Young people’s everyday romance and sexual experiences in relation to sex-related conversations with parents: a diary study in the Netherlands

This study builds on existing research into how young people’s emergent sexual development is connected to parent–child sex-related communication through avoidance vs. disclosure. Over the course of one year, a total of 21 young people (age range 12–17.5) reported in longitudinal qualitative diaries their (1) everyday sexual experiences and (2) sex-related conversations with their parents. Using a mixed-methods approach, findings show that less sexually experienced participants reported greater avoidance of parent–child sex-related conversations than more experienced participants. The sex-related conversations of more experienced participants mainly concerned overt experiences in the form of everyday issues with their romantic partner, while the conversations of less experienced participants were characterised by more covert experiences such as opinions about romantic relationships in general. These results suggest that the degree to which young people feel comfortable talking about sexuality with their parents partly depends on when the conversation takes place during a young person’s romantic and sexual development.     

Positive teacher–student relationships go beyond the classroom,problematic ones stay inside

The authors voice teachers' perceptions of their interpersonal experiences with students in both positive and problematic relationships. Interview data from 28 teachers were examined by coding utterances on teacher and student interactions. Results indicate that teachers defined the quality of the relationship mostly by the level of communion (friendly vs. hostile), instead of by the level of agency (in control vs. powerless). Analyses of mentioned teacher and student behavior show a friendly interactional pattern for positive relationships and a hostile pattern for problematic ones. In teachers' perceptions, positive and problematic relationships also differed in context where encounters take place and topic of talk. Contrary to interactions in problematic relationships, encounters in positive relationships were mostly situated outside the classroom context and conversations during these encounters covered a wide range of topics. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.     

Supporting children’s transition to school age care

While a great deal of research has focused on children’s experiences as they start school, less attention has been directed to their experiences—and those of their families and educators—as they start school age care. This paper draws from a recent research project investigating practices that promote positive transitions to school and school age care. Data were generated through questionnaires, document analysis, visits to sites and conversations with a wide range of participants. In this paper, data related to school age care are reported. The results emphasise the importance of communication in the development of strong positive relationships among all those involved in transition. The practices identified as effective reflect the principles of My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia, and are aligned with the Transition to School: Position Statement, which focuses on the opportunities, expectations, aspirations and entitlements for all during educational transitions. Drawing on these practices, possibilities for enhanced professional practice are explored.     

日常会话中的语用模糊现象

作为一种交际策略,语用模糊是说话人为了达到某种交际目的而有意识地使用模糊语言的一种普遍现象。以日常会话为例,就认知观、关联论、顺应论等方面讨论了语用模糊现象,分析了其产生的原因,在交际中的积极作用,以及限制和消除模糊的手段。     

基于说话人视角下善意谎言的语用分析

善意的谎言是言语交际中的一种常见的语言现象,也是一种必不可少的语用策略,它能够对言语交际的顺利进行和说话人良好人际关系的维持起着十分重要的作用。基于说话人的视角,从语用学角度分析,认为善意谎言产生的动因主要有合作原则和期望原则。将原有的合作原则的相关准则进行了补充和修改,并试探性地提出了＂期望原则＂及其相关准则。     

Sex and Risk: Parental Messages and Associated Safety/Risk Behavior of Adult Children

The importance of both parent–child conversations about sex and general family communication climates has been emphasized in numerous studies. This study compared general family communication via family communication patterns (FCP) to specific parental communication about sex in understanding young adults’ sexual communication/risk (avoidance, threat, and risk behavior). Results suggest that FCP were stronger predictors of adult children’s perceptions of sexual communication as threatening and overall avoidance of sexual communication with their partners compared to the frequency of and overall quality of parent–child conversations about sex. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.     

