Tackling social inequality and exclusion in education: from human capital to capabilities

Both in the international context and in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), research shows that many young people experience social exclusion in relation to education. However, research evidence concerning structural social inequality in education is predominantly underpinned by an outcome-based approach, since educational policies and practices are largely informed by a human capital model. Inspired by the theoretical insights of the Capability Approach, we aim to contribute to process-oriented knowledge about the ways in which educational and social welfare actors can support socially vulnerable young people in realising their capability for education rather than focusing on human capital. We draw upon a rich empirical basis of participatory biographical research with young people in the system of part-time vocational education and workplace learning, perceived as the residue of the educational cascade mechanism in Flanders and pertinently revealing problems of social exclusion and exit of young people.     

Evaluation and Opportunities in Overtraining Approaches

Overtraining (OT) as a sports phenomenon can be caused by stressors on various levels (physical, emotional, psychological, and social) and evokes responses on these levels. This study evaluated research and new opportunities in the field of OT by introducing an integrated multidisciplinary approach, based on the single and multistressors approach. The single stressor approach focuses on the training load-recovery imbalance, which results in a stagnating performance, excluding the etiology by nonsport-related factors. The multistressors approach includes all factors as relevant in the etiology of a stagnating performance. In future studies on OT, an integrative approach should not only highlight changes in training regimes and specific responses to training stressors but also focus on the role of training-related recovery, the impact of stressors, and personality factors influencing stress appraisal. This will provide a better insight into the etiology and consequences of OT, necessary for prevention and treatment in sport practice, and enhance the focus on adequate recovery (good sleep, sufficient rest periods) and athletes' stress-related responses.     

Tipping the balance back towards emancipation: exploring the positions of Flemish community sport practitioners towards social control

Abstract

Current debates highlight the dualistic nature of community sport, which is shaped by both emancipating logics and controlling logics. Critical scholars have warned against the current prioritization of controlling logics over emancipating ones, as this might lead to instrumental approaches in which the vulnerability of young people is managed rather than tackled. However, little research has been conducted on the way in which practitioners perceive and act upon the dominance of social control as a value within community sport. In this article, we report on the findings of a qualitative study into three community sport initiatives in Flanders, Belgium. The data indicate there are small emancipatory moments within the daily practice of community sport. Based on these results, we propose a reconfiguration of the concept of emancipation from being a solid, utopian ideal towards being a search for moments where the dominant logics of social control are momentarily disrupted.     

The CREDIT project: Towards a generic framework for assessment and accreditation—a prototype for childcare

Many individuals throughout Europe acquire knowledge and skills in an informal manner for which they find no official recognition. Procedures for assessment and accreditation are meant to help individuals in finding recognition of previously gained competencies. The CREDIT (Capabilities, Registration, Evaluation, Diagnosis and advice through Internet Technology) project develops a computer system that supports the assessment and accreditation process and provides advice on further training possibilities tailored to the level of knowledge and skills of individuals.     

Flexibility as a Key Construct in European Training: Experiences from the TeleScopia Project

Increasing the options available to the learner as to when, how, where, with what materials, and what he or she learns is becoming increasingly important, not only for personal and educational reasons but also for economic motivations. Increasing the flexibility of training for persons already in the work force is seen as particularly appropriate, and telematics applications are expected to have particular value in facilitating more-flexible course delivery in training and workplace contexts. In this analysis we consider the concept "flexibility of training" in more detail, decomposing it into a series of, sometimes incompatible, dimensions and presenting some propositions as to likelihood of the different flexibility dimensions becoming implemented in practice. The study of flexibility relative to trans-national tele-learning is illustrated through its central role in the research component of the TeleScopia Project, sponsored by the Commission of the European Community.     

"WE ARE ONE BIG, HAPPY FAMILY": BEYOND NEGOTIATION AND COMPULSORY HAPPINESS

A bstract .  Much recent scholarship on changing educational practices in Western families focuses on the idea that negotiation has become the dominant approach to family household management. In this essay, Bruno Vanobbergen, Michel Vandenbroeck, Rudi Roose, and Maria Bouverne-De Bie examine the idea of the negotiation model functioning as a directive. To illustrate this process, they demonstrate how the contemporary vocabulary about parental education affects the construction of parental beliefs and the concepts that define research. The authors first present a genealogy of negotiation by looking at constructions of childhood and parenthood, as well as the educational practices that shape, and are in turn shaped by, these constructions. They then turn their attention to the concept of the autonomous self and its implications for family relations and family household practices.     

The challenge of involvement in reflective teaching: Three case studies from a teacher education project on conducting classroom discussions on socio-scientific issues

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn more about how teachers deal with a reflective teaching approach aimed at developing their competencies in analysing and facilitating classroom discussions on socio-scientific issues. Three cases of teachers' journeys through the project are reconstructed and characterised. We posit that each teacher benefited from the project according to his or her individual situation, needs and learning style. A number of modifications to the project design are proposed and can be summarised by the idea of assisting teachers more closely and more individually as they pass through the reflective teaching process.