University of Cumbria Open Access Journals
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Forensic Psychology, the Dual Role Issue and Informed Consent
Get PDFForensic psychology is concerned with criminal behaviour, the treatment of offenders, and psychology applied in courts of law (Howitt, 2009). It is an important area in the field of psychology, as criminal activity and the recidivism of offenders is frequently brought to the public’s attention (Ireland, 2009). Both the British Psychological Society (BPS; 2009) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC; 2016) provide a code of ethics that practicing psychologists should abide by. The aim of this paper was to highlight a case example concerning a violation of ethical procedures. The case highlighted the issues found with gaining informed consent in a coerced environment. Furthermore, this paper evaluated the situation and critically discussed what could be improved. Finally, a checklist was designed and outlined which could be used to prevent informed consent issues arising for forensic psychologists in the future. It was also proposed that lawyers and other legal professionals should be involved in the informed consent process by informing clients and service users of the legal implications of not participating in a psychological evaluation (Foote & Shuman, 2006). It was highlighted that while the devised checklist and the involvement of lawyers could help with the issue of gaining informed consent, it is unlikely to solve the larger issue of dual roles for forensic psychologists
Enhancing student engagement through online portfolio assessment
Get PDFThis paper reports on an existing undergraduate academic skills module where the assignment, a printed portfolio, has been replaced with an online portfolio. Qualitative feedback reveals that students most valued the provision of rapid and regular feedback on work, and had a raised awareness of employability goals. Tutors most valued the ability to monitor students\u27 progress and provide rapid feedback on work. Some also valued the ease of the marking process and the positive impact on tutorials. However, portfolio organisation adversely impacted on the marking process for some, while others struggled with the effect of the online approach on face-to-face meetings, highlighting the need for further guidance on tutorial management. Quantitative analysis of student grades tentatively indicates higher attainment levels for online portfolios compared with printed equivalents. The findings suggest that online portfolios, combined with progress monitoring, peer learning, feedback practice, and intrinsic motivation, can promote student engagement
Hegemony and Assessment: The student experience of being in a male homogenous higher education computing course
Get PDFThis work emanates from a previous study examining the experiences of male final year students in computing degree programmes that focused on their perceptions as students where they had few, if any, female classmates. This empirical work consisted of focus groups, with the findings outlined here drawn from two groups that were homogeneous with respect to gender. It identified that the masculinisation of computing and the resulting hegemonic masculinity has far-reaching impact. An unanticipated theme was how this homogeneity impacted their course assessments. Students participating in this research identified discomfort with their experience of the institutional hegemonic masculinity. Further work to understand how this hegemonic masculinity impacts teachers is also proposed
Assessing trainee secondary teachers on school placement: Subject knowledge and overall teaching grades
Get PDFSchools and Initial Teacher Training/Education providers have joint responsibility for developing trainee subject knowledge. Due to the current curriculum and training emphasis placed upon the importance of subject knowledge, the relationship between it and overall teaching grades is of interest when monitoring trainee assessment data collated from school mentors in placement schools.
This paper reports a statistical analysis of numerical grades awarded on progress review forms completed by mentors using the teaching competencies described in Teachers’ Standards in England. It includes the assessment data gathered from two consecutive cohorts of secondary Post Graduate Certificate/Diploma in Education trainees whilst on school placement experience. All the schools were in partnership with a single Higher Education provider in the North West of England. The focus for the analysis was the distribution of grades assigned to trainees in English National Curriculum core subjects for overall teaching and two standards with descriptors covering aspects of teacher subject knowledge.
Of twenty-four comparisons, only six indicated significant differences. In these instances, more high grades than expected were assigned for the standard describing teacher subject content and curriculum knowledge compared to the standard describing pedagogy and/or overall teaching
Learning to teach: A focus on the personal rather than the technical aspects of teacher education
Get PDFThis study compares interview data from four pre-service teachers who took part in an ethnographic study in 2006 whilst on their teacher education course and then were interviewed again in 2015 about their subsequent careers. Their conceptualisations of knowing and of becoming a teacher are explored in order to comment on the process of learning to teach. The article uses concepts from Heidegger’s philosophical enquiry into Being (readiness-to-hand and authenticity) to comment on the longitudinal data analysis. Viewing the interview data through a Heideggerian lens in order to consider the experience of teachers enhances an appreciation of the learning process and helps the researcher see respondents as subjects beyond the fieldwork. Heidegger’s ideas are forwarded as a way for pre-service teachers themselves to consider their own conceptualisations of knowing and becoming so as to recognise and understand what it means to be a teacher. This approach to pre-service teacher education is considered in relation to current research on teacher education and the concerning rate of teacher attrition. With many teacher education systems increasingly focusing on the technical and measurable aspects of teachers’ work the paper promotes a need for opportunities to enquire into and develop the personal, philosophical and theoretical perspectives of teacher education
Can effect sizes give any clue to the way mentors ascribe numerical grades when assessing trainee teachers against the teachers’ standards in England?
