The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse: A continuation of Finkelhor (1994)

ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper was to compare the prevalence rates of child sexual abuse reported by [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] with those found in recent publications in order to confirm the widespread prevalence of child sexual abuse.MethodsRelevant articles about prevalence of child sexual abuse were identified through searches of computerized databases and a handsearch of Child Abuse & Neglect and the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.ResultsThirty-eight independent articles were identified, corresponding to 39 prevalence studies; these articles report the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in 21 different countries, ranging from 0 to 53% for women and 0 to 60% for men.ConclusionsComparison of the present study with that of [Finkelhor, D. (1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18 (5), 409–417] shows a similarity between prevalence distributions; there appears to be a general pattern that remains more or less constant over the years, especially in women.Practice implicationsTwelve years after the first revision study about the international prevalence of child sexual abuse, there is still a need for new data about this topic. The present study shows child sexual abuse is still a widespread problem in the society. In this research, carried out on 38 independent studies, there is new data for 21 countries over the world, being especially relevant the results obtained from other countries different from those pertaining to North America or Europe. It is important to point out the high prevalence found in most of the countries, so this information could be a new warning to make society and governments aware of this problem and undertake actions to prevent sexual abuse in childhood.     

Engaging young children in collective curriculum design

In this study we investigate how 5-year-old children in Brazil and their teachers collectively design science curriculum. More specifically, we develop an agency|structure dialectic as a framework to describe this collective praxis in which science curriculum may emerge as the result of children–teacher transactions rather than as a result of being predetermined and controlled by the latter. We draw on a cultural-historical approach and on the theory of structure and agency to analyze the events showing the complexity of the activity inside a classroom of very young children by science education standards. Data were collected in the context of a science unit in an early-childhood education program in Belo Horizonte. Our study suggests that (a) throughout the movement of agency|passivity || schema|resources one can observe participative thinking, a form of collective consciousness that arises in and from lived experience; (b) learning is a process in which a group is invested in searching for solutions while they create schemas and rearrange resources to evolve a new structure; and (c) the emergent curriculum is a powerful form of praxis that develops children’s participation from early childhood on.     

Icelandic parents' views on the national policy on early childhood education

Considerable change has taken place in Icelandic early childhood education during the past few decades. Preschool, from being geared primarily towards children with evident social needs, has become all but universal. The aim of this study was to shed light on Icelandic parents' views on their children's preschool education and to examine how their views harmonize with the nation's preschool policy. The participants in this study, 43 parents of five‐ and six‐year‐old children in three preschools in Reykjavík, participated in focus‐group interviews concerning the preschool curriculum. The results indicate that the parents' main expectation of the preschools was that they should support the children's social development; the way in which the preschool day was organized, and the content of the curriculum seemed to be less important to them. Parents wanted their children to have the opportunity not only to enjoy themselves as individuals, but to learn self‐reliance and respect for other people. Care‐giving and attentiveness of the staff were more important than the teaching of knowledge and skills. These views are compatible with the social pedagogical tradition, the Icelandic Preschool Act, and the National Curriculum Guidelines for Preschools.     

Schooling and local environmental knowledge: Do they complement or substitute each other?

Schooling and the knowledge acquired at school have been considered both a cause of loss of indigenous knowledge (because it opens pathways to the non-indigenous world and worldviews) and a potential remedy to its demise (if educational curricula is aligned with indigenous realities by giving instruction in local languages and incorporating local knowledge in school content). We test the association between academic and local environmental knowledge using data from a society of forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon who were exposed to a partially contextualized school curriculum. We found that although schooling and academic knowledge bear a negative association with local knowledge the magnitude is low, probably because schooling was partially contextualized. Contextualized learning might help avoid that the provision of universal education comes at the cost of humanity's cultural diversity.     

