Unlikely Crusader: John Eldred Swearingen and African-American Education in South Carolina

Although not a well-known figure either in educational or South Carolina history, John Eldred Swearingen had a profound impact on the schools of the Palmetto State. Guiding the schools to transition from 19th-century academies to 20th-century schools, Swearingen held office from 1907–1922. During these years, Swearingen oversaw unprecedented legislation impacting attendance, funding, and curriculum. Swearingen's stance on African American education was unlike many of his contemporaries—he used a variety of methods to improve education and raiseconsciousness amongst his White politician counterparts.

All of these facts would make him a worthy subject of biographical study; however, that he achieved all these things while blind makes his life and career all the more worthy. Almost as overlooked as Swearingen's contributions to South Carolina is the role the state played in the Brown v. Board of Education decision via the Briggs v. Eliott case. Drawing from Swearingen's own words, the papers of his contemporaries, and both legal and historical analysis of the involved legal cases to present an overview of both Swearingen and Briggs, this article argues that without Swearingen's visionary leadership—or if he had not been undone politically—the road to Briggs would have been quite different—if it existed at all.     

Confronting the Absurd: An educational reading of Camus’ The stranger

Abstract

This article examines the concept of the stranger and the experience of strangeness in Albert Camus’s The stranger. These themes have a range of synergies with educational thought. They also lead us to other concepts that may have a place in educational debate, in particular the concepts of the absurd and rebellion. This train of thought also has potential for educational practice. If we accept that strangeness has a positive place in education, Camus is insightful in allowing us to examine its pedagogical foundations and the wider conditions necessary to give rise to the experience of strangeness.     

The system of education in Sweden: An outline and review

Abstract

Part of the rationale for the use of ICT in schools is the need to ensure that some sectors of society are not placed at an advantage as a result of unequal access to ICT. Taking this rationale as its starting point, this paper examines the patterns of equipment, access and use of ICT in Irish schools. The paper draws on data from two census surveys of ICT in Irish schools, conducted in 1998 and 2000. Patterns emerging from the data suggest that the young people most at risk of falling on the wrong side of the digital divide may be in relatively well‐equipped schools. However, there remain patterns of access and type of use that give rise to cause for concern.     

Higher Education in a World of Radical Unknowability: An extension of the challenge of Ronald Barnett

The purpose of this paper is to explore the pedagogical implications of Ronald Barnett's claim that teaching in higher education must confront, celebrate and augment a world of radical unknowability. In examining Barnett's body of work, significant reference is made to the insights of Martin Buber and Paulo Freire in relation to Barnett's conceptualisation of potentiality and dialogue. It is argued that a consideration of these ideas in the former philosophers' work extends and clarifies the challenges inherent for tertiary teachers who are dedicated to transform students' understanding of and capacity to change their relationships within the world. The fusion of these theorists elicits a powerful and motivating challenge for those working in higher learning to engage with diverse forms of thought, action and reflection in a rigorous and dialogical process, a process necessarily underpinned by the qualities of risk, strength and courage.     

A Pedagogy of Trust in Higher Learning

This paper develops and defends a notion of trust in higher learning, and examines the pedagogical challenges of its pursuit within the sphere of higher education. It argues that the experience of trust between teachers and students is a necessary foundation for a critical, dialogical learning environment, yet it is a pursuit and sensation that can be imperiled by many of the demands and restrictions placed upon teachers in higher education. This discussion is of a philosophical nature with the aim of providing a perspective on a concept that has often been neglected in recent educational debate.     

The novel use of a SenseCam and accelerometer to validate training load and training information in a self-recall training diary

Self-recall training diaries are a frequently used tool to quantify training load and training information. While accelerometers are predominantly used to validate training diaries, they are unable to validate contextual training information. Thus this study aimed to examine the novel use of data fusion from a wearable camera device (SenseCam) and accelerometer to validate a self-recall training diary. Thirty participants filled in a training diary for 1 day while simultaneously wearing a SenseCam and accelerometer. The training diary was validated using Bland–Altman plots, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, percentage agreement and κ measure of agreement between the diary and the SenseCam and accelerometer. The results demonstrated overall agreement, and no bias, between the training diary and the accelerometer for training intensity, and the SenseCam for duration of activity and travel time. A positive correlation was found for duration (r = 0.82, P < 0.001) and intensity (r = 0.67, P < 0.001). Hundred per cent agreement was found between the SenseCam and training diary for activity, training surface and footwear (κ = 1, P < 0.0001), with a lower agreement noted for sports played (97.3%, κ = 0.91, P < 0.0001). The self-recall training diary was found to be a valid measure of capturing training load and training information using the combined wearable camera device and accelerometer.     

Protective personality characteristics among adolescent victims of maltreatment.

The purpose of this research was to examine whether personality characteristics, locus of control orientation, and self-esteem were protective against depression among female adolescent victims of maltreatment and to examine whether the presence of these characteristics was related to the age of the victim when maltreatment began. Thirty-three maltreated adolescent females and a comparison group of 112 nonmaltreated female adolescents were administered a questionnaire containing scales measuring locus of control orientation, self-esteem, and depression. Results revealed that personality characteristics interacted with maltreatment status in predicting depression, suggesting that they are protective factors. Results also revealed that adolescents who first experienced maltreatment during childhood were significantly less likely than those who first experienced maltreatment during adolescence to have these protective personality characteristics.