Get PDFSome teacher educators use numerical grades when assessing teaching competencies. In this situation, statistical analysis can be used to monitor consistency and look for correlations between assessment outcomes across teacher training partnerships and at different stages in training. Another approach is to calculate effect size metrics. These do not claim statistical significance but do seek to explain the practical impact of patterns in quantitative data. This study looks at number grade assessment data from a large secondary initial teacher education programme across schools working in partnership with a higher education provider in the Northwest of England. The proportion of variance between numerical grades for individual Teachers’ Standards and overall teaching was calculated at each formal review point over three consecutive years. Despite the complex process involved in assessing teaching competencies against performance criteria and the potential for subjective variation between individual assessors, the data consistently demonstrated underlying patterns. These suggested that quality assurance and management of assessment issues could have been a major influence on the assessors
Paranoia, Worry, Cognitive Avoidance and Intolerance of Uncertainty in a student population
Get PDFNon-clinical populations experience paranoid ideations on a regular basis. Psychological models of paranoia hypothesize paranoid ideations are maintained by processes like worry. Previous links between anxiety, worry and paranoia are also evident in non-clinical populations. To overcome worry individuals may avoid mental images that cause distressing arousal by using an internal strategy of cognitive avoidance (CA). It has been further hypothesized the use of CA may develop because of a predisposition of having an intolerance of uncertainty (IOU). Based on this rationale the current study investigated through self-report questionnaires the relationship between; worry, paranoia, CA and IOU in a student population (N=102) and specifically, if CA and IOU are maintaining factors of paranoia. The findings revealed significant relationships between all of the variables. A hierarchical regression affirmed that CA, IOU and Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS) accounted for 43% of the variance in paranoia when combined with worry, gender and age. This study provides a foundation of evidence for the presence of CA and IOU in paranoia. If replicated in a clinical population the findings could help the formulation and assessment for the treatment of paranoia
Engaging Students with Assessment and Feedback: Improving assessment for learning with students as partners
Get PDFWithin the Higher Education sector in the UK, it is acknowledged that the area of ‘Assessment and Feedback’ receives consistently poor levels of satisfaction from students when they complete module level feedback, course level feedback and the National Student Survey (NSS). There is evidence to suggest that this problem is pronounced within Schools of Architecture, particularly with the assessment and feedback of design work. This case study describes reflective practice at Portsmouth School of Architecture, UK, where academics worked in consultation with students to identify the issues. The aim of the project was to evaluate assessment and feedback strategies from across the School resulting in the creation of a new and innovative set of ‘Assessment for Learning’ tools produced with students as partners. These tools include: a refined marking matrix, an improved ‘design review’ and a ‘lexicon’ for marking design projects to enhance understanding and autonomy. This case study also explores how alignment and enhancement of learning through assessment and feedback and the quality of assessment tools has the ability to increase students’ confidence and assessment literacy, their overall satisfaction and levels of autonomy
Teachers’ perception of chemistry outreach work, especially in the context of children’s social demography
Get PDFThe aim of this current research is to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the purpose and impact of chemistry/science outreach work. Considering views of educators, both in training and practice, is an important area to explore as teachers are the gatekeepers to these experiences and consciously or subconsciously have their own views about the value of these programmes. In addition, the teacher can influence a child’s view of their scientific ability which can potentially inform an individual’s decisions and perceptions regarding science as a career. It is necessary for a teacher to be aware of their pivotal role within the classroom and how their own ‘habitus’ may have an impact on those whom they teach.
This pilot study was an illustrative exercise to analyse a small sample of data and provide a focus for a subsequent main data collection where the level of response will be much higher. The study sought to answer the following question; what do teachers in the North-West of England think about chemistry based outreach programmes, especially in the context of children’s social demography? However, no ‘conclusions’ or generalisations are derived from this small sample itself, only emerging themes are discussed. These themes highlight how teachers may perceive chemistry/science outreach to be of greater importance the higher the educational level and how these programmes may provide experiences and opportunities for students from a lower socio-economic background