Associations between peer bullying and classroom concentration: evidence for mediation by perceived personal safety and relationship with teacher

Being bullied is associated with a psycho-social maladjustment during childhood. One hitherto largely overlooked correlate is disrupted classroom concentration. Using data collected from 364 9–11-year-old children attending seven junior schools in the UK, we tested a model in which children’s perceived safety in two contexts (classroom and playground) and their perceived relationship with their teacher were hypothesised to mediate the association between being bullied and classroom concentration. Two analytical approaches to testing multiple mediation – product of coefficients and bootstrapping – supported the model. None of the mediation effects was moderated by sex but they were by year; in all cases the mediation effect was stronger in the older children than in the younger children (but still significant among the latter). These data suggest mechanisms through which bullying might have its effects on classroom concentration. The practical and theoretical implications are discussed.     

The power of information: health information and UK agendas

The Department of Health published a new health information strategy in May 2012. The document provides a framework for health information in England over the next 10 years. Health information developments in England, however, do not mirror developments in other parts of the United Kingdom. This article is a personal reflection on the new health information strategy in England, including comparison with developments in the other UK nations.     

Positive Effects of Converting a Food and Bioprocessing Analysis Course to an Inquiry‐Guided Approach

Abstract: Food science laboratory courses are traditionally taught as a series of preplanned laboratories with known endpoints. In contrast, inquiry‐guided (IG) laboratories allow students to ask questions, think through problems, design experiments, then adapt and learn in response to unexpected results. This study examined the effects of converting the course, “Analytical Techniques in Food and Bioprocessing Sciences” from a traditional approach (2008 to 2010 data) to an IG approach (2011 data) by assigning teams of 2–3 students a food and a set of 5 analyses to conduct over the course of the semester. Students were required to choose and justify the use of specific methods for each analysis, as well as to develop a supply list and a budget for the semester‐long project. During the semester, students were required to post and discuss their weekly progress with the instructor, teaching assistants, and the rest of the class using an online discussion forum. At the end of the semester, students were required to present the results of their analysis in both oral and written formats. Overall course grades were significantly higher (P≤ 0.05) using IG in 2011 compared to 2010 and 2009, but not to 2008 grades. Numerical course evaluations for the instructor, overall course, and lab, as well as written course evaluations all significantly (P≤ 0.05) improved. This suggests that an IG approach may measurably improve student performance in terms of course grades and the ability to complete semester long projects. It may also increase student satisfaction with the course, as measured by numerical and written end of semester surveys.     

‘Parents don’t want their children to speak their home language’: how do educators negotiate partnerships with Chinese parents regarding their children’s use of home language and English in early childhood settings?

This study investigated five Australian early childhood educators’ negotiation of the complex terrain of working in partnership with Chinese parents regarding their children’s language usage in early childhood settings. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore educators’ views on children’s language usage in early childhood settings, their perception of Chinese parents’ language expectations and their strategies in resolving the tension between parental expectation and educator views on children’s language usage under the current regulatory frameworks. Educators reported that many Chinese parents expected their children to use only English in early childhood settings. Such a practice would not align with educators’ views of permitting children to use languages freely. The educators developed different strategies to address the tension between their desire to achieve positive outcomes for children and their need to work in partnership with families. Implications for the further preparation of educators are discussed.     

Print Media

Herbert S. Bailey's The Art and Science of Book Publishing (Harper & Row, $7.95).

Robert J. Glessingts The Underground Press in America (Indiana University Press, $6.50).

Ruth Kent's The Language of Journalism (Kent State University Press, $5.00/1.95)

Harold D. Lasswell and Daniel Lerner's The Prestige Press: A Comparative Study of Political Symbols (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, $12.00).     

Documentary Film as Policy Analysis: The Impact of Yes,In My Backyard on Activists,Agendas, and Policy

The production and distribution of social-issue documentaries can have a wide range of significant impact on community organizations, educational institutions, citizens, and policy makers. What this article seeks to demonstrate, using the example of Tracy Huling's Yes, In My Backyard, is the utility of an “issue-centered model” that allows a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the full range of political impact, including impact on producers, activists, and policymakers. Much of the way Yes, In My Backyard “worked” within the rural prison issue network parallels the way that policy analysis can affect public agendas and public policy. Although many documentaries can be regarded as “implicit” pieces of policy analysis, Huling's is the most explicit, and her measure of success is how well her work can alter the agenda of activists and policy makers, stimulate research to support policy change, and then help implement that change.