Tourism as a form of social intervention: the Holiday Participation Centre in Flanders

This article presents the concept of social tourism as a form of social intervention. Tourism is seen by the European Economic and Social Committee as an opportunity for relation building, personal development and social integration. Social tourism initiatives offer holiday opportunities for persons who are otherwise prohibited from taking holidays, because of emotional, financial or health reasons. These mostly take the form of domestic breaks or day trips. In several countries of mainland Europe, the public sector supports these initiatives via involvement in public-private partnerships. One of these partnerships is the Holiday Participation Centre in Flanders, Belgium. This article will frame the initiative within social tourism provision in Flanders, Belgium, present the basic principles upon which the system operates, and give an overview of quantitative research findings regarding its outcomes as a form of social intervention

Tensor operators and Wigner-Eckart theorem for the quantum superalgebra U_{q}[osp(1\mid 2)]

Tensor operators in graded representations of Z_{2}-graded Hopf algebras are defined and their elementary properties are derived. Wigner-Eckart theorem for irreducible tensor operators for U_{q}[osp(1\mid 2)] is proven. Examples of tensor operators in the irreducible representation space of Hopf algebra U_{q}[osp(1\mid 2)] are considered. The reduced matrix elements for the irreducible tensor operators are calculated. A construction of some elements of the center of U_{q}[osp(1\mid 2)] is given.Comment: 16 pages, Late

Evolving solitons in bubbly flows

At the end of the sixties, it was shown that pressure waves in a bubbly liquid obey the KdV equation, the nonlinear term coming from convective acceleration and the dispersive term from volume oscillations of the bubbles.\ud For a variableu, proportional to –p, wherep denotes pressure, the appropriate KdV equation can be casted in the formu t –6uu x +u xxx =0. The theory of this equation predicts that, under certain conditions, solitons evolve from an initial profileu(x,0). In particular, it can be shown that the numberN of those solitons can be found from solving the eigenvalue problem xx–u(x,0)=0, with(0)=1 and(0)=0.N is found from counting the zeros of the solution of this equation betweenx=0 andx=Q, say,Q being determined by the shape ofu(x,0). We took as an initial pressure profile a Shockwave, followed by an expansion wave. This can be realised in the laboratory and the problem, formulated above, can be solved exactly.\ud In this contribution the solution is outlined and it is shown from the experimental results that from the said initial disturbance, indeed solitons evolve in the predicated quantity.\u

Development and process evaluation of a motor activity program for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

Background The support of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) rarely focused on motor activity, which might have negative consequences for the quality of life of these people. Evidence-based motor activity programs that present individually tailored and structural motor activity for these people are, regretfully, lacking. This study developed such a program for these people and evaluated the implementation process. Methods The motor activity program is developed in accordance with the theoretical premises of the educational program and consists of four methodological steps in which the content is individually filled with: motor activity structurally embedded within the activities of daily living, and 3–5 motor activities aimed at a specific goal, which is evaluated. Program delivery consisted of a manual, explanation to the teams, and coaching of one contact person per participant (n = 9). Process evaluation included the delivered fidelity, dose, reach, and adaptations made during the program. In addition, mechanisms of impact and the influence of contextual factors were evaluated. Data collection included researcher logbooks, individual program content, and staff reports. Results The intended fidelity, dose, and reach were not obtained in most participants. Content has been made explicit for seven participants, but only in one participant all critical steps in implementation were performed as intended, though later in time. In three participants, previously offered motor activities were described within the weekly program, but without all activities having a clear link with the goal set. It is showed that the core elements of the program were affected with the conceived implementation plan. The time schedule, critical elements in implementation and program content were influenced by a lack of conditions such as professionals’ motivation and responsibility, methodical working, interdisciplinarity and continuity in staff. Conclusions The results suggest that the implementation might be improved in case more attention is paid to the organizational conditions and implementation structure. The findings led to substantial changes in the implementation strategy. This study underlines the importance of process evaluation prior to testing for effectiveness

