Disciplining children: characteristics associated with the use of corporal punishment

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Social Situational Model of Family Violence through an examination of characteristics associated with the use of ordinary and severe corporal punishment as measured by the Parents-Child Conflict Tactics Scales. METHOD: Logistic Regression used to examine the validity of the model using data from a national sample conducted by the Gallup Organizations. RESULTS: Those with fewer resources (lower income, lower educational attainment) were more likely to be use severe corporal punishment. In addition, those who had been more likely to be socialized into the use of violence were also more likely to use severe corporal punishment. CONCLUSIONS: The social situational model of family violence was supported suggesting that increased efforts be made to give these parents the resources they need to implement alternative discipline strategies.     

A look at corporal punishment and some implications of its use

The author notes several legal, social, philosophical and educational attitudes common to Canada and the United States which have, for centuries, characterized the uses of corporal punishment with children. Specifically, corporal punishment is viewed as a technique for developing discipline within the school system. Inconsistencies in both Canada and the U.S. are noted regarding court decisions and their application in the classroom. Recent revisions to The Ontario Child Welfare Act are discussed in light of its implications for parents and teachers who physically punish their children or students. Research findings related to corporal punishment and their implications for schools are cited. Negative side-effects of administering punishment are also described. The evidence suggests that corporal punishment besides being an ineffective learning technique, is not the uncomplicated, quick solution many may think it. The author concludes by proposing that because of their important role in the lives of developing children and considering the resources devoted to teacher training, teachers should be held as legally accountable for their use of corporal punishment with children as parents are. As well, he indicates the need for (1) increased teacher training in the areas of child management, classroom management and interactional processes; (2) greater opportunity to devise creative problem-solving strategies; and (3) a re-ordering of priorities at universities, colleges and faculties of education which would benefit not only teachers, but ultimately their students.     

A cross-cultural examination of use of corporal punishment on children: a focus on Sweden and the United States

It appears that Sweden and the United States may be a study in contrasts regarding the sanction and use of corporal punishment on children. A 1979 study of American parents noted that 81% of them employed corporal punishment with children. A different study done in Sweden in 1978 noted that only 26% of parents used corporal punishment with children. What points to the differences in these parenting patterns within the two countries? In addition, a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court case entitled Ingraham vs. Wright ruled that “schools are empowered to carry out corporal punishment.” This court case involved two high school boys in Florida who had been repeatedly struck with wooden paddles. In contrast, Sweden had statutes which prohibited corporal punishment of children in their secondary schools as early as the 1920s. In 1957, the country passed a law which defined corporal punishment as unacceptable for small children in the schools. Then, in 1979, the Swedish government passed a statute prohibiting corporal punishment by parents. Are there differences in the way the two countries view law and its uses? Or, do the cultures sanction violence in general or just violence against children in different ways? This article examines some of the similarities and differences found in American and Swedish treatment of children and proposes what appear to be extreme differences in the way the countries and their people approach corporal punishment.     

Understanding the mediating role of corporal punishment in the association between maternal stress,efficacy, co-parenting and children's adjustment difficulties among Arab mothers

This study, guided by the Family Systems Theory, examines the direct effect of maternal use of corporal punishment on children's adjustment difficulties. Also, it explores whether corporal punishment serves as a mediating factor in the relationship between several maternal characteristics, marital relationships, and children's adjustment difficulties. A total of 2,447 Arab mothers completed anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaires. The use of corporal punishment was generally strongly supported by the Arab mothers in our sample. A greater likelihood of using corporal punishment was found among mothers of boys rather than girls, among mothers with lower perceived self-efficacy to discipline children, and among mothers with a lower perception of their husbands’ participation in child-related labor. In addition, the higher a mother's reports on disagreement with her husband about discipline methods and the stronger her level of maternal stress, the more likely she was to use corporal punishment. Corporal punishment also mediated the association between the above mentioned factors and child adjustment difficulties. Furthermore, a husband's emotional support and family socioeconomic status were directly associated to children's adjustment difficulties. The results of the current study emphasize the need to observe children's development within the context of their family systems and to consider the mutual influences of different subsystems such as marital relationships and mother–child interactions. Prevention and intervention programs should raise parents’ awareness concerning the harmful effects of corporal punishment and take into account the impact of dynamic transactions of parental conflicts and disagreements regarding discipline methods on child outcomes.     

