The role of schools in disaster preparedness,response and recovery: what can we learn from the literature?

In order to contextualise the articles in this special issue, this introductory article surveys the relevant literature from recent disasters in mostly developed countries in order to explore the wider role of schools in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. The first section argues that as schools are hubs of their communities, it is important to understand the literature on communities in disaster contexts. This is followed by recent examples of school experiences of disasters, particularly in Japan, New Zealand and Australia. The final section synthesises the literature on children and young people in disaster contexts. The article closes with a set of recommendations for integrating schools into disaster planning.     

Ready,steady, action: what enables young people to perceive themselves as active agents in their lives?

Government and educational priorities place importance on young people of secondary school age being active, having their voices heard, and participating in their community. This paper explores an understanding of the role of agency in young people’s lives and how the concept is developing. Young people who perceive themselves as having agency may feel they have the ability to change something about themselves or their environment for a valued goal; this may increase their resilience and adaptability to life challenges.

A systematic review of agency-related literature revealed little consistency and coherence in definitions and components of agency, particularly regarding young people. Empirical research used realist grounded theory to analyse discussion of three focus groups consisting of 11 young people aged 13 to 17 involved in active school and community projects in both rural and urban areas from a large county in the UK. Findings indicate how certain psychological factors relate over time between a young person’s thoughts and feelings, their structural context and their positive interpersonal relationships to support their sense of being an agent.

This article argues that focus on young people’s agency is a key thread linking many areas of educational practice to empower young people. Implications for practice with young people, professionals and families are discussed, including use of a schema of the findings to guide assessment and intervention.     

Introducing Torres Strait Island dance to the Australian high school physical education curriculum

This study was carried out within the context of a requirement for every Australian Capital Territory Education and Training Directorate (ACT ETD) high school to include Indigenous perspectives across all areas of the curriculum. For the first time ever in the case study school reported in this article, two Torres Strait Island dances were taught to students from Year 7 to Year 9. Traditionally dance within Physical Education (PE) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has been informed by British and American influences. This paper seeks to problematize the inclusion of Indigenous dance into a Westernized PE curriculum and considers the challenges faced by non-Indigenous Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers in relation to this, as well as what support is available. It is argued from the findings of this study that it is possible for schools to move beyond traditional PE content and include Indigenous perspectives in a non-tokenistic way. However, it is also argued that such an approach requires Indigenous people to have a central role, and for non-Indigenous teachers to challenge taken for granted mainstream Westernized and racialized teaching practices and discourses.     

‘Behind the teacher's back’: an ethnographic study of deaf people's schooling experiences in the Republic of Ireland

Historically, the valuing of deaf children's voices on their own schooling has been underrepresented in educational policies, curriculum frameworks and discursive practices and, in particular, in the debates and controversies surrounding oralism and Irish Sign Language in deaf education in Ireland. This article discusses children's everyday lived experiences of oralism and Irish Sign Language using ethnographic interviews and observational methods. The data yielded narrative understandings of how deaf children's schooling experiences served as a cauldron for the development of time, space and relational domains for individual and collective self-expression, cultural production and reproduction of the secret lore and understandings of Irish Sign Language and development of a hidden curriculum of sign language in a policy and practice context dominated by oralism. This paper concludes with recommendations for the development of a sign bilingual curriculum across the full scope and sequence of schooling in Ireland.     

Young people’s voices: disciplining young people’s participation in decision-making in special educational needs

In recent years, education and family policy in the UK has sought to incorporate the views of children and young people through an active participation agenda, in the fulfilment of children’s rights under the obligations of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child. Drawing on empirical evidence, this paper suggests that this aspiration is flawed. The inclusion of young people’s voices in decision-making is context dependent, and influenced by individual relationships, both positive and negative. It is framed by policies that subjugate children within disciplinary technologies that determine a regime of ‘truth’ about effective and appropriate participation. Drawing on data gathered as part of a wider study on the relationships between services users and services providers in special educational needs, this paper demonstrates that active inclusion of the voice of the child can be illustrated to be at least variable, and at worst prejudiced. It is suggested that the notion of participation produces tacit forms of ‘government’ that further classify and divide young people, magnifying their marginalization.     

科学发展观视域寻诊高职院校思政教育新路

高职教育与普通高校一样,在社会发展中承担着培养人才、输送人才的重任。本文将以科学发展观为视域,首先对科学发展观与思政教育进行关联性定位,并挖掘在发展观失衡下高职思政教育的问题,并基于此将科学发展观作为依从理念,探寻高职院校思政教育新思路、新做法,以为高职思政教育提供理论参考。     

民生新闻发展浅谈

民生新闻是以民本思想为基点,以平民视角和人文叙事手法关注和表现普通百姓的生命、生存、生活、生计等内容的一种新闻表现形式。在全面建成小康社会的历史背景下,民生新闻如何取得发展突破提升,是值得大众关注和研究的问题。本文以民生新闻的发展为线索,探究了它存在的问题、历史发展机遇和未来发展方向。     

论禅宗心性论与唐代文人禅诗

文人禅诗,具有宗教（禅）和文学（诗）二重性,是文人在创作中融人禅悟思维,以对现实和人生的深刻感悟为基础而形诸诗作,浸透着浓郁、强烈的禅学意蕴,具有一定的禅机、禅趣和禅意,渗透着醇醇禅韵和禅味。心在文人禅诗中主要体现出禅心、尘心和猿心三种内型,并且与文人形成互动,最终对唐诗创作手法、内容和意蕴的发展起到补充作用。     

南京国民政府前期灾民流动就食的历史考察

南京国民政府前期,灾多难广,受灾地无力赈济。为天灾所逼,在求生本能的驱使下,灾民出外就食极为普遍。灾民出外就食大致分政府有组织有计划的移民和为生存无序盲目流动两种途径。无论哪种途径,流向地选择皆为地广人稀或城市等谋生较易的地域。灾民逃难基本遵循着小难避乡,大难避城;小灾避县,大灾逃省的行为模式。国民政府为维持社会秩序考虑,对于灾民流动就食皆制定有相关的政策。灾民流动就食初衷意愿实现程度受制于整体国力、财力、组织力度、流入地容纳接受能力及态度、交通工具、道路状况等多种因素。     

我国民生保障支出效率的雪际比较研究

提高民生保障效果,一靠扩大投入规模,二靠提高投入效率。目前人们对民生保障的关注停留在支出规模不足上,本文则从民生保障支出效率的视角观察中国民生保障情况。文章主要运用DEA分析方法,对包含中国在内的世界60个主要国家民生保障支出效率进行比较,最终发现中国整体民生保障支出效率处于世界中上水平。目前中国处于民生保障支出规模报酬递增阶段,可以通过提高民生保障支出规模来提升民生保障支出效率。