Preschool/Kindergarten teachers' conceptions of standardised testing

Standardised tests play an important role in early childhood (EC) education in many countries. Although teachers' conceptions largely determine whether and how these instruments are used, research on this topic is scarce. As a result, factors that influence conceptions of standardised testing have remained largely unexplored. To examine teachers' conceptions of standardised testing and aspects that may influence these conceptions, Brown's CoA-III-A questionnaire was distributed to 97 EC educators. Based on their responses, a selection of six preschool/kindergarten teachers participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. Analyses of the questionnaire and the interviews indicated that the teachers did not see these tests solely as instruments for accountability or improvement. While some perceived the test as pleasant confirmation, others perceived the results as negative opposition to their own observations. The teachers' conceptions were influenced by classroom population, management team, and the ascribed purpose of the test

Basic Hypergeometric Functions and Covariant Spaces for Even Dimensional Representations of U_q[osp(1/2)]

Representations of the quantum superalgebra U_q[osp(1/2)] and their relations to the basic hypergeometric functions are investigated. We first establish Clebsch-Gordan decomposition for the superalgebra U_q[osp(1/2)] in which the representations having no classical counterparts are incorporated. Formulae for these Clebsch-Gordan coefficients are derived, and it is observed that they may be expressed in terms of the $Q$-Hahn polynomials. We next investigate representations of the quantum supergroup OSp_q(1/2) which are not well-defined in the classical limit. Employing the universal T-matrix, the representation matrices are obtained explicitly, and found to be related to the little Q-Jacobi polynomials. Characteristically, the relation Q = -q is satisfied in all cases. Using the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients derived here, we construct new noncommutative spaces that are covariant under the coaction of the even dimensional representations of the quantum supergroup OSp_q(1/2).Comment: 16 pages, no figure

Room for autonomy: The mediating role of autonomy in the relationship between management style and teachers’ job perception

Wereldwijd vragen onderwijsexperts aandacht voor de effecten van druk die vanuit de samenleving op het onderwijs wordt uitgeoefend. Leerkrachten voelen zich ingeperkt in hun professionele autonomie. Uit literatuur blijkt dat er een relatie bestaat tussen de mate waarin leerkrachten professionele autonomie ervaren en aspecten van werkbeleving: ervaren onderwijskwaliteit en het engagement van de leerkracht. Ook toont onderzoek de invloed aan van leiderschap op de wijze waarop leerkrachten autonomie ervaren. Onderzoek naar de specifieke situatie van leerkrachten die werken met jonge kinderen is echter schaars. Doel van de huidige studie is het onderzoeken van de rol van professionele autonomie als onderliggend mechanisme in de manier waarop leidinggevenden invloed uitoefenen op de werkbeleving van leerkrachten in de eerste twee groepen van het basisonderwijs. Professionele autonomie is hiertoe op twee manieren geoperationaliseerd: als ervaren regelruimte en als vervulling van een psychologische basisbehoefte. Uit toetsing van het gepresenteerde hypothetische model blijkt dat de ervaren professionele autonomie het verband tussen managementstijl en werkbeleving van Nederlandse leerkrachten in de onderbouw van het primair onderwijs medieert. Een tweede bevinding is dat de relatie tussen managementstijl en de vervulling van de psychologische basisbehoefte aan autonomie gedeeltelijk wordt gemedieerd door de ervaren regelruimte. De wetenschappelijke en maatschappelijke relevantie worden besprokenResearchers worldwide are drawing attention to the societal pressure on education. Teachers’ professional autonomy is constrained. The correlation between the degree of autonomy and job perception has been well established.Researchers have also shown the influence of school leadership on teachers’ perceived autonomy. However, little research specifically concerns teachers working with young children. This study examines the role of professionalautonomy as a mediating mechanism in the way in which principals influence the job perception of teachers in the first two years of Dutch primary education. Professional autonomy is operationalized as both perceived task autonomyand the fulfilment of a basic need. Tests of the hypothetical model showed that professional autonomy mediates the link between management style and job perception of teachers in primary schools. Further, the relationship between management style and the fulfilment of the basic psychological need for autonomy is shown to be partially mediated by perceived task autonomy