A qualitative study of undergraduate students' learning experience in sexology

This study responds to significant issues related to the problematic nature of perceptions of sexuality in Australian society. It also explores the extent to which the students’ view of sexuality can be influenced through a sexuality education programme delivered at tertiary level.An investigation of the literature, comprehensive interviews and feedback from students identifies the factors which form the perceptions of sexuality that students have by the time they reach young adulthood and enter the sexology class.The qualitative study provides insights into how higher education students extend their understanding of sexuality. These insights, elicited through the study, supports the considerable body of anecdotal evidence that has been gathered over thirty years in the award winning1 sexuality education programme at Curtin University. The study provides an understanding of the impact of sexuality education in an adult learning environment, using ethnographic methods to reveal ways in which undergraduate students perceive and interpret new knowledge acquired from formal studies.The study also illuminates how the learning strategies and content from the sexology class influence participants’ perceptions of their own sexuality and the sexuality of others. Students’ responses to the class were ascertained through reflective writing, interviews and focus groups. Participants demonstrated that they had responded to the ‘sex-positive’ approach to teaching and learning by revealing a more open-minded, less judgemental disposition, with an enhanced body image and added confidence to discuss sexual issues.The rich body of information emerging from this study can be used to enhance the development of sexuality education programmes in tertiary institutions and the wider community. The information includes the approach, processes, key content and the learning outcomes.It is hoped that the participants’ stories throughout this report will resonate with the reader. The aim of this report is to make a contribution to an important issue that has thus far received scant attention in the literature

Assessing Brazilian Educational Inequalities

This paper provides an evaluation of schooling inequality in Brazil using different indicators such as the Education Gini coefficient, the Education Standard Deviation and the Average number of Years of Schooling. We draw up a statistical description of Brazilian human capital dispersion in time over the last half century, across regions and states. Our analysis suggests several conclusions: 1) Strong reduction of educational inequalities measured by Education Gini index. 2) A three parts picture of Brazil seems to emerge, reflecting initial conditions. 3) High increase of the Average number of Years of Schooling. 4) A significant link between Education Gini and the average education length. 5) Education Standard Deviation leads to inverted results compared to Education Gini. 6) Brazilian data are consistent with an Education Kuznets curve if we consider Education Standard Deviation.Esse trabalho busca avaliar o grau de desigualdade educacional no Brasil baseando-se em diferentes indicadores tais como: o índice de Gini educacional, os anos médios de escolaridade e no desvio padrão educacional. Tenta-se colocar uma descrição estatística da distribuição do capital humano no Brasil, incluindo as diferenças estaduais e regionais observadas durante a ultima metade do século. As conclusões da nossa análise são as seguintes: 1) Forte redução das desigualdades educativas calculadas com o Gini educacional. 2) Um retrato tripartido do Brasil parece se formar refletindo as condições iniciais. 3) Um forte aumento dos níveis de escolarização. 4) Uma relação significativa entre o Gini educacional e os anos médios de estudos. 5) O desvio padrão educacional leva aos resultados inversos do Gini educacional. 6) Os dados brasileiros admitem uma curva de Kuznets educacional se considerarmos o desvio padrão educacional

Evaluation of the implementation of a relationship and sexuality education project in Western Australian schools: Protocol of a multiple, embedded case study

Introduction: There is recognition of the importance of comprehensive relationships and sexuality education (RSE) throughout the school years worldwide. Interventions have found some positive outcomes; however, the need for a greater focus on positive sexuality and relevant contemporary issues has been identified by teachers and students. The Curtin RSE Project provides training for teachers and preservice teachers and supports schools through training and advice to implement comprehensive school health promotion (CSHP) focusing on RSE allowing schools to develop programmes relevant to their school community. To examine contemporary phenomenon within a real word context, a case study design will be used to measure implementation. This paper will describe the protocol for a multiple, embedded case study to measure the implementation of CSHP focusing on RSE in a purposive sample of Western Australian schools. Methods and analysis: This mixed methods study will include a multiple, embedded case study. Schools (n=3-4) will be purposively selected from within Western Australia based on their capacity to commit to implementing RSE as a case study school. Data will be collected from students (Grade 6 for primary school; Grades 7-12 for secondary school); teachers and other key staff and parents. Methods include school climate and school curriculum audits, documentation (collected with key staff at baseline and annually), interviews (parents and teachers at Year 2), focus groups (students at Year 2) and an online student survey (collected with students baseline and annually). Ethics and dissemination: School principals will provide consent for school participation and staff and parents will provide individual consent. Student assent and parental consent will be obtained for student participants. Results will be disseminated through open-access reports, peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations

On-surface synthesis of a doubly anti-aromatic carbon allotrope

Synthetic carbon allotropes such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes have revolutionized materials science and led to new technologies. Many hypothetical carbon allotropes have been discussed, but few have been studied experimentally. Recently, unconventional synthetic strategies such as dynamic covalent chemistry and on-surface synthesis have been used to create new forms of carbon, including γ-graphyne, fullerene polymers, biphenylene networks and cyclocarbons. Cyclo[N]carbons are molecular rings consisting of N carbon atoms; the three that have been reported to date (N = 10, 14 and 18) are doubly aromatic, which prompts the question: is it possible to prepare doubly anti-aromatic versions? Here we report the synthesis and characterization of an anti-aromatic carbon allotrope, cyclo[16]carbon, by using tip-induced on-surface chemistry. In addition to structural information from atomic force microscopy, we probed its electronic structure by recording orbital density maps with scanning tunnelling microscopy. The observation of bond-length alternation in cyclo[16]carbon confirms its double anti-aromaticity, in concordance with theory. The simple structure of C16 renders it an interesting model system for studying the limits of aromaticity, and its high reactivity makes it a promising precursor to novel carbon allotropes

