Identity policies of education: struggles for inclusion and exclusion in Peru and Colombia

ABSTRACT

Policy initiatives that seek to account for ethno-cultural differences in education and schooling have become increasingly popular over the past few decades. These include affirmative action measures and bilingual education models. The rationale for the implementation of these policies focuses on their potential to rectify historical discrimination by both levelling horizontal inequalities and granting equal value to different cultures and languages in the schooling process. In this framework, however, ethnic communities are often treated as discrete and static social aggregates, and social heterogeneity and spillover effects between groups are disregarded. This paper draws on empirical case studies from Colombia and Peru to show how identity policies of education can increase inter-ethnic competition, leading to protracted social conflicts. These outcomes, beyond negatively impacting local communities, raise important dilemmas surrounding the theoretical and operational foundations of these popular policy measures.     

Does eccentric exercise stimulate sarcomerogenesis?

Eccentric exercise has been associated with an increase in serial sarcomere number in some studies,1 but not in others.2 Similarly,increasing excursion of muscles resulted in sarcomerogenesis in some studies using growing animals,3 but not in others using skeletally mature animals.4 However,chronic elongation and chronic shortening appears to be a strong regulator of sarcomere number increase5,6 and decrease,5,7 respectively,in animal models.Despite an abundance of research on the regulation of sarcomerogenesis under a variety of conditions,the mechanisms underlying in series sarcomere number adaptations in skeletal muscles remain a puzzle,especially in non-invasive human studies where measurements of sarcomerogenesis following interventions have not been possible to date.     

Investigating the influence of student–teacher Facebook interaction in Thailand

ABSTRACT

In Thailand, older individuals or ‘Phu Yai’ are people with higher social status and power as compared to younger people or ‘Phu Noi’ (Komolsevin &; Knutson, 2010). In the realm of education, teachers are considered Phu Yai while students are considered Phu Noi. This concept reinforces Hofstede’s (1991) major finding on Thailand being categorized as a high power-distance culture. The current study examines students’ perspective of the effect of student–teacher Facebook interactions on intercultural communication concepts such as power distance and submission to authority within the Thai student–teacher relationship. Questionnaires were administered to 353 students (N?=?353) at a large international university in Thailand. The study found that social media use between Thai students and teachers influence how students view the face-to-face power dynamics between them and their teachers. Specifically, the more students and teachers interact on Facebook, the lower students perceive the power distance between them and their teachers.     

鲁迅经典与后现代语境中新生代的价值重建

后现代文化语境对90后新生代价值体系构建造成的负面影响极大。将鲁迅经典作为精神资源并对其文化内涵进行重新阐释,有助于加强新生代的爱国主义理想、历史使命感以及个人生涯的规划与实现。从而有效实现社会主义核心价值体系的重建。     

Physiological characteristics of America's Cup sailors

The aim of this study was to assess the physiological profile of America's Cup grinders and mastmen, by measuring energy expenditure during sailing and assessing their aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The study focused on estimating the energy used during grinding activity, by measuring oxygen uptake (VO(2)) during sail setting in real sailing conditions. In the laboratory, using an arm-cranking ergometer, we measured VO(2peak) during an incremental maximal exercise test and total energy expended during the effort and recovery phases of an all-out test that simulated grinding activity, in six grinders and mastmen and ten sailors of the same crew. Total energy used during grinding corresponded to 45% (s = 9) and 51% (s = 5) of that used in the all-out test (234 kJ, s = 21.7) for tacks and gybes, respectively. In both grinding activity and the all-out test, VO(2) increased during and after the effort. The "VO(2) top value" was 53% (s = 8.6), 68% (s = 5.5), and 78% (s = 3.1) of VO(2peak) (4.7 l . min(-1), s = 0.43) in tacks, gybes, and the all-out test, respectively. During fast sequences of grinding activity, the "VO(2) top value" reached 65% (s = 7.1) VO(2peak) in tacks and 91% (s = 3.3) VO(2peak) in gybes. Our results suggest that grinders and mastmen are characterized by a high anaerobic capacity but their performance can be improved by powering aerobic fitness, to increase this energy contribution to all-out efforts and to guarantee fast recovery when grinding activity is repeated with short rest intervals.     

Three-dimensional modelling of statues: the Minerva of Arezzo

The Minerva of Arezzo is an ancient bronze statue located at the Museo Archeologico in Florence and currently under repair at the Restoration Centre of the Soprintendenza Archeologica of the Tuscany Region. We assembled a complete three-dimensional (3D) digital model of the Minerva before the restoration started. More 3D models will be produced to keep track of the variations that occurred during the restoration process, up to the final acquisition of the form of the restored artwork. The modelling of the Minerva will be the focal point of an ambitious “Minerva Project” that involves the integration of data from other sources in a 3D digital model of the object. Besides this, the project is aimed at showing how 3D techniques can be used to design useful and easily manageable new tools for the diagnostics of archaeological objects. 3D measurements have been realized by means of a high-resolution laser scanner developed at National Institute for Applied Optics (INOA). The instrument is composed of commercial low-cost components in order to be competitive with the very expensive commercial devices. Besides this, our scanner is supported by an efficient and flexible software developed by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) that supports all the post-processing phases of a 3D scanning session (range data alignment, merge and simplification).     

Religious education after conflicts: promoting social cohesion or entrenching existing cleavages?

This article considers initiatives to reform religious education after violent identity-based conflicts in Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Macedonia. The Taif Agreement, the Belfast Agreement and the Ohrid Agreement mapped extensive education reforms and established consociational power-sharing in the three jurisdictions, altering state identity and inter-communal hierarchies. The existing literature generates two hypotheses on the political function of religious education after violent conflicts: (1) religious education tends to entrench existing ethnic, national and political cleavages or (2) religious education helps further mutual knowledge, integration and social cohesion after violent conflicts. This comparative research employs original interviews and documents to evaluate initiatives to reform religious education (as a curricular subject) in post-conflict Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Macedonia. It suggests that the first hypothesis reflects more accurately the political function of education: religious education helps entrench existing cleavages in these deeply divided societies, but this does not necessarily hamper short-term peace and political stability.     

STUDENTS’ ATTRIBUTIONS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

This study investigates higher education students’ own attributions of success using free responses, exploring in particular the relative importance of ability and effort‐related attributions on the one hand and luck‐related attributions on the other. A sample of 150 first year polytechnic degree course students from both Arts and Science faculties was investigated. A rank order of 12 categories was established: study habits, lecture‐content, lecturer, social, interest, motivation, ability, domestic security, peers, luck, financial security, health. Among study habits a rank order of 7 categories was also established: reading skills, examination technique, time, note‐taking skills, organisation of work, revision, place. Knowledge of, and practice in, study habits, is clearly important, and other implications are the need for further awareness of the lecturer‐student relationship and more research into the consistency of student attributions across faculties beyond the first year.