Teachers\u27 Work Practices in Kazakhstan: Some Comparative Insights from TIMMS 2011 to Guide Curriculum Implementation

This paper looks at the different norms of practice between mathematics teachers in two countries, Kazakhstan and England. These differences pose challenges and opportunities for the implementation of a new secondary curriculum in Kazakhstan; a curriculum that has been shaped by and is grounded in prevailing practice in English educational system. The paper draws on survey data from the 2011 TIMSS exercise and relates it to our observations of classrooms in Kazakhstan over the last 5 years. The analy­sis draws on various cross­national studies of teachers’ work and studies of subject departments. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for successful curricula change and how it can be supported by an understanding of prevailing norms of practice. The paper also illustrates the continued value of cross­national comparison of educational practices especially for relatively new nations. It ques­tions the popular notion that global waves of policy solutions have washed, unimpeded and unchanged, across national borders

Old enough to know : consulting children about sex and AIDS education in Africa

This compelling study, comprising of a sample of eight schools in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa – Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania – examines the sources, contents and processes of children´s community-based sexual knowledges and asks how these knowledges interact with AIDS education programmes in school. Old enough to know showcases the possibilities of consulting pupils using engaging, interactive and visual methods including digital still photography, mini-video documentaries, as well as interviews and observations. These innovative methods allow children to speak freely and openly in contexts where talking about sex to adults is a cultural tabo

The Effect of Service Dog Partnership on the Mental Health Status of United States Veterans: A Quantitative Analysis Using the SF-36v2 Mental Health Survey

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a historically significant problem for soldiers and Marines in the United States military. A host of recent research supports this claim, and lends itself to the question of why more is not being done to help those who suffer from combat related stress (Friedman, 2011; Kuehn, 2012; Marlantes, 2011; Sher, Braquehais, & Casas, 2012). When considering what effect service dogs might have on the mental health status of United States veterans, this study focused on the following research questions based on the SF-36v2 Mental Health Survey: What effect does partnership with a service dog have on veterans’ vitality (VT)? What effect does partnership with a service dog have on veterans’ social functioning (SF)? What effect does partnership with a service dog have on veterans’ role-emotional health (RE)? What effect does partnership with a service dog have on veterans’ overall mental health (MH)? This study used a pre-and post-test survey research design, with surveys administered to five veterans who were due to obtain a service dog from Patriot Paws in Rockwall, Texas. Data gathered from the SF-36v2 Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to summarize reports generated by the SF-36v2 Survey Scoring Software Program

Toward a Theory of Faithfulness: An Exploratory Study of the Motivational Factors Related to Human Capital Retention in the Christian School

This exploratory, qualitative study utilizing the grounded theory approach addressed the research question of what are the factors Christian teachers feel, believe, and/or understand are meaningful and motivating to their decision to continue teaching in a Christian school? This focus on human capital retention in the Christian school was necessary due to a concern for teachers leaving the profession within the first few years of their careers, thus lowering the quality of education provided. The teachers participating in the study shared their feelings, thoughts, stories, and experiences through the use of in-depth interviews. The resulting analysis provided the opportunity for six core categories to be formed resulting in two major themes. The first major theme of a desire for personal fulfillment of the teachers to be motivated to continue teaching is seen in their (a) need to belong and feel connected, (b) need to provide direction and guidance for the students, their colleagues, and the administration, and ultimately to fulfill a (c) need for a feeling of accomplishment and contribution. The second major theme which emerged during the data collection and analysis was that of a desire for spiritual fulfillment. There was a deep sense the spiritual needs and desires of the teachers were the ultimate reason for teaching specifically in a Christian school. The desire for spiritual fulfillment can be seen through the shared experiences, stories, attitudes, and feelings of the teachers. The three primary concepts flowing from this theme are (d) a need to feel whole and complete, (e) a need to openly practice one’s faith, and (f) a need to be obedient to God’s call on the teacher’s life. This preliminary framework toward a theory of faithfulness begins to offer an explanation of the phenomenon of the Christian school teachers\u27 experiences and why they are faithful to teaching in a Christian school

Testimonies of Syrian Academics Displaced Post 2011: Time, place and the agentic self

This article explores the experiences of protracted displacement in a group of 19 displaced Syrian academics now living in Turkey who are often referred to as the precariat that is, a group or collective of people who are living in conditions of high unpredictability, insecurity and uncertainty. As part of a small-scale collaborative professional enquiry , semi-structured interviews with these academics were conducted to understand the social, affective and professional experiences, needs and concerns of the academics during and after their forced displacement. The key concepts of precarity and crises of selfhood, alongside memory and testimony, inform the analysis. This article seeks to provide an account of this collective experience and its complex character and concludes with observations on how one might understand the constraints on professional agency and how might one support displaced academics in such contexts. Solidarity in exile and the development of political friendships are argued for as a principle to inform all work.CARA and Soros Foundatio

