies of job satisfaction and the importance of job facets for satisfaction are needed urgently.
Equal Opportunities in the Secondary‐School Curriculum in Scotland, 1977‐91
Authors: Croxford Linda
Published: June 2007

This article analyses differences in participation in the formal curriculum by social class, gender and measured ability. It uses data on trends from a national survey to examine questions of (in)equality, including the relations between different dimensions of inequality. It shows the effects of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the introduction of a common core curriculum after 1983. It shows differences between comprehensive and independent schools in levels of participation in each mode of the formal curriculum.
When Do Girls Prefer Football to Fashion? An analysis of female underachievement in relation to ‘realistic’ mathematic contexts
Authors: Boaler Jo
Published: June 2007

This article considers the move in mathematics education, away from abstract calculations and toward ‘mathematics in context’, particularly in relation to female underachievement in the mathematics classroom. It is suggested that ‘unreal’ contexts, which require students to view school mathematics as useful only in the make‐believe world created in the classroom, are particularly damaging for girls. A small‐scale piece of research is reviewed which suggests that girls are more likely than boys to underachieve in contexts which present real world variables but do not allow the variables to be taken into account. The implications of this situation in relation to girls' reported underachievement and disinterest in school mathematics are discussed.
Initial Primary Teacher Education in a Multinational Group: a European dimension
Authors: Ryan Charly
Published: June 2007

The European Council of Ministers decided in 1988 that all pupils in compulsory education, and all students in teacher education, would have a European dimension to their education. The paper outlines a novel approach to curriculum development for the European dimension, which involves a series of intensive, 1‐month programmes, incorporating an action research, school‐based approach for a multinational group of primary teacher education students. A constructivist approach is used to sequence the activities on the four aspects of the programme, the European dimension, teaching and learning, curriculum development, and the theme of the particular programme. The outcomes for one group of students are analysed on the basis of their diary writing to show that initial teacher education students can be supported in operating at demanding professional levels. This analysis is used as the basis for a commentary on my own learning.
The Effective Implementation of Resource‐based Learning
Authors: Mullan Anna
Published: June 2007

A secondary school teacher follows a formal process of action research in the deliberate improvement of her teaching of a mixed ability group during the first year of their GCSE course. She explores different factors in the classroom which could be an asset to successful active learning through the accessing of learning resources in the classroom. She consults the pupils, tests her hypotheses through observation, testing, questions and photographs to uncover what action needed to be tried to improve the learning situation for the pupils. She found that her ‘improved’ methods were slower than her habitual teaching methods but they yielded better results. Her account contains careful detail of the process that she experienced.
The Pedagogy of the World Studies 8‐13 Project: the influence of the presence/absence of the teacher upon primary children's collaborative group work
Authors: Harwood Doug
Published: June 2007

The World Studies 8‐13 Project was set up in 1980, to help young people to develop the knowledge and skills they need to live in an interdependent world. Collaborative group work is a major element of its pedagogy. In this research, children's interactions in these settings have been analysed in order to compare the effect of the presence/absence of the teacher upon their participation. In groups without the teacher, it was found that children used relevant concepts to initiate their ideas and were overwhelmingly ‘on task’. However, children often failed to apply listening and questioning skills and were unable to sustain continuity in discussion. They did not always justify their ideas with reasons and evidence. They found it difficult to cope with problems of group relations. In contrast, the presence of the teacher usually correlated with improved quality and continuity. The teacher's interventions stimulated the pupils to elaborate on their ideas with explanations and evidence and helped to control group relations. It follows that in the early stages with young children, the teacher's presence and support in modelling group work skills can be crucial.
Quid Pro Quo? Initial Teacher Education in Secondary Schools
Authors: Brooks Val , Barker Sue , Swatton Peter
Published: June 2007

