The academic benefits of ‘letting go’: the contribution of mindfulness and nonattachment to adaptability,engagement, and grades

Previous research has indicated that nonattachment mediates the relationship between mindfulness and the ability to be adaptable. Additionally, adaptability has been associated with increased academic engagement and subsequently, higher grades. The current study combined these findings into a single model. In an undergraduate sample (N?=?725), the results indicated that mindfulness and nonattachment were directly associated with greater adaptability and engagement. Increased adaptability was also directly associated with increased engagement, and engagement was associated with higher grades. Therefore, mindfulness and nonattachment were also found to be indirectly associated, albeit weakly, with higher grades. The current findings, therefore, add to the literature by indicating that mindfulness and nonattachment are both worthy of consideration in future research on student outcomes.     

A simple and inexpensive enteric-coated capsule for delivery of acid-labile macromolecules to the small intestine

Understanding the ecology of the gastrointestinal tract and the impact of the contents on the host mucosa is emerging as an important area for defining both wellness and susceptibility to disease. Targeted delivery of drugs to treat specific small intestinal disorders such as small bowel bacterial overgrowth and targeting molecules to interrogate or to deliver vaccines to the remote regions of the small intestine has proven difficult. There is an unmet need for methodologies to release probes/drugs to remote regions of the gastrointestinal tract in furthering our understanding of gut health and pathogenesis. In order to address this concern, we need to know how the regional delivery of a surrogate labeled test compound is handled and in turn, if delivered locally as a liquid or powder, the dynamics of its subsequent handling and metabolism. In the studies we report on in this paper, we chose ¹³C sodium acetate (¹³C-acetate), which is a stable isotope probe that once absorbed in the small intestine can be readily measured non-invasively by collection and analysis of ¹³CO₂ in the breath. This would provide information of gastric emptying rates and an indication of the site of release and absorptive capacity. In a series of in vitro and in vivo pig experiments, we assessed the enteric-protective properties of a commercially available polymer EUDRAGIT®L100-55 on gelatin capsules and also on DRcaps®. Test results demonstrated that DRcaps®coated with EUDRAGIT®L100-55 possessed enhanced enteric-protective properties, particularly in vivo. These studies add to the body of knowledge regarding gastric emptying in pigs and also begin the process of gathering specifications for the design of a simple and cost-effective enteric-coated capsule for delivery of acid-labile macromolecules to the small intestine.     

How Toddler Peers Generate Coordinated Action: A Cross-Cultural Exploration

A developmental pathway is proposed for toddlers' mastery of the skills involved in generating non-ritualized forms of cooperative coordinated action with peers and the studies of USA toddlers supporting this pathway reviewed. The proposed pathway posits (a) a central role for nonverbal imitative acts in enabling toddlers to generate together extended bouts of nonverbal coordinated action and (b) a central role for these bouts of imitative coordinated action in facilitating toddlers' development of verbal means of coordinating action. This pathway then guides an analysis of the development and functions of imitative acts among toddler peers from a quite different cultural context-the Seltaman people of Papua New Guinea. Twelve Seltaman toddlers were observed with peers at near-weekly intervals over a six-month period. Ready imitation of one another emerged among the Seltaman toddlers during the same developmental period as for USA toddlers and functioned similarly to generate extended bouts of coordinated action-reciprocal imitation games. The themes of the reciprocal imitation games, however, varied in line with the socialization practices and characteristic play settings of the two cultures. These findings provide further support for the proposition that these imitative acts form part of a distinctly human pathway of development related to the emergence of human language.     

The consumption of contemporary visual art: identity formation in late adulthood

This paper examines the responses of older people to the British Art Show 6, which is an exhibition of recent developments in contemporary visual art in the UK. One group of respondents attended two “meet the artist talks” and a second group attended an artist-led workshop where they produced work that had been stimulated by the exhibition. The focus groups that resulted were analysed using theoretical frameworks related to identity construction. The analysis demonstrated that respondents were using the resources of the exhibition to construct identity positions in response to their social contexts. However, their ability to do this was governed by how the relationship between agency and structure played out for individuals in their engagement with contemporary visual art. It is suggested that wellbeing originates from the control such a process might give individuals over their social environment.     

Chronicling educator practices and experiences in the context of democratic schooling and quality education in South Africa

An interview-based qualitative study was undertaken to explore the experiences and practices of educators in providing democratic schooling as a way of delivering quality education for learners in schools. The exploration looked at educators’ understandings of the concept of democracy in schools, their understanding of the concept quality education and whether there is any link between democratic schooling and quality education. The findings suggest that there is a perceived link between democracy in schools and the delivery of quality education for learners, even though there are tensions and contradictions in democratising schools.     

Making a manly teacher’s career in Australia: Victor Pavia, 1856–1934

This paper highlights ways in which understandings about masculinity intersected with concepts of vocation, career and character in the life and work of an Australian teacher, Victor Pavia. Firstly, it outlines his vertical career path from teacher to headmaster and then inspector, made possible in a bureaucratised state school system that institutionalised the patriarchal dividend. Secondly, it shows how his manly character was forged in social relationships with men and women. Thirdly, there was his vocational commitment to associational activity where he consolidated his position among men. However, Pavia’s ascendance to the top of his profession was by no means assured for there were many tensions along with expanded opportunities at each stage of his career.