Providing psychosocial support to special needs children: A case of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe

The AIDS pandemic has orphaned hundreds of thousands of children worldwide and most of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Being orphaned by AIDS creates peculiar circumstances which may affect the children's ability to benefit from regular education. The impact of vulnerability on children's well-being has been documented by UNAIDS, UNICEF and by other organizations and writers. This study sought to ascertain the effectiveness of implementing psychosocial support (PSS) among children who are orphaned by AIDS in improving their schooling outcomes. A total of 20 children with ages ranging from 10 to14 years, attending four different primary schools located in the rural wards of Mberengwa district of Zimbabwe were involved in this study. All the children showed signs of emotional need and they were lagging behind in their academic work. Psychosocial support was provided to these children over a period of eight months resulting in improvements in several areas, including schoolwork during and after the intervention period.     

Gender and sexuality in young children's perspectives of AIDS

Abstract

Responses to AIDS have often neglected children. Drawing on a qualitative study of young children aged 7–9 years, this paper draws attention to their understandings of HIV and AIDS. It is argued that young children are able to give meaning to the disease in ways that link to their social contexts, where gender inequalities and sexual violence are common. Sexuality is a key dimension through which they express knowledge of the disease. Young children do know the links between sex and AIDS, and connect vulnerability to the disease in gendered ways. To address the missing voices of young children requires coordinated efforts, requiring systemic responses which support teachers in initiatives to address taboo subjects like sexuality, as well as the pervasive poverty in which the children in our study are located.     

Experiences of HIV/AIDS Counselors in Zimbabwe and Their Perceptions on the State of HIV/AIDS Counseling in Zimbabwe

This study investigated Zimbabwean counselors' experiences of providing HIV/AIDS counseling and their perceptions about the state of HIV/AIDS counseling in Zimbabwe. The participants were a diverse group of counselors, 30 through 59 years of age, who provided counseling services to HIV/AIDS clients. Participants thought HIV/AIDS counselors in Zimbabwe received minimal support and supervision and were undertrained. They identified that the first sessions with clients were the most difficult. They also found it problematic to work with couples who were serodiscordant (one partner who is HIV positive and the other HIV negative) and couples wanting children. The later stages of the counseling process were also found to be challenging. Though the participants acknowledged they had negative psychological experiences when counseling HIV/AIDS clients, they also expressed feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment in their work.     

从综合治理角度论我国艾滋病防治对策

艾滋病(AIDS)是由人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)引起的严重传染病。该病流行迅速,病死率高,给社会造成严重威胁。如何遏制AIDS的流行态势是摆在我国政府、全体医务人员和社会工作者面前的重大课题。其防治应从流行病学、社会学和法学等多角度进行综合治理。     

HIV/AIDS educators: The challenges and issues for Namibian bachelor of education students

The Life Skills course is offered to Namibian students in grades eight through twelve. It includes lessons on HIV/AIDS, imparting information and equipping them with the necessary psycho-social skills to assist in reducing the risk of becoming infected. Teachers are the impetus for the success of the course. As such, research was undertaken to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and concerns of Namibian Bachelor of Education students in order to be effective HIV/AIDS educators. Findings determine a gap in knowledge about HIV/AIDS-related issues. Moreover, many students indicated reluctance and a lack of self-efficacy to properly implement HIV/AIDS education.     

HIV knowledge and risk among Zambian adolescent and younger adolescent girls: challenges and solutions

In sub-Saharan Africa, young women are at the highest risk of HIV infection. Comprehensive sexuality education and open parent–child communication about sex have been shown to mitigate risky sexual practices associated with HIV. This study aimed to identify sources of HIV prevention knowledge among young women aged 10–14 years and community-based strategies to enhance HIV prevention in Zambia. Focus group discussions were conducted with 114 young women in Zambian provinces with the highest rates (~20%) of HIV. Discussions were recorded, transcribed and coded, and addressed perceived HIV risk, knowledge and access to information. Participants reported that limited school-based sexuality education reduced opportunities to gain HIV prevention knowledge, and that cultural and traditional practices promoted negative attitudes regarding condom use. Parent–child communication about sex was perceived to be limited; parents were described as feeling it improper to discuss sex with their children. Initiatives to increase comprehensive sexuality education and stimulate parental communication about sexual behaviour were suggested by participants. Culturally tailored programmes to increase parent–child communication appear warranted. Community-based strategies aimed at enhancing protective sexual behaviour among those most at risk are essential.     

The socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on education outcomes in Uganda: School enrolment and the schooling gap in 2002/2003

Due to high prime-age mortality—a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge, the number of orphans in Uganda continues to rise. Using the 2002/2003 Uganda National Household Survey, this paper investigates how HIV/AIDS orphan status affects schooling enrolment and grade progression. Our results show that HIV/AIDS orphans are not significantly less likely to continue schooling but are by far more likely to fall below their appropriate grade. Furthermore, we find that the schooling gaps decreases at higher levels of household welfare status—poor HIV/AIDS orphans, especially aged 13–17 years, are significantly less likely to continue schooling.     

