A comparison of physical and sexual abuse: histories of sexual and non-sexual offenders with intellectual disability

OBJECTIVES: To review patterns of physical and sexual abuse in cohorts of sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders with intellectual disability. METHOD: Forty-six sexual offenders were compared with 48 male nonsexual offenders in relation to their experiences of sexual and physical abuse in childhood. Comprehensive assessments were taken over a period of at least one year, and were conducted independently by a range of professionals. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of the sexual offenders and 12.7% of the nonsexual offenders had experienced sexual abuse, while 13% of the sexual offenders and 33% of the nonsexual offenders had experienced physical abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual abuse seems a significant variable in the history of sexual offenders, while physical abuse seems a significant variable in the history of nonsexual offenders. The results support the view that the "cycle of abuse" is neither inevitable nor an adequate explanation of future offending.     

Liberal arts student learning outcomes: An integrated approach

Researchers completing a study of liberal arts education sought to identify learning outcomes associated with both wisdom and citizenship. They have synthesized these themes into seven outcomes that facilitate effective student learning and development.     

The Unfolding of Student Adjustment During the First Semester of College

Research in Higher Education - College sense of belonging and well-being constitute critical components of college student adjustment and success. Previous studies have generally measured these...     

Leading the Pack: Developing Empowering Responsible Use Policies

School leaders around the world navigate a learning environment where most students have (or soon will have) ubiquitous access to an Internet-connected device. As a result, districts have implemented acceptable use policies (AUPs) to address the ways that students are using those technologies. In this study, we analyzed the AUPs of 75 one-to-one computing school districts in one Midwestern state in the United States. We examined and coded each AUP and identified three major themes. Based on the findings from that analysis, a roadmap for creating a responsive and empowering responsible use policy (RUP) is proposed.     

Effects of Success/Failure and Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation Using a Competitive Motor Task

Abstract

Female high school students participated in a motor task to assess the effects of success/failure and extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. A questionnaire was administered to check for the degree of satisfaction after participation under each experimental condition. A significant change in intrinsic motivation was found to be due to the effects of success and failure, but not to the effect of the tangible reward. Those groups receiving success feedback persisted longer at the voluntary play situation than did those receiving failure feedback. As well, the task was deemed more satisfying for the success feedback groups. Results tend to indicate the potency of success over failure feedback in inducing intrinsic motivation and are interpreted in terms of cognitive evaluation versus the overjustification hypothesis.     

Persons Living with HIV: Disclosure to Sexual Partners

A central concern of persons in HIV education and prevention is whether a person testing positive tells sexual partners of this result. An accumulation of 51 studies across twenty years reveals that 40% of persons testing positive for HIV antibodies did not reveal this result to sexual partners (5287/8854). The impact of various factors (age, gender, date of the study, time since diagnosis, nature of the diagnosis, and sexual orientation) received consideration.