The Status of Physical Education Curriculum Theory

Although too few physical education scholars have given priority to the formulation of curriculum theory, genuine progress has been made in the past quarter of a century. Recent efforts in physical education theory building are reviewed within the overall context of general curriculum theory and in historical perspective. Special attention is focused on relationships between curriculum and instruction. A selected model for physical education curricular decision-making illustrates the process of relating a physical education curriculum theory to general curriculum theory, the need for adaptation to differing value orientations, and the nature of the impact of curiculum theory on instructional decisions.     

RECENT BOOKS

This article proposes a pedagogy based upon congregational studies to further the contextualization of education in both seminary and congregational settings. Christian congregations and theological seminaries comprise two overlapping yet distinctive “communities of practice” in which teaching and learning the Bible constitutes a primary, even defining, activity. The article describes a seminary course that used congregational studies as its pedagogical framework. It then outlines eight features of a pedagogy based upon congregational studies, concluding with a brief assessment of the dangers and opportunities for a more contextual approach to education in seminary and congregational educational settings.     

‘Take more time to actually listen’: students' reflections on participation and negotiation in school

Behaviour in schools is an emotive topic and one of enduring political interest and sensitivity. The media often portrays schools as violent and dangerous places and young people as ever more unruly. This paper explores findings from a recent large‐scale national study on behaviour and focuses on the data from primary and secondary school students within this study. The comments and suggestions offered by students move beyond a discussion of behaviour to focus on the broader questions of participation, engagement and meanings of active citizenship in school.     

Students’ Classroom Communication Effectiveness

Instructional communication research has frequently examined effective teacher communication, but has ignored effective student communication. This study draws on the transactional model of communication to hypothesize that students who are effective communicators will be more successful in the classroom. Participants reported their level of interaction involvement, socio-communicative orientation, and out-of-class communication in regard to a specific class. Additionally, participants reported recently received grades, their level of state motivation to study, affective learning, performance of learning indicators, and satisfaction with instructor communication. Overall, students’ communication effectiveness was positively associated with positive learning outcomes.     

“The verdict is in: A study of jury decision making factors,moment of personal decision,and jury deliberations—from the jurors' point of view”

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into jury decision waking factors, jury decision timing, and the jury decision making process by talking to actual trial jurors. Three criminal jury trials were observed, and seventeen of the jurors were interviewed after each trial's completion. The data indicate that jurors were influenced by the evidence, witnesses, lawyers, and defendant in the trials. In two trials, jurors made their decisions early; one trial produced later decisions. The jurors' reports also demonstrate that jurors considered evidence and discussed the key issues during deliberation.     

Understanding of epilepsy by children and young people with epilepsy

There is a striking dearth of studies focusing sensitively and in depth on the mainstream educational experiences of children with epilepsy, as viewed by those children themselves. The one‐year project (2006–7) reported here addresses that gap. Children’s perceptions about mainstream teachers’ understanding of epilepsy and school‐based needs are particularly interesting and this work breaks new ground in that connection. The authors report findings from two complementary qualitative methods of data collection: (1) an e‐survey of 44 self‐selected children and young people with epilepsy, and (2) interviews (mainly individual) in mainstream schools with 22 children/young people with epilepsy. Overall, the children and young people (aged 7–18) were clear about the nature of their condition, including seizures. For many, there was an implicit reluctance in accepting epilepsy as a “part of them”; self‐reported feelings of secrecy, stigma and shame abounded. This had repercussions for how schools were seen to need to respond with sensitivity and knowledge‐based understanding. Taking a qualitative methodological approach revealed important insights into complex concepts like stigma in the school context. This was illustrated in children and young people’s readiness to talk about their feelings of “difference” in relation to others when given the opportunity to do so sensitively. The findings have important implications for how schools and services work in a genuinely fully inclusive way with children and young people who have epilepsy.     

Self-Report QRIS: Challenges with Validation

Research Findings: The current study looks at the validity of a voluntary self-report Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and the characteristics of participating childcare centers. The self-reported quality indicators are compared to external ratings of quality Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised ([ECERS-R]) and correlated with variables such as size of center and number of state subsidy clients. ECERS-R scores were unrelated to capacity but significantly lower for centers with a large percentage of state-supported clients. Regarding self-reported quality, centers frequently under-reported their quality and what was claimed was not always externally validated, suggesting a self-report QRIS may not be an accurate assessment of quality. Additionally, no significant differences in quality were found between centers participating and those not participating in the self-report QRIS. Practice or Policy: Self-reported childcare quality was not accurate in this study. Although providers over-reported some quality, they frequently under-reported quality, by claiming fewer indicators than external validators found. When centers are unmotivated to participate in a voluntary, self-report QRIS, when items reported are the easiest to report, and when existing quality indicators are unreported, a self-reported QRIS cannot validly reflect quality. Because providers over-reported and under-reported quality criteria, it is doubtful the system truly incentivizes desired quality changes.     

An Organizational Consultation Framework for School-Based Prevention of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

ABSTRACT

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a form of childhood sexual abuse involving the sexual exploitation of youth for economic gain. School-based CSEC prevention efforts have increased in recent years. While these efforts represent important progress in school-based efforts to prevent CSEC, the literature indicates that they need to be strengthened. This article presents a school-based organizational consultation framework that may help schools and support personnel to enhance existing school-based CSEC prevention efforts.