Assimilating to a boy’s body shape for the sake of performance: three female athletes’ body experiences in a sporting culture

This paper explores three female swimmers’ relationships with their male coaches and the body practices they were exposed to within Australian swimming. Particular attention is given to how the relationships and practices might relate to gender. Additionally, the article examines how (if at all) the conduct contributed to the social construction of an accepted female swimmer body. Through narrative accounts, the three adolescent female athletes articulate hierarchical male coach–female athlete relationships and specific body encounters they were exposed to and/or engaged with. Their experiences reveal how a sexually maturing body (growing breasts, female body shape and menstruating) was deemed unsuitable for performance and the swimmers were thus encouraged to transform their bodies and behaviours towards that of the boys. Using a feminist Foucauldian perspective, these accounts points to how the three swimmers came to regulate their diet, training and appearance in order to fulfil expectations. This self-regulation is problematic in two ways: first, no scientific evidence shows that a boy like physique is essential for best performance. Second, the stress from being pressured to achieve a particular body, as well as the shame that resulted from being unable to achieve the idealised physique, eventually caused the swimmers to develop an unhealthy relationship with their developing bodies. We highlight how those immersed in sporting contexts should recognise the serious implications of gender practices and power relations underpinning the male coach–female athlete dynamic in competitive sport.     

Perceptions of parenting versus parent-child interactions among incest survivors

OBJECTIVES: Although women with histories of child sexual abuse (CSA) perceive themselves as less competent mothers and report greater parenting difficulties than nonabused women, few investigators have actually observed the parenting behaviors of CSA survivors. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether incest history was related to maternal perceptions of parenting efficacy and interactional patterns with their children. The secondary aim of this study was to explore the constructs of internal working models of relationships and maternal psychological adjustment as potential mediators of the relation between incest history and parenting. METHODS: A community sample of 17 incest survivors, 18 nonabused women and their 3-6 year-old children participated. Mothers completed self-report measures of parenting efficacy, parental bonding (i.e., internal working models of relationships), and psychological adjustment. In addition, mothers interacted with their children in a problem-solving task. RESULTS: Although incest survivors reported less parenting self-efficacy than did nonabused mothers, their interactional styles with their children were positive overall and comparable to those of nonabused mothers. Specifically, survivors displayed moderate to high levels of support, assistance, and confidence, and their children showed high levels of affection towards their mothers. Incest survivors reported less bonding with their own mothers in childhood and poorer current psychological adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that incest survivors' perceptions of their parenting abilities may be more negative than their actual parenting behaviors.     

Giving Girls a Chance: patterns of talk in co‐operative group work

Whilst there has been much research into differences between boys’ and girls’ involvement in talk in whole class situations, there have been fewer studies analysing the nature of this talk in group work. This study uses episodes of mathematics/technology and language group work to investigate the differences between boys’ and girls’ involvement in talk and the nature of that talk. Findings show that boys and girls contribute differently depending on the curriculum area engaged in, and a clear pattern emerges of how talk is affected by the particular gender balance of the group. Furthermore, the quality of the talk is influenced by the gender balance. In particular the abstract level of talk achieved by girls is depressed when the group composition has more boys than girls.     

The Impact of a Modified Initial Teacher Education on Challenging Trainees' Understanding of Neuromyths

Initial teacher education (ITE) offers an underutilized opportunity for bridging the gap between neuroscience research and educational practice. This article reports on innovations embedded within an ITE program to support trainee teachers to recognize and challenge the persistence of neuromyths. Education researchers, neuroscientists, and psychologists collaboratively applied design‐based research to create, improve, and reflect on original neuroeducational teaching/learning resources for university‐based primary (elementary) ITE trainees. Encouragingly, pre and postsurveys showed reductions in trainees ' beliefs in neuromyths and a shift to responses showing uncertainty that suggested their beliefs became unsettled. The most persistent neuromyths were those regarding fish oils, left brain/right brain, and learning styles/visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic (VAK). Trainees retained their initial interest in knowledge about the brain and education, gained confidence, and became more critical about applying the learning sciences in educational contexts.     

Supporting the career decisions of Australian-based international Chinese doctoral students

Research regarding the support of career decision-making for international Chinese doctoral research students has been scarce and has assumed the homogeneity of international students. Offering insights to career practitioners, this article investigates the support for career decision-making experienced by international Chinese doctoral research students based in Australia from pre-sojourn up to their preparation for graduation. Arising from a thematic analysis of interviews with ten PhD students across three Australian universities, the findings reveal a desire for learning and career advancement that transcends national borders, underpinned by support that reinforces self-reliance and the formation of virtual and real-life social networks.     

Clinical supervision: The perceptions andexperiences of school counselors in Australia

This Australian study examined the experiencesof clinical supervision of school counselors.The participants perceived the amount of timespent on clinical supervision as inadequate,and described their use of an informal supportnetwork.     

Supervision Training for Professional Counselors: An Exploratory Study

Enhanced interest in supervision training has corresponded with recognition of supervision as a profession in its own right. For many practicing professional counselors, supervision training has traditionally been unavailable. The present research used the Clinical Supervision Questionnaire to evaluate the effect of a supervision training program on the supervision scores of 16 practicing professional counselors who participated in a supervision training program. Participants completed a pretraining and posttraining questionnaire. The findings revealed a significant difference between the pre‐ and posttraining results for the experimental group. This difference was maintained over a 6‐month period. Practical and research implications are discussed.