Caregiver perceptions of sexual abuse and its effect on management after a disclosure

Objective

The aim of the study was to examine caregiver management strategies for child sexual abuse (CSA) when presented with hypothetical scenarios that vary in physical invasiveness.

Methods

One hundred fifty three caregivers were given 3 scenarios of CSA with 7 management strategies presented in the 21-item Taking Action Strategies (TAS) scale. Caregivers were asked to rate strategies according to their willingness to carry out each action with rating of 5 = greater likelihood of carrying out the action specified while a rating of 1 = a lower likelihood of carrying out that action. CSA scenarios included exposure to pornography/masturbation, fondling, and penetration while management strategies including fighting the accused, blaming the child, and outreaching to the authorities. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare mean TAS scores for the management strategies across CSA scenarios.

Results

The difference between TAS scores across the abuse scenarios was statistically significant (p < .001). Mean TAS scores reflected greater preference for taking action if the abusive act was perceived as more physically intrusive (exposure to pornography/masturbation-TAS 3.5, fondling-TAS 3.7, penetration-TAS 3.8). Caregivers reported being less willing to handle a disclosure of CSA without outreach (TAS 2.5 and 2.0 for fighting and blaming the child, respectively) and more willing to manage a disclosure with outreach to authorities (TAS 3.8, 4.5, and 4.7 for outreaching to Child Protective Services [CPS], to the child's healthcare provider and police, respectively). A predictor of caregiver outreach to authorities identified was the caregiver having past interactions with CPS.

Conclusion

Perception of the physical invasiveness of CSA and demographic factors can impact caregiver management strategies after a disclosure.

Practice implications

Results suggest that several factors influence caregiver management of sexual abuse. These factors warrant further study, as they are potential contributors to declining trends in CSA cases observed. Other implications include the need for educational efforts targeting caregivers. These interventions should focus on dispelling myths about the perceived physical invasiveness of CSA. These perceptions should not mitigate a caregiver's decision to involve the authorities in their management after a disclosure. Lastly, despite criticisms of the child protective systems, caregivers with past encounters with CPS view these related agencies as valuable resources.     

In an ICT‐based teacher‐education context: why was our group ‘the magic group’?

This article deals with a group of distance learning student teachers, who, after the course was completed, called themselves ‘The Magic Group’. The concept ‘magic’ refers to the reflective and productive learning process the group members experienced, a process far beyond their individual borders. The collaborative process was conducted by means of portfolio, peer learning through feedback and LMS (Learning Management System). The aim of the article is to focus on the most important assumptions for the group's successful learning process.

Cet article porte l'attention sur un groupe d'étudiants en formation d'enseignants en ligne qui, après les études, s'est appelé ‘Le groupe magique’. Le concept ‘magique’ se réfère à l'aspect réflexif et productif du processus d'apprentissage tel qu'il a été ressenti par les participants, ce processus ayant dépassé de loin leurs capacités individuelles d'apprentissage. Le processus collaboratif a été mené à l'aide de portfolio, de tutorat entre étudiants et d'une plate‐forme LMS (Learning Management System). L'objectif de l'article est de mettre en évidence les principaux facteurs qui auraient contribué à la réussite du processus d'apprentissage.

Éste artículo trata de un grupo de estudiantes que están estudiando métodos de enseñanza por la red y preparando para ser profesores. Después de había realizado sus estudios el grupo se llama ‘El grupo mágico’. La palabra ‘mágico’ hace referencia a la experiencia del grupo de un proceso de aprendizaje, productivo y reflexivo, un proceso que rebasó las posibilidades de cada estudiante individual. El proceso de colaboración se compuso de portafolios y de consejos y consultas de los compañeros estudiantes por medio de la red y de un programma de LMS (Learning Management System). Éste artículo tiene el propósito de enfocar a los aspectos más importantes para el aprendizaje muy bueno de ‘El grupo mágico’.

