Race and the Education Reform Act

The abandonment of a commitment to the achievement of social democratic consensus in the Thatcherite project and the emphasis on individualism and the market means that a new source of cultural hegemony has to be sought. It is being attempted by the inculcation of a particular form of nationalism using the family and schools as a vehicle. The exact parameters of what constitutes Britishness are achieved by the marginalization of groups and movements that threaten the particular Thatcherite model of the nation and the imposition of a limited, and racist, model of culture. Within education a struggle is developing over content as the government seeks to impose a National Curriculum that reflects its ideology while structural changes hasten the commodification of education. Both the curriculum and structural changes are likely to have a detrimental effect on black and working-class pupils.     

A network under stress: using embeddedness to understand uncertainty management and resilience in campus emergencies

Persistent school shootings have generated ongoing pressure to assess and enhance crisis communication effectiveness via strategies such as resilience-building and post-crisis restoration. A network perspective offers a robust, multilevel approach for examining complex information flows among community, campus, and individual actors affected by crises. Drawing on relational and structural embeddedness and Uncertainty Management Theory, we offer nine propositions that help explain structural and relational changes in a network over time. Although theoretically driven, these propositions are primarily functional, offering practical implications for safety officials and administrators trying to understand, prepare for, and respond to crises. Thus, we suggest measures and recommendations to improve information flow, uncertainty management, and resilience before, during, and after a crisis.     

Missing the Mark: The Neglect of Stalking and Cyberstalking in Introductory Criminology Textbooks

Textbooks are an essential component of student education, often forming the basis for all information presented in a given class. Introductory texts cannot possibly cover all relevant material, but what is included speaks volumes. Given the prevalence of stalking and cyberstalking in society, this is an important issue for inclusion in introductory criminology and criminal justice classes. An analysis of 20 criminology and 12 criminal justice textbooks is done to determine what students are learning about this prevalent social problem. Specifically, we aim to evaluate whether stalking and cyberstalking are covered, determine the theories associated with the issues, and assess the textbook location in which the issue is covered. Results indicate slight coverage of stalking and cyberstalking in introductory texts.     

‘You shouldn’t be making people feel bad about having sex’: exploring young adults’ perceptions of a sex-positive sexual health text message intervention

Young adults are disproportionately affected by negative sexual health outcomes, such as sexually transmitted infections. One strategy for reducing such negative outcomes involves the use of comprehensive sexual health education. As comprehensive sexual health education programmes are adopted, there is a need to evaluate the messaging approaches that might best connect with young people. Sex-positive approaches, which describe sex as a healthy practice and personal choice, are becoming popular, but whether this strategy works has not been tested from a message design perspective. This study examines the reactions of young adults to sex-positive or sex-negative messages, framed as a gain or loss, designed for a text message-based intervention. Participants quantitatively evaluated 24 messages on their mobile phones. Gain frames were preferred over loss frames, and sex-positive messages were rated as more believable and persuasive. An interaction between the two concepts was also found. Results highlight how sex-positive messages that focus on the benefits of certain behaviours tend to resonate better with young adults. Implications for health educators and practitioners are discussed.     

Using mindfulness to teach perception

Using the philosophy of mindfulness is an innovative way to teach about perception. By participating in a mindfulness awareness practice, engaging in an activity with all your senses and being in the moment without judgment, students learn about the concepts of perception and mindfulness; analyze their personal perception process before and after the activity; and reflect individually and in group discussion on how mindfulness can change the perception process.

Courses: Any course where perception and the perception process are taught including: Introduction to Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, and Health Communication.

Objectives: Students will (a) learn about the concepts of perception and mindfulness, (b) apply their knowledge by participating in a hands-on mindfulness awareness practice, (c) analyze their personal perception process before and after the activity, and (d) reflect individually and in group discussion on how mindfulness can change the perception process.     

Children's literacy interest and its relation to parents’ literacy‐promoting practices

This study examined how children's literacy interests related to parent literacy‐promoting practices across time. Using a sample of 909 preschool‐age children and the newly developed Child Activities Preference Checklist, literacy interest appeared to be a complex construct, not easily captured by a single measure. In a subsample of 230 children with longitudinal data, parent literacy practices and child literacy interests related concurrently and across time. Parent literacy practices were more stable than child literacy interests, with children's literacy interest continuing to develop over the preschool year. Parent practices of exposing children to literacy and teaching them literacy concepts appeared to be distinct constructs. Exposure to literacy was especially important in the growth of literacy interests and the hypothesis that exposure has a negative effect on children with little initial interest was not fully supported.