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).     

Identifying some factors that might predispose drug abuse among learners in a South African township school

Abstract

This study inquires into some of the factors that might predispose the use and abuse of drugs among secondary school learners in a township school. The objective of this research is to identify these factors and to offer a few suggestions on how the abuse may be prevented. A quantitative research strategy is used and a document analysis technique has been incorporated to collect the data. Various hypotheses are stated. The independent variables used are: gender; age group; educational category; distance from school; and caregiver. The dependent variables used are: alcohol abuse; marijuana abuse; cigarette smoking; other drug abuse; total number of abuses; and outcomes at school. Statistically significant relationships are found between the following variables: distance from school and cigarette smoking; distance from school and other drug abuse; caregiver and marijuana abuse; and caregiver and total number of abuses.     

Dealing with the Aftermath of Child Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Three Case Examples

This paper is based upon three stories which were told by respondents in a study of how survivors, mothers of survivors and teachers of survivors cope in the aftermath of child sexual abuse. These stories relate to interactions in the school or workplace and are discussed within the broader context of existing stereotypes and assumptions about abuse. The paper argues that assumptions about abuse can affect outcomes and can cause distress to others who become involved in dealing with it.     

Dealing with the Aftermath of Child Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Three Case Examples

This paper is based upon three stories which were told by respondents in a study of how survivors, mothers of survivors and teachers of survivors cope in the aftermath of child sexual abuse. These stories relate to interactions in the school or workplace and are discussed within the broader context of existing stereotypes and assumptions about abuse. The paper argues that assumptions about abuse can affect outcomes and can cause distress to others who become involved in dealing with it.     

School collaborations within the contemporary English education system: possibilities and constraints

This paper’s focus is on an alliance of schools in England that came together as part of the National Teaching Schools initiative. Drawing on interviews from Head Teachers within the alliance, the paper explores issues of school collaboration from a premise that such collaboration is paramount to school improvement within the current climate of increased school autonomy and increasingly rigid accountabilities. The Head Teachers highlight key factors that supported effective school-to-school collaborations associated with sharing their expertise and fostering active and cooperative connections. They also, however, highlight factors that undermined genuine collaboration associated with a prioritising of the performative demands and economic imperatives of the audit culture. The impact of this prioritising should, it is argued, be considered in any analysis of school collectives within the current English education system – particularly given their proliferation and the responsibility placed on them in terms of school improvement.     

Child sexual abuse prevention education: A review of school policy and curriculum provision in Australia

The past four decades have seen increasing public and professional awareness of child sexual abuse. Congruent with public health approaches to prevention, efforts to eliminate child sexual abuse have inspired the emergence of prevention initiatives which can be provided to all children as part of their standard school curriculum. However, relatively little is known about the scope and nature of child sexual abuse prevention efforts in government school systems internationally. This paper assesses and compares the policies and curriculum initiatives in primary (elementary) schools across state and territory Departments of Education in Australia. Using publicly available electronic data, a deductive qualitative content analysis of policy and curriculum documents was undertaken to examine the characteristics of child sexual abuse prevention education in these school systems. It was found that the system-level provision occurs unevenly across state and territory jurisdictions. This results in the potential for substantial inequity in Australian children’s access to learning opportunities in child abuse prevention education as a part of their standard school curriculum. In this research, we have developed a strategy for generating a set of theoretically-sound empirical criteria that may be more extensively applied in comparative research about prevention initiatives internationally.     

Verbal abuse in school. Constructions of gender among 14‐ to 15‐year‐olds

Verbal abuse has been identified as a common element in the life of children in school. This paper explores how this discursive practice is used in the construction of masculinities and femininities among children aged 14–15 through observations and interviews in classes in two schools in Stockholm. Verbal abuse, often with sexual content, contributed to ‘toughness’, a central component of hegemonic masculinity in the schools. Popular, tough boys generated most of the verbal abuse, but were not necessarily regarded as verbally abusive; rather, responsibility for the bulk of verbal abuse was attributed to ‘rowdy’ boys. Girls’ verbal abuse was not similarly advantageous for their femininity; instead, both through being verbally abusive and being the target of abuse, girls risked being positioned negatively. It appears that verbal abuse in school simultaneously orders masculinities and femininities, and structures heterosexual relations between the genders.     

Development and initial validation of a scale to measure emotional abuse among school children aged 13-15 years in Sri Lanka

OBJECTIVE: To develop a scale to measure emotional abuse among school children aged 13-15 years in Sri Lanka that can be used in field settings. METHOD: Emotional abuse was defined based on available literature. Review of literature and discussions with a panel identified 85 items indicating abusive behaviors. Content validity and social acceptability were achieved by getting the views of this same panel and parents, respectively. Item analysis and assessment of validity were carried out based on the responses to the draft instrument by 105 children aged 13-15 years attending a school in an urban slum area. The test-retest reliability of the scale was assessed using the responses from 144 students from a different school. Criterion validity was established by comparing the independent assessments of a psychiatrist for the presence or absence of emotional abuse with the respective scores of the children on the scale. RESULTS: The scale developed to assess emotional abuse included 46 items having a Cronbach alpha of .89. The test-retest reliability was .73. A cutoff score of 95 was identified at a sensitivity of 76.9% and a specificity of 51.4%. CONCLUSIONS: A scale that had a satisfactory level of reliability and validity was socially acceptable, which could be used in school settings in Sri Lanka was developed to enable identification of emotional abuse among school children aged 13-15.     