Teenagers in cyberspace: an investigation of language use and language change in internet chatrooms

This article reports on a small‐scale investigation into the use of Internet chatrooms by teenage girls. Based on interview and observational data, it illustrates how the use of popular electronic communication is resulting in linguistic innovation within new, virtual social networks in a way that reflects more wide‐reaching changes in the communication landscape. The paper suggests that teenagers and young people are in the vanguard of these processes of change as they fluently exploit the possibilities of digital technology, radically changing the face of literacy. The study looks at teenagers’ perceptions of chatroom encounters and their learning about new ways of social and linguistic interaction. Observations of teenagers online show how rapid written conversations which combine features of face‐to‐face talk with explorations in interactive writing and the exchange of additional digital information, such as image files and web addresses, are enabling these young people to develop sophisticated and marketable skills. These innovations are contrasted with recent media and educational criticism of the language use associated with new technology. This tension between change and conservatism is explored by applying Bourdieu’s concept of ‘linguistic capital’.     

Developing positive school–home relationships through structured conversations with parents of learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Parents play a crucial role in their children's education, and their active involvement can lead to better outcomes. However, evidence suggests that parental engagement and confidence among perhaps the most vulnerable group of learners – those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – may be lower than for those without difficulties. We report on research exploring a model for developing positive home–school relationships, known as ‘structured conversations with parents’, which was implemented as part of a comprehensive intervention to improve outcomes for learners with SEND (the Achievement for All pilot). Our research design utilised both quantitative and qualitative elements, including school‐level surveys, parent questionnaires, interviews with key personnel and stakeholders, and case studies of pupils/parents in participating schools across 10 local authorities in England. Our analyses suggest that the structured conversations with parents were successful in achieving their intended outcomes, albeit with important caveats in relation to issues of individual differences, implementation fidelity/adherence and sustainability.     

Conversational strategies of teachers using three methods of communication with deaf children

Teacher control over conversations with deaf pupils using oral/aural only, signed English or cued speech communication, was related to pupil response, including taking initiative in conversations, misunderstanding the teacher, and length of contributions to the conversation. As teacher control over the conversation and repair of "wrong" contributions increased, pupil initiative and length of contribution decreased and misunderstanding of teachers increased. Different methods of teacher communication produced few differences in response; those that did occur mostly favored pupils of teachers using signed English. Few significant differences were found in the distribution of different types of conversational moves among teachers using the different methods of communication.     

Preschool + school + communication = What for educator relationships?

Communication between educators in preschool and school settings has been promoted consistently in research literature and policy as a practice to enhance children’s transition to school. Underlying the practice are the assumptions that communication between educators is (a) a way of building on children’s learning and responding to their diverse needs and interests as they start school and (b) a means of developing positive relationships between educators. Whilst it is an advocated practice, there has been little research about the consequences of preschool–school communication or exploration of the ways in which the practice might support positive transition experiences. This paper specifically addresses what happens for educators as a result of preschool–school interactions. The communication experiences of preschool and school educators reported in an online questionnaire provide important insights into the impact of intersetting communications, particularly on educator relationships. Most outcomes for relationships between educators in preschool and school settings were reported to be positive. However, the results contest the notion that preschool–school communication automatically results in the development of positive relationships; relationships which support collaboration between educators as children start school.     

Peer conferences in calculus: the impact of systematic training

This paper describes an intervention for improving the quality of peer assessment conferences in calculus. Although a body of work highlights the learning benefits of peer assessment, few papers have described the nature of student conversations during peer conferences/assessment in detail. This paper provides deeper insight into what those conversations actually look like, and shows the impact of systematic training on conferences. The study took place over two consecutive semesters of introductory college calculus, and analyses show that students had considerably improved conversations after training. The improved conversations consisted of much more on-topic talk and productive feedback; after training, students provided more feedback related to processes (communication and underlying reasoning) than products (correctness or incorrectness).     

“This is kind of giving a secret away...”: students’ perspectives on effective class management

Class management is a critical challenge for educators. Previous management research focused largely on the teacher, ignoring the impetus and target of teacher action, the student. It was the purpose of this study to examine students’ perspectives on teachers’ behaviors that impeded or contributed to effective class management. Interviews with 182 students focused on student behavior and teacher practices. The conversations were recorded and later transcribed. The interview data were analyzed using constant comparison methods. Despite the widely varying school contexts, students provided consistent reports that effective managers set early, consistent standards, and developed positive relationships with students.     