The trend towards giving British secondary schools a fuller role in initial teacher education (ITE) has been gathering pace for much of the second half of this century. The impetuses driving this development have been partly professional and partly political. However, a recent political initiative (Circular 9/92, Department for Education, 1992) precipitated the development of school‐based ITE beyond what the professional evidence supported. This paper examines teachers’ perceptions of the costs and benefits to schools of involvement in school‐based ITE, as instituted by Circular 9/92, distinguishing between tangible and intangible costs and benefits. It is based on a survey of schools from throughout England and Wales. Four groups of teachers with different levels of involvement and managerial responsibility were sampled. The paper also explores teachers’ perceptions of the relationship between costs and benefits before offering some concluding speculations on the future of school‐based ITE.
Over the Ditch and through the Thorns: accessing European funds for research and social justice
Authors: Brine Jacky
Published: June 2007

In 1995 the European Commission invited the educational research community to present proposals to its Targeted Socio‐Economic Research programme. Across Europe faxes, phones and the internet were busy as partnerships were formed, research ideas were translated into bulky proposals and numerous researchers got ready to cross the ditch into European collaborative research. In this article I try to scramble through the thorns at the top of the ditch by focusing on the structures and processes of power associated with Commission‐funded educational research and action for social justice. This exploratory, descriptive paper is based on several years’ experience of submitting research proposals to the European Commission and on recent research into European‐funded training in the UK. Drawing on these sources I identify and consider some of the power relationships associated with European‐funded research and with European‐funded action for social justice.
Pupil Progress during Key Stage 1: a value added analysis of school effects
Authors: Strand Steve
Published: June 2007

Pupils in Wandsworth schools who completed baseline assessment at the start of reception class in 1992/93 were tracked through to their National Curriculum (NC) end of Key Stage 1 (KS1) assessments in 1995. Baseline results were used to assess the educational progress of pupils between the age of 4 and 7 years, and the ‘value added’ by schools. Girls made more progress than boys during KS1, increasing the size of the gender gap in attainment. Pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM) started with lower attainment and fell further behind their peers during the course of KS1. In contrast pupils with English as a second language (ESL) caught up with their monolingual English speaking peers. School compositional effects were also noted: pupils made on average more progress in schools with a high proportion of girls, and less progress in schools with a high proportion of pupils entitled to FSM, a high proportion of ESL pupils and where the school average on the baseline was high. Differences between schools in KS1 results were reduced substantially when account was taken of their pupil intakes, but significant differences between schools remained, supporting the conclusion that some schools are more effective than others in facilitating pupil progress during KS1. There were marked differences between the raw and value added KS1 results for a significant minority of schools, suggesting raw results can give a misleading impression of a school's effectiveness. Areas for further research and development are identified.
Meetings without Communication: a study of parents’ evenings in secondary schools
Authors: Walker Barbara M.
Published: June 2007

Writing on home‐school relations has tended to concentrate on helping teachers to encourage parents into primary schools, leaving the secondary sector and parents’ views relatively neglected. This article seeks to redress the balance, reporting on an ethnographic study of parents’ evenings at four secondary schools in Norfolk, seen from the perspectives of all those involved. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews with staff, parents and students, and by observation of the events. The findings indicate that the parents’ evening is a unique interactional event which creates a problematic interface between the power bases of home and school, concentrating on the assessment of a (frequently absent) individual. It seems that this assessment is often approached from different viewpoints and with different agendas. Rules of engagement and the roles of participants are confused, and this confusion is exacerbated by logistical constraints, and by the growing autonomy of the student.
Parental Involvement in Education in and out of School
Authors: West Anne , Noden Philip , Edge Ann , David Miriam
Published: June 2007

This paper explores the ways in which parents—mothers and fathers—are involved in their children's education both in and out of school. It compares involvement of families with children in the final year of primary education (or its equivalent) in state and private schools, and amongst the state school parents compares families in terms of social class and mothers’ educational level. The findings indicate that mothers generally assume overriding responsibility for their children's education. Furthermore, mothers with higher levels of education are more likely to use workbooks and employ private tutors to support their children's education; attendance at parents’ evenings and informal discussions with teachers were also more likely to be shared with the child's father. It is suggested that mothers’ educational level is a better predictor of involvement than is social class and that, in the face of a diversification of family forms, mothers’ education may be more instructive in understanding educational involvement than social class based on employment groups.
Team and Technology in Writing up Research
Authors: Woods Peter , Jeffrey Bob , Troman Geoff , Boyle Mari , Cocklin Barry
Published: June 2007

