Effect of political socialization on children: quasi-experimental study with Argentinian children / Efecto de la socialización política en población infantil: estudio cuasi-experimental con niños/as argentinos/as

This study evaluates the effect that two experiences of political socialization had on different psychosocial and psychopolitical variables (social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, attitudes towards equality, socially conscious behaviour, empathy, attitude towards unfair behaviour by authorities, sociopolitical participation) in children in the city of Córdoba (Argentina). Specifically, it analyses the effect of participation in a social organization that promotes citizen education (Study 1), and participation in the Alternative Political Socialization Programme (APSP) (Study 2) created for this research. Likewise, a comparative analysis of both experiences was performed (Study 3). Children aged 10 and 11 participated in the experiences. A quasi-experimental design was used with a pre- and post-test, along with a quasi-control group. The results suggest a significant effect in the variables studied based on participation in these experiences, with differences according to the kind of programme. The study underscores the importance of designing alternative political socialization mechanisms geared at citizen training in childhood.     

The past,present and future of widening participation research

The provisions of the Higher Education Act (2004) have renewed interest in widening participation research. Therefore, this paper explores the development of this scholarly field, primarily in the United Kingdom, by examining major trends in the study of higher education. Political debates related to higher education, the prevailing structure of the sector and predominant sociological perspectives have largely shaped the empirical and theoretical concerns of widening participation research. These delimiting factors have resulted in incomplete accounts of the barriers to higher education, which do not fully explore the relationship between students’ social characteristics, learning experiences and university careers. Furthermore, contemporary research runs the risk of reinventing the wheel and replicating the mistakes of the past, since there has been a collective act of forgetfulness with respect to earlier contributions. In contrast, this paper provides guidelines to facilitate a holistic agenda for future widening participation research.     

Sail training as education: more than mere adventure

This paper describes the process and findings of a multinational study of the characteristics of sail training for young people. The study used a structured qualitative method and involved ‘indigenous practitioner‐researchers’ who collected the majority of the data. Our findings show that participation provides an opportunity for learning in the practical and cognitive domains in relation to skills and knowledge, and in the affective domain in relation to social confidence. The data collected provide evidence that sail training has positive benefits in terms of participants’ social confidence and their self‐perceptions of capacity to work collaboratively with others. It is argued that while sail training experiences are generally positive and beneficial, some appear to be more effective than others in developing social confidence. We also show that it is not principally the seamanship dimension of the experience, but the combination of a structured purposeful programme with the unique character of the seafaring environment that provides the basis for that learning. The more effective experiences in this respect appear to be those where there is a greater emphasis on specific programme activity. Sail training should therefore be understood not solely as adventurous recreation but as a powerful educative experience.     

Peer relationships among 4 preschool second language learners in “Small-group time”

Second language learners entering preschool are challenged by unfamiliar social and communicative expectations that limit them from full participation in the classroom. In this ethnographic study, the experiences of four Korean 3-year-olds new to preschool were studied during 1 school year to learn how peer relationships among the four would affect their participation, specifically in teacher-initiated events. Findings revealed that young second language learners from the same ethnolinguistic background were able to establish relationships and construct participant structures that guided their participation before individually acquiring the social and communicative skills shared by other class members. Their joint initiatives, including use of native language and imitation, led them to a higher level of participation than is typical for second language learners in a new setting. Their participation was facilitated by a teacher who accommodated their interdependent behavior and guided them into further involvement to experience the benefits of small-group activities.     

Students’ experiences with/in integrated Environmental Studies Programs in Ontario

In Canada there exists a noteworthy educational initiative referred to as Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs). These secondary school programs are interdisciplinary, helping to link subject matter and encouraging student responsibility. The results of three case studies of Ontario ESPs indicate that program participation has ‘real world’ applications and creates a safe space for genuine dialogue and critical reflection, and that students experienced changes in environmental attitudes and behaviors as a result of program participation. These findings offer further documentation of the benefits of integrated ESPs, including increased student engagement, learning experiences that are practical and relevant to students’ lives, experiential learning that is memorable and opportunities for development of social and interpersonal skills.     

Social Justice Through Service Learning: Community Colleges as Ground Zero

Community colleges educate students from both oppressed and marginalized groups, yet there is almost no literature on community colleges and issues of social justice. Student participation in service learning has been tentatively linked to development of a social justice lens. In this study, I analyze community college students' post-course civic engagement surveys to investigate the effect of service learning experiences on the emergence of any of three types of citizenship: personally responsible citizenship, participatory citizenship, or justice-oriented citizenship. Findings were mixed for personally responsible citizenship, but there were significant data supporting the development of participatory citizenship and justice-oriented citizenship in students who had taken between two and five previous courses that had included service learning. These encouraging findings support the idea that service learning plays a role in helping community college students transform inequitable structures in their communities.     

