Normative Considerations in the Aftermath of Gun Violence in Schools

Gun violence in American and Canadian schools is an ongoing tragedy that goes substantially beyond its roots in the interlocking emotional and behavioral issues of mental health and bullying. In light of the need for effective policy development, Dianne T. Gereluk, J. Kent Donlevy, and Merlin B. Thompson examine gun violence in schools from several relevant perspectives in this article. The authors consider the principle of standard of care as it relates to parents, teachers, and community members in a particular school's context. They posit that normative principles may provide a procedural mechanism appropriate for policymakers and practitioners when contemplating and implementing heightened security measures. Finally, they propose Rawlsian reasonableness as an effective and deliberative democratic process that reduces emotional, reactive responses to school shootings. Through these overlapping concepts, the authors advocate for purposeful discussions regarding gun violence in schools based on the unique pragmatic, educational, social, political, and contextual circumstances of individual schools and their surrounding communities.     

Understanding Teachers’ Conceptions of Classroom Inquiry With a Teaching Scenario Survey Instrument

A survey instrument using everyday teaching scenarios was developed to measure teacher conceptions of inquiry. Validity of the instrument was established by comparing responses for a group of secondary teachers to narrative writing and group discussion. Participating teachers used only three of the five essential features of inquiry detailed in the standards documents (NRC 2000) when expressing their ideas of classroom inquiry. The features of ‘evaluating explanations in connection with scientific knowledge’ and ‘communicating explanations’ were rarely mentioned. These missing components indicate a gap between the teachers’ conceptions of inquiry and the ideals of the reform movement.     

Text Learning Using Scientific Diagrams: Implications for Classroom Use

In two experiments, eighth-graders viewed ecologically valid diagrams and then read a text containing multiple feature-to-fact associations or studied the same materials in reverse order. Using the Kulhavy and Stock model of text learning using organized spatial displays, it was predicted that those students viewing the diagram prior to reading the text would recall more facts and features than subjects viewing the material in the reverse order. These predictions were well supported. In addition, since the materials used in the experiments were created from actual classroom materials, these experiments examined whether the model for text learning is also valid using this type of materials. In this area the model proved to be very effective as well.     

EDUCATION AS AN AFFIRMATIVE INVENTION: ALAIN BADIOU AND THE PURPOSE OF TEACHING AND CURRICULUM

Schools can be places where students articulate a preferred social future and exercise informed judgment with others toward that goal. Yet, educators have few examples of what a curriculum explicitly concerned with undertaking such a process might look like. Distinct from questions about how best to receive an Other or social science investigations of what may constitute educational “best practices,” Kent den Heyer explores here the ways in which the work of Alain Badiou provides for a more proactive arrangement of knowledge in schools organized to instigate truth‐processes that might supplement individual and socially inherited commitments. Through this exploration, den Heyer argues for the democratic and life‐affirming benefits of scholars and teachers who take up a “disciplinary ethic of truths.” He provides one of potentially many curricular examples of such an arrangement of knowledge.     

Language universalization for improved information management : The necessity for esperanto

Lacking a universal working language, information managers around the world cannot now deal reliably and efficiently with multilingual documentation. Language mismatch paralyzes international cooperative efforts such as multinational bibliographic standardization, linking of collections, and sharing the work of classification and indexing. Knowledge of the same second language by all information managers can open the communication channels needed for worldwide cooperation. Ethnic and ideological rivalries preclude success in this role by any of the conventional languages. The planned language, Esperanto, is the logical choice because of its neutrality, rational structure, clarity and expressive power. Pioneering projects in automatic language processing, not possible in English, are feasible in Esperanto.     

Self-compassion: a potential resource for young women athletes

Self-compassion has demonstrated many psychological benefits (Neff, 2009). In an effort to explore self-compassion as a potential resource for young women athletes, we explored relations among self-compassion, proneness to self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame, guilt-free shame, guilt, shame-free guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride), and potentially unhealthy self-evaluative thoughts and behaviors (i.e., social physique anxiety, obligatory exercise, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation). Young women athletes (N = 151; Mage = 15.1 years) participated in this study. Self-compassion was negatively related to shame proneness, guilt-free shame proneness, social physique anxiety, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation. In support of theoretical propositions, self-compassion explained variance beyond self-esteem on shame proneness, guilt-free shame proneness, shame-free guilt proneness, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation. Results suggest that, in addition to self-esteem promotion, self-compassion development may be beneficial in cultivating positive sport experiences for young women.     

News and notes

AN O'NEILL CONCORDANCE. Compiled by J. Russell Reaver. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1969; pp. iii+1846 (three vols.). $87.30.

AMERICAN DISSERATIONS ON THE DRAMA AND THE THEATRE: A BIBLIOGRAPHY. Compiled by Fredric M. Litto. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1969; pp. ix+519. $12.50.