Key Issues in Sex Education: reflecting on teaching,learning and assessment

Drawing upon critical reflections of staff and student experiences of teaching, learning and assessment on an undergraduate module entitled Key Issues in Sex Education, we discuss the strategies used to engage students in debates around sex and relationships education (SRE). To date, there is little research which evaluates how formal assessments can be made relevant to students' exploration of this subject. In the case of this module, assessment requires students to first deliver a seminar presentation that focuses upon a self-selected issue within the field of sexual politics, policy and practice. Students then submit a manifesto, in the form of posters, leaflets or flyers pitched at relevant stakeholders, and which adheres more to the conventions for political campaigning, rather than the standard essays or examinations commonly used to assess undergraduates. In the light of this, we critically reflect upon student evaluations in respect of this module, address various problems and paradoxes, and offer recommendations for encouraging students to find their own voices when debating complex issues of not only SRE, but also sex, gender and sexualities more widely.     

School climate: the controllable and the uncontrollable

A positive school climate impacts students by promoting positive relations among students, staff and faculty of the school. The current study used latent class analysis and multinomial regression with R3STEP to analyse patterns of negative behaviours in schools and test the association of these patterns with structural variables like school size, demographics, and location using data from the 2008 School Survey on Crime and Safety, (n = 2560). The results indicated five classes of frequencies of negative behaviours. By using the lowest frequency of behaviour class as a reference, the classes with the highest frequencies of bullying, teacher disrespect, and sexual assault were more likely to be found in high crime areas and have larger campuses serving over 1000 students. Implications include the need to serve subgroups of schools based on measurable variables and the need to educate future teachers, administrators, and school psychologists about school climate and positive behaviour support systems.     

体力活动不足、久坐行为与糖代谢异常检出率的关系

目的：探讨体力活动（PA）不足和久坐行为（SB）与糖代谢异常检出率的关系。方法：对30~69岁具有至少3项DM危险因素者进行糖耐量筛查,采用国际体力活动问卷（IPAQ-SF）调查PA水平和SB,并利用加速度计对问卷进行效度检验。结果：研究纳入195人,平均年龄（51.92±10.64）岁。糖代谢异常检出率为67.18%,检出率随DM危险因素数量的增多而升高。IPAQ-SF中MPA、MVPA以及SB时间与加速度计测量结果的相关系数r分别为0.35、0.37和0.43。受试者中75.9%属于PA不足,同时具有"PA不足+（年龄≥ 40岁）+超重/肥胖"三项的受试者最多（48.21%）。在调整了混杂因素之后,与SB ≤ 6h/d组相比,SB>6h/d组受试者的糖耐量异常检出率更高（OR=2.37,95% CI：1.12~5.02）。结论：多种DM危险因素聚集者中糖代谢异常检出率较高,PA不足者较多,SB增加糖代谢异常风险,IPAQ-SF适用于对该人群进行PA评价。建议对糖尿病多危险因素聚集者,尤其是PA不足、SB较多、超重/肥胖者及时筛查并重点关注,降低糖代谢异常发病率。