Community and Collectivism: the role of parents’ organisations in the education system

This paper outlines the theoretical and empirical starting‐points for a research project addressing the role of parents’ organisations in the education system. It argues that a study of relationships conducted between homes, schools and parents’ groups and organisations has the potential to illuminate key concepts in education, considering as examples ‘citizenship’ and ‘community’. The paper is divided into three main sections. The first briefly describes the study's background, its scope and methodology. The second section considers the use of some of Antonio Gramsci's work in providing a theoretical starting‐point with which to explore the construction and maintenance of hegemonic discourses surrounding parenting. The concluding section of the paper widens the discussion to consider two key concepts, community and citizenship. It is argued that the discursive positioning of these concepts, in other words, how they are understood and defined, influences the ways in which relationships between parents and the education system are perceived and construed. This is illustrated with reference to readings of'citizenship’ and ‘community’ which emphasise, not consensus and homogeneity as in traditional definitions, but conflict, difference and multiplicity. The paper concludes that there is a continued need for empirical data focusing on everyday citizen and citizen‐state interactions which reveal how individuals live within, and understand and experience these relationships.     

SIDE-VIEW: Evaluation of a system to develop team players and improve productivity in Internet collaborative learning groups

This paper briefly summarizes the initial development of a computer-supported collaborative learning environment and evaluates its effects in relation to the productivity of CSCL groups. The design of the SIDE-VIEW system is driven by the social identity approach to understanding group behaviour and is premised upon the need to establish congruity between the self-definition of group members and their collaborative learning tasks. We begin by outlining the rationale for the system in relation to productivity and the emergence of team players within collaborative learning groups. We then describe aspects of the design that are intended to enhance both, and report on a field trial of the initial prototype on international groups of higher education students. The preliminary results of the field study indicate that aspects of the design encourage the emergence and influence of team players within groups, with consequential improvements to the quality of the group output. The role of team players in CSCL groups is contrasted with that of group leaders.     

Investigating the impact of NAPLAN on student,parent and teacher emotional distress in independent schools

Concerns have been raised about the impact Australia’s national standardised testing, the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), has upon the well-being of students, parents and teachers. To date, research evidence is unclear as to the level and extent of emotional distress experienced by stakeholders during testing. Despite an unclear evidence base, the prevailing view is that NAPLAN has a general negative impact upon stakeholder well-being. In a pilot study that surveyed all stakeholder groups across 11 independent schools in Western Australia, we found evidence of a minimal impact from the testing. We also found evidence for a small positive association between student and parent distress during testing, and a moderate positive association between parent and teacher distress during testing and their estimations regarding how NAPLAN impacts other people. Our results are not consistent with the prevailing view that NAPLAN has a broad negative impact on well-being, and highlights the need for further research to inform debates about the usefulness and impact of NAPLAN testing.     

‘It’s the best thing I’ve done in a long while’: teenage mothers’ experiences of educational alternatives

Pregnant and mothering schoolgirls have been identified as an educationally vulnerable group. Many are not welcomed in their mainstream schools and as a consequence, access a range of educational alternatives. This article presents the views and experiences of 14 young women in the English Midlands, who became pregnant while still of statutory school age, 12 of whom spent time in alternative educational settings. It is based on data gathered from repeat interviews over an 18-month period and shows that all who attended the educational alternatives rated them highly and benefitted from what they had to offer. Using the concept of ‘difference’ as a central analytic theme, the article examines how and why this was the case. The analysis shows that it was through recognising some differences but not others that the educational alternatives were successful in supporting young women’s learning and well-being. Importantly, those that were recognised were done so in non-stigmatising ways. The research also highlights some limitations of the alternatives, alongside the ways in which gender and class continue to impact the educational outcomes and career trajectories of this particular group of students.     

Toy safety and selection

Toys can be used to promote children's cognitive, physical, motor, language, social, and emotional development. Safety and developmental appropriateness are of the utmost importance when selecting children's toys. Parents and teachers and other helping professionals need to teach children the safe use of toys to prevent toy-related accidents. Obtain additional information regarding toy safety by calling the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1(800)638-CPSC.     

Anogenital warts in childhood

Fifteen children with anogenital warts are presented. Twelve cases were referred for assessment of sexual abuse which was established in six cases, strongly suspected in one, and excluded in three. In two, the source was unclear. Papillomavirus typing was carried out by HPV DNA dot and Southern blot hybridization using mixed HPV 6/11, 16/18, and 2/3 DNA probes on 15 specimens from 12 of the children. Seven biopsy specimens were positive for HPV 6 or 11 and one hybridized with both HPV 6/11 and 16/18 mixed sets of probes. Two specimens were positive for HPV 2, and a further two hybridized with both HPV 18 and 2. Three wart specimens could not be typed with the available genital or skin probes. The viruses causing genital tract papillomata are the same for children and adults. The identification of HPV 16/18 raises the concern of potential oncogenicity and stresses the need for long-term assessment. The diagnosis of sexual abuse was made on history rather than examination, as only two cases showed additional physical signs of sexual abuse. It is advocated that the presence of anogenital warts alone be sufficient grounds to pursue the possibility of sexual abuse. Nonsexual transmission, although possible, is far less likely.     

Adverse childhood experiences and hallucinations

OBJECTIVE: Little information is available about the contribution of multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to the likelihood of reporting hallucinations. We used data from the ACE study to assess this relationship. METHODS: We conducted a survey about childhood abuse and household dysfunction while growing up, with questions about health behaviors and outcomes in adulthood, which was completed by 17,337 adult HMO members in order to assess the independent relationship of 8 adverse childhood experiences and the total number of ACEs (ACE score) to experiencing hallucinations. We used logistic regression to assess the relationship of the ACE score to self-reported hallucinations. RESULTS: We found a statistically significant and graded relationship between histories of childhood trauma and histories of hallucinations that was independent of a history of substance abuse. Compared to persons with 0 ACEs, those with 7 or more ACEs had a five-fold increase in the risk of reporting hallucinations. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a history of childhood trauma should be looked for among persons with a history of hallucinations.     

Developing Children's Understanding of Fractions: An Intervention Study

Fractions constitute a stumbling block in mathematics education. To improve children's understanding of fractions, we designed an intervention based on learning‐by‐doing activities, which focused on the representation of the magnitude of fractions. Participants were 292 Grade 4 and 5 children. Half of the classes received experimental instruction, while the other half pursued their usual lessons. For 10 weeks, they played five different games using cards representing fractions (e.g., Memory and Blackjack). Wooden disks helped them represent and manipulate fractions while playing games. Our results showed an improvement in the conceptual understanding of fractions. The findings confirmed that the usual practice in teaching fractions is largely based on procedural knowledge and provides only minimal opportunities for children to conceptualize the meaning and magnitude of fractional notations. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that a short intervention inducing children to manipulate, compare, and evaluate fractions improves their ability to associate fractional notations with numerical magnitude.