This article considers the writing up of ethnographic research, focusing on the parts played by teamwork and by electronic mail (e‐mail) in the construction of one of the chapters of a book written by the team. The career of this construction, which took place over a period of 2 months, is tracked through the e‐mail messages that circulated among the team. These illustrate team interaction in analysis and writing, the use of e‐mail technology, and particular issues in writing and how they were resolved. Following the reconstruction, we discuss the benefits offered by team and technology in this kind of enterprise—enhanced validity, enrichment, support, sustained impetus, and style. We conclude with some cautionary notes.
Working Together for Educative Community through Research*
Authors: Lomax Pamela
Published: June 2007

The paper explores the threat of Balkanisation. Whereas in the USA the debate has focused on competing research paradigms, in the UK it is seen to result from threats to the status quo posed by the media's portrayal of government hostility to education. This has led to the creation of folk devils whose ideas spread moral panic amongst the research community. The paper identifies three such folk devils and argues that the moral panic comes from a research community that has not learned to constrain its disagreements. The paper argues a case for an educative community based on constrained disagreement that is contained by its shared desire for ethical, creative and emancipatory solutions to educational problems. An example of a small, local research community is used to outline the ‘promises and perils’ of such a solution.
Factors Influencing Educational Motivation: a study of attitudes, expectations and behaviour of children in Sunderland, Kentucky and St Petersburg
Authors: Elliott Julian , Hufton Neil , Hildreth Anthony , Illushin Leonid
Published: June 2007

Worldwide concern about educational achievement, fuelled by comparative studies, has resulted in much debate about appropriate pedagogic practices. This article argues, however, that in considering how to raise educational attainment, key attitudinal and other sociocultural factors have been insufficiently considered. To support this position, it reports the findings from a large‐scale international investigation of the attitudes, perceptions and orientation towards academic activity of children (aged 14‐15 years). Findings indicate that English and American children share a relatively high degree of satisfaction with their current level of academic performance and work rate, place greater emphasis upon effort rather than ability attributions for success, although, somewhat paradoxically, appear to have less real commitment to educational endeavour. Findings from the study are discussed in the light of the children's differing socio‐economic and sociocultural contexts and current educational reform initiatives.
Student Teachers’ Beliefs about Creativity
Authors: Diakidoy Irene‐Anna N. , Kanari Elpida
Published: June 2007

The purpose of the present study was to examine student teachers’ beliefs about creativity, creative outcomes, and factors related to creativity. Even though the importance of facilitating creativity in educational settings has been recognised, little attention has been paid to teachers’ beliefs about creativity. In this study, a questionnaire, designed to explore conceptualisations of creativity and issues related to it, was administered to 49 student teachers. The results indicated that student teachers tend to perceive creativity as a general ability primarily manifested in the context of artistic endeavours. Moreover, creative outcomes were thought to be novel but not necessarily appropriate or correct. These findings are discussed with respect to their educational implications.
Primary Student Teachers’ Understanding of Mathematics and its Teaching
Authors: Brown Tony , Mcnamara Olwen , Hanley Una , Jones Liz
Published: June 2007

