705 research outputs found

    Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

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    Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

    Family Dynamics over the Life Course

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    This open access book examines how families and other social institutions interact to shape outcomes over the life course. It considers how to use research evidence to reduce social disadvantage through translation of evidence to support public policies and programs. The chapters focus on key life course stages such as early child development, adolescence, emerging adulthood, parenting, marriage, relationships and ageing, as well as examining experiences and outcomes for selected social groups such as Indigenous children, migrants and refugees, and gay, lesbian and bisexual groups. The book presents evidence using high-quality and recent data. With a focus on Australia, the volume provides new insights into how context shapes life course pathways and outcomes and a contrast to work that typically focuses on Europe and the United States. It will be of value to anyone interested in understanding how family background and life course pathways influence social disadvantage

    Wellbeing and Urban Regeneration in China: Towards a People-Centred Urban Agenda

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    Following four decades of reform, China has lifted millions out of poverty. Nevertheless, the social costs of the country’s growth-oriented agenda have long been scrutinised, with phenomena such as rapid urbanisation being one of the most transformative forces in this process. Under the umbrella of urban regeneration and quality of life improvements, state-led projects have been criticised for their primary focus on selective physical upgrading, large-scale demolition, and relocation, incurring significant social costs. However, recent paradigm and policy shifts are pointing towards increased governmental interest in promoting wellbeing-oriented urban development: a response aligned with global efforts to define new directions for evaluating human progress, beyond indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This has led to growing scholarship on the topic of wellbeing and urbanisation in China, albeit theorisations remaining narrow. The present, exploratory research project therefore identifies that it is necessary to carry out further inquiries into current urban regeneration approaches in China. It also addresses the need for constructing new assessment frameworks, tailored to the political, socio-economic and cultural specificities of the country. In this sense, the thesis explores how the concept of wellbeing is understood and integrated in the context of current urban regeneration schemes in China. Towards this aim, the research employs qualitative methods such as systematised literature reviews, interviews and observation. It begins by constructing a theoretical framework for wellbeing in urban transformation, where wellbeing lies at the nexus of both processes and sociospatial outcomes of regeneration. The framework is contextualised by analysing political and intellectual engagements with the concept of wellbeing in China, revealing a complex picture of urban China in transition - one where wellbeing lies at the convergence between the legacy of collectivism, and the rise of individualism. This is followed by a review of Chinese urban regeneration mechanisms in the last three decades, focusing on three case studies from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in order to scrutinise the un-linear and complex path towards more people-centred regeneration approaches. Finally, the study explores the ways in which practitioner understandings of wellbeing are being materialised into current practices, revealing the emergence of new actors, innovative governance mechanisms and place-based solutions

    Applying the ‘useable past’ to the protection of climate migrants : child displacement from Vietnam and Montserrat, 1975-2000

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    This study uses an eco-global criminological approach to understanding how children may migrate in the future as a result of environmental change, including climate change, and the human rights abuses they may face without adequate protections. It analyses the existing legal protections for environmental migrants and suggests solutions to fill protection gaps. Through the “useable past” of two case studies of mass migration – the post-1975 Vietnamese boat people exodus and the evacuation of Montserrat following volcanic eruptions in the 1990s – the thesis overturns the long-standing, dominant narratives about the causes of migration from these two locations and documents patterns of risk and abuse faced by both regular and irregular child migrants. Making extensive use of oral history archives, key witness discussions and newly uncovered historical government documents, this study demonstrates that the perpetrators of human rights violations against child migrants include both sending and receiving states, as well as private actors. It finds that unaccompanied and separated children remain particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and need urgent protections. It also finds that migrants’ legal status is the single biggest determinant of safe migration and resettlement. The thesis presents a new model for analysing the various intersecting factors that drive migration and vulnerability in the context of environmental change. It concludes by proposing legal solutions to environmental migration that rely not on new treaty law, but on existing human rights conventions in conjunction with innovative bilateral agreements to resettle populations at grave risk from climate change and to facilitate safer migration

    Children\u27s Rights as Relational Rights: The Case of Relocation

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    The influence of contexts on entrepreneurial practices, a qualitative study