Promoting emotional health, well-being, and resilience in primary schools

• This report synthesises evidence on promoting emotional health, well-being, and resilience in primary schools. We argue that: a) both universal support for all pupils and targeted work for specific groups and individuals can be very effective, and b) connected school systems help to translate the research evidence into sustained positive impacts. • We focus on preventing or reducing problems such as emotional difficulties and aggressive behaviour, as well as efforts to promote emotional health more broadly and to address the underlying social and emotional skills. Reported activities involve specific teaching curricula and the use of specialist staff or services, but also encompass broader school systems and climate, as well as pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. • Therapeutic approaches to remediating or preventing emotional difficulties can be successful in schools, but effects are variable and may not be sustained over time. • Whole-school approaches to supporting mental health are encouraged, but evidence suggests that the implementation of such approaches is challenging. • Specialist school-based staff and services with dedicated responsibilities in this area have an important role to play, but the evidence base for their impacts is not sufficiently developed, and the way in which their activities can be integrated with other school systems needs close attention. • There is a compelling evidence base regarding the potential impacts of school-based strategies that are designed to promote social and emotional learning, including both enhancement of a variety of skills and positive attributes and reduction of emotional and behavioural difficulties. • Even where social and emotional learning programmes have a very strong evidence base, there is no guarantee of success, as there are significant challenges in terms of both implementing the programme activities and embedding them in broader school systems and everyday interactions. • Research on anti-bullying programmes provides a good illustration of how effective work in this area needs to permeate the school climate. • Overall, we recommend a carefully planned and well-supported programme of work on social and emotional learning that is rooted in, and reinforced by, connections with school systems and all stakeholders, and integration with broader pedagogical approaches to good teaching and learning throughout the revised Welsh curriculum

Health Communication as a Public Health Training and Workforce Development Issue

Effective communication is one of the core competencies for public health professionals and is required for local health department (LHD) accreditation. Public health communication specialists play a critical role as conduits of health information, particularly with regard to managing relationships with media and the message that is ultimately represented by news outlets. However, capacity for engagement with traditional media in community health improvement at the local level has not been well-described. As part of a larger study examining the use and impact of the County Health Rankings in North Carolina, LHD media staffing and interaction with traditional media were examined through a cross-sectional, online survey, administered to North Carolina LHDs. Results indicate that most LHDs in North Carolina have staff designated to work with media, but few have dedicated staff or staff with an educational background in mass communication. Most communication staff enter their position with less than one year of experience, though almost all receive some training once on the job. Press releases are issued relatively infrequently, which implies that media engagement and message management are underdeveloped at the local level. These results suggest that health communication specialists are underutilized in LHDs and these skills should be emphasized in LHD hiring practices and in public health workforce development

Inviting backchat: how schools and communities in Ghana, Swaziland and Kenya support children to contextualize knowledge and create agency through sexuality education

Education about sex, relationships and HIV and AIDS in African contexts is riddled with socio-cultural complexity. In this paper the authors argue that in extreme contexts education can lead change further by developing young people as significant actors in their own lives and in the lives of the community by bringing bring about change in attitudes in the community, as well as practices in schools. A qualitative study was undertaken in eight primary schools of the use of student knowledge and voice to change attitudes, impact upon socio cultural beliefs, adult-child dialogue and drive changes in practice in AIDS education. Drawing on a contextual framework that includes a socio-cultural approach to education, Basil Bernstein’s well established theories of everyday and school knowledge and Catherine Campbell’s notion of AIDS competent communities, it shows how this initiative variably unfolded in six sub-Saharan countries (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania, – although only the latter three are discussed in detail) and analyses the potential of schools to operate for the benefit of children in difficult circumstances, especially with regard to poverty, gender, sexual violence and health. Participation, dialogue and agency were the key factors

Collaborate With Whom? Clergy Responses to Psychologist Characteristics (Chapter 2 of Psychology and the Church)

Some clergy and psychologists are willing to collaborate in providing for people under their care and some are reticent. The purpose of this research is to see if clergy are more likely to collaborate with psychologists of a particular sex or training background. Six groups of clergy were given written descriptions of a psychologist that varied on these two dimensions-the institution from which the psychologist received training and sexand were then asked to rate how likely they would be to participate in 7 collaborative scenarios with the psychologist. No group differences were found. Furthermore, clergy characteristics were not significantly related to their likelihood of collaborating with psychologists. Differences were observed among the 7 collaborative scenarios, suggesting that clergy are more interested in some forms of collaboration than others. It appears that idiographic relational factors are ultimately more important than general demographic categories in establishing clergy-psychologist collaboration

Preliminary findings from the Minnesota 4-H Quality Improvement Study

This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.This preliminary report reviews a model currently being field tested using the YPQA tool and innovative data collection methodologies, which use 4-H youth and adult volunteers for assessing and improving youth program quality