This article reports on research into primary student teachers’ understanding of mathematics and its teaching undertaken at the Manchester Metropolitan University and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The research set out to investigate the ways in which non‐specialist student teachers conceptualise mathematics and its teaching and how their views evolve as they progress through an initial training course. The study has shown how the mathematical understanding of such students is, in the first instance, embedded in a strongly affective account of their own mathematical experiences in schools, where mathematics was often seen as difficult and threatening. College training successfully nurtures a more positive attitude to mathematics as a subject, albeit couched in a pedagogically oriented frame. In later stages of training however, their conceptions of mathematics and its teaching are subsumed within the organisational concerns of placement schools and school experience tutors, and shaped by commercial schemes. It is suggested that alternative conceptions of mathematics assumed at different stages of this training appear incommensurable. A theoretical framework is offered as an approach to reconciling this conflict. This demonstrates how three potential dichotomies, phenomenological/official versions of mathematics, discovery/transmission conceptions of mathematics teaching, and perceptual/structural understandings of the mathematics teacher's task can be seen as productive dualities harnessing both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.
Patterns of Participation in Lifelong Learning: do families make a difference?
Authors: Gorard Stephen , Rees Gareth , Fevre Ralph
Published: June 2007

This article draws on the results of a large‐scale study of lifetime participation in education and training. Focusing on the datasets relating to parents and children in the same family, it suggests that despite large changes in educational and training provision since 1945, individual participation trajectories remain very similar within families. The article also illustrates some of the varied ways in which family influences have been played out, and concludes that there is sufficient evidence here to indicate that explanatory models of lifelong participation in education and training need to take account of family effects on participation both immediately after completion of compulsory education and later in life too.
Where Have All the Women Gone?
Authors: Attané Isabelle
Published: June 2007

GENDER DISCRIMINATION AFFECTS THE DEMOGRAPHIC BALANCE IN A NUMBER OF ASIAN COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY CHINA AND INDIA, WHERE THE DISCREPANCY IS ALREADY EXTREME AND LIKELY TO WORSEN
India's Muslims Post-9/11
Authors: Bilgrami Akeel
Published: June 2007

INDIA’S MUSLIM MINORITY HAS BECOME DEFENSIVE IN RESPONSE TO AGGRESSIVE HINDU IDEOLOGY — NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM MUSLIM REACTION TO PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
The Flight To the City
Authors: Becker Jasper
Published: June 2007

UP TO 120 MILLION DESPERATE PEASANTS HAVE MIGRATED TO THE CITIES TO FUEL CHINA’S EXPORT-LED GROWTH. THEY HAVE FEW RIGHTS, LIVE AND WORK IN HARSH CONDITIONS AND FREQUENTLY GO UNPAID
Researching learning outcomes: building confidence in our conclusions
Authors: James Mary , Pollard Andrew , Rees Gareth , Taylor Chris
Published: June 2007

The ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme is expected to produce knowledge of high social scientific quality and practical pedagogic value. It faces, in a particularly acute form, the issue of how confidence in its conclusions can be built. This article begins with some conceptual clarification of the notion of a ‘warrant’ for research findings and distinguishes between warrants in social research and warrants for educational policy and practice. It then, in the specific context of research on learning outcomes, proposes an integrated model that recognizes the importance of, and relationships among, criteria associated with research design and empirical work, theoretical coherence, relationship with other research, and user affirmation. It concludes by emphasizing the need for continuing debate about, and development of, the roles and relationships of ‘researchers’ and ‘users’.
Derivation of the Tumour Control Probability (TCP) from a Cell Cycle Model
Authors: Dawson A. , Hillen T.
Published: June 2007

In this paper, a model for the radiation treatment of cancer which includes the effects of the cell cycle is derived from first principles. A malignant cell population is divided into two compartments based on radiation sensitivities. The active compartment includes the four phases of the cell cycle, while the quiescent compartment consists of the G0 state. Analysis of this active‐quiescent radiation model confirms the classical interpretation of the linear quadratic (LQ) model, which is that a larger α/β ratio corresponds to a fast cell cycle, while a smaller ratio corresponds to a slow cell cycle. Additionally, we find that a large α/β ratio indicates the existence of a significant quiescent phase. The active‐quiescent model is extended as a nonlinear birth–death process in order to derive an explicit time dependent expression for the tumour control probability (TCP). This work extends the TCP formula from Zaider and Minerbo and it enables the TCP to be calculated for general time dependent treatment schedules.
Changes in running endurance performance following intermittent altitude exposure simulated with tents
Authors: Hinckson Erica A. , Hopkins Will G.
Published: June 2007

