College Students' Experiences of Childhood Developmental Traumatic Stress: Resilience,First‐Year Academic Performance,and Substance Use

Developmental trauma—distressing childhood experiences that include mistreatment, interpersonal violence, abuse, assault, and neglect—is associated with substance use and poor academic performance. The authors investigated the links between developmental trauma, grade point average, substance use, and resilience among first‐year college students (N = 169). The results indicate there is a significant relationship between cumulative trauma and self‐reported substance use.     

Deeper than rhizomes,becoming decalcomaniacal: a reflexive response to Murakami and Siegel’s “Becoming Bermuda grass”

In responding to Murakami and Siegel’s “Becoming Bermuda grass,” one is led to reflect on one’s own practice in what becomes an example of reflexivity. Following the authors’ lead of incorporating Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomatic theory and the art form of decalcomania to reflect on practice, discoveries are made regarding the practice of a middle school science teacher. These reflective discoveries can be used to inform teaching practice in a manner that supports the development of identities of participation.     

Childbirth education and doula care during times of stress, trauma, and grieving

A collaborative, interspecialty volunteer program extending for nine months after September 11, 2001, provided free support and service to pregnant women widowed by the attacks on the World Trade Center. Participating providers studied the physiological and psychological effects of stress. Group sharing, discussions about the effects of emotions on labor progress, and other techniques were incorporated into sessions. The program's success suggests that childbirth educators should prepare all pregnant women to cope with stress. Subsequent national and international events have reinforced the importance of such training. The childbirth educator can also help by maintaining a referral list of local trauma counselors and other resources.     

So you want to open a child care center? Advice for the beginner

Debra Torrence is polishing a business plan for a child care facility while she completes her Early Childhood Education master's degree in Winston-Salem, NC. She already has a degree in Marketing and Business Administration. Donald J. Harris is an attorney with Petree, Stockton, &; Robinson in Winston-Salem, NC.     

Course-Taking Effect on Postsecondary Enrollment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 were used to examine the effect of academic and career or technical education course-taking in high school on deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) youth’s postsecondary enrollment in 2-year, 4-year, and career or technical education institutions. We examined the proportion of academic and career or technical education courses taken, completion of algebra, and completion of an occupationally specific course of study. Propensity model analyses indicated that academic course taking significantly increased the odds that DHH students would enroll in postsecondary school. Completion of a higher proportion of career or technical education courses was not related to enrollment in postsecondary education, including career and technical education schools. Implications for practice and future research are discussed, including the importance of secondary transition planning staff both encouraging DHH students who have a goal of future postsecondary attendance to take a rigorous, academically focused high school curriculum, and providing students with the support to complete these courses.     

The technical baccalaureate: providing excellence in vocational education?

Proposals for a technical baccalaureate have received cross-party support in England. The technical baccalaureate is intended to deliver the necessary training to enable young people to fill the UK’s skills gap in intermediate-level occupations in STEM and other sectors. This paper explores how to design and implement a high-quality technical baccalaureate and identifies some of the challenges that are likely to be encountered. We argue that the curriculum of the technical baccalaureate should aim to strike a balance between providing young people with skills needed to enter specific sectors whilst also providing a component of general academic education to help keep options open. We argue that the assessment needs to be both reliable and valid. We also suggest that hurdles – additional criteria that students must meet (e.g. must pass a maths exam) – to gain the Tech Bacc should be avoided, as should aggregating qualifications together to grade the technical baccalaureate. We conclude by discussing the challenges of implementing the technical baccalaureate, including obtaining the necessary employer engagement and provision of information advice and guidance.     

Child abuse in the eyes of the beholder: lay perceptions of child sexual and physical abuse

OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to explore the effects of victim and perpetrator gender, type of abuse, and victim-perpetrator relationship on university students' and non-students' perceptions of different kinds of child abuse. METHOD: One hundred and ninety-nine participants (including university students and non-student adults) evaluated each of 24 vignettes (within-subjects design) describing an abusive interaction between a child and an adult. The following four variables were manipulated: the victim's gender, the perpetrator's gender, the type of abuse (physical, relatively mild sexual, or relatively severe sexual), and the perpetrator's relationship to the victim (parent or babysitter). Participants rated each vignette on a number of dimensions: degree of trauma and severity, likelihood of general occurrence and reoccurrence, victim believability, and "repressibility" of the event. RESULTS: Significant interactions emerged on each dimension. For example, sexual abuse (whether mild or severe) was rated as being more traumatic and severe if perpetrated by a parent, but relationship type did not affect perceptions of physical abuse. In addition, significant perpetrator gender by victim gender interactions indicated that homosexual abuse was perceived as more traumatic and repressible than heterosexual abuse, but as less likely to occur; and male participants tended to be more affected by the gender of the perpetrator and abuse type than female participants. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that people have stereotypes about the circumstances and consequences of child abuse. These stereotypes are often, though not always, consistent with existing empirical findings.     

A Phenomenological Investigation of Creative Teaching in Counselor Education

The authors conducted a phenomenological investigation of creative teaching with 10 counselor educators. The resulting 4 themes suggest creative teaching (a) is shaped by past experiences, (b) promotes student engagement, (c) is not formulary, and (d) requires risk taking. Implications for creative teaching strategies and training are provided. Limitations and implications for future research on creative pedagogy are discussed.