Tackling bullying: Victimized by peers as a pupil,an effective intervener as a teacher?

The present study focuses on student teachers as a prospective special resource in the prevention of school bullying in the course of their future professional careers. Special attention is paid to the influence the respondents' own childhood experiences of bullying may have in this regard. To investigate this question, we assessed the respondents' estimations of the level of empathy they felt towards the victims of bullying, the degree of effort they made to prevent bullying, and their ability to identify it. Further, an attempt to assess the long-term consequences of bullying was made, using two different communicative indices: the willingness to communicate and self-perceived communication competence. It is suggested that teachers' own experiences of victimization may enhance their ability to communicate effectively when fighting against bullying at school.     

Effects and side effects of inspections and accountability in education: an overview of empirical studies

This paper presents an overview of studies into effects and side effects of control mechanisms in education. We focus on effects and side effects of inspection visits and public performance indicators. A first conclusion is that the studies do not provide us with a clear answer to the question of whether inspections have positive causal effects on the quality of schools. Results of studies of publications on public performance indicators are more unambiguous. They lead us to the conclusion that although principals and teachers believe performance indicators are important, parents and pupils take very little notice of these indicators when choosing schools. A third conclusion concerns the occurrence of side effects of school inspections and other control mechanisms in education. Several of the studies discussed clearly refer to the existence of these side effects, such as ‘window dressing’ and other types of ‘gaming’.     

The potential impact of quantum computers on society

This paper considers the potential impact that the nascent technology of quantum computing may have on society. It focuses on three areas: cryptography, optimization, and simulation of quantum systems. We will also discuss some ethical aspects of these developments, and ways to mitigate the risks.