Assessment of Intergenerational Communication and Relationships

The revolution in communication technology has resulted in more age-segregated conversation among adolescents. In a similar way, older adults have increased online conversations with their peers. This article explores some obstacles that prevent the intergenerational connections needed for mutual understanding and care. Several research emphases are described that together define the complexity of intergenerational dialogue. The concerns provided for consideration include (a) age-segregated communication practices of adolescents and older adults, (b) willingness of older people to disclose personal opinions and feelings to younger people, (c) need for general adoption of the reciprocal learning concept to support harmony, (d) amount of time spent with adolescents as a predictor of parent and grandparent success, (e) learning expectations for later life that contribute to productive aging, and (f) recognition of the leadership role that adolescents should assume to reconnect the generations. Attitude and behavior change are recommended for older adults, adolescents, parents, educators, and school stakeholders.     

Effects of Visual Spatial Structure on Textual Conversational Multitasking

Textual computer-mediated communication gives rise to conversational multitasking—participation in several concomitant synchronous textual conversations. This study examined how this communication competence is affected by several visual parameters—the distance between conversation windows, number of windows, and window size. Results show that comprehension of concomitant textual conversations is not affected by the distance between conversation windows, and that the advantage of separating conversation threads into distinct windows is greater when overall window size is larger. This study considers the implications and applications of these results to communicative multitasking phenomena, in general, which become prevalent in technologically advanced societies.     

Sticking points: Sites for developing capacity to enact socially just instruction

Preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) to enact socially just instruction, especially in fieldwork contexts, remains a challenging, understudied goal addressed by this research. Analysis of data from two qualitative studies reveals how Daybook conversations served as pedagogical and discursive spaces that helped PSTs negotiate conflicts, or sticking points, which emerged in their fieldwork. Their rehearsals during these conversations enabled PSTs to create space for instructional experimentation to enact socially just instruction. The article offers possibilities for modeling with and for PSTs how their teaching can work to disrupt systems of inequity across relationships, diverse teaching contexts, and time.     

Patterns of interaction in family relationships and the development of identity exploration in adolescence

The purpose of this research was to develop a model of individuation in family relationships that focuses on communication processes, and to assess the links between them and adolescent identity exploration. Expressions of the 4 dimensions of the model--self-assertion, separateness, permeability, and mutuality--were predicted to be positively associated with identity exploration in adolescents. A sample of 84 Caucasian, middle-class, 2-parent families, each including an adolescent and 1 or 2 siblings, was observed in a Family Interaction Task designed to elicit the expression and coordination of a variety of points of view. Multiple regression analyses revealed differentiated results concerning father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, mother-daughter, and marital relationships as well as both positive and negative contributions of communication variables to identity exploration when verbal ability and sociability were controlled. Results are discussed in terms of recent formulations of the progressive redefinition of the parent-child relationship during adolescence.     

Improving the work climate in a TVET college through changing conversations

Abstract

As an HRD manager in a college, I am responsible for employee wellness within the organisation. However the culture of the college in which I work is toxic, characterised by bullying, destructive leadership, gossip and victimisation. Such a culture is difficult to change and requires a different approach to the expert-led, training interventions that are underpinned by diagnostic organisational development. In this article, I provide evidence that supports my claim that a participatory action research approach, embedded within a dialogic organisational development paradigm, succeeded in improving the work climate as it enabled individuals to identify the factors which contributed to the toxic environment and take action to improve it. The participatory methods employed allowed the x participating college mangers to deal with their own feelings, and enabled them to describe and evaluate the workplace climate as toxic. Armed with a discourse to discuss the problem, they were able to move from helplessness and self-blame to acceptance of responsibility for change. Viewing the problem as a systemic issue enabled them to understand how to modify their practice to embody life-enhancing values that diminished the toxic patterns of communication. By changing conversations, negativity was diminished and negative interactions were replaced by more positive workplace relations. The process described in this account of my learning may be useful to improve the climate in other similarly toxic workplaces.