Preadolescents'' Social-Emotional Adjustment and Selective Attrition in Family Research

Researchers often ask subjects to commit considerable time and effort to completing tasks that are not especially enjoyable. In a multistage investigation of sixth-grade boys and their families, we hypothesized that boys who were prone to high levels of distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low well-being) but only low or moderate levels of self-restraint (i.e., consideration of others, impulse control, suppression of aggression, and responsibility) would be particularly unlikely to agree to participate. Consistent with this hypothesis, boys from 33 classrooms who were nominated by their peers as high in distress and moderate or low in self-restraint were significantly less likely than other boys to take part in an in-class survey. In addition, the families of boys who scored high in distress and moderate or low in self-restraint on the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) were less likely than other families to agree to an observation session in their homes and to a series of telephone interviews about daily events in the boys' lives. Across the 3 phases of the research, the cumulative attrition rate of these at-risk boys was approximately 80%, compared to only 50% for those low in distress and/or high in self-restraint. These results suggest that the children of greatest interest in studies of social competence and family interaction may often be among those least adequately represented.     

Mobilities of policy and mobile parents – creating a new dynamic in policy borrowing within state schooling

ABSTRACT

In this article, we focus on the transformations imposed on schools by individual parents, arguing that schools as modern organisations change not only through top-down pressures orchestrated by an array of international organisations, for-profit companies and media as shown in previous research, but also through the agency of mobile parents, who seek to import reforms from elsewhere, based on their previous schooling experiences abroad. We focus on a specific group of middle class parents, who are continuously mobile, moving between global cities for employment. This paper brings into the discussion the role of individual parental strategies as they seek to promote education policy-borrowing. By applying the theoretical lens of stakeholder identification and salience, using a multi case study research design, we suggest that parents express high levels of power, legitimacy and a sense of urgency, thus being able to successfully advocate for change. We argue that while exploring organisational reform occurring due to the globalisation of education, we must view parents as central actors in this new space.     

International Collaboration for In-service: The Bhutanese Multigrade Attachment Program

The Bhutanese Multigrade Attachment Program has developed through collaboration between a number of agencies and institutions in Australia and Bhutan. The collaboration between funding bodies, the Education Division in Bhutan, the University of New England (UNE) and school communities around Armidale features a shared knowledge of what is needed, an approach that does not privilege one partner over another and processes which focus on mutual understanding. It depends upon trust within continuing relationships, and hard work from those involved. The program has developed considerably and it is evident that there have been a range of positive professional and cultural outcomes for those involved in Bhutan and in Australia. Some difficulties are also identified. The paper is a useful case study for workers and academics involved in, or contemplating, development assistance projects.     

Access and Equity: A Case Analysis of Local Implementation under the Higher Education Equity Programme

The Access and Equity Programme at the University of Southern Queensland is an example of a program supported by the Commonwealth Government's Higher Education Equity Programme. The characteristics of this program are discussed in terms of its context, focus and rationale, structure and components, and outcomes. The program is seen to be successful in fulfilling the aim of such programs to promote greater access to higher education from disadvantaged groups. However, it is also concluded that: the required focus on defined target groups can itself be inequitable by ignoring cases of individual disadvantage; the need for quota selection leaves the least capable without any support for their aspirations; and the almost exclusive concentration on prerequisite academic knowledge leaves some without sufficient awareness and adaptability to cope with the demands of higher education.