Problematising home education: challenging ‘parental rights’ and 'socialisation'

In the UK, Home Education, or home-schooling, is an issue that has attracted very little public, governmental or academic attention. Yet the number of children home educated is steadily increasing and has been referred to as a 'quiet revolution'. This article neither celebrates nor denigrates home educators, its aim, rather, is to identify and critically examine the two dominant discourses that define the way in which the issue is currently understood. First, the legal discourse of parental rights, which forms the basis of the legal framework, and secondly a psychoanalytical/common-sense 'socialisation' discourse within which school attendance is perceived as necessary for healthy child development. Drawing on historical, doctrinal human rights and psychoanalytical sources and post-structural and feminist perspectives, this article suggests that both discourses function as alternative methods of governance and that the conflicting ‘rights claims’ of parents and children obscure public interests and fundamental questions about the purpose of education

Psychological and Environmental Predictors of Test Anxiety: A Structural Equation Model

Test anxiety is a construct that includes cognitive, physiological, and behavioral symptoms occurring in response to anxiety prior to, during, or following examinations. The current literature on test anxiety has evaluated a number of possible predictors, including demographic variables, academic indicators, and self-perceptions. The movement toward school accountability and higher academic expectations of students has increased the severity of consequences occurring as a result of poor academic achievement. Thus, test anxiety is a critical concern that may impact student academic success. The current study evaluated a structural equation model to determine the strength of associations between trait anxiety, academic achievement, academic self-efficacy, and parental pressure, as well as how each of these variables predicted test anxiety among college undergraduates. The results indicated that trait anxiety and academic achievement predicted academic self-efficacy, and trait anxiety and academic self-efficacy predicted test anxiety. Factors that may have influenced the need for modifications to the structural model will be discussed, including psychometric concerns and theoretical implications

The Effects of a Test-Taking Skills Intervention on Test Anxiety and Test Performance in 4th Graders

Increases in standardized testing have been accompanied by increased reports of test anxiety in younger students. School-based test anxiety interventions can be implemented to decrease test anxiety and improve test performance. Skill-based interventions have effectively addressed both of these variables; however, the research has primarily targeted secondary and university students. The purpose of the current study was to determine if a test-taking skills intervention would decrease test anxiety and improve test performance in 4th grade students. Results indicated that the test-taking skills intervention resulted only in a minor decrease in test anxiety that maintained at 1-month follow-up. Effects on test performance were mixed immediately following the intervention, and test performance was equivalent to baseline levels at the conclusion of the study. Limitations of this study and recommendations for future research are included

Effect of Postural Position and Utensil Use on Stimulated Pill Swallows

The study set out to determine if different postural positions influence the perceived effort of swallowing and sip size taken during simulated pill swallows. The questions driving this analysis were based on the clinical observations and standard nursing practices for medication administration to patients in reclining hospital beds. Nurses state there is no standard oral medication protocol for safe swallowing practices in patients with dysphagia. 22 participants were recruited and instructed to swallow one or two gel capsules at 6 conditions with cup and straw use. Water in grams was measured before and after swallows

Bridges and Barriers: Factors Influencing a Culture of Assessment in Academic Libraries

Article "presents the results of a survey designed to understand what factors facilitate the development of a culture of assessment of student learning in academic libraries and what factors may hinder it. Unlike previous research in this area, which has focused on case studies and surveys with nonrepresentative samples, the authors conducted a systematic survey of academic libraries at four-year institutions in the United States and achieved a 42 percent response rate. The results suggest certain factors are highly associated with a culture of assessment and provide guidance to administrators and front-line librarians working to build such a culture."Ope

SB 909/HB 1408 Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices

This report provides a legislative racial impact analysis of Senate Bill (SB) 909, a proposed bill in the Virginia General Assembly, to expand the Virginia Fair Housing Law to include lawful sources of income. Specifically, this report examines state and county source of income laws and their variances by race and ethnicity