Suicide attempts in sexual abuse victims and their mothers

Suicide attempts occurred in 11 of 201 (5.4%) families in which sexual abuse was substantiated during a 2$\text{1}\text{2}$-year study period. Thirteen attempts occurred in the eleven families—five in mothers and eight in daughter-victims. No perpetrators in this social agency sample attempted suicide. Three mothers made attempts within the 1st week after the sexual abuse report; these three had borderline personalities, prior suicide attempts, personal histories of incest, and, surprisingly, all returned rapidly to adequate maternal functioning. The two mothers who made attempts later had primary depressions with underlying dependent personalities and never returned to successful mothering of their victimized daughters, both of whom themselves attempted suicide later in the family's treatment course. All eight daughters who attempted suicide were 14 to 16 years old and had been involved in incest with father figures. None of their families remained intact after the disclosure of incest, and their mothers actively blamed and disbelieved these victims. Seven of the eight had behavior problems which may have masked depression.     

Taking stock and effecting change: curriculum evaluation through a review of course syllabi

A multi-disciplinary academic unit at a Canadian university completed an evaluation of course syllabi used in its undergraduate programmes over the previous five years. This paper examines the reasons for the evaluation, the processes employed to collect and analyse the data, and how the results will be incorporated into the next steps of the overall curricula reform planned within the unit. The evaluation focused on the unit’s adherence to departmental and university policies, course reading materials, experiential learning opportunities, forms of assessments (e.g. types and weighting of assignments), learning outcomes and instructor-specific policies (e.g. group work expectations, late assignments). While a summary of the results of the evaluation are provided herein, these are meant to highlight the administrative and curricular benefits and uses of the data, rather than an analysis and discussion of the results themselves.     

Science teacher orientations and PCK across science topics in grade 9 earth science

ABSTRACT

While the literature is replete with studies examining teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), few studies have investigated how science teacher orientations (STOs) shape classroom instruction. Therefore, this research explores the interplay between a STOs and the topic specificity of PCK across two science topics within a grade 9 earth science course. Through interviews and observations of one teacher’s classroom across two sequentially taught, this research contests the notion that teachers hold a single way of conceptualising science teaching and learning. In this, we consider if multiple ontologies can provide potential explanatory power for characterising instructional enactments. In earlier work with the teacher in this study, using generic interview prompts and general discussions about science teaching and learning, we accepted the existence of a unitary STO and its promise of consistent reformed instruction in the classroom. However, upon close examination of instruction focused on different science topics, evidence was found to demonstrate the explanatory power of multiple ontologies for shaping characteristically different epistemological constructions across science topics. This research points to the need for care in generalising about teacher practice, as it reveals that a teacher’s practice, and orientation, can vary, dependent on the context and science topics taught.     

Knowledge and management strategies in incest cases: A survey of physicians, psychologists and family counselors

A questionnaire was mailed to all 255 psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family counselors listed in the 1983 telephone directory. Of the 108 private practitioners who responded, over one-half had treated a child or adult incest victim in the past year; 86% requested more training in this area. Practitioners had a high level of general knowledge about intrafamilial child sexual abuse. Nevertheless, one-third stated they would not refer to protective services a child who had first made, but then retracted, an incest allegation. While most pediatricians would recommend physical examination of a child who had retracted, only half of other professionals would do so. Women practitioners were more realistic about the high frequency of actual father-daughter incest and were more likely to report the hypothetical case of the retracted allegation.     

Emotion-Related Parenting Styles (ERPS): A Short Form for Measuring Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy

Research Findings: Parents’ meta-emotion philosophy guides their approach to teaching their children about emotions (J. M. Gottman, L. F. Katz, &; C. Hooven, 1997 Gottman , J. ( 1997 ). The heart of parenting: Raising an emotionally intelligent child . New York , NY : Simon &; Schuster . [Google Scholar]) and is measured with the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test–Likert (Gottman et al., 1997 Gottman , J. M. , Katz , L. F. , &; Hooven , C. ( 1997 ). Meta-emotion: How families communicate emotionally . Mahwah , NJ : Erlbaum . [Google Scholar], modified by J. Hakim-Larson, A. Parker, C. Lee, J. Goodwin, &; S. Voelker, 2006 Hakim-Larson , J. , Parker , A. , Lee , C. , Goodwin , J. , &; Voelker , S. ( 2006 ). Measuring parental meta-emotion: Psychometric properties of the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test . Early Education and Development , 17 , 229 – 251 . doi: 10.1207/s15566935eed1702_2 [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying structure of this measure, develop a short form, and assess its psychometric properties. In a sample of 107 parents of typically developing children, principal factor extraction with a direct oblimin rotation (delta = 0) identified 3 factors: emotion coaching, parental acceptance of negative emotion, and parental rejection of negative emotion. In a sample of 107 parents of children with developmental disabilities, a 4th factor was identified: feelings of uncertainty/ineffectiveness in emotion socialization. The 4-factor, 20-item short form showed good validity and reliability, with Cronbach's alphas ranging from .70 to .80. Practice or Policy: This short form is a practical means of assessment and may be used to identify parents of typically developing children who perceive similar challenges with their children's emotions as do parents who have children with developmental disabilities. The discussion centers on potential emotion-related parenting practices and the identification of children at risk for emotion regulation difficulties.     

THE STATE POSTSECONDARY REVIEW PROGRAM: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate began a series of hearings in 1990 that uncovered an alarming pattern of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Title IV federal student aid programs. To create a stronger and more coordinated evaluation of institutions desiring to participate in these programs, Congress enacted the new Program Integrity Triad, which significantly increases the gatekeep‐ing functions of each member of the triad and establishes a specific set of responsibilities for accrediting agencies, the states, and the Secretary of Education. Under this program, states are directed to set up agencies known as State Postsecondary Review Entities (SPRE) to assist the U.S. Department of Education in reviewing institutions of higher education referred by the Secretary to determine continued participation in federal financial aid programs. The diverse ways in which students use community colleges will make it difficult, at best, to apply the quantifiable standards for withdrawal, graduation, and placement rates established by the SPRE program. The result could have serious implications for community colleges and their continued participation in Title IV federal student aid programs.