The Complexity of Disengagement with Education and Learning: A Case Study of Young Offenders in a Secure Custodial Setting in England

Abstract

This study explored the nature of disengagement in young people serving custodial sentences. This was in order to gain new theoretical insights into strategies for their reengagement with education. This is because 90% of young offenders who drop out of school prior to incarceration are reportedly disengaged (dropout being an indicator of disengagement). This paper reports on a qualitative ethnographic case study in one secure children’s home in England. Semi-structured interviews with 16 incarcerated young people were conducted from which five participated in in-depth case studies along with teachers and care staff. Data were collected as participants engaged with a learning opportunity over a period of time. Extending emerging theory of disengagement, findings showed that disengagement oscillated between both active and passive forms within the same individual and pointed to the need for a range of strategies needed for reengagement. This paper suggests that disengagement is complex where the physical and social context shapes how disengagement manifests. This has pedagogical implications for education in custodial settings and other at-risk children in alternative or mainstream education provision.     

Archives du Maroc? The official and alternative national archives of Morocco

The 2004 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that investigated human rights abuses in Morocco under King Hassan II cited the ‘deplorable state of national archives’ as a major obstacle to its work. In 2013, in accordance with the findings of the TRC, the National Archives of Morocco opened with a colonial fonds, primarily holding records from the period of French colonisation (1912–56). This article seeks to understand the late establishment of a national archives, positing that part of the delay was caused by the focus of Moroccan nationalists on the location of indigenous records and their rejection of colonial archives and historiography.     

A New Paradigm for Networked Resource Sharing in the United Arab Emirates Universities

Library and Information Web Access (LIWA) is the first systematic interlibrary cooperative activity among three universities under the umbrella of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. LIWA was born in 2007 after the shift of the partner libraries to Web-based information services. Interlibrary book lending is the current achievement of Library and Information Web Access with the aim to expand resource sharing and incorporate more e-services soon. This paper aims at gaining some insights into potential success factors for further development of the library consortium in a networked environment. Some key issues, such as metadata standards, acquisitions, licensing, access security, and governance are discussed.     

How do MIS researchers handle missing data in survey-based research: A content analysis approach

Missing data is a common occurrence in survey-based research studies. However, the issue of missing data in Management Information Systems (MIS) literature has been overlooked, unlike the case in other disciplines such as Psychology, Marketing, Statistics, and Operations Management. The aim of this paper is to narrow this gap in the MIS field by investigating how MIS researchers address issues of missing data. This paper briefly outlines the causes of missing data in survey-based research as well as the common remedial techniques available to researchers. The paper also reviews how the common statistical software programs namely PASW (SPSS), SAS, LISREL, AMOS, EQS, and PLS handle missing data. It summarizes the common missing data remedial techniques and procedures and outlines how the presence of missing data affect sample size, statistical power, parameter estimates, ability to cope with different missing data patterns, and ease of implementation. Following that is a review of 749 survey-based research articles published between 1990 and 2010 in nine mainstream MIS Journals. The results reveal that researchers rarely report, explicitly, the presence or treatment of missing data and that when they do – they tend to use the least accurate techniques of listwise and pairwise deletion. The research concludes with recommendations that include a call for editorial policies that encourage the reporting of missing data, the reporting of the chosen missing data treatment techniques as well as the justifications for the techniques adopted by the researchers. The authors assert, based on the research, that following these recommendations will affect the rigor and quality of MIS survey-based research.     

The Impact of Digestive and Colon Drugs on the Human Hormones Profile

Hormones play an important role in the digestive system. The main hormones that control digestion are gastrin, secretin, and cholecystokinin. Herein, the current study is concerned with assessing the effect of spasmo canulase and librax drugs on the human hormones profile. Blood samples were withdrawn from adult patients to measure serum FSH, E2, LH, prolactin, progesterone, DHEAS, testosterone, TSH, T₃, T₄, fasting insulin, and cortisol. All hormone concentrations were determined quantitatively using ELISA procedure. Intriguingly, the present study showed putative changes including thyroid and sex hormonal profiles. Eventually, we concluded that the prospective study could be important in drug dose optimization and providing new medical guidelines to avoid side effects that could harm patients.     

Enhancement of ion transport in porous media by the use of a continuously reoriented electric field

Electromigration in porous media is enhanced by a new type of electrokinetic processing. Compared with a single-oriented electric field, a continuously reoriented electric field was proven to sharply enhance mass transport of several heavy metals in kaolin. The initial concentration of the metals was: Cd: 250 mg/kg; Cu: 250 mg/kg; Ni: 250 mg/kg; Zn: 900 mg/kg. Electric field reorientation was obtained by the use of a fixed anode and a cathode that rotated at different frequencies (0, 0.25, 1.00, 1.25, 2.00, 5.00 and 10.00 r/m). Mass transport evidently increased from 0 r/m to 1.25 r/m, and then decreased as the rotation speed reached 10 r/m. From 0 r/m to 1.25 r/m, mass transport increased 2.87 times for Cd, 3.17 times for Cu, 2.11 times for Ni, and 4.13 times for Zn. We suggest that continuous reorientation of the electric field facilitates the advance of ions through kaolin pores, minimizing the retardation effect caused by media tortuosity.     

Towards a personality understanding of information technology students and their IT learning in UAE university

This research investigates the personality characteristics of Information Technology students (CIT) in UAE University (UAEU) and how such features impact their IT learning. To achieve this objective, this research attempts to explain the impact of the Big-5 factors on learning using survey research. Results from 179 respondents suggested that agreeableness, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness respectively were the most important strategies adopted by CIT students. However, neuroticism scored the lowest. Such results could be attributed to personal as well as to cultural reasons as highlighted in this research. The research highlights theoretical as well as professional contributions and implications. Some of challenges in this research could be addressed by designing programs aiming at enhancing student’s learning ability from the perspective of their personal traits.     

Assessment by employers of newly graduated civil engineers from the Islamic University of Gaza

The evaluation process is very important to identify and recognize the strengths and the weaknesses of graduated students. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of the newly graduated civil engineers from the Islamic University of Gaza in Palestine. The methodology was based on questionnaires and informal interview. The population of this study consisted of 35 contractors and 7 Owners. The questionnaire was developed to evaluate the quality of the Islamic University civil engineers who have obtained their degrees in the past five years. The evaluation involved several aspects such as practical, social, ethical, technical writing, communication skills, and computer skills. The results indicate that most of the Islamic University civil engineers have some practical problems in construction sites. On the other hand, they have several strong characteristics such as computer skills, ability to develop themselves, and an understanding of ethical responsibilities. Some recommendations and suggestions are proposed to improve the performance of the graduate civil engineers in the practice.     

News media,movies, and anti-Muslim prejudice: investigating the role of social contact

This study examines the relationship between Indian non-Muslim adolescents’ Western and Indian news media use, exposure to Hollywood and Bollywood movies, and their prejudice against Muslim minorities. Based on contact hypothesis, the moderating roles of out-group contact were tested within this framework. Multivariate analyses revealed that Western news media use and exposure to Hollywood movies were significant predictors of anti-Muslim prejudice, while frequent, enriched contact with Muslims reduced out-group prejudice. The relationship between Indian news media use and prejudice was statistically insignificant. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.