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    While it has long been recognised that access to various resources facilitates entrepreneurial processes, little is known about the influence of diverse contexts on the capital accumulation practices of entrepreneurs. Based on the lived experiences of 10 craft entrepreneurs, this thesis seeks to advance knowledge by developing a theory of practice which explains how embeddedness in multiple contexts affects entrepreneurs' resource management practices. Specifically, this study focuses on the effects of embeddedness in households and communities on the capital conversion and sharing practices of craft entrepreneurs. In doing so, it enhances understanding of entrepreneurs' social, spatial and temporal contexts. First, this study reveals a range of hitherto unidentified conversion processes, many of which involve the accumulation of multiple forms of capital, highlighting the complex nature of capital transformations. It also identifies a range of inhibitors and facilitators of these processes, which can be conversion-specific and can derive from household and community embeddedness. Second, the findings show that household members help entrepreneurs not only by providing free resources, but also by developing their psychological capital through boosting self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Such emotional support is found to be particularly helpful in times of anxiety and stress and reliant upon household members' understanding of the entrepreneur. However, this study also demonstrates that household members' needs, problems and opinions can inhibit entrepreneurial practices, calling attention to the multifaceted relationship between business and family. Third, the data show the significant impact of embeddedness in communities upon entrepreneurs' actions. Participants are found to employ strategic actions to meet the expectations of community members and to conceal non-conforming traits and behaviours. Furthermore, it is revealed that community norms can lead entrepreneurs to share their various resources and engage in social entrepreneurial practices. Throughout, entrepreneurs' embeddedness within and negotiation between these social and spatial contexts is shown to be dependent upon their temporal contexts, further attesting to the considerable impacts of contexts upon entrepreneurs.While it has long been recognised that access to various resources facilitates entrepreneurial processes, little is known about the influence of diverse contexts on the capital accumulation practices of entrepreneurs. Based on the lived experiences of 10 craft entrepreneurs, this thesis seeks to advance knowledge by developing a theory of practice which explains how embeddedness in multiple contexts affects entrepreneurs' resource management practices. Specifically, this study focuses on the effects of embeddedness in households and communities on the capital conversion and sharing practices of craft entrepreneurs. In doing so, it enhances understanding of entrepreneurs' social, spatial and temporal contexts. First, this study reveals a range of hitherto unidentified conversion processes, many of which involve the accumulation of multiple forms of capital, highlighting the complex nature of capital transformations. It also identifies a range of inhibitors and facilitators of these processes, which can be conversion-specific and can derive from household and community embeddedness. Second, the findings show that household members help entrepreneurs not only by providing free resources, but also by developing their psychological capital through boosting self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Such emotional support is found to be particularly helpful in times of anxiety and stress and reliant upon household members' understanding of the entrepreneur. However, this study also demonstrates that household members' needs, problems and opinions can inhibit entrepreneurial practices, calling attention to the multifaceted relationship between business and family. Third, the data show the significant impact of embeddedness in communities upon entrepreneurs' actions. Participants are found to employ strategic actions to meet the expectations of community members and to conceal non-conforming traits and behaviours. Furthermore, it is revealed that community norms can lead entrepreneurs to share their various resources and engage in social entrepreneurial practices. Throughout, entrepreneurs' embeddedness within and negotiation between these social and spatial contexts is shown to be dependent upon their temporal contexts, further attesting to the considerable impacts of contexts upon entrepreneurs

    Family Dynamics over the Life Course

    Get PDF
    This open access book examines how families and other social institutions interact to shape outcomes over the life course. It considers how to use research evidence to reduce social disadvantage through translation of evidence to support public policies and programs. The chapters focus on key life course stages such as early child development, adolescence, emerging adulthood, parenting, marriage, relationships and ageing, as well as examining experiences and outcomes for selected social groups such as Indigenous children, migrants and refugees, and gay, lesbian and bisexual groups. The book presents evidence using high-quality and recent data. With a focus on Australia, the volume provides new insights into how context shapes life course pathways and outcomes and a contrast to work that typically focuses on Europe and the United States. It will be of value to anyone interested in understanding how family background and life course pathways influence social disadvantage

    Urban food strategies in Central and Eastern Europe: what's specific and what's at stake?

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    Integrating a larger set of instruments into Rural Development Programmes implied an increasing focus on monitoring and evaluation. Against the highly diversified experience with regard to implementation of policy instruments the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework has been set up by the EU Commission as a strategic and streamlined method of evaluating programmes’ impacts. Its indicator-based approach mainly reflects the concept of a linear, measure-based intervention logic that falls short of the true nature of RDP operation and impact capacity on rural changes. Besides the different phases of the policy process, i.e. policy design, delivery and evaluation, the regional context with its specific set of challenges and opportunities seems critical to the understanding and improvement of programme performance. In particular the role of local actors can hardly be grasped by quantitative indicators alone, but has to be addressed by assessing processes of social innovation. This shift in the evaluation focus underpins the need to take account of regional implementation specificities and processes of social innovation as decisive elements for programme performance.
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