Construction of social difference in mathematics education

This study investigated the social context in which the learning of mathematics occured. It examined the practices of schools and mathematics in order to identify the ways in which they contributed to the construction of social difference. Accordingly, this study was concerned with how schools and mathematics classrooms contribute to working-class students lack of success in mathematics. The differences that occurred in these practices could be seen to contribute to the different outcomes likely to occur in the later years of schooling. It was argued that these differences mean that students from middle-classes would be more likely to undertake and be successful in the study of mathematics than their working-class peers.

Internet-based treatment for panic disorder : does frequency of therapist contact make a difference?

Internet-based interventions with therapist support have proven effective for treating a range of mental health conditions. This study examined whether frequency of therapist contact affected treatment outcomes. Fifty-seven people with panic disorder (including 32 with agoraphobia) were randomly allocated to an 8-week Internet-based cognitive behavioural treatment intervention (Panic Online) with either frequent (three e-mails per week) or infrequent (one e-mail per week) support from a psychologist. Posttreatment, intention-to-treat analyses revealed that both treatments were effective at improving panic disorder and agoraphobia severity ratings, panicrelated cognitions, negative affect, and psychological and physical quality of life domains, with no differences between conditions. High end-state functioning was achieved by 28.6% of the frequent and infrequent participants, respectively. Therapist alliance, treatment credibility, and satisfaction also did not differ between groups, despite significantly greater therapist time invested in the frequent contact condition. The results provide evidence that the effectiveness of Internet-based mental health interventions may be independent of the frequency of therapist support and may, therefore, be more cost-effective than previously reported.

Making difference SUPER : a critical approach to the politics of celebrity-authored children's books

Recent years have seen a flood of celebrity-authored children’s books enter the children’s literature marketplace. This paper tracks the evolution of this phenomenon as it pertains to contemporary celebrity culture, and responds to the question: what are the embedded messages about identity at play in such texts? The key contention here is that these works endorse celebrity as the most desirable identity category for the children of the new millennium, going so far as to position difference as a commodity to be traded in the quest for fame. Using critical theory around celebrity culture, and through a close reading of a short celebrity-authored picture book, this paper demonstrates that far from being innocuous pieces of popular culture, such books beckon children into a world that increasingly values visibility and stardom above all else.

How shall we know them? Capturing the diversity of difference in Australian doctoral candidates and their experiences.

Although there is general agreement that doctoral students and their experiences are diverse, in what respect this is true is in question. Most institutional practices in the collection of data in this regard have been established to satisfy government reporting requirements and concerns, such as funding, participation and equity, and efficiency. Missing is more detailed and nuanced quantitative data and analysis, complementary to those of qualitative studies, to illuminate the nature and extent of doctoral student diversity and the effects on the quality of their candidacy. Drawing on select data and findings from a national survey of Australian doctoral candidates conducted in 2005, the article questions the utility of commonly used categories for quantitative data collection and analysis, and their use as the basis of (sub)groupings to represent doctoral diversity. In so doing, it presents a more complex picture of doctoral candidature that depicts the idiosyncrasy of the individual experience, as well as generic characteristics. Central to the argument is that doctoral candidates are diversely different, bringing varying goals, expectations, career histories and family and community responsibilities beyond the academy, that shape their engagement with their candidacy.

Declining woodland birds - Is our science making a difference?

Recent data from the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature show that 1240 of the world’s estimated 10 027 species of birds (12.4%) are listed as threatened (Hoffmann et al. 2010). Globally, many more are ‘declining’ in conservation status. In Europe, much attention has been given to the marked decline in the abundance and distributional extent of farmland birds associated with the intensification of agricultural production (Fuller et al. 1995; Donald et al. 2001). Recent analyses suggest woodland species alsomaynowbe experiencing significant declines (e.g. Hewson et al. 2007). In the Americas, the declining status of neotropical migrants has motivated considerable research over the last 30 years (e.g. Terborgh 1989; Robinson and Wilcove 1994). In the tropics, narrowly endemic land birds have been identified as those species most at risk of decline globally in coming decades owing to projected changes in land-use (Jetz et al. 2007). Particular taxonomic groups also are experiencing marked declines. Migratory shorebirds, for example, which depend on key stop-over sites for refuelling during intercontinental migration, are particularly vulnerable to the degradation and destruction of these sites (Barter 2002; Rogers et al. 2010). Such widespread change among the world’s avifauna has profound implications for global biodiversity, ecosystem function and the provision of ecosystem services (Sekercioglu 2006).

Zebra crossing : walking in two continents sharing and celebrating difference through music

I use the metaphor zebra crossing in my reflective narrative to describe my plight and struggle as a non-white person growing up and working in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the apartheid era. This article considers and compares the notions of culture, diversity and identity as I now work in a tertiary institution in Melbourne, Australia. I reflect on my teaching of African music and position myself as ‘the other’ at zebra crossings, as I create a space in multicultural Australia. By engaging in meaningful dialogue with music and culture, I contend, we do have opportunity to explore, experience and express music making and sharing globally. The inclusion and embracing of non-western music can serve as a dais for understanding and celebrating cultural difference not as distant experiences but as integral aspects of our daily lives.