The effect of intermittent hypoxia on sea‐level endurance performance was assessed by using hypoxic tents to simulate the live high‐train low approach to altitude training. Eleven male sub‐elite competitive runners and triathletes participated in a crossover study of usual training (control) and usual training with altitude exposure (altitude). Altitude treatment consisted of 25±3 d (mean±SD) of sleeping in tents for 8.1±0.6 h.d−1, progressing from a simulated altitude of 2500 m to 3500 m above sea level. Washout period between control and altitude treatments was 4 wk. Three treadmill runs to exhaustion lasting ∼2, ∼4 and ∼8 min were completed 7 and 12 d after control and altitude treatments. Times for standard competition distances (800, 1500 and 3000 m), were predicted using a log‐log model, improved by 1.0% (90% confidence limits, ±1.3%), 1.4% (±1.2%) and 1.9% (±1.5%), respectively. Improvements were greater in the six athletes with an I allele for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE): 2.3% (±1.5%), 2.2% (±1.5%), and 2.1%, (±2.1%), respectively. Effects of simulated altitude on hemoglobin concentration were unclear. Altitude exposure simulated with hypoxic tents is likely to enhance performance substantially in middle‐distance endurance running events, especially for individuals with an I allele of the ACE gene.
Consultation and the Management of Consent: Standards for Qualified Teacher Status
Authors: Hextall Ian , Mahony Pat
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT Since its inception in 1994, the TTA has relied heavily upon the process of consultation as its ‘preferred’ style of operation. In recent analyses of the state of democracy in England the quality of consultation has been used as one indicator of the democratic state of the nation. Against this background we present our findings from an in‐depth study of the processes and procedures used to develop the Standards for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status, paying particular attention to the consultation exercise undertaken by the Teacher Training Agency in the Spring of 1997. We argue that, on a number of levels, our findings raise issues that mirror those being expressed by others concerned about the state of democracy in England.
Must Try Harder! Problems Facing Technological Solutions to Non‐participation in Adult Learning
Authors: Gorard Stephen , Selwyn Neil , Williams Sara
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT The current Government has placed lifelong learning high on its agenda, both for reasons of economic benefit and to increase social inclusion. At ‘half‐term’, what are the prospects for a ‘pass' in this course? Using data from a new National Institute of Adult Continuing Education survey of adult participation in learning, and early results from participant observation of the setting up of a ‘virtual college’, as well as published findings from pilot studies for the University for Industry, this article considers the challenges facing the Government in widening participation through the use of digital technology. The ‘problem’, of widening access to learning opportunities for all, is not a new one, and it is unlikely to be one with a simple technical fix. The conclusion drawn here is that the emerging use of digital technology is likely to replicate existing inequalities in access to learning. Despite the fine efforts of those involved, and some ingenious technical and distributional suggestions, the recommendation must therefore be that we all try harder.
Social Capital: Exploring the theoretical foundations of community development education
Authors: McClenaghan Pauline
Published: June 2007

Social capital as a concept has over the last decade or more been gaining significance in relation to a number of linked fields of analyses, including the identification of factors influencing educational attainment; explanations of differing levels of participation in formal and informal adult education; and conditions necessary to the construction and enhancement of institutions and practices conducive to lifelong learning. Within these contexts, social capital has come to be defined in a variety of ways, all of which have been linked to collective norms, values and relationships reflecting the involvement of human individuals in ‘a common life based on family and community’. In this respect, social capital enhancement appears to have direct links with community development education in that community development is generally defined as a social learning process which serves to empower individuals and to involve them as citizens in collective activities aimed at socio‐economic development. In this contribution, the author questions the validity and efficacy of social capital as an analytical concept in the field of adult education research by exploring a number of key issues related to the assumed links between community development and social capital enhancement. The analysis is based on research currently being conducted by the School of Social and Community Sciences of the University of Ulster.
Drug selling among drug misusers before intake to treatment and at 1‐year follow‐up: results from the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS)
Authors: GOSSOP MICHAEL , MARSDEN JOHN , STEWART DUNCAN
Published: June 2007

