Cultivating communities of care: A qualitative investigation of the communication of support among incarcerated women

In 2014, a female-only detention and re-entry facility was restructured to implement new rehabilitative philosophies rooted in strategies to prepare incarcerated women for successful transition into society. A specialized housing unit called incentive-based housing (IBH) was created within this facility to promote an environment of accountability and responsibility. Here, women are expected to be proactive in seeking and achieving successes through programming, all while offering support to one another. In this study, participant observations and interviews were used to understand how 12 incarcerated women living in IBH communicate support. This qualitative study revealed three forms of support being communicated: (a) accountability, (b) validation, and (c) compassion. This study also revealed forms of communication that complicate support, including (a) drama and (b) rivalry. Communication of support is important to consider as we devise new approaches to rehabilitation within America’s criminal justice system.     

Print Media Standardisation and Professionalism

The independence of the media under Ghana’s Fourth Republic is assessed from the perspective of standards and professionalism. Using a qualitative method, the study shows that unethical practices are evident in the print media landscape in Ghana, and argues that this can be traced to four major spheres: educational qualification, existence of several professional associations, a weak regulatory body and “money matters”. Overall, the study argues that legalities form a minimal part of the independence of the Ghanaian media but concerns about freedom seem to be self-inflicted by the very media practitioners through their actions and sometimes questionable reportage.     

European standards for quality assurance and institutional practices of student assessment in the UK,the Netherlands and the Czech Republic

This article analyses the student assessment procedures of 12 universities in the UK, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic with respect to their alignment with the European standards and guidelines on the quality of assessing higher education students (European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance [ESG] 1.3). Based on qualitative methodology combining document review with semi-structured interviews, the analysis has yielded three major results. First, the assessment procedures of the UK universities studied indicate the highest alignment with the ESG 1.3 when compared to the Czech institutions, with the Dutch universities occupying the middle ground. Second, a preference for summative assessment to account for pressures of massification can be observed at institutions in all three countries. Third, it is argued that contrary to some (ministerial) expectations, the influence of the ESG on institutions seems to be insignificant, due to unawareness of the ESG 1.3 at all of the UK and Dutch universities analysed and only moderate knowledge of ESG 1.3 in the Czech case. For this reason, there seems to be a need for communicating the ESG to higher education institutions rather than revising the scope of the ESG as envisaged in the 2012 Bologna policy document (Bucharest Communiqué).     

基于STAR-CCM+的汽车挡风玻璃除霜性能提升的仿真分析与研究

采用计算流体动力学的方法,利用STAR-CCM+软件对某一车型挡风玻璃除霜性能进行数值模拟分析。通过对出风口格栅进行调整,改变了暖风气流与挡风玻璃之间碰撞角的大小与碰撞点的位置,优化了挡风玻璃表面暖风气流的分布,提升了除霜性能,为汽车除霜风道的设计和改善车辆除霜性能提供了参考。     

质性评价:另一种学生学业评价方法

量化评价是基于自然科学主义观点对学生学业开展评价,它将学生作为统一的整体忽略了个体之间的差异,而基于人文主义的质性评价则注重学生之间的个体差异。质性评价为职业教育中的学业评价提供了另一种好思路,值得研究和推广。     

‘They think that if you're a teacher here … you're not clever enough to be a proper teacher’: the courtesy stigma experienced by teachers employed at schools for pupils with behavioural,emotional and social difficulties (BESD)

A wealth of literature has identified that children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) and their families are frequently stigmatised due to the perceived controllable and ‘invisible’ nature of this special educational need (SEN). Yet little research has considered the impact of this stigma on another group of individuals, educational practitioners employed in BESD schools. This is despite these professionals working in close contact with pupils with BESD, a heavily stigmatised group, on a regular basis. This paper therefore, details a study which explored perceptions of stigma specifically with educational professionals employed in schools for pupils with BESD. Semi‐structured interviews with nine practitioners (including head teachers and class teachers with additional responsibilities) were conducted, all of whom had worked within the BESD sector for at least 10 years, with data being analysed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings revealed how educational practitioners employed in BESD schools experienced courtesy stigma, with many not being perceived as ‘proper’ teachers due to a discourse of care surrounding BESD. Other professionals reported much confusion from their mainstream colleagues and other individuals about how they could want to work with such ‘challenging’ pupils. This courtesy stigma was linked to the wider stigma surrounding BESD schools, which were often ignorantly perceived to be full of ‘bad boys’ or ‘absolute horrors’. This paper concludes by considering the implications of these findings for policy and practice, and provides recommendations for addressing the identified stigma towards practitioners employed in BESD schools.     

Pictures,patience, and practicalities: lessons learned from using photovoice in applied communication contexts

The unforeseen trials of arts-based research may suppress creative and innovative explorations. Photovoice, a visual method of investigation employing participatory photography, presents a host of apprehensions. Yet, photovoice is both a valid and rich methodology that can greatly expand the reach and scope of applied communication research. In this essay, we – three applied communication researchers – discuss the complexities of photovoice, highlighting areas of consideration that interested researchers should contemplate before utilizing this methodology. Briefly exploring three of our research studies and their varying topics (i.e. long-term cancer survivors, domestic violence organizational advocacy, male body culture), we discuss three broad areas of difficulty in photovoice research: analysis, control, and exposure. Despite the unique obstacles that photovoice presents, we argue that it, along with other forms of arts-based research, are profitable and definitely worth the challenge.     

定性分析实验教学中污染防治的实践与探索

半微量定性分析法的实验废弃物数量少,但成分复杂、毒性大。因此,其污染防治工作是一项系统工程,必须贯穿实验改革方案的制定、实验的准备和教学实践等过程中,做到“防”与“治”并举。     

国外数据科学研究的回顾与展望

[目的/意义]随着大数据的发展,数据科学已经成为新的研究领域。厘清国外数据科学的发展与研究现状,可为我国今后的研究提供参考与借鉴。[方法/过程]利用Web of Science核心合集数据库对国外有关数据科学的文献进行检索,并对作者、研究方向等外部特征与关键词、主题等内容特征做计量分析;在此基础上,通过逐篇阅读与归类,从数据科学的内涵界定与应用方向两大方面进行综合分析。[结果/结论]最后,结合现有研究面临的问题与解决的方法,对数据科学的未来进行展望。