Changes in domain specific self-perception amongst young people with intellectual disability: a longitudinal study

This study examines the changes that occur in multidimensional self-concept of adolescents with a diagnosis of intellectual disabilities, across gender and category of intellectual disability (borderline, mild, moderate) groups. A sample of 54 young people completed the Harter Self-Perception Profile. Using a three-wave longitudinal study conducted during their first year in a segregated special second-level school, stability and change in multiple domains of self-perception were examined. Findings indicate that gender and level of cognitive function are important variables in changes in self-perception across time, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of the special school population.     

Special education and minority ethnic young people in England: continuing issues

ABSTRACT

In countries that have developed special education (SE) provision, whether in segregated settings or ‘included’ in mainstream, racial, ethnic and immigrant minorities continue to be disproportionately represented. Explanations for placement in SE programmes continue to centre round assumptions of deficiencies in student abilities to learn and ‘behave’, their family backgrounds and communities. Many policy-makers, politicians, schools and teachers ignore or are ignorant of the historical background and social contexts in which these students are expected to learn. The article overviews some of this history and policy responses concerned with SE, low attainment and troublesome school behaviour in England, including recent evidence and current explanations for the placement of the students. A premise here is that research, policy and literature are still separating what is happening in ‘special’ education from other areas of education. This cannot continue, as world-wide moves towards inclusive education have meant that mainstream schools and colleges now incorporate (or still exclude) a range of students regarded as having learning difficulties or disabilities, and all young people are now expected to acquire some kind of qualification or be prepared for independent living.     

Family resources and mid‐life level of education: a longitudinal study of the mediating influence of childhood parental involvement

This paper draws on the concept of parental involvement, popular among educators and policy‐makers, in investigating differences in level of attained education by family background. The question is if parental involvement in children's schooling at age 14 acts as a mediator between family resources and mid‐life level of attained education. Using structural equation modeling we analyze longitudinal survey and register data of a Swedish metropolitan cohort born in 1953 (n = 3300). Several of the commonly used indicators of involvement are investigated, distinguishing between parents' involvement beliefs, such as educational aspirations and agreement with school curriculum, and involvement practices, such as reading children's schoolbooks and helping with homework. We find that parents' educational aspirations are an important mediator between family resources and attained level of education, while other involvement forms are related to academic performance only. We also find that parental involvement is greater in families with more resources, which leads us to warn against developments turning more responsibility for children's schooling over to parents. Unless sensitive to the diverse family contexts this might increase the importance of family resources for children's educational outcomes.     

Counselling refugee young people: an exploration of therapeutic approaches

This paper presents and discusses the key findings from a study that considered significant issues that affect refugees and asylum‐seekers, and explored beneficial counselling approaches relevant to this group. In‐depth narrative interviews were conducted with three counsellors and three specialist children’s support advisors. Data were analysed using the methods of comparative analysis and theme mapping from a grounded theory approach. The key findings reveal that counsellors do not work from a particular approach but adapt a variety of therapeutic methods to the needs of the child. In addition, they focus on the therapeutic relationship; take into account lack of safety and loss of home, traumatic experiences and impacts, and resilience of the child; stress that both short‐term and long‐term therapy is beneficial; and show a concern over lack of specialised training for counsellors and obstacles to accessing counselling. Understanding the needs of young refugees and asylum‐seekers in the United Kingdom and considering counsellors’ experiences and perspectives on approaches has highlighted implications for practice, which include the necessity for more counsellors to be culturally reflexive and open‐minded in working with this group. In addition, this study may influence the way in which higher education professionals can develop research on refugee children and incorporate relevant pastoral care across the curriculum to accommodate refugee children from a wide diversity of backgrounds and experiences.     

Choosing a secondary school for young people on the autism spectrum: a multi-informant study

Deciding on a secondary school for children with autism is notoriously difficult for parents. While current UK legislation emphasises the choice that parents of children with special educational needs should have in educational decision-making, there is a dearth of research in this area, which means that little is known about how parents come to make decisions about secondary school placements and the types of support, if any, they receive from professionals. The present study aimed to determine the factors that immediately influence secondary school choice for young people with autism in one London local authority from the perspectives of multiple informants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children with autism (n?=?7), young people themselves prior to secondary school entry (n?=?6), parent advisors (n?=?5) and secondary school professionals (n?=?5). Parents emphasised the anxiety and burden of the decision-making process. There was, however, substantial agreement among adult groups on the factors necessary for a successful secondary school placement: a nurturing, flexible and inclusive environment that emphasised both academic and life skills. Few adults, however, mentioned the importance of children's social relationships – a factor that featured prominently in the reports of young people. These findings highlight both the different perceptions of those involved in making decisions about the educational placements of children with autism and the challenges associated with weighing up these potentially conflicting perspectives. More work is needed to ensure both that information is transparent and accessible to all parents and that young people are actively involved in decisions that ultimately affect their lives.     