Drug misusers recruited to the National Treatment Outcome Research Study were interviewed at intake to treatment programmes throughout England (n = 1075), and after 1 year (n = 753). Data were collected on self‐reported involvement in and frequency of drug‐selling activities and other crimes during the 90‐day periods prior to each interview. A huge number of drug‐selling offences (39 153) was reported prior to intake. Fewer than one‐third of the clients (29%) reported selling drugs during the 90 days prior to intake, and among those clients who had sold drugs, drug selling was an infrequent and occasional activity. Most clients reported not selling drugs. A small minority (7%) committed the majority (89%) of drug‐selling offences. These high‐rate drug sellers reported different patterns of substance misuse to other drug sellers, including more frequent use of heroin but less severe dependence upon heroin, and less frequent drinking. The involvement of these high‐rate drug sellers may reflect a more ‘professional’ approach to dealing. Reductions in dealing were found for clients from both residential and methadone programmes. Overall, the number of dealing offences at 1 year was reduced to a less than one‐fifth of intake levels and the rate of involvement in crime was also reduced to less than two‐thirds of intake levels. Reductions in drug selling were associated with reductions in regular heroin use.
The management of opioid withdrawal
Authors: Gowing Linda R. , Ali Robert L. , White Jason M.
Published: June 2007

To date there has been little consensus on best practice in the management of opioid withdrawal. Regimes involving reducing doses of methadone or the administration of α2‐adrenergic agonists such as clonidine and lofexidine are most common, but the use of opioid antagonists to induce withdrawal, and the partialagonist, buprenorphine, are gaining in popularity. This paper reviews 213 published reports of interventions to manage opioid withdrawal. Rates of completion and severity of withdrawal are similar when managed with either α2‐adrenergic agonists or reducing doses of methadone but α2‐adrenergic agonists, particularly clonidine, are associated with a higher incidence 2 of hypotensive side effects. Variability in the opioid antagonist treatment regimes prevents the identification of standard approaches. The use of opioid antagonists may increase completion rates, but with the risk of more severe withdrawal. Buprenorphine has considerable promise for the management of opioid withdrawal, being associated with lower withdrawal severity, fewer side effects and similar completion rates to withdrawal managed with α2‐adrenergic agonists. Withdrawal in an in‐patient setting is associated with higher completion rates than withdrawal in an out‐patient setting. Psychological state prior to and during withdrawal may be important in determining withdrawal outcomes. It is currently not possible to determine to what extent the setting and detoxification protocol influences long‐term outcomes.
Survey of marine contamination from mining-related activities on Marinduque Island, Philippines: Porewater toxicity and chemistry
Authors: Carr R. Scott , Nipper Marion , Plumlee Geoffrey S.
Published: June 2007

Pore waters were collected for toxicological and chemical analyses at several stations on the coast of Marinduque, near the mouths of the Boac and Mogpog rivers, and near the causeways formed by mine tailings disposal. Porewater samples were also collected at the Tres Reyes Marine Reserve, so that these non-contaminated samples could serve as a reference for test performance.

Sea urchin embryological development and fertilization were only significantly impaired by two porewater samples, suggesting the presence of contaminants in toxic amounts at those stations. The toxic samples were collected near the up current side of the Calancan (Marcopper) mine tailings causeway (stations 2 and 3). The pore water from station 2 also had the highest levels of heavy metals, particularly cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead and zinc. The concentrations of cobalt, nickel and zinc were also elevated at station 3. Copper concentrations were also elevated at the two river mouth stations (8 and 9) and near the CMI tailings causeway (station 7).

