The International Journal of Whole Schooling has retracted a 2007 article for what it calls “substantial” plagiarism.
The article, titled “The relations between parenting and adolescent motivation,” was written by Theiienhuong N. Hoang, an education researcher at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. The aim of the paper:
Parenting practices that influence or teach adaptive motivational and achievement outcomes are an aspect of a student’s success that are in need of consideration. This study will examine motivational outcomes, as predicted by parenting practices that may influence student behavior.
The purpose of this study is to expand upon the existing research on the relation between parenting practices and motivation.
By expand, it seems she meant restate.
According to the June 16 notice:
This retraction has been made by IJWS editor, Dr. Tim Loreman, because it has recently been discovered that this article has been substantially plagiarized, at times verbatim, from the following work:
Gonzalez, A., & Wolters, C. (2006). The relation between perceived parenting practices and achievement motivation in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 21(2), 203-217.
At the time of publication and up until this point the IJWS has been unaware that the Hoang (2007) article was not, in large part, the original work of the author. The IJWS wishes to recognize the article by Dr. Wolters and Dr. Gonzales as being the legitimate source of this work, apologize for any distress this circumstance may have caused, and thank them for bringing this matter to our attention.
We asked Loreman for a little more information on the case — when he learned of the plagiarism, for example, which would be interesting to know given what must be the small community of whole schooling scholars, and whether Hoang had any other publications in his journal. But he graciously demurred.
I do not think it would be prudent of me to discuss this matter over and above the publically available information posted in our retraction statement on the journal website. Throughout the investigation and retraction process we followed the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) with whom we are now affiliated. To ensure consistency we have asked that the various databases that store our journal content reflect the retraction in their materials, and they are in the process of doing so.
Dr. Hoang has not published any other articles in our journal.
We reached Hoang at her office but she told us to call back in a few minutes because she was with a student. When we tried again, no one answered.
Hoang’s article does refer to papers by Gonzalez and Wolters, education researchers in Houston, but not the one from 2006 that the retraction notice cites. We tried to contact them by phone and email but didn’t succeed.
So, what’s the story with the whole schooling movement? Here’s a bit from the website of the Whole Schooling Consortium:
The ultimate goal of Whole Schooling is to promote excellence and equity in schools to build inclusive and democratic societies. We seek to help children learn at their personal best and to become effective citizens for democracy — innovative leaders, workers, [p]arents, and community members who can create innovations and take responsibility for a better world. Whole Schools create cultures and utilize practices to achieve these aims that: (1) create learning spaces based on the needs of children learning together; (2) help children learn the tools and skills of genuine democracy; (3) create a sense of belonging, care, and community; (4) include all students in learning well together; (5) support learning through the efforts of peers, colleagues, and specialists in the classroom; (6) develop genuine partnerships between educators, parents, and the community; (7) engage children through authentic, multilevel, differentiated instruction — connecting learning to the real world and drawing on the gifts, voices, experiences, and cultures of all at the ‘just right’ level of each child; and (8) assessing students in ways that will contribute to learning.
To achieve this end, schools must create a culture and use a set of practices that engages children and youth in authentic problem-solving and exploration, a culture where personal best learning, care, and empowerment are central. Such schools are founded on Eight Principles and their associated practices.
(1) create learning spaces based on the needs of children learning together;”Create classrooms that address teaching needs of groups of children.” (2) help children learn the tools and skills of genuine democracy;”Teach the theory and practice of democracy.” (3) create a sense of belonging, care, and community; “Create a feeling of comfort and inclusion.”(4) include all students in learning well together; “include all students in cooperative learning.”(5) support learning through the efforts of peers, colleagues, and specialists in the classroom; “Include peers, colleagues, and specialists in the learning process..”(6) develop genuine partnerships between educators, parents, and the community; “Develop teacher, parent, and community contacts.”(7) engage children through authentic, multilevel, differentiated instruction — connecting learning to the real world and drawing on the gifts, voices, experiences, and cultures of all at the ‘just right’ level of each child; “Individualize teaching and include real world and cultural experience”(8) assessing students in ways that will contribute to learning; “Use testing to determine appropriate lesson plans.”
This is what I conclude is similar to the text produced by content farms, ie you know it already.
I stand by my previous conclusions that this is a good place to bury plagiarized low resolution research because no-one is going to read it.