Learning together,living apart: the experiences of university students in Northern Ireland

Elementary (primary) and high (secondary) school education in Northern Ireland (NI) is essentially segregated along religious lines. The vast majority of young people from the Protestant/Unionist/British community attend state “Controlled” schools while Catholics/ Nationalists/Irish attend schools in the Catholic Church‐based “Maintained” sector. Going to university represents for many the first opportunity to share a significant educational experience with someone from a different politico‐religious group and cultural background. This paper presents the results of a focus‐group based study designed to illuminate students' experiences of intergroup relations at a NI university. Through focus‐group discussions information was generated on cross‐community contact, the influence of group difference, prevalence, and identity, on attitudes and intergroup communication. The university environment as a factor in potential relational development, the role which student bodies and academic staff may play, and policies and practices on accepting diversity are discussed. Recommendations and considerations are highlighted for other pedagogical institutes where complex and difficult intergroup dynamics exist.     

Are there long-term effects of early child care?

Effects of early child care on children's functioning from 4(1/2) years through the end of 6th grade (M age=12.0 years) were examined in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n=1,364). The results indicated that although parenting was a stronger and more consistent predictor of children's development than early child-care experience, higher quality care predicted higher vocabulary scores and more exposure to center care predicted more teacher-reported externalizing problems. Discussion focuses on mechanisms responsible for these effects, the potential collective consequences of small child-care effects, and the importance of the ongoing follow-up at age 15.     

Patterns of preschool provision in English local authorities 1

It is estimated that in 1986 40‐50% of children in England aged 3 and 4 were attending pre‐school playgroups. Another 20% were receiving education in nursery schools and classes, mostly part time, whilst a further 20% were in the reception classes of infant schools, mostly full time. Using data on the provision of these services within each local authority in England it is shown that the numbers of nursery education and of playgroup places are strongly negatively correlated. Combining these statistics with data from the 1981 Census it is also shown that the rates of provision are strongly related to the socio‐economic characteristics of the authorities, such that playgroups predominate in the more affluent areas whereas high levels of nursery education are found in urban areas with more material disadvantage.

     

Communication, Relationships, and Religious Difference in the Northern Ireland Workplace: A Study of Private and Public Sector Organizations

Four large organizations, two each from the private and public sectors of the Northern Ireland economy, were selected for this study which, first, explored the effects of religion-based workforce difference on intergroup relationships, second, investigated the contribution of organizational sector to communicative differences, and third, gauged the effects of group-based negativity on the flow and distribution of functional information within the organization. Little evidence of intergroup conflict was found although employees expressed a desire for greater quantity and quality of outgroup contact. Significant differences between the private and public bodies emerged in this respect. Contrasts were consistent with general organizational differences typifying the sectors. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity management and the characteristics of organizational sectors.     

The locus of focus: the effect of switching from a preferred to a non-preferred focus of attention

Focusing strategies are known to play a significant role in motor performance, with individuals who use an internal focus on body movement typically showing poorer outcomes than those who focus on features of the external environment. Focus of attention and switching of one's focus are examined in the context of two different complex motor skills along with a factor not previously examined systematically, individual preference. In both experiments, participants were introduced to focusing strategies that might be employed when attempting a sensorimotor task. Explanations of both strategies were given to participants. Specifically, for an internal focus, participants were instructed to concentrate on their body movements, while for an external focus, they were instructed to focus on aspects in the environment. They were then asked which strategy they preferred. Participants then continued either with their preferred focus or were instructed to switch to their non-preferred focus. The advantage that the external focus typically enjoys turns out not to be a simple one and interacts with individual preference and with the "forced-opposite" manipulation. Our results support the growing consensus that encouraging individuals to adopt an internal focusing strategy is counterproductive in complex sensorimotor tasks. They also suggest that individual preferences play a role.     

The Summer of Friendship by Fire: A Doctoral Student Reminisces about Lessons in Diversity

The journey toward becoming a multicultural person is not easy and is never finished. As an educational administrator in a tri-cultural state, I felt comfortable that I was proficient in dealing with diversity. Only when I began a doctoral program at a major Texas university was my naivety exposed. I quickly learned that experience in working with diverse populations and the ability to relate effectively to people of different ethnic backgrounds were vastly different. The two years I spent deeply immersed in a multiculturally rich cohort of doctoral students changed me. My eyes were opened to injustices that I had never before seen as I vicariously experienced life through the eyes of the “other.” Today, I am a professor at a regional university. My experiences, focused through the lens of theory, are the basis for the message to my students. I have traveled the road before and can now point the way toward a broader definition of acceptance and tolerance.     

Schooling for self-employment in Kenya: The acquisition of craft skills in and outside schools

Primary schooling will continue to be the terminal stage of education for most Kenyan children, and it will have to prepare them for employment that they will create for themselves. What this might imply for the teaching of craft skills is examined. Soapstone carving was selected as the subject of study because it is an important form of self-employment in western Kenya. The acquisition of craft skills in and outside schools was compared using observational and experimental methods. It is argued that school instruction provides little opportunity to develop competence in carrying out cognitive and psychomotor tasks important to expert performance in this and perhaps many other craft occupations.     

The effects of opposition and gender on knee kinematics and ground reaction force during landing from volleyball block jumps

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of opposition and gender on knee kinematics and ground reaction force during landing from a volleyball block jump. Six female and six male university volleyball players performed two landing tasks: (a) an unopposed and (b) an opposed volleyball block jump and landing. A 12-camera motion analysis system (120 Hz) was used to record knee kinematics, and a force platform (600 Hz) was used to record ground reaction force during landing. The results showed a significant effect for level of opposition in peak normalized ground reaction force (p = .04), knee flexion at ground contact (p = .003), maximum knee flexion (p = .001), and knee flexion range of motion (p = .003). There was a significant effect for gender in maximum knee flexion (p = .01), knee flexion range of motion (p = .001), maximum knee valgus angle (p = .001), and knee valgus range of motion (p = .001). The changes in landing biomechanics as a result of opposition suggest future research on landing mechanics should examine opposed exercises, because opposition may significantly alter neuromuscular responses.