Children with epilepsy: a review of the international literature using a quality of life lens

Epilepsy affects between 0.3 and 0.6% of Canadian children aged 18 years and younger, and is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurological disorders among children in Canada as well as Europe. As such, it is likely that teachers will experience having a child with epilepsy in the classroom. Understanding how best to support children with epilepsy can contribute to their positive adaptation and quality of life. This article, written by Jillian Roberts and Cheryl Whiting‐MacKinnon of the University of Victoria, British Columbia, reviews literature examining the social, emotional, physical and academic effects of epilepsy on children's lives, and explores the implications of these effects for their quality of life and school experiences.     

Deaf children and bullying: directions for future research

U.S. SCHOOLS are currently addressing bullying and its effects on children. Bullying is characterized as repetitive verbal teasing, threatening, physical intimidation, demeaning others, violent acts, torture, and other forms of verbal and physical aggression (Smith and Sharp, 1994a). Little is known about bullying and its impact on deaf children. Measures to describe and quantify bullying factors in this population should be developed and validated that address characteristics of deaf victims and bullies, various types of school settings deaf children attend, bullying dynamics that may be unique to this population and its peers, and other environmental factors. The presence of disabilities besides deafness, social support systems of deaf children and their families, sociocultural background, degree of hearing loss, parental educational levels and occupations, socioeconomic status, and linguistic backgrounds should also be considered. This discussion highlights issues and precautions concerning future directions for studying bullying with deaf children.     

“… but it has its price”: Cycles of alienation and exclusion among pioneering Druze women

The positive aspects of women from traditional societies acquiring higher education have been widely documented, while the loss and pain entailed in the process, involving transition and changing gender roles, have usually been ignored. This narrative research explores the experience of Druze women who were the first or among the first, from their villages to study at Israeli universities, focusing on their return home following their studies. Studying in university involved crossing boundaries of gender and culture, leading the women through a path profoundly different from that of their families or childhood friends. Upon return, feelings of pride and accomplishment were accompanied by alienation, hybridity and pain. These aspects, previously overlooked in research literature, are discussed in the present article, adding a new dimension to the understanding of emotional and social facets in the lives of women from so-called ‘traditional’ societies who seek higher education.     

Improving Functional Movement Proficiency in Middle School Physical Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether functional movement proficiency could be improved as measured via the Functional Movement Screen using a standardized warm-up protocol in middle school physical education. A secondary purpose was to determine whether such improvement, if it occurred, would positively influence the technical performance of 4 fundamental motor skills: overhand throw, vertical jump, kicking, and running. Method: Participants were 120 7th- and 8th-grade physical education student volunteers. Two classes from each grade level were assigned to the functional group (N = 54) while the remaining 2 classes of each grade were assigned to the control group (N = 66). Baseline measures were obtained using the Functional Movement Screen and the Get Skilled: Get Active (2000) process-oriented motor skill assessment. For 6 weeks, the functional group warmed up by performing functional stretching, stability, and mobility exercises while the control group completed a traditional dynamic warm-up. Results: According to gain score analysis, those in the functional group significantly reduced dysfunctional movements (scores of 1) compared with those in the control group. Further, boys in the functional group significantly improved their Functional Movement Screen composite score as compared with their male counterparts in the control group whose scores declined. No differences were found for fundamental motor skill performance. Conclusion: Replacing the traditional dynamic warm-up with one that emphasizes functional movement in preparation for activity in physical education appears effective for correcting movement dysfunctions in young adolescents.     

The role of educational technology professionals as perceived by building administrators

Educational Technology (ETEC) professionals in the United States (US) fill multiple roles in public school systems. While these roles can be classified into broad categories, what remains unclear are the expectations and priorities for the completion of these roles and the tasks associated within each role category. In order for ETEC professionals to be successful, they need clear guidance on what their performance expectations and prioritized roles should be. This research seeks to add clarity regarding expectations by surveying K-12 building administrators to identify perceptions of ETEC professionals within their schools regarding their actual and ideal performances relative to eight role categories. Results indicate that these US building administrators place high importance on the Technological and Administrative Communication categories. The data also show that there is a significant gap between the ideal and actual performance expectations of ETEC professionals in all eight role categories, but most demonstrably within the Instructional Support and Teaching/Training categories. Results also signal the desire for ETEC professionals to focus more on training and collaboration with teachers regarding technology integration within classrooms. This suggests that administrators want ETEC professionals to complete more instructional tasks than they currently perform. Findings from this study hold implications for the training of ETEC professionals and can potentially inform the curriculum of educational technology preparation programs in the US and beyond.     

Faculty and librarian collaborations: A case study and proposal for online learning environments

To design a new distance education course with an emphasis on student group work, a collaborative effort among the University of Missouri St. Louis Libraries and faculty was established. The collaborative process resulted in a more individualized service experience for library users, and the problems of course construction, using the Blackboard course management system, were shared and solved with new efficiency. The goals of the institution and individuals involved were initially successful and have expanded into a larger effort of developing new resources and collaborative efforts throughout the campus. New methods, new technologies, and new roles and responsibilities for faculty and librarians are described. As librarians assume online “course librarian” positions, significant responsibilities can be shifted to their support, and new resources can be made available to students with considerable ease—particularly via library electronic resources, databases, and electronic communication.     

POPULARITY IN A FREEFALL: MEASURING A SPIRAL OF SILENCE AT THE END OF THE BUSH PRESIDENCY

This study measures a spiral of silence in the context of actualopinion change during President George Bush's popularity declinein one of his political strongholds. Willingness of voters topublicly express their opinions about Bush were analyzed overthree pre-election surveys (N = 1,800) sponsored by a prominentlocal newspaper in Orange County, California. Respondents wereasked whether or not they would be willing to be reinterviewedby a reporter and have their names and views published in thepaper. The hypothesis that Bush supporters would be less willingthan others to agree to be reinterviewed during the period inwhich the president's ratings were dropping sharply is supported.This trend was most in evidence at the beginning of the presidentialcampaign, when Bush's ratings were in the steepest decline.These findings indicate the importance of actual opinion shiftsin spiral of silence research, and suggest several issues forfuture research on opinion change.