Barriers to domestic violence education in Northern Ireland: Pupils' views and experiences

Domestic violence (DV) in adult and young people's intimate partner relationships is a social and public health problem across the globe. Education can play an important and unique role in addressing DV; however, it remains relatively under-investigated. The aim of this qualitative study set in Northern Ireland, the first of its kind, was to explore young people's views and experiences of DV education. Focus groups were conducted with 188 pupils (97 males and 91 females) aged 16 to 18 attending post-primary school. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and reveal five barriers to DV education: (1) absence of DV teaching and learning; (2) DV is a taboo topic; (3) lack of teacher training and expertise on DV; (4) religious influence; (5) prioritisation of academic achievement over pupil wellbeing. The results demonstrate that changes are needed in schools to improve the role of schools in addressing DV. From this qualitative study, we make recommendations for how school-based DV education may help prevent and protect young people against intimate partner violence.     

Beating time?: the resistance,reproduction and representation of older women in teacher education (UK)

Drawing on in-depth interviews with seven older women who teach teachers, this paper explores some of the dilemmas that shape and pattern their working worlds, specifically in relation to age and issues of ageism. While the paper will start from the words and experiences of these women, the intention is to foreground three theoretical concerns. First, the paper explores the ways in which older women repudiate discourses of ageism. The point here is to demonstrate that while (some/many) older women are ‘objectified’ through their age, others (middle-class professionals in particular perhaps) have some capacity to challenge this and reject a pathological account of themselves. Second, and contradictorily, the paper seeks to tease out the ‘uncomfortable’ ways in which discourses of ageism may well be reproduced and performed by older women as they seek to distance themselves from ‘others’ who they see as caught up in stereotyped age-positions. Third, the paper questions the very real research dilemmas involved in the problematics of representations; how can bits of data, short spoken accounts, be used to ‘represent’ the lives of these older women? Holding this paper together is the fact that all the data have been collected from women who work in teacher education (in the UK). Teacher education is a feminized and gendered division of labour, where men occupy most of the senior positions and thus are in a position to ‘sculpt’ the sector. Older women who teach teachers work in a complex cultural occupation setting where their sex, class and previous teaching experience positions them in a subordinate position. As they become older, what does all this mean for them?     

Measuring the Outcomes of Career Guidance

This paper considers the importance of contextual factors which impinge on career guidance activities and their outcomes. It then seeks to identify and clarify definitional and measurement issues, and considers the types of outcomes which are considered desirable and can be identified. Following a discussion of the types of outcomes which are commonly addressed, and the criteria attached to those outcomes, it assesses the various methods of measuring outcomes which are, or might be, employed. It next reviews the existing evidence on the outcomes from career guidance. Finally, the implications of the discussion for both policy and future research agendas are addressed.     

Promotion,Persuasion and Class-taste: Marketing (in) the UK post-compulsory sector

Post-16 providers in the UK now offer a wide range of courses and training in order to respond to the expanded, diversified and 'non-traditional' post-16 market. School leavers are invited to 'choose' from a range of courses and pathways which are being provided in a variety of post-16 educational institutions. These providing institutions are in competition with one another and 'need' the students as their funds are contingent upon successful recruitment (and retention). As a result, many post-16 providers are turning to aspects of marketing in order to publicise their courses and maintain or increase their share of the market. This paper examines two major tactics in the promotion and marketing of post-16 provision-brochures and open days-in relation to issues such as access, targeting, response to 'difference' in the client group/market segment and 'professionalism' of approach. The paper argues that market tactics do semiotic 'work' as class-taste markers.     

Index of science reading awareness: An interactive-constructive model,test verification,and grades 4–8 results

The purpose of this study was to develop and verify the Index of Science Reading Awareness (ISRA) based on a model of an efficient, successful interactive-constructive science reader and three independent metacognitive awareness domains. Several researchers have noted the need for efficient, reliable, and valid measures of metacognition. ISRA data collected on 532 students (Grades 4–8) were analyzed using factor analyses, linear structural modeling, and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) to help verify the model and the test. The factor analyses and linear structural modeling indicated that these data did not support the assumption about the three independent metacognitive awareness domains, but suggested that the model and the test were structured around the design features of science reading, science text, and science reading strategies. One-way ANOVAs indicated significant, predicted reading ability and gender differences but unexpected grade-level differences. The composite metacognitive awareness data indicated that most Grade 4–8 students have surface knowledge about science reading, science text, and science reading strategies, and indicated specific targets for explicit science reading instruction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 27-51, 1998.     

The impact of elite labour migration on the identification,selection and development of European soccer players

In this study, we examined sociocultural aspects of the identification, selection and development of elite soccer players as part of wider processes of globalization, particularly worker migration. Patterns of migration were identified among the 704 players who comprised the national squads of the 32 nations contesting the finalsof the 1998 World Cup in France.An analysis of the migration patterns within and between the six Confederations into which member nations of FIFA are grouped established the European Federation (UEFA) as soccer's core economy. The study is subsequently focused on Europe and, in particular, upon the import strategies of clubs in the four most popular destination countries - England, Germany, Italy and Spain. It is argued that, in light of European Union deregulation of worker migration between member states and, in particular, the Bosman judgement, European soccer is being reshaped. The identification and selection of elite players are producing migrant patterns that are seen increasingly to impact upon indigenous player development and, potentially, the viability and success of national teams. We argue that, although these developments are contoured in part by global economic factors, economic accounts alone do not provide an adequate understanding of them. A series of interrelated economic, political, cultural and social factors is at work. We conclude with a brief outline of the policy implications of the analysis.     

Respecting and fulfilling the right of post-primary pupils to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research: a discussion paper

This paper provides an introduction to issues surrounding the participation rights of young people in research and the implications of their growing involvement in research as well as providing a discourse on the ethical implications related to consent. The unique contribution of this paper is that it considers children’s rights in respect to the increasing opportunities for young people to take part in evaluation research. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to acknowledge the growing involvement for young people in research and the implications of ensuring that their rights of participation are respected. Secondly, we will consider the children’s rights legislation and our obligations as researchers to implement this. Finally, we will explore consent as an issue in its own right as well as the practicalities of accessing participants. This paper will postulate that any research about young people should involve and prioritize at all stages of the research process; including participation in decision-making. We conclude by identifying five key principles, which we believe can help to facilitate the fulfilment of post-primary pupils’ ability to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research.     

Primary teachers’ perceptions of multi-grade classroom grouping practices to support inclusive education

ABSTRACT

Previous research has focused on inclusive classroom practices in mainstream primary schools but little is documented regarding practices in multi-grade classrooms. The purpose of this paper was to report mainstream primary teachers’ perceptions of multi-grade classroom grouping practices to support inclusive education specifically for students with special educational needs (SEN). The findings indicated that despite the difficulty of covering the curricula of the various grades, multi-grade teachers reported the implementation of flexible grouping practices (ability, mixed ability, social) for academic or social reasons. However, the tension between meeting the needs of the grade groups and the individual student with SEN were apparent, with some practices documented not necessarily inclusive. The importance of using appropriate grouping practices to enable teachers to include all students, thereby avoiding potentially negative effects of treating some students differently was emphasised.