The Management of Pupils' Disruptive and Challenging Behaviour: facilitating Newly Qualified Teacher thinking through Personal Construct Psychology

The focus of this study is: how can the thinking of the Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT), relating to the management of pupils' disruptive and challenging behaviour, better be understood and best be facilitated? Phase one outlines a national survey of course input on behaviour management within secondary Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses. Data were gathered for this phase through on-line questionnaires and focus groups. Phase two investigates NQTs' personal theories about the management of pupils' behaviour utilising tools from Personal Construct Psychology. Data for this phase came from a series of linked case studies as the researcher followed the progress of four NQTs throughout their induction year in a mainstream secondary school. Findings from phase one reveal a variety of course content across institutions with NQTs reporting a considerable 'mismatch' between what they learnt in training and what they discover is required in actual practice. Findings from phase two highlight NQTs' perceptions about discipline, control and support. The reflexivity inherent in Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) provided impetus for NQTs to reflect, not only on their pupils' behaviour but perhaps, more crucially, on their own behaviour. Tools within PCP provided opportunities for a dialogue; facilitated individual thoughts; enhanced a 'language for behaviour' and provided a focus for learning which promoted self-directed change. As a consequence the NQTs felt empowered, due to the changes having such personal relevance. A subsequent finding from this second phase, the implications of which go beyond this research, is the applicability of PCP's underlying philosophy for the management of pupils' behaviour. This research suggests that NQTs need more support with their management of pupils' behaviour. Recommendations are made for the training of induction mentors in the use of PCP tools in order to facilitate NQT thinking about this specific area of their practice. It is proposed that this should focus particularly on enhancing NQTs' understanding of how teacher behaviour can impact on pupils' behaviour

Intergenerational contacts and depressive symptoms among older parents in Eastern Europe

Objective: We investigate the association between parent-child contact frequency and changes in older parents’ depressive symptoms in Bulgaria, Georgia and Russia. These are countries in which societal transformations may mean that psychological feelings of security engendered by having children in close contact may have particularly important implications for the mental health of older parents. Methods: We analysed data from two waves of the Generation and Gender Surveys conducted three years apart and took account of relationships with more than one child. Analyses were performed using OLS regression models, adjusted for depressive symptoms at baseline. Results: Among mothers increases in depressive symptoms were greater for those who lacked at least weekly contact with any child than for those with frequent contact with at least one child (b = 0.64; p<0.01). Increases in depressive symptoms were associated with infrequent contacts with children, even after controlling for relationship quality (b = 0.55; p<0.05). Among unpartnered fathers, less than weekly meetings with children were associated with increases in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Among mothers and unpartnered fathers changes in depressive symptoms varied by parent-child contact. The adverse effect of not having a partner on fathers’ mental health was reduced, but not eliminated, by having frequent contacts with adult children

Returns home by children and changes in parents’ well-being in Europe

Co-resident adult children may be a source of emotional and instrumental support for older parents, but also a source of conflict and stress. Results from previous research are far from conclusive and indicate that intergenerational co-residence may have both negative and positive effects on parents' depressive symptoms and physical health. We analyse longitudinal data from four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2007-2015) to examine whether returns to the parental home by adult children are associated with changes in the quality of life of parents aged 50-75. Results from fixed effects linear regression models show that returns to the parental home by adult children were associated with decreases in parents' quality of life and that this largely reflected declines associated with the return of a child to an ‘empty nest’ where no other children were still co-resident. In line with previous research which has indicated differing effects of co-residence on parents' depressive symptoms by cultural tradition, such moves were associated with decreases in parents' quality of life to a greater extent in a grouping of Nordic/social-democratic countries than in other parts of Europe. There were no associations between changes in parental quality of life and the returning child's characteristics, although unemployment of a child was negatively, and new partnership of a child, positively associated with changes in parental quality of life

High resolution spectroscopy of Pluto's atmosphere: detection of the 2.3 μ\mum CH4_4 bands and evidence for carbon monoxide