Visual observations also indicated biological degradation due to heavy siltation and smothered coral at a gradient off the Calancan causeway, suggesting that siltation might also be causing a physical impact. This preliminary survey suggests that effects related to past mining activities are still evident and warrant a more comprehensive study to assess their severity and areal extent.
Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase Is Localized to Cilia and Contributes to Ciliary Beat Frequency Regulation via Production of cAMP
Authors: Schmid Andreas , Sutto Zoltan , Nlend Marie-Christine , Horvath Gabor , Schmid Nathalie , Buck Jochen , Levin Lonny R. , Conner Gregory E. , Fregien Nevis , Salathe Matthias
Published: June 2007

Ciliated airway epithelial cells are subject to sustained changes in intracellular CO2/HCO3− during exacerbations of airway diseases, but the role of CO2/HCO3−-sensitive soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) in ciliary beat regulation is unknown. We now show not only sAC expression in human airway epithelia (by RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence) but also its specific localization to the axoneme (Western blotting and immunofluorescence). Real time estimations of [cAMP] changes in ciliated cells, using FRET between fluorescently tagged PKA subunits (expressed under the foxj1 promoter solely in ciliated cells), revealed CO2/HCO3−-mediated cAMP production. This cAMP production was specifically blocked by sAC inhibitors but not by transmembrane adenylyl cyclase (tmAC) inhibitors. In addition, this cAMP production stimulated ciliary beat frequency (CBF) independently of intracellular pH because PKA and sAC inhibitors were uniquely able to block CO2/HCO3−-mediated changes in CBF (while tmAC inhibitors had no effect). Thus, sAC is localized to motile airway cilia and it contributes to the regulation of human airway CBF. In addition, CO2/HCO3− increases indeed reversibly stimulate intracellular cAMP production by sAC in intact cells.
Modes of Operation of the BKCa Channel β2 Subunit
Authors: Savalli Nicoletta , Kondratiev Andrei , de Quintana Sarah Buxton , Toro Ligia , Olcese Riccardo
Published: June 2007

The β2 subunit of the large conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ channel (BKCa) modulates a number of channel functions, such as the apparent Ca2+/voltage sensitivity, pharmacological and kinetic properties of the channel. In addition, the N terminus of the β2 subunit acts as an inactivating particle that produces a relatively fast inactivation of the ionic conductance. Applying voltage clamp fluorometry to fluorescently labeled human BKCa channels (hSlo), we have investigated the mechanisms of operation of the β2 subunit. We found that the leftward shift on the voltage axis of channel activation curves (G(V)) produced by coexpression with β2 subunits is associated with a shift in the same direction of the fluorescence vs. voltage curves (F(V)), which are reporting the voltage dependence of the main voltage-sensing region of hSlo (S4-transmembrane domain). In addition, we investigated the inactivating mechanism of the β2 subunits by comparing its properties with the ones of the typical N-type inactivation process of Shaker channel. While fluorescence recordings from the inactivated Shaker channels revealed the immobilization of the S4 segments in the active conformation, we did not observe a similar feature in BKCa channels coexpressed with the β2 subunit. The experimental observations are consistent with the view that the β2 subunit of BKCa channels facilitates channel activation by changing the voltage sensor equilibrium and that the β2-induced inactivation process does not follow a typical N-type mechanism.
Seasonally Variable Eusocially Selected Traits in the Paper Wasp,Mischocyttarus mexicanus
Authors: Gunnels Charles W.
Published: June 2007

