scholarly journals Evidence-based Educational Policy Research: Some Questions

Author(s):  
Nick Zepke

Hotly contested debates about evidence-based educational research, policy development and practice have become a feature of the educational landscape in New Zealand as elsewhere. Advocates argue that applying scientifically established research evidence of what works is the way to improve educational quality and student outcomes. Governments in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand support the development of scientific evidence-based policy and practice that shows what works. Doubters are not questioning the importance of scientific research evidence. Indeed it seems untenable to deny the centrality of evidence in decision-making about what works in education. Rather, sceptics and opponents question meanings of key terms like “science”, “evidence” and “quality”. They question the politics behind evidence-based research, assumptions about the nature of evidence, science and research methodology and whether research that aims to provide universal answers actually works. This article canvasses these questions. Written from a sceptical perspective, it draws on experiences from the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 144-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Marie Luker ◽  
Barbara C. Curchack

In this study, we investigated perceptions of cyberbullying within higher education among 1,587 professionals from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Regardless of country or professional role, participants presented essentially the same bleak picture. Almost half of all participants observed cyberbullying between students within the last year, about one in every five intervened in an incident, and only 10% felt completely prepared to do so. Likewise, 85% of participants perceived their institution to be less than completely prepared to handle cyberbullying, with fewer than 50% even aware whether their school had a cyberbullying policy and fewer than 25% having a policy that specifically addresses cyberbullying. The majority of participants perceived cyberbullying as negative; however, approximately 10% dissented from this view. Finally, a group-serving bias was replicated; cyberbullying was perceived as more problematic at other institutions than their own. This research calls for evidence-based, systematic policy development and implementation, including how to train those who see cyberbullying as a positive phenomenon.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kym Roberts ◽  
Ogilvie Thom ◽  
Susan Devine ◽  
Peter A. Leggat ◽  
Amy E. Peden ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Drowning is a significant public health issue, with females accounting for one third of global drowning deaths. The rate of female drowning has not decreased within high-income countries and presentations to hospital have increased. This scoping review aimed to explore adult female unintentional drowning, including risk factors, clinical treatment and outcomes of females hospitalised for drowning. Methods A systematic search of the literature following the PRISMA-ScR framework was undertaken. The databases OVID MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, OVID Emcare, Web of Science, Informit and Scopus were accessed. Study locations of focus were Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Studies from January 2003 to April 2019 were included. The quality of evidence of included studies was assessed using GRADE guidelines. Results The final search results included 14 studies from Australia (n = 4), Canada (n = 1), New Zealand (n = 1), United States (n = 6), United Kingdom (n = 1), and one study reporting data from both Australia and United States. Nine studies reported risk factors for female drowning including age, with the proportion of female drowning incidence increasing with age. Although females are now engaging in risk-taking behaviours associated with drowning that are similar to males, such as consuming alcohol and swimming in unsafe locations, their exposure to risky situations and ways they assess risk, differ. Females are more likely to drown from accidental entry into water, such as in a vehicle during a flood or fall into water. This review found no evidence on the clinical treatment provided to females in hospital after a drowning incident, and only a small number of studies reported the clinical outcomes of females, with inconsistent results (some studies reported better and some no difference in clinical outcomes among females). Conclusion Adult females are a group vulnerable to drowning, that have lacked attention. There was no single study found which focused solely on female drowning. There is a need for further research to explore female risk factors, the clinical treatment and outcomes of females hospitalised for drowning. This will not only save the lives of females, but also contribute to an overall reduction in drowning.


1954 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-517

The question of the threat to Thailand was discussed by the Security Council at its 673d and 674th meetings. After again explaining the reasons for his government's belief that the condition of tension in the general region in which Thailand was located would, if continued, endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, the Thai representative, Pote Sarasin, again requested that the Peace Observation Commission establish a sub-commission of from three to five members to dispatch observers to Thailand and to visit Thailand itself if it were deemed necessary. The Thai draft differed from earlier Thai proposals, however, in that the original mandate of the sub-commission applie only to the territory of Thailand; if the sub-commission felt that it could not adequately accomplish its mission without observation or visit in states contiguous to Thailand, the Peace Observation Commission or the Security Council could issue the necessary instructions. Representatives of New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Colombia and France spoke in support of the Thai draft. They denied, as had been alleged by the Soviet representative (Tsarapkin) at an earlier meeting, that Council consideration or action on this question would be detrimental to the success of the negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Chinese People's Republic, Soviet Union and other states in Geneva. While agreeing that it would be impropitious for the Council to consider directly the situation in Indochina as long as it was being discussed in Geneva, they argued that the question raised by Thailand was quite separate and that the Council had a duty to comply with the Thai request.


2021 ◽  

In our rapidly globalising world, “the global scholar” is a key concept for reimagining the roles of academics at the nexus of the global and the local. This book critically explores the implications of the concept for understanding postgraduate studies and supervision. It uses three conceptual lenses – “horizon”, “currency” and “trajectory” – to organise the thirteen chapters, concluding with a reflection on the implications of Covid-19 for postgraduate studies and supervision. Authors bring their perspectives on the global scholar from a variety of contexts, including South Africa, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Germany, Cyprus, Kenya and Israel. They explore issues around policy, research and practice, sharing a concern with the relation between the local and the global, and a passion for advancing postgraduate studies and supervision.


Author(s):  
Natacha Brunelle ◽  
Julie Carpentier ◽  
Sylvie Hamel ◽  
Isabelle F. Dufour ◽  
Jocelyn Gadbois

The purpose of this chapter is to show the importance of intersectorality in partnerships to successfully understand and influence the processes of crime desistance and of social and community (re)integration of people subject to judicial control. It begins with an outline of the “what works” and “how it works” movements and provides tools to help understand such notions as crime desistance, (re)integration, trajectories, and intersectorality. After describing the objectives of the (RÉ)SO 16-35 partnered research project, the authors present various intersectoral collaborative initiatives in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and indicate what, according to the literature, contributed to their development. The chapter concludes with the identification of two central principles in the development of intersectoral partnerships aiming to favor crime desistance and social and community (re)integration trajectories: a culture of dialogue must be instilled, and the initial objective of the project must be kept in mind.


1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michio Kitahara

It was hypothesized that when relative dietary intake of tryptophan per capita is low compared to certain other amino acids, less serotonin is formed in brain neurons, and suicide rates tend to be high. The hypothesis was supported for males and for both sexes combined.


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