A cross-cultural exploration of parental involvement and child-rearing beliefs in Asian cultures

Parental involvement (PI) and child-rearing beliefs were examined amongst parents whose children attended state-run kindergartens across Singapore. A total of 244 parents completed an online survey consisting of a Child-Rearing Beliefs Scale, a PI Scale, and demographic details. Results indicated respondents were generally low-income earners with high rates of bilingualism. Two-thirds of parents had enrolled their kindergarten children in extra classes, with half of parents indicating that academic achievement was their highest priority. Ethnic differences were noted, with Chinese parents showing less involvement at home and school and less emphasis on the development of creative and practical skills and conforming behaviors than parents from other Asian backgrounds. This effect was independent from the effects of gender, parental education, and income. These results confirm the importance parents place on academic achievement in Singapore, but also, along with, extend prior research to suggest that inter Asian differences exist.     

The effects of school-based parental involvement on academic achievement at the child and elementary school level: A longitudinal study

Policymakers view parental involvement (PI) as a crucial component of school reform efforts, but evidence of its effect on student achievement is equivocal. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort dataset, we examined the long-term impact on student- and school-level achievement of three types of school-based PI: PI to help an individual's own child (private-good PI), PI to improve the school (public-good PI), and PI through peer networking. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that all three types raised student-level achievement in mathematics but only private-good PI was associated with reading achievement. Public-good PI and parent networking boosted school-level achievement. Public- and private-good PI were more strongly associated with student-level mathematics achievement for high socioeconomic status (SES) students; aggregated private-good PI was more strongly related to school-level achievement in low-SES schools. These results provide empirical evidence about the effectiveness of school-based PI, but also suggest a need for schools to explore more effective ways to leverage the social capital of low-SES families.     

Parental involvement in secondary education schools: the views of parents in Greece

The present study explores Greek parents’ views on parental educational involvement and its impact on adolescent scholastic and social development. Specifically, aspects of parental involvement such as the achieved objectives of current parent–school communication, the psychological climate dominating teacher–parent interactions and parents’ suggestions for improvement of current policies and practices are examined. Four hundred and seventy‐five parents participated in the study. Findings showed that family–school communication is believed to be insufficient in Greece, despite the fact that parents tend to: (1) regard their cooperation with teachers as determinative of adolescent academic and psychosocial development; (2) consider teachers to be friendly and caring; and (3) believe that secondary school provides some opportunities for constructive parental involvement. These paradoxes are discussed and explained as a result of radical changes in current social and educational values, principles and objectives.     

Chinese parental involvement and class-based inequality in education: the role of social networking sites

ABSTRACT

Based on an ethnographic study, this article presents the class-based disparities of Chinese parents’ usage of WeChat, the dominating social networking mobile application in China, in their educational involvement. We find that middle-class parents are the privileged ones who have exploited the use of WeChat not only as a medium for communication, but more as a mode of influence. Through WeChat, their various forms of capital are channelled to catalyse changes in their children's education. In contrast, working-class parents tend to act as absent participants in using WeChat for their educational involvement. We argue that WeChat has brought forth the consequence of widening the arena for winning or losing at the educational game for parents from different social classes. We call for corrective policies and guidelines on the usage of WeChat and other SNSs technologies in home–school dynamics.     

Scottish education: Changes in the examination structure in secondary schools

Conclusion Any examination system, to maintain its viability, must change in response to relevant pressures. When the Certificate examinations were introduced in 1888, their purpose was threefold: — to supplement the inspection of certain secondary-type schools; to establish uniform standards of attainment; to provide a Certificate acceptable to the universities and other examining or professional bodies. The first of these purposes was a temporary expedient, vital at that particular stage in the development of Scottish secondary education; the other two are still valid purposes today. Throughout the years, changes in the Certificate examinations have had two main aims: the encouragement of a widening of the curriculum to meet changing conditions, social, economic and industrial; and an easing of the pressure on secondary pupils. The introduction of the Ordinary grade in 1962 is entirely within this tradition; the projected Advanced grade is less clearly so;1) nevertheless, this departure may be the inevitable reaction to pressures to which the system has not previously had to respond.Whatever the final outcome may be, the emerging pattern of the examination structure in Scottish secondary education is at least evidence of an adaptability and resilience which critics of the system had feared it might no longer possess. It may even be the case that the future historian will regard 1962 as one of the key dates in Scottish education, paving the way for an extension of the provision of full secondary education, with a more relevant and vital curriculum, an examination structure geared to modern needs, and a consequent utilisation of talent which the country has always possessed, and can no longer afford to neglect.