The expression of alternative traits that benefit eusocial individuals but are not directly involved in reproductive differences among those individuals, which I call ‘eusocially selected traits’, may vary in response to environmental changes if this increases an individual's inclusive fitness. In this study, I describe traits that separate individuals within the reproductive division of labor ofMischocyttarus mexicanus, a eusocial paper wasp, and determine whether observed eusocially selected traits vary across seasons. I examinedM. mexicanusbecause females initiate new nests throughout most of the year where they experience different conditions depending on the season. Findings from this study suggest two main conclusions: (1) phenotypic differences amongM. mexicanusfemales are mixed, showing specialized, generalized, and context‐dependent eusocially selected traits and (2) a female's position within the reproductive division of labor may be influenced by its state. The presence of context‐dependent traits, e.g. large females initiated solitary nests in the spring and grouped nests during the summer, suggests that the payoff for pursuing different positions within the reproductive division of labor changes across seasons. The expression of context‐dependent eusocially selected traits also suggests that, roles, instead of castes, may better reflect the reproductive division of labor among individuals of eusocial species likeM. mexicanus.
Effects of motivational and volitional email messages (MVEM) with personal messages on undergraduate students’ motivation, study habits and achievement
Authors: Kim ChanMin , Keller John M.
Published: June 2007

This study investigated what kind of supportive information can be effective in improving the situation where there were severe motivational challenges. Motivational and volitional email messages (MVEM) were constructed based on an integrated model of four theories and methods, which are Keller's ARCS model, Kuhl's action control theory, Gollwitzer's Rubicon model of motivation and volition, and Visser & Keller's strategy of motivational messages, and distributed with personal messages created based on audience analysis to a large undergraduate class. In order to examine the effects of the messages on motivation for the course, study habits (study time), and achievement (test grade), MVEM were sent to 30 students (Personal Message Group: PMG) with personal messages and to 71 students (Non‐Personal Message Group: NonPMG) without personal messages. Results indicated that PMG showed a higher level of motivation, especially in regard to confidence, than NonPMG. Also, the mean test grade of PMG increased so that the initial difference of the test grade between the two groups significantly decreased. Although there was no difference between the two groups in study habits, the findings suggest that personal messages addressing specific individual problems raise the positive effects of MVEM constructed based on the integrated model. Future research directions are discussed.
The specific involvement of verbal and visuospatial working memory in hypermedia learning
Authors: Pazzaglia Francesca , Toso Cristina , Cacciamani Stefano
Published: June 2007

Many models have hypothesized that multimedia comprehension requires the concurrent processing of verbal and visuospatial information by limited information processing systems. However, in spite of the emphasis devoted to the concurrent processing of verbal and visuospatial information, little research has so far investigated the specific role played by verbal and visuospatial abilities in multimedia comprehension. The present paper aims to study the specific involvement of verbal and visuospatial working memory in multimedia learning.

Ninety‐two students (39 boys and 53 girls) from a middle school in a small city in the northeast of Italy, were asked to learn new information on the physical and social geography of Germany from a hypermedium. Participants were also required to perform a reading comprehension test, two short‐term memory tasks, and two working memory tasks, which assessed either verbal or visuospatial memory. The results support the hypothesis that both verbal and visuospatial working memory sub‐components play a role in hypermedium processing, but with specific and distinct functions: the performance in the verbal working memory task was able to predict the semantic knowledge children can derive from hypermedia learning. In contrast, visuospatial working memory seemed to have lower connections to the semantic knowledge children derived from a hypermedia document, whereas its role emerged in the ability to construct a representation of the document structure.
Cerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal bands and progression of disability in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Koch M. , Heersema D. , Mostert J. , Teelken A. , Keyser J. De
Published: June 2007

Antibody‐mediated inflammation is believed to contribute to tissue injury in multiple sclerosis (MS). The majority of patients with MS have oligoclonal bands (OCB), corresponding to antibodies against a variety of antigens, in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The relation of CSF OCB and disease progression in MS is uncertain. To investigate whether there is a relation between CSF OCB and a more aggressive disease course of MS, 143 patients with definite MS according to the Poser diagnostic criteria and CSF analysis at time of diagnosis were followed over a period of 5 years. There were no differences in presence or number of CSF OCB between patients with significant worsening of disability and stable patients. There were no differences in presence or number of CSF OCB between patients with stable relapsing‐remitting MS and patients developing secondary progression during follow‐up. The presence or number of CSF OCB does not seem to influence early disease progression in MS.