英国扩大高等教育参与政策的实施及其成效

英国扩大高等教育参与政策旨在高等教育规模扩张的同时,着重提高来自弱势群体家庭、团体和社区学生接受高等教育的比例,使他们有机会参与高等教育并从中受益,同时也关注不同族裔、不同性别、残疾学生和贫困家庭学生所学的学科、学习方式和就读高校类型的多样性,其本质是实现社会正义。通过该政策的有效实施,扩大了英国高等教育的参与,增进了社会和谐。     

Participation In Higher Education: Aspirations,Attainment And Social Background

ABSTRACT

The recent report of the Milburn Review into Social Mobility highlights the under-representation of young people from lower socio-economic groups in higher education and encourages universities and others to act to remedy this situation as a contribution to greater social mobility. The paper uses data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England to examine the relationship between social background, attainment and university participation. The results show that differences in school-level attainment associated with social background are by far the most important explanation for social background differences in university attendance. However, there remains a small proportion of the participation gap that is not accounted for by attainment. It is also the case that early intentions for higher education participation are highly predictive of actual participation. The results suggest that although there may be some scope for universities to act to improve participation by people from less advantaged backgrounds, a much more important focus of action is on improving the school-level achievement of these students.     

“Moving quietly through the door of opportunity”: Perspectives of College Students who Type to Communicate

Colleges and universities across the United States are becoming increasingly diverse. That increased diversity includes students who do not use speech as their primary means of expression. This qualitative study focuses on the experiences and challenges of higher education for individuals with autism who type to communicate using a method known as facilitated communication. This article focuses on the perspectives of these individuals as they make sense of their inclusion in and, at times, exclusion from higher education, particularly their academic and social access. In addition, the findings of this research indicate that while there are structural and classroom supports that are helpful for individuals who type to communicate, their participation and meaningful inclusion is also incumbent on attitudinal factors and how receptive faculty and staff are to the students’ method of communication. While there is still much work to be done in the area of higher education for individuals with more complex needs, this study highlights the promise of higher education for this new population of students.     

Outcasts on the Inside: Graduates, Employability and Widening Participation

The drive to widen access and participation in higher education is rapidly transforming the sector. Despite this, through an interplay of social, cultural and gender-related factors, students from ‘widening participation’ backgrounds can all too frequently become, within their own institutions, ‘outcasts on the inside’: formally accepted by the university without ever acquiring, still less embodying, the traditional social and cultural advantages bestowed by HE. Thus, the irony of widening participation would seem to be that by entering higher education an already disadvantaged educational habitus should be reinforced not transformed. Based on a three-year ethnographic study, this paper explores the factors motivating widening participation students to enrol in higher education, the nature of their experiences, and the extent to which higher education represents an attempt at social repositioning.     

A Bourdieusian analysis of the participation of Polish students in the ERASMUS programme: cultural and social capital perspectives

In this paper we examine the perceptions of ERASMUS agents’ of Polish students’ participation in the EP. We provide a Bourdieusian analyse of the cultural and social capital acquisition of students based on the qualitative data, collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Erasmus agents, of a European research project. We argue that: Polish students’ participation in the EP has a positive impact on their academic achievement, cultural, social and linguistic capital, but, at the same time, it has a negative impact on degree completion of students as they get highly paid jobs, which prevent them from fully developing their cultural capital; ERASMUS Tourism has its value and place in the EP, because it provides students with the opportunity to develop their cultural, social and linguistic capital; and a Bourdieusian analysis of the experiences of ERASMUS students provides a better understanding of the impact student participation in the EP on their development.     

美国企业参与职业教育的动机与障碍探析

美国企业素有积极参与职业教育的优良传统,其参与职业教育具有多种动机,主要为社会公益服务、建立良好的公共关系、降低成本、招募员工等。阻碍美国企业参与职业教育的因素也是多方面的,主要包括:培训成本的高昂、经济大环境的波动、相关法律规章的制约、企业内部的阻力与信息的不对称等。本文通过对美国政府吸引企业参与职业教育的经验研究,为我国加强职业教育校企合作提出了建议。     

台湾中小学家长参与学校教育之启示

台湾中小学家长参与学校教育的两大重要领域是学校与家庭,分别以学校家长会和子女学业为重心。影响台湾中小学家长参与学校教育的自然属性主要是性别和年龄,影响台湾中小学家长参与学校教育的社会属性主要是社会地位、学历与家庭收入。台湾中小学家长参与的经验和不足对大陆有以下三方面启示:加强家长与学校之间的实质性参与;激发低阶层家长参与学校教育的动机;平衡参与家长的性别和年龄差异。     

Enlarging the social justice agenda in education: an analysis of rural teachers' narratives beyond the distributive dimension

The sustained disadvantages suffered by rural schools place the concept of social justice at the centre of any discussion of rural education. However, too often a one-size-fits-all model is adopted that equates it with distribution of resources. Drawing on Iris Marion Young's work, this paper instead demonstrates the necessity of adopting a plural framework of social justice that includes issues of recognition and participation within the current neoliberal environment. The author draws on findings from a qualitative study with teachers in two rural schools in Victoria, Australia. While the teachers acknowledged the importance of a better distribution of resources, just as significant was their concern for issues of power, respect and participation in their work. The author argues that the distributive dimension offers a useful but limited approach and that a plural framework of social justice better informs teachers' experiences, and contributes to their understanding of the contexts in which they work.     