The goal is to determine the composition of Pluto's atmosphere and to constrain the nature of surface-atmosphere interactions. We perform high--resolution spectroscopic observations in the 2.33--2.36 $\mu$m range, using CRIRES at the VLT. We obtain (i) the first detection of gaseous methane in this spectral range, through lines of the $\nu_3$ + $\nu_4$ and $\nu_1$ + $\nu_4$ bands (ii) strong evidence (6-$\sigma$ confidence) for gaseous CO in Pluto. For an isothermal atmosphere at 90 K, the CH$_4$ and CO column densities are 0.75 and 0.07 cm-am, within factors of 2 and 3, respectively. Using a physically--based thermal structure model of Pluto's atmosphere also satisfying constraints from stellar occultations, we infer CH$_4$ and CO mixing ratios q$_{CH_4}$= 0.6$^{+0.6}_{-0.3}$% (consistent with results from the 1.66 $\mu$m range) and q$_{CO}$ = 0.5$^{+1}_{-0.25}$$\times10^{-3}$. The CO atmospheric abundance is consistent with its surface abundance. As for Triton, it is probably controlled by a thin, CO-rich, detailed balancing layer resulting from seasonal transport and/or atmospheric escape.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters, in pres

A geographical study of the united nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, 1964 - 1984

The main aim of this study is to examine the role of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in relation to fundamental changes to the human and political geography of the island. The political background to these changes is given some analysis but the major focus of the study is on the spatial aspects of intercommunal conflict, and the problems created for civilian life by artificial ethnic barriers, barbed wire- fences, sentry-posts, roadblocks, and other physical lines symbolizing the separation of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, After a brief description of the situation prior to Independence, the centrifugal forces dividing the two communities and resulting in the formation of Turkish Cypriot enclaves are discussed. In the light of these major changes U.N.F.I.CYP. had to cope with many complicated practical difficulties on the ground relating to the separate de facto territorial control of certain parts of the Republic of Cyprus by the Turkish Cypriots. This study stresses the economic and humanitarian duties of what is basically a military peacekeeping force. In carrying out these duties there are many linkages between the non-military tasks of U.N.P.I.CYP. and the human geography of the island. Finally, the period since the forming of the de facto partition line between the two communities is considered in detail, and particular attention is given to U.N.F.I.CYP.'s activities between the two Forward Defence Lines of the National Guard and Turkish Array, i.e. in the U.N.- controlled Buffer Zone. The study then attempts to draw some conclusions regarding the likely future role of U.N.F.I.CYP., and to highlight the problems posed by the political deadlock between the two communities. There is also a short conclusion on the geography of peacekeeping, which is based entirely on this detailed case study

Combinatorial Games with a Pass: A dynamical systems approach

By treating combinatorial games as dynamical systems, we are able to address a longstanding open question in combinatorial game theory, namely, how the introduction of a "pass" move into a game affects its behavior. We consider two well known combinatorial games, 3-pile Nim and 3-row Chomp. In the case of Nim, we observe that the introduction of the pass dramatically alters the game's underlying structure, rendering it considerably more complex, while for Chomp, the pass move is found to have relatively minimal impact. We show how these results can be understood by recasting these games as dynamical systems describable by dynamical recursion relations. From these recursion relations we are able to identify underlying structural connections between these "games with passes" and a recently introduced class of "generic (perturbed) games." This connection, together with a (non-rigorous) numerical stability analysis, allows one to understand and predict the effect of a pass on a game.Comment: 39 pages, 13 figures, published versio

Liver Transplantation to Provide Low-Density-Lipoprotein Receptors and Lower Plasma Cholesterol in a Child with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A six-year-old girl with severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis had two defective genes at the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor locus, as determined by biochemical studies of cultured fibroblasts. One gene, inherited from the mother, produced no LDL receptors; the other gene, inherited from the father, produced a receptor precursor that was not transported to the cell surface and was unable to bind LDL. The patient degraded intravenously administered 125I-LDL at an extremely low rate, indicating that her high plasma LDL-cholesterol level was caused by defective receptor-mediated removal of LDL from plasma. After transplantation of a liver and a heart from a normal donor, the patient's plasma LDL-cholesterol level declined by 81 per cent, from 988 to 184 mg per deciliter. The fractional catabolic rate for intravenously administered 125I-LDL, a measure of functional LDL receptors in vivo, increased by 2.5-fold. Thus, the transplanted liver, with its normal complement of LDL receptors, was able to remove LDL cholesterol from plasma at a nearly normal rate. We conclude that a genetically determined deficiency of LDL receptors can be largely reversed by liver transplantation. These data underscore the importance of hepatic LDL receptors in controlling the plasma level of LDL cholesterol in human beings. (N Engl J Med 1984; 311: 1658–64.). © 1984, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved