Solidarity and support: feminist memory work focus groups with working-class women studying social science degrees in Australia

This paper reports on our use of a two-phased, feminist memory work in a project conducted with 11 women, social science students at an Australian university. We begin by describing government-led attempts to widen participation in Australian universities because 10 of the 11 women who participated in our project were from non-traditional backgrounds. We discuss qualitative group research, identifying some of the benefits and limitations of focus groups, before differentiating them from feminist memory work and analysing key findings. Using excerpts from participants’ written stories and oral discussions, we analyse some of the obstacles the women faced trying to complete their studies. Our attention then turns to methodological concerns where we examine memory work as a feminist inquiry method. As second-wave feminists understood several decades ago through their use of consciousness-raising groups, we describe how we derived many benefits from using feminist memory work. The method invites deep reflection on the intersections between the personal and political and can be productive of insights about how people feel, not just think, about their experiences. A sense of solidarity can stem from this awareness amongst participants who have a chance to workshop and thus reinterpret their own stories and those of others, which can mean a growth in self-confidence and a reduction in self-blame.     

Drug education in bolivian schools: A feasibility study for cross-cultural application of a preventive curricular unit

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of adapting and implementing in La Paz, Bolivia a drug education course originally developed for use in the middle schools in the United States. On the basis of teacher and student evaluations, it was concluded that the unit is a viable, culturally relevant and effective method of drug education in the public and private schools in La Paz. Implications for the prevention of other health-related problems and for implementation of a demandreduction strategy to prevent drug abuse throughout the Americas are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Studie war es herauszufinden, inwieweit die Anwendung eines Kurses zur Drogenerziehung in La Paz, Bolivien durchführbar ist. Dieser Kurs wurde ursprünglich für Mittelschulen in den Vereinigten Staaten entwickelt. Auf der Basis von Bewertungen durch Lehrer und Schüler fand man heraus, daß dieser Kurs eine lebensfähige, kulturell relevante und effektive Art der Drogenerziehung in öffentlichen und privaten Schulen in La Paz ist. Außerdem wird diskutiert, welche Auswirkungen auf die Verhütung anderer Gesundheitsprobleme erzielt werden, sowie auf die Durchführung einer Strategie zur Verringerung der Nachfrage, um den Drogenmißbrauch in ganz Amerika zu reduzieren.

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Resumen El objetivo de este estudio residía en comprobar la factibilidad de adaptar e implementar en La Paz, Bolivia, un curso de educación antidrogas que se ha desarrollado para aplicarlo en las escuelas de enseñanza media de los Estados Unidos. Sobre la base de evaluaciones hechas por docentes y estudiantes se ha llegado a la conclusión de que el curso es un método viable, de relevancia cultural y efectivo para realizar una educación antidrogas en los colegios públicos y privados de La Paz. Se discuten las implicaciones del estudio para la prevención de otros problemas relacionados con la salud y para implementar una estrategia de reducción de demanda, a efectos de prvenir el abuso de drogas en todo el continente.

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Résumé L'objectif de cette étude est de tester la faisabilité de l'adaptation et de la mise en oeuvre à La Paz, en Bolivie, d'un programme de prévention contre la drogue, développé à l'origine pour être utilisé dans les écoles primaires aux Etats-Unis. D'après les évaluations des enseignants et des apprenants, il s'est avéré que ce programme constitue une méthode de prévention contre la drogue valable, culturellement pertinente et efficace, pour les écoles publiques et privées de La Paz. La discussion porte sur les répercussions sur la prévention d'autres problèmes de santé et sur la mise en oeuvre d'une stratégie de réduction de la dépendance afin de s'opposer aux méfaits de la drogue sur le continent américain.

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This project was made possible by a grant from the North-South Center, University of Miami, Florida, USA.     

Finding the right problem

In an educational setting, a solution that has worked for one problem may not work for the same problem that occurs at a different time in a different work conditions. However, administrators and teachers resort to quick solutions to the perceived problem, consequently affecting not only the curriculum but also the students ’ learning. This paper shows how administrators and teachers can find problems prior to problem solution by taking three steps: (1) Examining the interconnectivity of things; (2) Exploring possible and alternative problems and (3) Asking the right question. The paper demonstrates not only how these steps operate in specific situations encountered by administrators and teachers but also how finding the problem can be an effective tool in performing their respective roles.     

KEY INFORMANTS' PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER LEARNING IN SCOTLAND

ABSTRACT:   This article outlines the policy context for teachers' learning and continuing professional development in Scotland and considers this in relation to the perspectives of key informants gained through interview. The analysis draws on a triple-lens conceptual framework and points to some interesting contradictions between the policy text and the expressed aspirations of the interviewees. Current policy and the associated structural arrangements are viewed as broadly positive, but interviewees express concerns that an unintended emphasis on contractual arrangements might inhibit the more transformative elements of professional learning.     

Learning Environment, Attitudes and Achievement among Middle-school Science Students Using Inquiry-based Laboratory Activities

This study compared inquiry and non-inquiry laboratory teaching in terms of students’ perceptions of the classroom learning environment, attitudes toward science, and achievement among middle-school physical science students. Learning environment and attitude scales were found to be valid and related to each other for a sample of 1,434 students in 71 classes. For a subsample of 165 students in 8 classes, inquiry instruction promoted more student cohesiveness than non-inquiry instruction (effect size of one-third of a standard deviation), and inquiry-based laboratory activities were found to be differentially effective for male and female students.     

The use of behaviour change theories and techniques in research-informed coach development programmes: a systematic review

Coaches are often targeted in interventions to enhance athlete outcomes. While coach development programmes (CDPs) may change coach behaviour, little is known about theories and techniques used to design and implement effective programmes. Examining the use of behaviour change theories and techniques (BCTs) can aid in understanding and improving CDPs. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic review examining the use of behaviour change theories and BCTs in CDPs. In total, 29 CDPs met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using the Theory Coding Scheme and Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1). Only six CDPs were explicitly based on behaviour change theory, and no single theory or combination of theories was used more than once. The number of BCTs used per CDP ranged between one and nine. There was no significant difference between theory-based and non-theory-based CDPs concerning the number of BCTs used per CDP. Theoretical frameworks and techniques that have the potential to effectively change coach behaviours are not being used frequently or consistently in the design and implementation of CDPs. To design CDPs that change coach behaviours and facilitate positive outcomes, further research examining theoretical influences on coach behaviours is needed.     

A Cross-Cultural Study of the Self-Confidence of Counselors-in-Training

In this era of globalization, cross-cultural comparison studies could help counselor training programs enhance educational opportunities that are informative, supportive, and culturally responsive to students. Counselors-in-training in both the United States and South Korea were sampled in this study assessing self-esteem (individual and collective) and counselor activity self-efficacy (CA self-efficacy). Results indicated that American students endorsed higher levels of collective self-esteem and CA self-efficacy compared to Korean students. Age was positively correlated with CA self-efficacy in both the American and Korean samples. Additionally, the variable of supervision hours and internship experience was positively correlated with CA self-efficacy for American students, but showed no relationship with CA self-efficacy for Korea students. Implications for understanding the cultural differences of counseling-trainees’ self-confidence and the need for conducting cross-cultural comparison studies to provide insights about the training and development of trainees in cross-cultural settings are discussed.     

The great leap backward: changes in the jumping performance of Australian children aged 11−12-years between 1985 and 2015

Previous data have indicated relative stability over time of paediatric jumping performance, but few data exist since the early 2000s. This study quantified the 30-year secular changes in jumping performance of Australian children aged 11?12-years using data from the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey (1985, n = 1967) and Growing Up in Australia’s Child Health CheckPoint (2015, n = 1765). Both cohorts measured jumping performance (standing long jump distance), anthropometric and demographic data. Secular changes in jumping performance means and quantiles were examined using multivariable linear and quantile regression. Between 1985 and 2015, jumping performance declined by 16.4 cm or by 11.2% (standardised change 0.66 SD, 95%CI 0.60 to 0.73). Adjustment for body mass reduced the effect by 32%, although the decline remained (absolute change – 11.1 cm, 95%CI ?12.5 to ?9.7; percent change 7.7%, 95%CI 6.7 to 8.6; standardised change 0.51 SD, 95%CI 0.44 to 0.57). This decline was evident across all quantiles. The jumping performance of Australian children aged 11?12-years has declined between 1985 and 2015, with body mass changes accounting for only part of the decline. Efforts should continue to promote paediatric muscular fitness, reduce adiposity, and aim to reverse this decline in jumping performance.     

Examining social identity and intrateam moral behaviours in competitive youth ice hockey using stimulated recall

Social identity – identity formed through membership in groups – may play an important role in regulating intrateam moral behaviour in youth sport (Bruner, M. W., Boardley, I., & Côté, J. (2014). Social identity and prosocial and antisocial behavior in youth sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15(1), 56–64. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.09.003). The aim of this study was to qualitatively examine this potential role through stimulated recall interviews with competitive youth-ice-hockey players. Twenty-three players (M_age = 13.27 years, SD = 1.79) who reported engaging in high, median or low frequency of antisocial teammate behaviour (determined through pre-screening with the Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour in Sport Scale [Kavussanu, M., & Boardley, I. D. (2009). The prosocial and antisocial behavior in sport scale. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 31(1), 97–117. doi:10.1123/jsep.31.1.97]) were recruited from eight youth-ice-hockey teams in Canada. Interviews involved participants recalling their thoughts during prosocial/antisocial interactions with teammates, prompted by previously recorded video sequences of such incidents. Thematic analysis of interview data revealed all athletes – regardless of reported frequency of intrateam antisocial behaviour – felt prosocial interactions with teammates enhanced social identity. In contrast, the perceived influence of antisocial teammate behaviour on social identity differed depending on athletes’ reported frequency of intrateam antisocial behaviour; those reporting low and median frequencies described how such behaviour undermines social identity, whereas athletes reporting high frequency did not perceive this effect. The study findings highlight the potential importance of intrateam moral behaviour and social identity for youth-sport team functioning.