Transformation or continuation? A critical analysis of the making of the post-2015 education agenda

As the target date of 2015 draws near for both the Education for All and Millennium Development Goals, consultations are well-underway to begin defining the shape and scope of the post-2015 development agenda. Between September 2012 and March 2013, UN Member States, private sector representatives, multilateral development agencies, epistemic communities and non-governmental organisations participated in the Global Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Participants involved emphasised education as a societal good and a fundamental human right. Participants also highlighted the importance of education in addressing broader global challenges, stating that ‘education and learning should be transformative and foster global citizenship, thereby assuming its central role in helping people to forge more just, peaceful, tolerant and inclusive societies’. Such discourse suggests a shift in the objectives and priorities of global education in the post-2015 context. Is it possible that the post-2015 education agenda will represent a counter-hegemonic vision for global education? This paper engages in discursal analysis of the Global Thematic Consultation on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda to offer a preliminary answer to this question.     

The Home Literacy Environment and Preschool Children's Reading Skills and Interest

Research Findings: This study explored the association between the home literacy environment (HLE), conceptualized as comprising parents’ reading beliefs and home literacy practices, and preschoolers’ reading skills and reading interest. It also identified factors in the HLE that predict emerging reading competence and motivation to read. A total of 193 children age 6 years from 14 preschools across Singapore and their parents participated in the study. The parents completed a reading belief inventory, a family literacy activity inventory, and a demographic questionnaire that surveyed the child's reading interest. The children were administered a battery of standardized literacy tests. The study found a moderate relationship between the HLE and children's reading competencies and a strong relationship between the HLE and children's reading interest. When parents’ education level and children's age were controlled, hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that family literacy activities contributed more unique variance to children's reading outcomes and reading interest than did parents’ reading beliefs. Active parental involvement was the strongest component of the HLE, with parent–child engagement in reading and writing emerging as the best predictor of both the child's emerging reading skills and reading interest. With respect to reading beliefs, parents’ efficacy in supporting literacy development before their child attended school positively predicted reading competence, as did parents’ affect and verbal participation in fostering reading interest. However, verbal participation negatively predicted Singapore children's reading competence. Practice or Policy: The implications of the results were discussed.     

Conversations about sexuality on a public university campus: perspectives from campus ministry students and leaders

Little is known about university campus religious organisations’ influence on students’ sexuality-related attitudes and behaviours. This study sought to better understand sexuality-related communication within the context of campus ministries by exploring students’ and campus ministry leaders’ conversational experiences at a public university in the south-east USA. Data sources included an online survey of undergraduates participating in student religious organisations (n = 57), focus groups with campus ministry students (n = 36), and individual interviews with campus ministry leaders (n = 19). Findings indicated student satisfaction with the focus and frequency of conversations about romantic relationships and sexual health within the context of campus ministries. However, both campus ministry students and leaders indicated discomfort in discussions of sexuality. Leaders acknowledged their need for better strategies to engage students; students focused on how to integrate religious messages about sexuality with messages from other sources. These findings suggest campus ministry leaders may benefit from focused training and support to communicate more effectively with college students about sexuality.     

Suppressing the expression of prejudice and prejudice reduction from childhood to adolescence: the view of genetic social psychology

European Journal of Psychology of Education - We propose genetic social psychology as a theoretical framework to render intelligible both the suppression of the expression of prejudice and...     

Community Development and Education: A Tripod Approach to Improving America

Education plays an important role in community development initiatives. A movement toward an increased linkage between the two arenas has emerged. Two major theories undergird this movement: economic/investment and the ecology of community revitalization. The Clinton administration's Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community program offers a concrete example of a community development initiative. Preliminary reports on educational components from sites nationwide are highlighted. In addition, a review of the literature reveals several major issues that surround these community development activities, including values conflicts, economic sustainability, school improvement, trust, and administrative issues. Overall, the purpose of this paper is to bring into focus the major theoretical and practical issues that community development efforts confront in attempting to improve the lives of Americans in need.     

Effects of arch-support orthoses on ground reaction forces and lower extremity kinematics related to running at various inclinations

ABSTRACT

While foot orthoses are commonly used in running, little is known regarding biomechanical risk potentials during uphill running. This study investigated the effects of arch-support orthoses on kinetic and kinematic variables when running at different inclinations. Sixteen male participants ran at different inclinations (0°, 3° and 6°) when wearing arch-support and flat orthoses on an instrumented treadmill. Arch-support orthoses induced longer contact time, larger initial ankle dorsiflexion, maximum ankle eversion, and knee sagittal range of motion (RoM) (p < 0.05). As incline slopes increased, vertical impact peak and loading rate, stride length, and ankle coronal RoM decreased, but contact time, stride frequency, initial ankle dorsiflexion and inversion, maximum dorsiflexion, initial knee flexion, and ankle sagittal RoM increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, knee sagittal RoM was lowest when running at an inclination of 3°. The interaction effect indicated that in arch-support condition, participants running at 6° induced higher maximum ankle eversion than running at 0° (p < 0.05), while no differences were found in flat orthosis condition. These findings suggest that the use of arch-support orthoses would influence running biomechanics that is related to injury risks. Running at higher inclination led to more alterations to biomechanical variables than at lower inclination.     

A Pilot Study Examining Religious Organization Affiliation,Sexual Health Information Sources,and Sexual Behaviors Among College Students

We conducted an online survey to examine religiosity, sexual health knowledge, and behavior and sexual health information sources among undergraduate students affiliated with student religious organizations (n?=?45) and unaffiliated students (n?=?82). Analyses included Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and exact regression models. Students reporting religious affiliation considered religious sources to be believable (p?=?.004 for sexual health; p?p?=?.0042). Although religiously affiliated students reported fewer sexual partners in the past year (p?=?.020), their reported condom use was not significantly different from that of unaffiliated students. Future research should explore the focus and content of romantic relationship information provided by student religious organizations. Health practitioners and educators should consider strategies for collaborating with religious organizations to meet the information needs of these students.