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Schottische Erziehung: Veränderungen im Prüfungswesen

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Education ecossaise: Changements dans la structure des examens des ecoles secondaires

     

Digital technologies and parental involvement in education: the experiences of mothers of primary school-aged children

Abstract

This paper makes a contribution to the developing field of the political economy of educational technology and to an understanding of the significance of digital technologies for home-school relations. The digitalisation of social life is increasing and the impact of digitalisation on home-school relations, parents, and children is under-researched. This article draws on a new qualitative study where fifteen mothers were interviewed about parenting a primary school aged child in England with a focus on digital technologies, home-school relations, and parenting. I argue that processes of digitalisation are contributing to a bureaucratisation of home-school relations. Drawing on Weber’s social theory, I argue that managing communications and information is taking precedence over other aspects of parental involvement in education. In this process, digital technologies are contributing to increasing demands for involvement in education that are placed on parents, reinforcing the wider norms of the intensification and professionalisation of parenting.     

新疆青少年理想信念教育的紧迫性探析

青少年是祖国的希望,民族的未来。青少年是否具有远大的理想和坚定的信念,关系到21世纪我国社会主义现代化顺利实现的大局。新疆处在这种特殊复杂的社会背景下,为了新疆的和谐稳定、各民族团结和经济发展,加强新疆青少年理想信念教育就显得尤为重要,本文主要通过新疆青少年的生长生活环境、社会环境和自身因素三个大方面突出加强青少年理想信念教育的紧迫性和重要性。     

Mental health difficulties among young people on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools: a comparative study

Young people on the autistic spectrum (AS) may be at an increased risk of developing mental health difficulties, but to date research evidence has been equivocal and/or inadequate. The aim of the current study was to document the mental health profiles of adolescents on the AS, and to identify factors that contribute to difficulties in this area. Mental health profiles of a group of adolescents on the AS (N = 22) were compared with age, gender and special educational needs (SEN)‐provision‐matched control groups of adolescents with dyslexia (N = 21) and with no SEN (N = 23) using the Beck Youth Inventories. Additionally, five participants on the AS participated in semi‐structured interviews about their experience of school. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that adolescents on the AS experienced significantly greater anxiety, depression, anger and lower self‐concept than those with no SEN. They also experienced significantly greater anxiety and anger than those with dyslexia. Qualitative analysis revealed that problems in social relationships, understanding the nature of the AS and disruptions to routine were common contributory factors to the mental health difficulties of participants. However, interview data also revealed key coping strategies implemented by participants to help them overcome their difficulties. The implications of these findings are discussed, and methodological limitations are noted.     

Prioritizing the education of marginalized young people in Brazil: a collaborative approach

This paper explores constructions of the ‘new’ university student in the context of UK government policy to widen participation in higher education. New Labour discourse stresses the benefits of widening participation for both individuals and society, although increasing the levels of participation of students from groups who have not traditionally entered university has been accompanied by a discourse of ‘dumbing down’ and lowering standards. The paper draws on an ongoing longitudinal study of undergraduate students in a post–1992 inner‐city university in the UK to examine students' constructions of their experiences and identities in the context of public discourses of the ‘new’ higher education student. Many of the participants in this study would be regarded as ‘non‐traditional’ students, i.e. those students who are the focus of widening participation policy initiatives. As Reay et al. (2002) discovered, for many ‘non‐traditional’ students studying in higher education is characterized by ‘struggle’, something that also emerged as an important theme in this research. The paper examines the ways in which these new student identities both echo the New Labour dream of widening participation and yet continue to reflect and re‐construct classed and other identities and inequalities.     

Disadvantaged neighbourhoods and young people not in education,employment or training at the ages of 18 to 19 in England

There is a growing interest among researchers in the impact of locality on young people who are inactive and not engaged in education, employment or training (NEETs). Previous research on this, however, is rather limited and does not account for a number of characteristics that mediate the effects of disadvantaged neighbourhoods on transition outcomes. This study investigates the effects of neighbourhood context on young people who experience NEET status at the ages 18 to 19 in one cohort born in 1989/90 in the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE). The analyses control for a wide range of factors which may affect NEET status. Drawing on previous sociological theories, we develop a theoretical framework that specifies four levels of influence on young people’s development: individual, family, school and peer group characteristics. Potential pathways between neighbourhood context and individual outcomes are explored using a logistic regression model. We demonstrate that there is a higher probability for young people who live in high-crime areas to become NEETs in comparison to those who live in less-deprived areas.     