The “big red button” is too late: an alternative model for the ethical evaluation of AI systems

As a way to address both ominous and ordinary threats of artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have started proposing ways to stop an AI system before it has a chance to escape outside control and cause harm. A so-called “big red button” would enable human operators to interrupt or divert a system while preventing the system from learning that such an intervention is a threat. Though an emergency button for AI seems to make intuitive sense, that approach ultimately concentrates on the point when a system has already “gone rogue” and seeks to obstruct interference. A better approach would be to make ongoing self-evaluation and testing an integral part of a system’s operation, diagnose how the system is in error and to prevent chaos and risk before they start. In this paper, we describe the demands that recent big red button proposals have not addressed, and we offer a preliminary model of an approach that could better meet them. We argue for an ethical core (EC) that consists of a scenario-generation mechanism and a simulation environment that are used to test a system’s decisions in simulated worlds, rather than the real world. This EC would be kept opaque to the system itself: through careful design of memory and the character of the scenario, the system’s algorithms would be prevented from learning about its operation and its function, and ultimately its presence. By monitoring and checking for deviant behavior, we conclude, a continual testing approach will be far more effective, responsive, and vigilant toward a system’s learning and action in the world than an emergency button which one might not get to push in time.     

Fatigue-related changes in technique emerge at different timescales during repetitive training

Training consisting of numerous repetitions performed as closely as possible to ideal techniques is common in sports and every-day tasks. Little is known about fatigue-related technique changes that emerge at different timescales when repeating complex actions such as a karate front kick. Accordingly, 15 karatekas performed 600 kicks (1 pre-block and 9 blocks). The pre-block comprised 6 kicks (3 with each leg) at maximum intensity (K-100%). Each block comprised 60 kicks (10 with each leg) at 80% of their self-perceived maximum intensity (K-80%) plus 6 K-100%. In between blocks, the participants rested for 90 seconds. Right leg kinematics (peak joint angles, peak joint angular velocities, peak joint linear resultant velocities, and time of occurrence of peaks) and kick duration corresponding to the K-80% were measured resulting in numerous variations with fatigue. At the timescale of tens of seconds, the changes involved variables that were related to velocity of execution (slowed down), while variables related to movement form were hardly affected. At the timescale of tens of minutes, the opposite results were observed. These findings challenge the long-standing rationale underlying repetitive training, suggesting instead that such involuntary variations in technique might play a crucial role in motor skill training     

Development and validation of Coaches’ Interpersonal Style Questionnaire

Purpose: The objectives were to develop and validate the Coaches’ Interpersonal Style Questionnaire. The Coaches’ Interpersonal Style Questionnaire analyzes the interpersonal style adopted by coaches when implementing their strategy of supporting or thwarting athletes’ basic psychological needs. Method: In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis was performed with 265 Spanish male athletes, between 11- and 17-years-old, to confirm the internal structure of the questionnaire. Study 2 was conducted with 430 athletes, also between 11- and 17-years-old. Both confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling were used to test a set of alternative models to find the best measurement model. Results: The hierarchical exploratory structural equation modeling model showed the best fit to the data and acceptable standardized factor loadings. Concurrent validity was revealed through correlational analysis of the basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Conclusion: This study provides a multi-dimensional questionnaire to assess coaches’ interpersonal style perceived by athletes.     

The effect of sex and localised fatigue on triceps surae musculoarticular stiffness

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fatigue on musculoarticular stiffness (MAS) of the ankle joint across sexes. Methods: Twenty-seven males and 26 females participated in the study. After baseline assessment of MAS and related variables, localised fatigue was induced in triceps surae using the standing heel-rise test during which the subjects were instructed to lift and drop the heel at a frequency of 0.5?Hz. When subjects were unable to continue due to exhaustion the test was terminated and another MAS test was performed soon after. Results: Significant higher triceps surae MAS was found in men compared to women (p?p??1 and from 14.5 to 13.9?KN?m^?1 in men and women, respectively. Percentage changes revealed, however, that in relative terms the changes in all the variables evaluated were similar (p?>?.01) between sexes, with MAS less than 5%. Conclusion: Despite the sex-related differences at baseline, fatigue seems to affect biomechanical properties of the ankle joint similarly in men and women.