弱势群体的教育支持:发达国家的理念及其嬗变

发达国家对弱势群体进行教育支持的理念,经历了从宗教慈善到国家福利、从追求入学机会均等到学业成功的机会均等、从关注公平到公平、效率、自由兼顾的过程.当前我国政府应承担起对社会弱势群体进行教育支持的主要责任,注重效率,从关注入学机会均等(一个不能少)到逐步追求学业成功机会的均等(不让一个掉队).     

Embedded filming for social change: Learning about HIV/AIDS and rural development professionalism

Rural Development Professionals (RDPs) are key actors in processes of social change for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural areas. This article reports on the filming of a series of workshops and courses for RDPs in Ghana, India, Tanzania and Zambia. In this article the filming and the films are analyzed as tools for learning and social change for different audiences. Analyzing the production and consumption processes shows the interconnectedness of the filming and learning during the courses. The results indicate that the films contribute to improved rural development professionalism in the context of HIV/AIDS.     

In-service teacher training to provide psychosocial support and care in high-risk and high-need schools: school-based intervention partnerships

This article uses a South African case study to argue that postcolonial, emerging economy societies in transition often contain schools characterised as high risk and high need. Such schools require teachers to adapt to roles other than facilitating learning, such as psychosocial support and care, and which requires additional professional development. In the absence of structured teacher professional development programmes, alternatives are required to assist teachers. The paper describes a nine-year partnership between higher education researchers and teachers in high-risk and high-need schools in three South African provinces. The participatory reflection and action (PRA) study served as platform for a school-based intervention to assist in-service teachers to adapt to their additional responsibilities. Thematic analysis was used to identify the ways in which teachers’ adaptation to high risk benefitted from the programme, and self-determination theory is used to argue for a dynamic and interconnected relationship between the teachers’ demonstrated pathways to psychosocial support and care. The article argues that in socio-politically transforming societies where need is high for in-service teacher training and formal structures for teacher professional development may be limited, partnerships between researchers and teachers appear to be useful platforms for school-based interventions to support teacher resilience.     

五星教学模式对课程教学改革的启示

本文分析了五星教学模式产生的背景和宗旨,指出课程与教学改革要重视教学技术、使学习理论和教学理论的相容、聚焦分类教学策略、博采众家之长、潜心比较研究.     

Making the transition to post-secondary education: opportunities and challenges experienced by students with ASD in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Internationally there are increasing numbers of young people on the ASD spectrum attending higher education. Early transition planning is essential and students with ASD often require support to articulate their post-school educational goals and actively participate in transition planning meetings. Services within higher education are primarily designed to provide academic supports however, non-academic supports may be an even more crucial factor in enabling successful transitions for young people on the ASD spectrum who often experience heightened anxiety within an unfamiliar environment. Within this paper, the results of a small-scale exploratory study of the transition experiences of six young people on the ASD spectrum to post-secondary education will be shared. There was limited evidence that transition planning had been initiated as a formal process for the six students. Accessing support in higher education proved to be a complex process for some students who required sustained input from parents to ensure that they would utilise the supports available. Encouraging the development of self-determination skills, a key predictor of success in higher education, needs to begin in secondary school. It is anticipated insights from this study can contribute to the development of an embedded infrastructure to support effective transitions for students with ASD to post-secondary education.     

论高职教育科学发展应解决的若干问题

全面落实科学发展观,推进高等职业教育实现又好又快发展.高职院校必须着力解决以先进理念为指导加快发展、增强捕捉机遇意识提高发展能力、端正科学发展态度、由数量扩张向提高质量转变、学科专业建设实现快速发展、促进师生全面发展、优化育人环境和实施开放战略与国际化等一系列具体的现实问题,努力使高职教育成为区域高技能人才培养、知识创新、技术研发中心.确保在促进经济社会实现又好又快发展方面充分发挥不可替代的作用.     

《思想道德修养》课延扩时空教育实效之路的探索

作为探索《思想道德修养》课教育教学效果的研究课题，对整个学科进行整体性的改革，改变教育观念，重新规划学校德育体系、调整和充实教育内容和拓宽教育途径。发挥“双功能”教师队伍的优势，有机地融教育于管理之中和活动之中，利用校园、家庭和社会多方位育人，延长教育时间，扩展教育空间，为学生创造了良好的思想道德修养环境，突破传统教学模式，为完成道德教育总进程的完整实施探索出一条可行性的路子，同时形成一个高校思想道德教育的新模式。     

Responses to bullying and use of social support among pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream schools: a qualitative study

Increasing numbers of pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending mainstream schools. However, the available evidence suggests that they face a number of barriers that may prevent them from making the most of their education. In particular, recent research has suggested that they are more likely to be bullied, and typically report receiving more inconsistent social support than children with other or no special educational needs. In light of this, the aims of the current study were to identify the role social support plays in determining pupils' response to bullying and to identify barriers to the development and utilisation of social support when bullying occurs. Thirty‐six participants with ASD (age range 11–16 years), drawn from 12 secondary mainstream schools in the north‐west of England, were interviewed as part of a larger study examining inclusive education for this particular group of learners. Data were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis, and a theoretical framework for understanding the responses to bullying and use of social support among pupils with ASD was subsequently developed. Key themes in the framework included the role played by potential advocates and their perceived efficacy in providing support, pupils' relationship histories and a lack of trust in other people. These findings are discussed in relation to the growing literature on inclusive education for pupils with ASD.