Developmentally appropriate criteria for evaluating sexual abuse prevention programs

Many sexual abuse prevention programs originally designed for school children are inappropriately used with preschool children. Programs used with young children need to take into consideration their unique learning abilities. This paper uses a developmentally appropriate practice framework as a guide in helping early childhood professionals evaluate sexual abuse prevention programs.     

The Resources and Strategies Boys Use to Establish Status in a Junior School without Competitive Sport

The data in this paper comes from an ethnographically based study of Year 6 (10-11-year-old) boys in an English junior school. It investigates the resources and strategies used and created by the boys to classify themselves, and to construct and perform their masculinity in a tightly regulated school where competitive sport (including playground football) is prohibited for the majority of the school year. The paper considers the relationship between the formal school culture and informal pupil culture, and, in particular, the options open, limited and closed to the boys to construct their masculinities and establish status/prestige within their immediate peer group. One option open was being able to work hard in class without peer reprovement, but despite the limitation of competitive games/sport, the most favoured form of masculine status was still exemplified by embodied forms of athleticism and physicality. The paper also explores another way of gaining status, which was by a form of verbal abuse known as 'cussing': this was a pervasive and prevalent part of school life, and is viewed as another form of competitive, stylised performance.     

The school: Liberator or censurer?

The community is faced with an increasing number of children suffering from social and emotional difficulties. As all children attend school, this is a highly suitable place to examine possible means of identifying and helping children suffering from social and emotional difficulties. For the last 20 years most schools have lagged in their adjustment to the full range of needs of students. They act as a censurer by: domination of academic requirements causing many to fail; failure to meet the expressed needs of children; inadequate teacher training; too little help given to children and often too late; uncoordinated assistance within the school or with community agencies; and by not reducing peer abuse. The school can play a significant role in child development, but for the child with adjustment difficulties coherent assistance is rarely offered. The school can liberate by: recognition of the needs of non-academic children; recognition of the affective needs of all; providing affective training for selected teachers; giving appropriate curriculum time for a programme in personal growth and social relationships; by developing a multidisciplinary community agency which interacts with the school. A model is proposed outlining how effective intervention will break and prevent the cycle of abusive behaviour. This programme proceeds sequentially through each grade. Basically it is one of effective student group interaction in the presence of a specially selected and trained group leader. Such a programme contributes to change in school philosophy, and increases the possibility of the child becoming a more adequate adult/parent. Negative emotional effects of bureaucracy and the Australian school institution on children are discussed. This paper looks critically at schools, outlines some ways in which such abuse is manifested and discusses how the schools can become factors in healing as well as preventing abuse.     

The politics of Britishness: multiculturalism,schooling and social cohesion

This paper is set against a backdrop of contemporary concerns about Britishness. It explores the dominant view that unprecedented levels of cultural diversity within western contexts such as the UK are undermining social cohesion and are attributable to minority groups’ failure to connect or assimilate with mainstream ‘British’ (read White Anglo) culture. The paper focuses on how these issues play out for several of the key teachers at ‘Hamilton Court’, a large English comprehensive multicultural school. Despite the school being a socially cohesive space, these teachers were concerned with students’ lack of affiliation with ‘British’ culture. The paper examines these concerns through critical lenses that problematise reductionist and racialised understandings of Britishness and assumptions that associate an affiliation with Britishness with generating social cohesion. Against this backdrop, the paper provides further warrant for continued critical discussion about issues of Britishness, multiculturalism and schooling.     

Evolutionary trajectories in school assessment systems: the case of Bhutan

The purpose of this paper is to trace the evolution of school assessment in Bhutan, briefly, as a background to considering the present and future school assessment issues especially as they relate to quality concerns and educational improvement in Bhutan. A benchmark for Bhutan, the National Educational Assessment (NEA) programme in Bhutan was inspired by a 2002 initiative in South Asia funded by the World Bank. In this paper, we address how the 2003 NEA was developed. Emerging issues are discussed including methods of reporting and the concept of “benchmarking” in three senses of that term. Technical issues are also addressed in the context of the desire to administer another comparative NEA in 2010. Out of these developments, the Bhutan Board of Examinations has developed ideas about expanding access to system-wide assessment data to different levels of stakeholders in order to achieve improvements. A 2x2 matrix is provided identifying four key questions around judgments of educational achievement at two key levels (system and school) within and between these levels. This matrix represents a model of the evolution of assessment in Bhutan. This paper should be of interest to education systems in developing countries that have undertaken or intend to undertake national educational assessment programmes.     