Dieser Artikel handelt vom Fernstudium einer Referendarengruppe, die sich nach Abschluss des Kurses als ‘The Magic Group’ bezeichnete. Der Ausdruck ‘magic’ bezieht sich auf den reflektierenden und produktiven Lernvorgang, den die Gruppe erlebte, und der die Grenzen von dem, was sie als Einzelne erreicht hätten, weit übertraf. Arbeitsweisen bei dieser Zusammenarbeit waren der Einsatz von Portfolio, Lernen durch Feedback von Mitstudierenden, sowie LMS (Learning Management System). Die Absicht des vorliegenden Artikels ist, die wichtigsten Voraussetzungen für den erfolgreichen Arbeitsprozess der Gruppe zu beleuchten.     

Community‐level Responses to Disability and Education in Rwanda

This article explores the meaning of community and perceptions of disability in Rwanda, as revealed through a community‐based ethnographic study. This study took place in Rwanda in an educational policy context driven by international rhetoric about human rights, inclusion and the arguably unachievable Education for All targets. We argue that the emphasis on the inclusion of marginalised groups in Rwanda’s current education policy is a reality on paper, but not in practice. However, we explore the potential for a deeper understanding of community responses to disability, and ways in which the rhetoric and reality gap can be bridged. We consider some of the attitudinal and infrastructural barriers in educational settings and argue that Rwandan communities are resourceful, and can be supported to respond appropriately to children with disabilities.     

South African Deaf education and the Deaf community

In a special section of the american Annals of the Deaf, Deaf education and the Deaf community in South Africa are discussed. The special section is organized into 7 segments: a historical overview to establish context, the educational context, educators and learners, postgraduate education and employment, perspectives of Deaf children and their parents, sport and the arts, and spiritual lives and mental health. Throughout the entire section, however, the central focus is on the overall foundation (or lack thereof) of education for Deaf learners in South Africa.     

Outcome‐Based Vocational Rehabilitation: Measuring Valuable Results

ABSTRACT This case study illustrates one of the many possible ways to implement Kaufman's Organizational Elements Model (1992, 2000) for identifying and aligning organizational results and the means to achieve them. The model was applied in the context of a needs assessment effort between the Florida State University's Office for Needs Assessment & Planning (ONAP) and the Vocational Rehabilitation Program at Florida Division of Blind Services (FDBS). Conducting this study and finding data that had such radical implications for decision‐making was life altering for many of the stakeholders, who up until that point were heavily focused on processes and resources, or at best, on Micro‐level results. Appropriate actions were taken to improve the performance system, but overall, one of the most significant contributions of this project was a new‐found focus on results, valuable results, and appropriate measures of success.     

Promoting toddlers' self-regulation and healthy eating habits among families living in poverty: A randomized controlled trial of Recipe 4 Success

The Recipe 4 Success preventive intervention targeted multiple factors critical to the health and well-being of toddlers living in poverty. This randomized controlled trial, which was embedded within Early Head Start home visits for 12 weeks, included 242 racially and ethnically diverse families (51% girls; toddler mean age = 2.58 years; data collected 2016–2019). Compared to parents in usual practice home visits, parents in Recipe 4 Success displayed greater sensitive scaffolding of toddlers' learning and more responsive food parenting practices (Cohen's d = .21–.30). Toddlers in Recipe 4 Success exhibited greater self-regulation and had healthier eating habits (Cohen's d = |.16–.35|). Results highlight the value of Recipe 4 Success in promoting parent and toddler behavior change that could have life-long benefits.     

Pushing Comfort Zones: Promoting Social Justice Through the Teaching of Aboriginal Canadian Literature

In this paper we highlight findings from a teacher inquiry group study designed to explore possibilities for teaching contemporary Canadian literature to promote issues of social justice in secondary classrooms. Drawing on Boler and Zembylas’s notion of a ‘pedagogy of discomfort’, our paper will focus on the experiences of two teachers in the group who, through the selection and teaching of two Aboriginal Canadian texts, moved away from well-established pedagogical practices. We explore the role of the inquiry group in supporting teachers in their attempts to problematize unquestioned assumptions and address the absences in their curricular practices and examine the potential of using Canadian literature to enhance students’ understanding of historical marginalizations and structural inequalities. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of our research for pre-service and in-service educators who face the challenges of teaching in increasingly diverse schools.