Harsh corporal punishment of Yemeni children: occurrence, type and associations

OBJECTIVE: To examine the occurrence, type and associations of harsh corporal punishment in Yemen. METHODS: Caregiver and teacher reports were obtained on 1,196 Yemeni 7-10-year olds obtained by systematic random sampling of children in the 1st to 4th grades of urban and rural schools. Caregivers (86% mothers) reported on disciplinary practices, socio-familial background, and child psychopathology. Teachers reported on school performance and child psychopathology. RESULTS: More than half of the rural caregivers and about a quarter of the urban caregivers reported using harsh corporal punishment (hitting children with implements, tying them up, pinching them, or biting them). Harsh corporal punishment was significantly associated with poor school performance and both behavioral and emotional difficulties. The socio-familial factors that were independently associated with harsh corporal punishment were: rural area, male gender of the child, low maternal education, and large family size. CONCLUSION: Harsh corporal punishment is very common in Yemen. International findings suggest that the association with school failure and psychological maladjustment may well be causal. Promoting parental use of effective and non-violent disciplinary methods should be a public health priority. Practice implications: Yemen urgently needs to develop and evaluate programs that teach parents how to use culturally appropriate rewards and non-abusive sanctions to shape children's behavior without stunting their academic and emotional development. Persuading parents to adopt such approaches may need programs that focus not just on techniques but also on attitudes, e.g. challenging the commonly held belief that children will not develop properly unless they are beaten when they do wrong.     

秦汉“常会”行政

秦汉法律法规明确规定了各级行政部门及行政工作人员在行政办事中相对固定的、经常的或定期的＂常会＂时限。中央有皇帝五日一听事的朝会、十月朔和岁旦定期举行的百官会。秦汉地方各级政府向中央汇报工作和处理行政事务大都有固定的时间,主要的＂常会＂有汇报行政工作的月会、四时会、岁会,有限期办理行政事务的八月案比户口、八月底上报农田丰歉情况、十月上报库存粮食的数量、八月望上刍稾数、五月望报已垦田数、五月出赋和十月出刍、十二月到三月任免官吏、学童会八月朔日试、行书日毕、限时司法审判、九月会都试,有监督检查行政工作的刺史八月行部、守相春季行县。这就以法令的形式从正面规定了官员行政办事的＂常会＂时限;而且用＂正刑定罪＂的律来强制＂常会＂办事程限的实施,对违背行政办事＂常会＂时限的行为进行处罚,简牍常见有＂不会会日＂＂不中程＂＂失期＂、＂留迟＂＂留＂等罪名。秦汉政事的处理大都能够按照法定的＂常会＂时间,保证行政办事依据法定时间完成,一定程度上保障了行政办事正常有序进行以及较高的质量和效率。     

关注"弱势群体",同铸艺术情结--台湾乡土作家王祯和与黄春明创作比较

台湾乡土文学作家中,王祯与黄春明历来被认为是风格极为相近的两位。在题材选择与创作手法方面,他们的确有不少相同之处,诸如同为“弱势群体”的代言人、表现技巧上都惯用讽刺手法等等。尽管他们创作方法不同,但却达到了异曲同工的效果。比较他们在创作上的同与异,有助于更进一步深入理解台湾乡土文学。     

Supporting adaptive learning pathways through the use of learning analytics: developments,challenges and future opportunities

Learning Analytics (LA) and adaptive learning are inextricably linked since they both foster technology-supported learner-centred education. This study identifies developments focusing on their interplay and emphasises insufficiently investigated directions which display a higher innovation potential. Twenty-one peer-reviewed studies are identified via a systematic review and classified based on the dimensions of a proposed framework. The findings of the review suggest that interesting work has been carried out during the last years on the topic. We conclude with a need for more research on the topic in specific learning domains and settings. Recommendations include: a clear strategy for adaptation augmented by LA, the combination of on-task with pre-task measures, and the combination of system-controlled adaptation with user-controlled adaptation. Future trends include the emergence of constructivist-collaborative environments that provide insightful models of complex student behaviour.     

