Addressing the social, cognitive and emotional needs of children: the case for dynamic assessment

This paper examines the extent to which the use of psychological assessment addresses the social, emotional and cognitive needs of children experiencing difficulties with learning. Evidence in favour of a curriculum-based assessment (CBA) approach is presented, and the advantages and disadvantages are evaluated. This paper argues that CBA does not stand up well to the demand for a more ecological approach to assessment that considers the social and emotional needs of children. CBA can often be too task oriented, and more importantly fails to consider an interactive environment in which to assess the child. Finally, the underlying theory of CBA on behavioural approaches to learning neglects a focus on the cognitive and meta-cognitive aspects of learning. Arguments in favour of dynamic assessment are offered as an approach which does consider such aspects of learning. Nevertheless, the appropriateness and effectiveness of CBA and dynamic assessment can only truly be considered in light of the purposes of each individual assessment. Different approaches to psychological assessment could be used in different circumstances, therefore, the ‘why?’ of assessment (Frederickson, Wright & Webster, 1991) should receive careful consideration before the issue of ‘which approach is best?’

A Principal-Agent Analysis of the Family: Implications for the Welfare State

The principal-agent literature has focussed on situations where both principal and agent are assumed to be capable of defining and defending their own interests. The principal-agent literature has thus ignored an important set of cases where the principal is incapable of acting on her own behalf, and so is assigned an agent by law or custom. Such cases account for around 40% of humanity and for a similarly substantial proportion of all principal-agent interactions. This paper applies principal-agent analysis to one such case, the family, where the child is taken as the principal and the parent is her agent. The principal-agent problem within families creates a prima facie case for state interventions to protect child-principals, since some parents will shirk and the consequences of such shirking may be serious and irreversible damage to the child-principal, who cannot defend herself. The principal-agent perspective on the family sheds new light on two old debates: about whether state welfare services should be provided in cash or in kind, and about user fees for social services involving children.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

The Okhrana: Security Policing in Late Imperial Russia

This is a study of the security police in late imperial Russia, analysing its successes and failures, its reputation, efficiency, evolution and role in the origins of the Russian revolution

Without My Body

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Laughter in the Dark: Humour under Stalin

A study of the different types of humour and laughter under Stalin

Pathways out of poverty for Zimbabwe.

An IES Conference Paper on the socio-economic situation among Zimbabwe's children during the years 1990- 2008.Children in Zimbabwe suffered badly during the long socioeconomic crisis in Zimbabwe from about 1990 to 2008. During its peak, from 2002 to 2008, health, nutrition, education and other social indicators in Zimbabwe reached extremely low levels. Despite recent improvements in the situation of Zimbabwe’s children, many of the effects of the socioeconomic crisis on them are long-term, even permanent. Pre-natal and early childhood malnutrition, orphan-hood, and disrupted education have all created lasting damage. The Government of Zimbabwe faces several challenges in re-establishing social services for children. The country’s fiscal capacity is not what it once was, yet public expectations for improvements are high. In such a situation of high expectations, it is tempting to tiy to do everything at once. Suggestions are made for focusing on re-establishing basic services, with an emphasis on building quality, equity, coverage and participation.The research presented in this publication is a result of a project funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (www.idrc.ca

Local Food Systems in Central Illinois: An Economic Impact Analysis

Local food movements nationwide have gained traction in their popularity and relevance as an alternative to the more dominant industrial, specialized system. The primary focus of this paper is the analysis of food systems in a five county region of Central Illinois. Statistical analysis as well as theoretical perspective is used to present the current status of the industry and develop a framework for assessing the economic impact of an increase in local food production for local consumption. We use the IMPLAN Modeling System to measure the financial and employment impacts of an increase in vegetable and fruit production in the five-county region as well as the impact of nine farmers’ markets within this region. We find a positive net impact for both scenarios

Inclusive Education and the Politics of Difference: Considering the Effectiveness of Labelling in Special Education

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the British Psychological Society via the link in this recordAim: The contribution of this paper to this ongoing debate, is to interrogate the discourse of labelling by critically analysing its role in inclusive and special education. Rationale: Labels have a strong tradition of orchestrating educational inequity. In response, recent debates about the concept of labelling have focused on whether the use of labelling in inclusive and/or special education has an equality potential or indeed threatens the quality of education provided to students with diverse needs. Findings: The difficulty with labelling is that it is fraught with political, psychological and ideological ambiguities that permeate the well-intentioned efforts of providing education to students with disabilities. Labelling also carries considerable historical beliefs that saturates policy, professional, and institutional practices. Limitations: This article is a position piece which has put forward an argument based on available evidence. However, as with all non-empirical articles it is limited to the quality of the articles which are cited by the authors and it may not reflect the breadth of available articles on this subject area. Conclusions: Therefore, understanding how labels promote, or impede, the quality of special and inclusive education within international contexts is essential for developing realistic innovations in policy and practice to enhance educational outcomes for all