What do families of the ‘professional and managerial’ class educate their children for? The links between happiness and autonomy

Based on a qualitative study involving 124 professional and managerial class families in Catalonia (Spain), this paper describes the aims and objectives these families have for the education of their children. During the fieldwork, when asked what they were aiming for in the education of their children, almost all of the parents replied ‘for them to be happy’. But what kind of happiness are they talking about? What kind of education might lead to happiness? Drawing principally on the work of Kellerhals and Montandon and their ‘contractual model of education’ and Bauman’s concepts of ‘secondary security’ and ‘homo eligens’, although also taking into account the related contributions of Lareau, Vincent and Ball, Stefansen and Aarseth, and Kusserow, the paper aims to demonstrate the strong connection these families make between happiness and ‘absolute’ autonomy, understood as two sides of the same coin and seen, by the participants, as the guiding principle that should shape the way they bring their children up.     

‘And what language do you speak at home?’ Ethnocentrism and cultural openness in teacher–parent interactions in disadvantaged and ethnically segregated schools

ABSTRACT

This article, based on a deep ethnography in schools located in a disadvantaged multicultural context in Geneva (Switzerland), questions the way in which the local school system and teachers comprehend the cultural diversity of students and their parents. Oscillating between recognition and assimilation, teachers publicly adhere to discourses that emphasise cultural diversity, while limiting its expression, especially when a student encounters school difficulties. Teachers’ meetings with parents are significantly influenced by the majority perspective, leaving the parents with little place to express their own needs. Nonetheless, within the conversation, some parents are able to assert practices that differ from those promoted by the host society. Ultimately, it seems that, in the absence of a multicultural position, teachers are limited to adopting hybrid practices that create unease and are evidence of limited understanding of multiculturality.     

The genesis of school inspection in South East Wales 1839–1843: issues of social control and accountability

The article examines the genesis of school inspection in South East Wales during the period 1839–1843 through the writing of Hugh Seymour Tremenheere, one of the first school inspectors. It discusses the formation of the new inspectorate and provides a narrative analysis of educational provision and social, cultural and economic conditions prevailing at the time. It then critically assesses Tremenheere's 1839 Report paying particular attention to the question of bias and the evident lack of impartiality. The final section is concerned with the concepts of accountability and inspection as a means of social control and the extent to which education can control working class patterns of thought, sentiment and behaviour.     

Assessment of leg muscles mechanical capacities: Which jump,loading, and variable type provide the most reliable outcomes?

This study aimed to explore the strength of the force–velocity (F–V) relationship of lower limb muscles and the reliability of its parameters (maximum force [F₀], slope [a], maximum velocity [V₀], and maximum power [P₀]). Twenty-three men were tested in two different jump types (squat and countermovement jump: SJ and CMJ), performed under two different loading conditions (free weight and Smith machine: Free and Smith) with 0, 17, 30, 45, 60, and 75?kg loads. The maximum and averaged values of F and V were obtained for the F–V relationship modelling. All F–V relationships were strong and linear independently whether observed from the averaged across the participants (r?≥?0.98) or individual data (r?=?0.94–0.98), while their parameters were generally highly reliable (F₀ [CV: 4.85%, ICC: 0.87], V₀ [CV: 6.10%, ICC: 0.82], a [CV: 10.5%, ICC: 0.81], and P₀ [CV: 3.5%, ICC: 0.93]). Both the strength of the F–V relationships and the reliability of their parameters were significantly higher for (1) the CMJ over the SJ, (2) the Free over the Smith loading type, and (3) the maximum over the averaged F and V variables. In conclusion, although the F–V relationships obtained from all the jumps tested were linear and generally highly reliable, the less appropriate choice for testing the F–V relationship could be through the averaged F and V data obtained from the SJ performed either in a Free weight or in a Smith machine. Insubstantial differences exist among the other combinations tested.     

基于系统动力学方法的人地系统优化调控研究

人地系统是地理学最为重要的研究内容,区域可持续发展有赖于人地系统的合理结构与优化模式以及人们对此系统的有效调控。县级区域是一个具有复杂系统结构与功能的人地关系地域系统,本文以黄陵县为例,结合实地调查资料和统计数据,分析县域人地系统中人口、资源、经济和社会等结构特征。运用系统动力学理论与方法,建立人地系统演变的动态调控模型,对该系统进行多种发展方案调控试验,比较优选出人地系统协调发展的优化调控模式,为地区可持续发展提供决策依据。     

Non-centralized control for flow-based distribution networks: A game-theoretical insight

This paper solves a data-driven control problem for a flow-based distribution network with two objectives: a resource allocation and a fair distribution of costs. These objectives represent both cooperation and competition directions. It is proposed a solution that combines either a centralized or distributed cooperative game approach using the Shapley value to determine a proper partitioning of the system and a fair communication cost distribution. On the other hand, a decentralized non-cooperative game approach computing the Nash equilibrium is used to achieve the control objective of the resource allocation under a non-complete information topology. Furthermore, an invariant-set property is presented and the closed-loop system stability is analyzed for the non-cooperative game approach. Another contribution regarding the cooperative game approach is an alternative way to compute the Shapley value for the proposed specific characteristic function. Unlike the classical cooperative-games approach, which has a limited application due to the combinatorial explosion issues, the alternative method allows calculating the Shapley value in polynomial time and hence can be applied to large-scale problems.