政府决策过程中的“草根性隐蔽议程”:内涵、诱因及双向危害

党的十七大报告明确指出,要发展基层民主,扩大社会主义民主,更好地保障人民权益和社会公平正义。但由于客观和主观的诱因,我国政府决策过程中存在大量的"草根性隐蔽议程"。草根性隐蔽议程具有双向影响,对公民、对政府都会造成极大危害。因此,有必要对草根性隐蔽议程的诱因作出诊断,以便为寻找相应对策打下基础,从而使社会主义新农村建设能有一个良好的政策环境。     

"美德行动"计划——学校、家庭、社区"三位一体"推进未成年人思想道德建设

针对当前未成年人思想道德所存在的问题,制定了“美德行动”计划:一是以“美德”为切入点,确立未成年人思想道德建设的核心价值观———诚信、尊重、责任、自制;二是以“行动”为主要途径,打造一个学校、家庭、社区三结合的平台,形成“三位一体”的未成年人思想道德建设网络。     

从“网络”看社会——以社会结构、组织方式、人际关系角度切入

网络一词风行于目前社会,既有形容新社会形态的“网络社会（Network Society）”,也有形容基于互联网而架构的计算机“网络社会（Cyber Society）”,还有形容公司机构之间的组织合作方式的“网络”以及社会学中早已存在的关于社会结构的“社会网络”理论.然而,涉及网络技术对现实社会关系影响的论述却还是少数,本文将从社会结构、组织方式、人际关系三方面梳理关于“网络”的概念,尝试找出各种“网络”话语中的共同点,最后结合当前互联网的发展描述“网络”为人们带来的变化及新传播技术在全球传播时代对社会的影响.     

Fostering the reading comprehension of secondary school students through peer-assisted learning: Effects on strategy knowledge, strategy use, and task performance

Based on the work of Fuchs and Fuchs [Fuchs, D., & Fuchs, L. S. (2001). Peer-assisted learning strategies in reading: Extensions for Kindergarten, first grade and high school. Remedial & Special Education, 22, 15–21], this study examined the effects of a peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) program on the reading comprehension of 7th-grade students. In a pretest–posttest (active) control group design, eight intact classes consisting of 186 students were assigned either to a PALS condition or to a traditional instruction condition (TI). In 17 lessons, students were instructed by their regular teachers in the understanding of age-appropriate reading material. Treatment success was assessed with both performance-related (reading comprehension) and strategy-related (declarative and procedural strategy knowledge) test tasks. At posttest, PALS students (a) scored higher on experimenter-constructed and standardized comprehension tests, (b) achieved higher scores on declarative and procedural measures of summarizing strategies, and (c) improved to a greater extent in their understanding of self-regulated reading activities than TI students.     

Tracing the evolution of education through street maps and town plans: educational institutions in the maps of Edinburgh during the seventeenth,eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

In recent years, visual records have come to be seen as important sources of information in the study of education and its history. However, most of the images used in this way simply provide a glimpse – though admittedly a precise one – of only one moment in the educational process. Graphic verisimilitude is not only to be found in these images; it might also be found in iconographic and symbolic representations that indicate not just the existence of the facts and phenomena represented, but also their significance. An example of this might be the study of the graphic and textual references to educational institutions that appear in maps. It is with the aim of discovering what these primary sources – maps and street plans – can teach us that we have carried out this study of the cartography of the city of Edinburgh in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a period that saw great changes in both the urban geography of the city and in education. This article describes the rationale, processes and results of this study.