Stefan Ramaekers & Judith Suissa, The claims of parenting. Reasons, responsibility and society

Boekbespreking van: Stefan Ramaekers & Judith Suissa, The claims of parenting. Reasons, Dordrecht/Heidelberg/Londen/New York: responsibility and society. Springer, 2012. ISBN 9789400722507, 158 blz., € 99,95 (hardcover). Het boek is te downloaden via: http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-94-007-2251-4#section=957711&page=8&locus=0

Perceived discrimination against Dutch Muslim youths in the school context and its relation with externalising behavior

The role of the source of discrimination in relation to minority Muslim youths’ psychosocial well-being has received remarkably little attention in the post-9/11 climate. We have examined one of the aspects of psychosocial well-being that is given prominent attention in the media and public discourse, namely externalising behaviour. The article reports whether perceived discrimination by four sources (school peers and teachers, peers, and adults outside the school) is related to externalising behaviour. Links between perceived discrimination sources and externalising behaviour among Dutch Muslim youths (n = 308, ages 14–18) were examined through surveys. The quantitative findings guided our qualitative analyses of interviews with 10 Muslim Dutch youths on their accounts of discrimination in the school context. When comparing different discrimination sources, only teacher discrimination was found to predict externalising behaviour significantly (explaining 15% of the variance). The qualitative follow-up illustrated the significance of teacher discrimination: Some Muslim youths felt that their teachers held back their school progress, while others reported receiving insults from teachers about their parents’ native country and their religion. We argue that students’ perceived powerlessness within the teacher-student relationship deserves further attention, as some Dutch Muslim youths reported painful experiences, with perceived teacher discrimination linked to higher levels of externalising behaviour

Values manifested in life purposes of higher education students in the Netherlands and Finland

This study investigates life purposes and values of higher education students in the Netherlands and Finland (nDutch = 663, nFin = 846). The theoretical framework is built on the conceptualization of life purpose by Damon et al., as well as Schwartz’s values model. The study adopted a convergent mixed methods design analysing qualitative and quantitative survey data. The content of students’ life purposes was explored with qualitative content analysis, followed by a statistical analysis of values measured with Short Schwartz’s Value Survey (SSVS) and examination of the alignment of purpose content and values. In both countries students studying in generalist higher education institutions identified happiness as their most important (content of) life purpose, indicating a prevalence of hedonistic values. Students at a university with a specific emphasis on moral and values education expressed universalism, benevolence and self-direction as their purpose content, and also reported these as their values. We conclude that the model by Schwartz offers a valuable analytical tool for studying the content of life purposes. We also discuss the implications of our findings for developing moral and value education in the context of higher education.Peer reviewe

Life purposes : Comparing higher education students in four institutions in the Netherlands and Finland

Universities worldwide are beginning to counter the prevailing neo-liberal ideology by paying renewed attention to the moral development of students and fostering their life purposes. This mixed methods study investigates the life purposes of higher education students in four institutions in the Netherlands (nDutch=663) and Finland (nFinnish=846). Based on quantitative data, we identified four purpose profiles: purposeful, self-oriented, dreamer, and disengaged. Qualitative data showed that students’ willingness to contribute to a better world was not particularly prominent. An exception was found in the data of a Dutch research university working with a specific worldview and value base and emphasizing moral education. We conclude that universities need to put more effort into educating young professionals whose life purpose goes beyond their self-interest and who are willing and able to address pressing societal and global problems. This particularly includes professionals in the domains of technology and economy.publishedVersionPeer reviewe