Mindfulness and the Therapeutic Function of Education

Although it has been given qualified approval by a number of philosophers of education, the so-called 'therapeutic turn' in education has been the subject of criticism by several commentators on post-compulsory and adult learning over the last few years. A key feature of this alleged development in recent educational policy is said to be the replacement of the traditional goals of knowledge and understanding with personal and social objectives concerned with enhancing and developing confidence and self-esteem in learners. After offering some critical observations on these developments, I suggest that there are some educationally justifiable goals underpinning what has been described as a therapeutic turn. Whilst accepting that 'self-esteem' and cognate concepts cannot provide a general end or universal aim of education, the therapeutic function is more valuable and significant than is generally acknowledged. This claim is justified by an examination of the concept of 'mindfulness' that, it is argued, can be an immensely powerful and valuable notion, which is integrally connected with the centrally transformative and developmental nature of learning and educational activity at all levels.     

Development and initial validation of an instrument to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport: The Brunel Music Rating Inventory

Equivocal results of the psychophysical effects of music have been explained in part by the insensitivity of researchers to important personal and situational variables when selecting music. The aim of the present study was to operationalize a conceptual framework for the prediction of psychophysical responses to music into a music rating inventory to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport environments. An initial item pool was developed and administered to 334 aerobics instructors. Exploratory factor analysis produced a 13-item, four-factor structure (association, musicality, cultural impact and rhythm response), which accounted for 59.2% of the variance. This model demonstrated acceptable fit indices when tested using confirmatory factor analysis on 314 exercise-to-music participants, and was better than an alternative two-factor model. When cross-validated using multisample confirmatory factor analysis, the model also showed an acceptable fit overall, although some invariance in the rhythm response factor was evident that can be attributed to the exclusive use of synchronous music by aerobics instructors. The Brunel Music Rating Inventory appears to be a valid and reliable tool for both researchers and practitioners to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport environments.     

Rising to the occasion: publishing diversity-focused scholarship in adult education

Publication of diversity-focused scholarship has increased over the last decade, yet marginalized groups are still inadequately represented in academic journals. In addition, research about diversity has become increasingly complex and its definition varies greatly. This poses obstacles for the emerging scholar interested in submitting diversity-focused scholarship to academic journals. A rarely investigated resource that offers insight into this task are peer reviewer written comments. This study explores the practice of publishing diversity-focused scholarship from a peer-review perspective. A grounded theory approach was used to conduct a content analysis of reviewer comments. From the findings four major categories emerged about the nature of publishing diversity-focused research: (a) clarification of terms; (b) explicit bias by the author; (c) formulaic approach; and (d) reviewers' standpoint. This article offers an understanding about the reviewers' approaches to diversity-focused submissions and suggests considerations when publishing in this area.     

The Women's Movement in Canadian and Australian Education: From liberation and sexism to boys and social justice

This article provides a comparative analysis of the ways in which the women's movement was able to effect change in educational policy and practice in Australia and Canada between 1970 and 2000, drawing on interviews and document analysis in both countries. While the movement in both countries drew on similar international texts and conversations, it had more sustained state support in education in Australia. Despite the different degrees of institutionalisation, similar trends emerged in both countries. There was more public visibility for the movement in the 1970s and 1980s than in the 1990s, and a shift in discourse from 'women's liberation' and 'sexism' to boys and social justice. It is argued that the movement continues to be a creative source of ideas and change even when it is less visible and less formally represented, and that differences in outcomes are not easily linked to differences in institutionalisation. In both countries, major change has occurred, although the demands of the movement have not been realised.