Sarah Margaret James, Suzanne(Sue) M. Hudson and Alexandra Lasczik
Being literate can change the lives of Australian students. Therefore, graduating effective teachers of literacy is an imperative for Australian schools. Professional experience…
Abstract
Purpose
Being literate can change the lives of Australian students. Therefore, graduating effective teachers of literacy is an imperative for Australian schools. Professional experience provides an opportunity for preservice teachers to refine their skills for teaching literacy under the guidance of a mentor teacher. This study investigates from the perspective of preservice teachers, the attributes and practices primary mentor teachers demonstrate when mentoring literacy teaching during professional experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This investigation utilised survey design to gather data from primary preservice teachers (n = 402) from seven Australian universities. The 34 survey items were underpinned by the Five Factor Model of Mentoring and literacy practices prescribed by the Australian curriculum. Preservice teachers self-reported their responses about their literacy mentoring experiences on a five-point Likert scale. The Five Factor Model of Mentoring provided a framework to analyse and present the data using descriptive statistics.
Findings
Findings revealed 70% or more of preservice teachers agreed or strongly agreed mentor teachers had the personal attributes, shared the pedagogical knowledge, modelled best practice and provided feedback for effective literacy teaching. Conversely, only 58.7% of the participants reported their mentor teachers shared the system requirements for effective literacy teaching.
Research limitations/implications
The preservice teachers self-reported their experiences, and although this may be their experience, it does not necessarily mean the mentor teachers did not demonstrate the attributes and practices reported, it may mean they were not identified by the preservice teachers. While there were 402 participants in this study, the viewpoints of these preservice teachers' may or may not be indicative of the entire population of preservice teachers across Australia. This study included primary preservice teachers, so the experiences of secondary and early childhood teachers have not been reported. An extended study would include secondary and early childhood contexts.
Practical implications
This research highlighted that not all mentor teachers shared the system requirements for literacy teaching with their mentee. This finding prompts a need to undertake further research to investigate the confidence of mentor teachers in their own ability to teach literacy in the primary school. Teaching literacy is complex, and the curriculum is continually evolving. Providing professional learning in teaching literacy will position mentor teachers to better support preservice teachers during professional experience. Ultimately, the goal is to sustain high quality literacy teaching in schools to promote positive outcomes for all Australian school students.
Originality/value
While the role of mentor teacher is well recognised, there is a dearth of research that explores the mentoring of literacy during professional experience. The preservice teachers in this study self-reported inconsistencies in mentor teachers' attributes and practices for mentoring literacy prompting a need for further professional learning in this vital learning area.
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Sally R. Ross, Lynn L. Ridinger and Jacquelyn Cuneen
This study presents an analysis of the evolution of advertising's portrayal of women in motorsport. The construct of source credibility is examined and used as a framework to…
Abstract
This study presents an analysis of the evolution of advertising's portrayal of women in motorsport. The construct of source credibility is examined and used as a framework to better understand the limitations and opportunities of female athlete endorsers in general and female racing car drivers in particular. The advertising images of pioneer drivers Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher are discussed and compared to that of Danica Patrick, a media star in the Indy Racing League (IRL). Patrick has been successful in capitalising on her expertise and attractiveness to enhance her image and endorse products. Attitudes towards using sex appeal to sell products are presented and discussed.
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Sarah Maddock and James A. Young
The proposed EC legislation dealing with hygiene in the fishindustry is reviewed, the reaction of industry to the proposals examinedand the wider policy implications analysed. The…
Abstract
The proposed EC legislation dealing with hygiene in the fish industry is reviewed, the reaction of industry to the proposals examined and the wider policy implications analysed. The EC proposals for fish hygiene, now in their fourth revision, will apply to all sectors of the fish industry from the point of port markets onwards; they will not now apply to the catching sector. The detailed measures specified are intended to ensure adequacy of hygiene standards throughout the marketing chain, including imports. The requirements for the monitoring and control of standards are dealt with. The proposals are considered to be significant to all industry sectors, although their precise impact will necessarily be varied. Much uncertainty still surrounds the exact implications of their adoption. It would seem desirable that further consultation takes place to ensure adoption of an appropriate and coherent programme from the outset.
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To explore the advice given by the British Girl Guides Association, a popular girls' youth organisation, to urban members in the period from 1930 to 1960.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the advice given by the British Girl Guides Association, a popular girls' youth organisation, to urban members in the period from 1930 to 1960.
Design/methodology/approach
This article is based on an analysis of the Girlguiding publications The Guide and The Guider in 30 years spanning 1930–1960.
Findings
The article shows that, although rural spaces maintained symbolic position in the education and training of the British Girl Guides Association throughout the mid-twentieth century, the use of urban spaces were central in ensuring that girls embodied Guiding principles on a day-to-day basis. While rural spaces, and especially the camp, have been conceptualised by scholars as ‘extraordinary’ spaces, this article argues that by encouraging girls to undertake nature study in their urban locality the organisation stressed the ordinariness of Guiding activity. In doing so, they encouraged girls to be an active presence in urban public space throughout the period, despite the fact that, as scholars have identified, the post-war period saw the increased regulation of children's presence in public spaces. Such findings suggest that the organisation allowed girls a modicum of freedom in town Guiding activities, although ultimately these were limited by expectations regarding the behaviour and conduct of members.
Originality/value
The article builds upon existing understandings of the Girl Guide organisation and mid-twentieth century youth movements. A number of scholars have recently argued for a more complex understanding of the relationship between urban and rural, outdoor and indoor spaces, within youth organisations in the 20th century. Yet the place of urban spaces in Girlguiding remains under-explored.
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Jim Agee and Sarah Naper
The purpose of this paper is to offrer a reflective look at PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) in the larger context of off‐site…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offrer a reflective look at PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) in the larger context of off‐site storage facilities and practices
Design/methodology/approach
The article includes an analysis based on five key points of cooperative repository projects that were made by Vattulainen. The five points are applied to this case study of PASCAL, a shared collaborative off‐site storage facility.
Findings
Concerns are discussed in the five key areas: Concept of ownership, Provision of buildings, Management of repositories, Relegation decisions and User needs,
Originality/value
This article contributes a case study to the discussion of collaborative off‐site storage, with implications for both the immediate region and for larger networked systems that may exist in the future.