Development and change in disabled children’s social participation assessed by parents in Norwegian daycare centres: 1999–2009

The aim of this paper is to explore if there is any alteration in social participation with peers assessed by parents amongst children with disabilities from 1999 to 2009 and discuss the results in light of the developments in disability policies during the last decades, and internal developments in education/welfare policies regarding children under compulsory school age. We address changes in levels of social participation of children with disabilities in daycare centres and examine changes in mechanisms leading to social participation with peers from 1999 to 2009. The analysis is based on cross-sectional data of two representative samples of disabled children 10?years apart. The main finding of this study is that disabled children have increased their social participation with peers in the period from 1999 to 2009. Gender, age and being in a segregated daycare setting, all had a significant impact on social participation with peers in 1999, but had lost their significance in 2009. The current study found that Norwegian daycare centres still have to be considered as social integrating institutions, even though in the period from 1999 to 2009, they have changed from being a care- and family-supportive service to become a pedagogical service preparing children for school.     

Orientations to teaching,induction experiences and background characteristics of university lecturers

This study of the orientations to teaching of academic staff used a sample of 32 new Lecturers matched in pairs on sex, initial tenure status, and discipline type. Interviews were conducted to obtain data on their early experiences in the university and on their orientations to teaching, including their conceptual repertoires, self-efficacy and attitudes to receiving and using student evaluations of their teaching. Findings were that orientations to teaching and early experiences were similar to those reported in an earlier study, though there was a greater participation in professional development activities in this later group. Induction experiences were found to be associated with the entering differences in background characteristics among the Lecturers. In particular, special consideration in workload varied according to sex, initial tenure status and discipline type, while participation in development activities varied according to discipline type. Induction experiences and background characteristics were found to be associated with self-efficacy measures.     

Challenges of university adjustment in the UK: a study of East Asian Master’s degree students

This paper reports on the adjustment of East Asian Master’s level students who came to study at a campus-based university in the UK during 2004–05. International students face challenges in respect to language proficiency, academic expectations and social participation. In this longitudinal study the experiences of a group of students from East Asian countries were surveyed, with a sample of eight students from five countries tracked through regular interviews. The paper describes the level of satisfaction that students experienced and the challenges they faced. It was found that students largely enjoyed their sojourn and achieved satisfactory levels of academic success. They encountered ‘culture bumps’ rather than culture shock. Adjustment was facilitated by adequate preparation, appropriate academic attainment and satisfying levels of social participation with other international students. It is suggested that these students were experiencing an ‘international postgraduate student culture’ rather than integration into local culture.     

Adult participation in higher education and the ‘knowledge economy’: a cross-national analysis of patterns of delayed participation in higher education across 15 European countries

‘Delayed participation’ in higher education (HE) is an increasingly important feature of modern HE systems in many countries. Despite this, surprisingly little empirical research has been undertaken seeking to better understand levels of delayed adult participation in HE across Europe. The present article responds to this gap by analysing country-level data on delayed adult participation in HE across 15 European countries and by modelling associations between participation levels and a range of theoretically derived economic, social, demographic and systemic factors. The findings suggest that there is considerably more cross-national variation in levels of adult delayed participation and that prevalent typologies of HE, such as Trow’s, fail to give recognition to the importance of delayed participation. The modelling work finds that social and demographic factors exhibit relatively strong associations with delayed participation in HE. This questions the pre-eminence of economic factors within much of the academic literature, policy discourse and policy activity.     

The development and recovery of social capital through community-based adult learning

This paper explores the connection between participation in community-based adult learning (CBAL) and the development of social capital. It is based on a life-history study of participation in community-based adult learning opportunities undertaken in two local authority areas in Scotland. A life-history approach was chosen in order to ensure that the learners' perspectives were at the heart of the research while taking account of the context in which learning took place. Two semi-structured life history interviews were carried out with each of 10 learners and data were analysed in three stages, which led to the identification of cross-cutting themes. The paper explores the learners' experiences of participating in CBAL as described by them. It confirms for CBAL what has been established previously for other types of adult learning, namely that participation can support the development of social capital for some learners. Furthermore, it is argued that other learners were able to recover decreased or lost social capital through their participation. The paper contributes to an understanding of community-based adult learning as part of the continuum of lifelong learning opportunities, as it illustrates the potential of CBAL not only to support the development of social capital, but also to help learners recover capital that might have decreased through their life circumstances.