Including young people with disabilities: Assessment challenges in higher education

Within a European context, facilitating the increased participation of marginalized groups within society has become a cornerstone of social policy. In higher education in Ireland this has generally involved the targeting for support of individuals representing groups traditionally excluded on the grounds of socio-economic status. More recently, people with disability have been included in this consideration. This approach has tended to focus on physical access issues and some technical supports. However, access is multi-faceted and must include a review of pedagogic practices, assistive provision (technological and personal), student’s engagement with their workload (e.g. recording) and evaluation procedures: achieving accreditation levels commensurate with ability. This small-scale Irish study examined the experiences of two groups of young people with physical disabilities and with dyslexia in two higher education institutions. It was apparent that for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia, assessment practices were fraught with additional limitations. Assessment practices were mediated for these students through the physical environment, the backwash effect of assessment on curriculum, the availability and use of assistive technology, and through the attitudes of staff and students. It can be concluded that access issues within higher education have been inadequately conceptualized and as a result failed to address fundamental issues around assessment for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia.     

从中学物理教育探究科学态度及其评价(下)

三、结论与建议 １．主要结论 经过上文实验、分析与对比，可以得出如下结论。 ①《中学生科学态度评价量表》中的各个评价指标得到了我国部分科学教育界人士的认同与支持，符合中国的文化传统和思想认识；而且统计计算过程科学严谨；指标覆盖了态度的三种成分，内容较为完整、丰富，因此在内容效度方面具有一定的有效性。 ②经过样本测试，《中学生科学态度评价量表》与被试的物理考试成绩之间呈现高度正相关，与国外的《科学态度问卷》之间呈现一定的正相关，这进一步说明该量表具有一定的有效性和可靠性。 ③《中学生科学态度评价量表》…     

Domestic abuse prevention education: listening to the views of young people

This paper reports on findings derived as part of a two-year project funded by the European Union's Daphne III scheme, involving collaboration between seven partner organisations across six European countries. The project involved an evaluation, using questionnaires and focus groups, of domestic abuse prevention education programmes delivered in schools in the UK, France and Spain. This paper presents the findings from the UK focus group discussions, conducted with young people aged 10–11 years, and 13–14 years to explore their opinions about the intervention delivered in their school. The focus groups revealed the following challenges for service providers in this area: young people can misunderstand issues related to domestic abuse, especially the role of power and control within relationships; there is a tension between educators giving young people free expression to share their opinions and challenging sexism and other prejudices; and boys can become disengaged with gender-based interventions. These issues point towards three key considerations when implementing a domestic abuse prevention education intervention: programme content (the what); the teaching methods used (the how); and whether teachers or external organisations should deliver the programme (the who).     

Effective parental involvement in education: experiences and perceptions of Turkish teachers from private schools

Parental involvement has been associated with numerous student benefits. However, related literature reveals that neither parents nor teachers are content with the scope and depth of parental involvement in schools. This may be partly due to differential understandings that both sides have on the concept of parental involvement. In this study, teachers’ experiences and perceptions of effective parental involvement in the private middle school context of Turkey were examined. Participants are 38 teachers, from five different schools, who were selected by the maximum variation sampling technique. This study provides an insight into how teachers make sense of the educational involvement of the middle to high socio economic status (SES) parents with whom they theoretically share similar cultural capital. The findings of this collective case study demonstrate there are important misunderstandings and related tensions among parents and teachers over the roles of each party. Teachers believe that parents’ educational roles are mostly performed at home. On the contrary, parents are shown as having a higher desire to participate in educational decisions. This divergence between parents and teachers seems to decrease productive partnerships between the two parties. Future studies are needed in order to search for collaboration mechanisms that would work for all actors involved.     

Intimate partner violence prevention: using interactive drama for intimate relationship education with young people in Samoa

ABSTRACT

Globally, young people experience physical, sexual and emotion abuse within their intimate relationships. There is a need to explore creative, participatory sexual and relationship education that provides spaces for critical reflection regarding gender norms and approaches within intimate relationships. This study explores an interactive theatre intervention aimed at uncovering and analysing social and cultural influences affecting experiences and approaches within intimate relationships among young people in Samoa. Focus groups were conducted with the audience before and after a public, interactive theatre production. Focus groups aimed to capture shifts in understandings and perceptions as well as overall experiences related to participating in the production. Post production, participants showed a deepened of understandings related to social and cultural factors influencing approaches and actions within intimate relationships. Participants engaged in dialogue around new possible approaches to initiating and maintaining intimate relationships free from violence. Embodied learning opportunities appeared to contribute to feelings of empowerment to try out new responses in everyday life. Study findings highlight a role for drama in intimate relationship education and advocate for the inclusion of intersectionality informed approaches that uncover diversity within a group and acknowledge interactions between individuals’ social position(s) within complex social and cultural contexts.