Reconciling urban and agricultural development with biodiversity conservation : anticipating the footprint of anthropogenic uses on biodiversity through a functional and multi-trophic approach

La forte croissance des populations humaines a engendré une intensification des milieux, surtout agricoles pour l’alimentation et l’élevage, résultant en une plus grande appropriation de la productivité primaire nette. La productivité primaire étant à la base des réseaux trophiques et écologiques, toute modification de ce processus essentiel est susceptible d’avoir de fortes conséquences sur la biodiversité. Par ailleurs, l’intensification est un processus complexe dont les trois dimensions – intrants, extrants et système – sont rarement étudiées de concert. Le cadre conceptuel et méthodologique HANPP (Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production) proposé par Helmut Haberl et collaborateurs en 2007, a pour objectif de quantifier différents paramètres de l’intensification. Dans un premier temps, les liens entre des composantes d’HANPP et d’autres indices d’intensification (i.e. HNV, IC/ha) ont été explorés afin de mieux interpréter la variabilité d’HANPP et ses composantes. HANPP semble lié à la fois aux dimensions « système » et « extrants » de l’intensité d’usage des sols et apparait comme complémentaire aux autres indicateurs testés. Dans un second temps, je me suis intéressée à la relation entre HANPP et biodiversité, à travers deux taxons complémentaires par leurs fonctions écosystémiques, i.e. les oiseaux et chiroptères. Grâce à l’utilisation de données issues de programmes de sciences participatives en France métropolitaine, j’ai pu montrer que l’intensification : i) diminuait la richesse spécifique, l’abondance et la masse moyenne des communautés de chiroptères, et ii) simplifiait la structure des communautés aviaires par l’abaissement du niveau trophique et de la régularité fonctionnelle, au bénéfice de spécialistes des milieux agricoles. Par ailleurs, j’ai pu observer que la réponse de la biodiversité pouvait grandement varier selon l’indicateur et/ou la facette (taxonomique ou fonctionnelle) étudiée. A travers mes analyses, j’ai pu clarifier les conditions d’utilisation du cadre méthodologique HANPP. J’ai également identifié des régions et types de paysage où l’intensité d’usage des sols peut coexister avec la biodiversité. L’ensemble de ces résultats forme le support à une discussion sur les opportunités pour concilier efforts de conservation et intensification.The strong growth of Human populations has led to the intensification of land uses and land covers, especially in agricultural lands for food production and livestock, resulting in a higher appropriation of net primary productivity. As primary productivity is the root of food webs and ecological networks, any change in this essential process is likely to have a strong impact on biodiversity. Besides, intensification is a complex process whose three dimensions - inputs, outputs and system - are rarely studied together. The conceptual and methodological framework of HANPP (Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production) proposed by Helmut Haberl and collaborators in 2007, aims to quantify different parameters of intensification. First, I explored the variability of HANPP components and their relationships to other intensification indices (i.e. HNV, IC / ha) to better interpret the variability of HANPP and its components. HANPP seems to be linked to both the "system" and "output" dimensions of land use intensity and appears to complement the other indicators considered. Then, I investigated the relationship between HANPP and biodiversity, focusing on two taxa complementary in their ecosystem functions, i.e. birds and bats. Using data from citizen-science programs occurring in metropolitan France, I showed that intensification: i) decreased species richness, abundance and the average mass of bats, and ii) simplified the structure of avian communities by lowering the average trophic level and functional regularity, to the benefit of farmland specialists. In addition, I observed that the response of biodiversity could widely vary depending on the indicator and / or facet (taxonomic or functional) studied. Through my analyzes, I was able to clarify the conditions of use of the HANPP methodological framework. I also identified areas and types of landscape where land use intensity can coexist with biodiversity. All of these results form the basis for a discussion on opportunities to reconcile conservation efforts with intensification

Essays on Access to Higher Education

Les choix éducatifs, et notamment celui de l'accession à l'enseignement supérieur, sont le résultat de processus complexes qui font intervenir des instances de décisions variées (individu/collectivité ; parent/enfant ; système éducatif/établissement d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche) qui elles-mêmes se présentent avec des motivations multiples : gains économiques, recherche de bien-être ou de statut sociale, efficacité ou encore justice sociale. Chacune de ces décisions interdépendantes pèsent sur la création, l'allocation et la distribution des ressources dans une société.Notre contribution est ici de mieux comprendre comment les agents interagissement et de déterminer les conséquences de ces interactions.Educative choices, and the entry in higher education in particular, result from complex processes which bring in various decision-makers (individual / community; parent / child; education system/higher education institutions) who appear with multiple incentives: economic gains, well-being or social status, efficiency or social justice ; given that each of these interdependent decisions influences the creation, the allocation and the distribution of the resources in a society.Our contribution is to demonstrate how the agents interact and what are the consequences of these interactions