Parent participation at school: a research study on the perspectives of children

The present article discusses the attitude of children towards parent participation at school. To this end, a quantitative study was conducted among 250 10-year-old children in Flanders. The analysis shows that children tend to rather like parent participation, and that this attitude is related to the extent to which parents participate. Children from 'deprived' schools tend to like parent participation better. This article argues that children should be approached as fully-fledged, active participants in their parents' participation process and that it is necessary to take account of the specific perspectives of children on this topic

Sexual health is dead in my body: participatory assessment of sexual health determinants by refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and The Netherlands

Background: Although migrants constitute an important proportion of the European population, little is known about migrant sexual health. Existing research mainly focuses on migrants’ sexual health risks and accessibility issues while recommendations on adequate sexual health promotion are rarely provided. Hence, this paper explores how refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands define sexual health, search for sexual health information and perceive sexual health determinants. Methods: Applying Community-based Participatory Research as the overarching research approach, we conducted 223 in-depth interviews with refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Framework Analysis Technique was used to analyse qualitative data. We checked the extensiveness of the qualitative data and analysed the quantitative socio-demographic data with SPSS. Results: Our results indicate that gender and age do not appear to be decisive determinants. However, incorporated cultural norms and education attainment are important to consider in desirable sexual health promotion in refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that these migrants have a predominant internal health locus of control. Yet, most of them feel that this personal attitude is hugely challenged by the Belgian and Dutch asylum system and migration laws which force them into a structural dependent situation inducing sexual ill-health. Conclusion: Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands are at risk of sexual ill-health. Incorporated cultural norms and attained education are important determinants to address in desirable sexual health promotion. Yet, as their legal status demonstrates to be the key determinant, the prime concern is to alter organizational and societal factors linked to the Belgian and Dutch asylum system. Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands should be granted the same opportunity as Belgian and Dutch citizens have, to become equally in control of their sexual health and sexualit

Belgium, Canada and Switzerland: Are There Differences in the Contributions of Selected Variables on Self-Reported Property-Related and Violent Delinquency?

Three countries with different sociodemographic characteristics and different school and criminal justice systems are compared using data from Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada with respect to juvenile delinquency as measured by the International Self-Reported Delinquency questionnaire (ISRD-2). Following a brief presentation of descriptive statistics of the different samples, multivariate analyses including basic variables such as gender, age, family composition, immigrant status, school attachment, victimisation, and family and peer relationships make up the core of this study. The contributions of these selected variables are then compared between the participating countries. Between these three countries we find similarities and differences in explaining self-reported property-related and violent delinquency. In the final part of the article, the implications of these findings are discusse

Alcohol use among young adolescents in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria: The effects of type of education

The present study elucidates the association between students’ education type and alcohol use, controlling for other socio-economic background characteristics. A subsample of data from the second International Self-Reported Delinquency Study was used (N= 10,525), collected among adolescents in the seventh to ninth grades of secondary school in four Western European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria). Data were analysed with multilevel logistic regression techniques. There is an indication that type of education affects prevalence rates of drunkenness and heavy episodic drinking; these effects prove robust for differences in socio-economic backgrounds. In all countries except Belgium, students in education types of lower status show higher prevalence rates for drunkenness and heavy episodic drinking. Lifetime alcohol prevalence rates do not vary much between students from different educational tracks. The results of this study support the literature regarding the role of the educational system in the reproduction of health inequalities and underscore the finding that students from education types of lower status are at greater risk than those from higher status types