Hints to the New Teacher

Although the actual causes of alienation are complex and perhaps situation-specific, recent research clearly demonstrates connections between adolescent alienation and the school environment. With public concern over increases in teenage suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, pregnancy, and violence, schools must find ways to decrease students' feelings of alienation, if possible.

Proposed here are nine interventions that address many of the issues surfacing in research on alienated adolescents' perceptions of the school environment. All nine can be implemented fairly easily; the resources are available to nearly every school in the country. There is little that we, as educators, can do about students' socioeconomic status, ethnic affiliation, or academic ability. What we can change, however, is the school setting—students' relationships with each other, teachers' relationships with students, the learning experiences provided in the school, and the attention given to student concerns.     

School and program related factors influencing disclosure among children participating in a school-based childhood physical and sexual abuse prevention program

BackgroundSchool-based child abuse prevention programs were created to provide knowledge so that children can recognize abuse, teach skills that decrease children’s risk for abuse, normalize the disclosure process, and provide a pathway for children who may be experiencing abuse to report the abuse.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore school and program factors that trainers in a school-based prevention program believed were associated with disclosure among youth from kindergarten through 12th grade.Participants and settingThis study is based on eighteen trainers and administrators who work with the Play it Safe!® school-based program in Dallas-Fort Worth area.MethodsUsing the qualitative case study method, in-depth interviews were conducted.ResultsData analysis revealed three factors that influenced disclosure: school, school personnel, and program features. The school-related factor was time allotted to the training. The school personnel-related factors were disengagement, ambiguity concerning abuse, prior history with children, and professionals’ personal history of abuse. Finally, the program-related factors were the core messages of the training, providing specific examples, and repetition of the program. To date, there is a dearth of studies that explore the role that schools and school personnel play in the disclosure process.ConclusionChild abuse has devastating effects on children’s physical, social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Understanding more about schools, personnel, and program-related factors that lead to disclosure, which are more amenable to change, is critical to ensuring the safety of children.     

The possibilities and limitations of applying ‘open data’ principles in schools

Large quantities of data are now being generated, collated and processed within schools through computerised systems and other digital technologies. In response to growing concerns over the efficiency and equity of how these data are used, the concept of ‘open data’ has emerged as a potential means of using digital technology to democratise data access and use within whole school communities. Drawing on participatory design research in two Australian secondary schools, this paper explores the possibilities of making existing school data openly available in digitised form for teachers, administrators and students to access, interpret and use. The results of these interventions – while only partially successful – provide valuable insights into the technical, informatic, organisational and social issues surrounding the use of data in schools. The paper concludes by considering the practical and theoretical limitations of attempting to democratise data engagement within school settings.     

The Development of Peer Support in Secondary Schools

There is now a heightened awareness of the need for schools to provide a safe environment in which children can learn. However, issues and incidents of bullying are still high on most school agendas. The pastoral care of children during school hours includes an emphasis on loco parentis and within this brief anti-bullying strategies have to be seen to work. Peer support is one such strategy that is becoming increasingly prevalent as schools attempt to create a safer and supportive environment for their pupils. This paper records the development and progress of this type of peer intervention scheme.     

The management of child abuse and neglect cases in schools: The Toronto model

School staffs have a major role in the prevention, identification and referral of cases of child abuse and neglect School administrators, teachers and school support staffs require knowledge about abuse and neglect, as well as a clear set of guidelines and procedures for dealing with it if they are to carry out these responsibilities effectively.The Toronto Board of Education has developed a program that has involved superintendents, principals, teachers, pupil personnel staff, caretakers, secretaries and community resources in an educational program oriented to the management of child abuse cases in their schools. The Board's Child Abuse Committee has developed a document which outlines employees' responsibilities under the legislation, provides assistance in the identification of child abuse and neglect cases, and outlines procedures for referral both internally and to the community. The document was used as the base for an extensive staff development program during the school year 1979–1980, in which all of the system's 6,000 school based employees participated.The Toronto Board's Child Abuse Program incorporated the establishment of the position “Resource Person, Child Abuse” for the purpose of consultation with school staffs, as well as the ongoing provision of resource material and staff training.The paper outlines the development of the program, includes guidelines and procedures for school staffs, the legislation under which it operates, the content of the training program, and an evaluation of the program with suggestions for replication.     

Book review

This paper aims to examine the experiences of pupils and professionals who are affected by actual or threatened permanent exclusion (what used to be called being expelled) from school. An ethnographic study based on the writer’s employment within secondary schools and the Children’s Services department of an urban local authority in England explores the idea that professionals may be forced to make decisions about pupils in the face of powerful competition between the politically unchallengeable concepts of tolerance, inclusivity, attainment, and choice. The paper argues that the tensions of multi‐agency working are focussed within what will be called the contested space of the pupil’s ‘extended body’. Permanent exclusion, along with its tendency to prompt a pathological reading of a pupil’s issues, is therefore seen as an authoritarian strategy designed to ameliorate the inherent paradoxical tension experienced by the various professionals working within an education system dedicated to the concept of ‘full inclusion’ but measured and funded on the grounds of academic league tables.