School Effects on the Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents

Well-being is a multidimensional construct, with psychological, physical and social components. As theoretical basis to help understand this concept and how it relates to school, we propose the Self-Determination Theory, which contends that self-determined motivation and personality integration, growth and well-being are dependent on a healthy balance of three innate psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness and competence. Thus, current indicators involve school effects on children’s well-being, in many diverse modalities which have been explored. Some are described in this chapter, mainly: the importance of peer relationships; the benefits of friendship; the effects of schools in conjunction with some forms of family influence; the school climate in terms of safety and physical ecology; the relevance of the teacher input; the school goal structure and the implementation of cooperative learning. All these parameters have an influence in promoting optimal functioning among children and increasing their well-being by meeting the above mentioned needs. The empirical support for the importance of schools indicates significant small effects, which often translate into important real-life effects as it is admitted at present. The conclusion is that schools do make a difference in children’s peer relationships and well-being

Best Practice Guide for Positive Parenting. A resource for practitioners working with families

[spa] El modo en que se concibe el ejercicio de la parentalidad ha cambiado sustancialmente en nuestra sociedad. Ello no sólo se debe a la gran variedad de formas familiares y diversidad de culturas que conviven actualmente en su seno, sino también a un cambio conceptual que afecta al núcleo básico de la tarea parental. Nos referimos a la necesidad de sustituir el concepto de autoridad parental, centrado únicamente en la necesidad de lograr metas de obediencia y disciplina en los hijos e hijas, por otro más complejo y demandante como es el concepto de responsabilidad parental. Según este concepto, la cuestión clave no es si las figuras parentales deben ejercer la autoridad para que sus hijos/as les obedezcan, sino cómo ejercerla de modo responsable para que se preserven los derechos de los mismos, sin menoscabar los de padres y madres, y se fomenten sus capacidades críticas y de participación en el proceso de socialización, al mismo tiempo que se promueve progresivamente su autonomía y contribución a la vida comunitaria. Ante este cambio cualitativo en la manera de entender las responsabilidades parentales, se alzan muchas voces de desánimo entre los propios padres y madres, quienes en ocasiones se ven impotentes en su tarea al no saber cómo actuar para lograr metas educativas tan complejas y sentir, al mismo tiempo, que están perdiendo capacidades de control sobre sus hijos e hijas. En otras ocasiones, el desánimo y el estrés ante la tarea parental no surge por no saber llevarla a cabo sino por no poder hacerlo adecuadamente debido a la situación de la persona que educa en solitario o en pareja sin contar con redes de apoyo apropiadas. Esto crea situaciones límite que repercuten negativamente en todos y cada uno de los miembros de la familia, especialmente en los más vulnerables.[eng] Our conception of what parenting should look like has changed considerably in our society. This is due not only to the large variety of family structures and the diversity of cultures that currently co-exist in our society, but also to a shift in mindset that touches the very heart of the parenting task. This can be expressed as the need to replace the concept of parental authority, which focuses solely on meeting aims related to the child’s obedience and discipline, with the much more complex and demanding concept of parental responsibility. Here, the key question is not whether the parent figure should exert the necessary authority to ensure a child’s obedience. Rather, it is about how this authority can be exerted responsibly in a way that protects the child’s rights - without of course neglecting the mother’s and father’s rights - and that fosters the child’s skills in critical thinking and participation in the socialisation process, while at the same time progressively fostering the child’s autonomy and contribution to community life. There has been much concern expressed in response to this qualitative shift in how a parent’s responsibilities are viewed, including amongst mothers and fathers themselves. Parents often feel powerless to act, as they do not know how to achieve such complex parenting goals, and feel like they are losing control over their children. Other times, feelings of discouragement and stress arise not because parents do not how to go about the task of parenting, but rather because they find themselves unable to do so, as may be the case for single parents or couples raising children without the necessary support networks. This can lead to extreme situations which can have a negative impact on the entire family, and especially its most vulnerable members

New methods for studying blind children's understanding of familiar space

Two previous studies have indicated that until the teenage years blind children understand the relationships between familiar locations in and around their home in terms of the routes between them rather than in terms of straight line directions. Given the practical implications of these findings, it is important that they are replicated. The present paper describes some new ways of exploring blind children's understanding of space and reports some preliminary data from three blind children, two severely visually impaired children and a small group of sighted children. These data indicate that blind children can understand the straight line relationships between different locations at a younger age than previously reported. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed