Homophobic and transphobic bullying: barriers and supports to school intervention

This study explores the perceived barriers and supports identified by school staff in tackling homophobic and transphobic bullying, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model as a framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from five separate second-level/high schools (two designated disadvantaged schools, and three non-disadvantaged schools), within an area of Dublin, Ireland. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the resulting data. Findings indicated that the main barriers in tackling homophobic and transphobic bullying included students’ perceived discomfort in discussing their sexuality with teachers, teachers’ discomfort in discussing issues (including an associated lack of training), a lack of priority given to these types of bullying, and parental views on homosexuality. Perceived supports included consistency in dealing with these types of bullying, appropriate training, and support from management. Relationships were also evidenced between some perceived barriers and supports, with the absence of these factors being perceived as a barrier, while their presence was perceived as a support. Findings are considered within the context of previous research. The strengths and limitations of the study are discussed, as are its practice implications, and implications for possible future research.     

Students’ unions,consumerism and the neo-liberal university

This article explores the economic relationships between individual students’ unions and their wider institutions, and the ways in which they articulate with a pervasive consumerist agenda across the higher education sector. We draw on data from a UK-wide study to argue that students’ unions have an ambivalent relationship with consumerist discourses: on the one hand, they often reject the premise that the higher education student is best conceptualised as a consumer; yet, on the other, they frequently accept aspects of consumerism as a means of, for example, trying to protect their independence and autonomy. We explore whether this particular form of positioning with respect to consumerism is best conceptualised as a form of resistance, or whether it has become extremely difficult for students’ unions to take up any other position in a system that is driven by market logic.     

The Urgent Need for Teacher Preparation in Religious and Secular Worldview Education

In a world that is becoming increasingly globalized, it is ironic—as well as unfortunate and sometimes tragic—that secular and religious worldview education is decreasing, in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. This article argues for the immediate need for programs that intentionally prepare teachers for all aspects of the educational workforce to reverse this trend. Teachers who are well prepared to help students understand, respect, appreciate, and learn from others with differing worldviews will help produce a generation of citizens who will promote greater respect, tolerance, harmony, and peace on school campuses (at all levels), in the workplace, in neighborhoods, within nations domestically, and in the global community.     

Sexuality Education and Implications for Quality of Care for Individuals with Adult Onset Disability: A Review of Current Literature

Purpose: To investigate the need for sexuality education for individuals with adult onset physical disabilities as it relates to quality of life and to identify current trends in the provision of sexuality education by health care providers relating to quality of care.

Data Sources: Literature review from January 1986 to December 2016.

Study Selection: Studies were selected that outlined current trends in sexuality in health care, the impact of disability on sexuality, and sexuality education from the perspectives of both patients and health care providers.

Results: Searches in multiple databases yielded 41 articles that outlined the current state of sexuality education related to individuals with disabilities. The results demonstrate the importance of addressing sexuality after the onset of disability, and the inconsistencies that are present in health care practitioner education related to this topic.

Conclusion: Sexuality is an important aspect of the human experience and is greatly impacted by the onset of physical disability. Despite the acknowledgment of health care providers that sexuality should be addressed in clinical practice, there is a gap in knowledge and comfort stemming from a lack of formal education on this topic. In order to enhance the quality of services provided to individuals with physical disabilities, educational programs that focus on a multidisciplinary approach to sexuality education should be established.     

The Photo Is Live at Applifam: An Instagram Community Grapples With How Images Should Be Used

Applifam, a global Instagram community that edits and shares images daily, has grown steadily since its late-2011 founding. Since then, the group (led by founder Johan Du Toit) has grappled with ethical and legal ways to use images in a technological environment that makes image theft easy, a cultural “remix” environment that finds unauthorized uses natural, an artistic environment that values the symbolic statements of appropriation art, a legal environment that varies by country, and a socially collaborative environment that may not reward adherence to copyright standards. In June 2012, when Applifam took a stand about original work, a conversation began as to what that meant. It yielded a rare look at evolving standards regarding our common visual heritage.     

Evaluating Corrective Feedback Self‐Efficacy Changes Among Counselor Educators and Site Supervisors

Analysis of pretest–posttest scores on the Corrective Feedback Self‐Efficacy Instrument (Page & Hulse‐Killacky, 1999 ) following a supervision workshop indicated a significant positive relationship between workshop training and supervisors' feedback self‐efficacy in giving corrective feedback. Furthermore, the association between prior supervision training, supervision experience, and feedback self‐efficacy was measured. Practical and research implications are discussed.     

US news magazine images of black‐Asian American relationships, 1980–1992

During the past 20 years, primarily Latinos and Asians have immigranted to these shores and settled in urban areas. Media sources assert that this influx created particularly problematic relations between blacks and Asian Americans. Using Frame theory and textual analysis, we explored the images newsmagazines produced of this relationship. We found that one frame predominated: the nature of group relations had to do with each group's “essential”; qualities. Within this frame there also appeared four media packages: 1) the nature of the urban space, 2) the role of culture in the quality of relationships, 3) the essential qualities of urban residents and 4) the preeminence of class over race. Analysis of black‐Asian American relationships, while not strictly hegemonic, rarely deviated from accepted critiques. The nature of the coverage constrained understanding to personal shortcomings, while poverty and racial strife were rarely associated with historical and structural factors.     

Three Reasons Samples Become Separated From Their Populations in Communication Research

There are three reasons why probability samples often become separated from their putative populations in mass communication research. First, researchers sometimes believe populations must surely exist when in fact they do not exist. Yet they relentlessly pursue these phantom populations rather than heed classic warning signs that something is wrong. Second, researchers often struggle with underpowered samples. Rather than render those samples using more appropriate qualitative methods, they plow ahead using misapplied statistical methods and thus never inferentially connect to a population. Third, researchers frequently and incorrectly use random assignment rather than random selection as a sample method. This, in turn, can leave a sample unconnected to a population if the population can be drawn only through random selection. As obvious as these three errors are, researchers nonetheless stumble into them regularly. We examine why that is and what researchers can do to avoid these errors.