Decrypting cultural nuances: using drama techniques from the theatre of the oppressed to strengthen cross cultural communication in social work students

ABSTRACT

Despite widening participation in social work education in the UK, social work students from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds can find that they have less positive experiences on social work courses than their counterparts. This can happen when courses do not equip students to navigate the subtle rules of communication with service users that are premised on dominant UK values. As a consequence BME students can be assessed as having poor interpersonal skills and poor skills in engaging service users. However, the issue is often more one of cultural differences and high expectations of cultural integration than one of incompetence.

This paper reports on a drama workshop using techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed to foster awareness of the complexities of cross cultural communication that BME students may face. The workshop facilitates insight into the nuances of culturally informed values that differ from dominant UK values.

Drawing on student workshop evaluations, the authors highlight the positive use of techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed as a pro-active pedagogical approach to equipping BME students with insight and skill to circumnavigate cross cultural communication in practice and develop awareness of empowering strategies to combat negative paradigms about BME cultures.     

Patterns of alcohol use and marijuana use among students at 2- and 4-year institutions

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand substance use patterns of alcohol, marijuana, and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use among 2- and 4-year college students. Participants: Participants were 526 young adults aged 18–23 (n?=?355 4-year students; n?=?171 2-year students) recruited from February 2015 to January 2016 who were participating in a larger longitudinal study. Methods: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify past-month classes of alcohol, marijuana, and SAM use. Results: Among both 2- and 4-year students, a four-class solution yielded the best-fitting model, with 2-year classes tending to include greater marijuana use and less alcohol use and 4-year classes tending to include heavy alcohol use. Demographic characteristics were largely similar across classes. Conclusions: Classes of alcohol, marijuana, and SAM use differed by education status. Screening and prevention efforts for 4-year students may need to be tailored for the needs of 2-year students.     

Generalizability of an adult-validated model for predicting increased physical activity in after-school program children: Effects of treatment formats on fitness indicators

Inappropriately high weight in children is a persistent problem in the United States, and physical activity is often reduced in schools due to academic demands. Effective after-school programs could positively impact both physical activity and overweight/obesity, however previous reviews and meta-analyses have indicated minimal effects. Both 4- and 3-day/week versions of a social cognitive theory-driven physical activity/nutrition after-school program were evaluated against unstructured care to assess effects in children (overall M_age = 10.00 years, SD = .80). For changes over 9 months in body mass index (BMI), effects sizes (Cohen’s d) were .68, .40, and .07 in the 4-day (n = 70), 3-day (n = 70), and unstructured (n = 50) groups, respectively. Similar patterns of effects were found for changes in free-time physical activity and cardiovascular endurance. Incorporating a theory-based prediction model previously supported in teens through older adults, with and without medical disorders and health-risk factors, improvements in exercise-related self-regulation and self-efficacy, and mood, significantly predicted increased free-time physical activity (R² = .48). Effects significantly strengthened to R² = .62 when completion/non-completion of the recommended 300 min/week of physical activity was also accounted for. Change in BMI was inversely related to physical activity change, β=-.14, p < .05. The present evaluation process indicated promising effects, and indicated theory-based targets to foster future program improvements.     

教育主体缺失视角下农村校园欺凌成因及治理

家庭、村庄和学校是农村学生成长过程中的三个重要教育主体，三者相辅相成共同构成农村教育主体结构。农村中小学生正是在该结构中获得成长，而农村校园欺凌事件的频发和多发则与其变化相关。农村教育主体结构的变化包括三个方面：一是家庭教育主体的缺位，表现为农村家庭隔代抚育的“不过问”逻辑；二是村庄教育主体的缺位，表现为村庄交往中的村民相互“不得罪”的逻辑；三是学校主体的缺位，表现为学校管理中官僚主义的“不出事”逻辑。这些主体行为逻辑的变化，进而带来了三者之间良性互动的阻隔，包括家庭与学校勾连的中断、村庄对学生和家庭监管的缺位，以及学校对农村社会的脱嵌。治理农村校园欺凌事件，除了法制和规范进校之外，还要搭建新型的教育主体结构，形成多元化、多主体农村校园欺凌的治理格局。     

基于高校学生工作视角下微信自我呈现的性别研究

自我呈现是指策略性的表现自我以寻求社会认同的方式，主要形式包括微信个人信息和朋友圈的自我呈现。作为高校学生工作管理者，通过关注和解读学生的微信信息，可获取一手的学生动态，及时掌握学生的情况，进行深入细致的研判。本文通过抽样调查发现：大学生群体中，男同学自我呈现的学业和社会导向较高，女同学自我呈现的情感和生活导向较高；女同学整体自我呈现程度高于男同学。     

Using Cultivation Theory to Understand American College Students’ Perceptions of Arabs in the Media

Research has shown that Arab portrayals on television have an effect on viewers’ beliefs about Arabs in general. Based on questionnaire responses from 429 undergraduate students, this study sought to examine perceptions of Arabs on television. Results revealed that college students have predominantly antagonistic views about Arabs in general and on television. These findings suggest that television can affect the way college students view reality regarding Arabs and how these perceptions can perpetuate negative stereotypes.     

Testing the feasibility of a value‐added model of school quality in a low‐income country

Value‐added models (VAMS) are commonly used in high‐income countries for measuring the quality of teachers and schools, on the grounds that they are a fairer reflection of true quality than simple average test scores, as they account for differences in student intake. Not accounting for student's prior test scores can give a misleading impression of school quality. In this article, we adapt the current VAM of secondary school quality to the Ugandan context, and test its robustness. Using official test score data from Uganda, we test the robustness of the model to a range of different empirical specifications, including sensitivity to the inclusion of controls for student socioeconomic status. We find that the model is robust to a variety of different specifications and control variables. The VAM is low cost and has the potential to provide a clearer signal to parents, teachers, schools, and policy‐makers about how much learning is actually happening in different schools. This approach could be carried out at low cost in a wide range of low‐income countries that have similar testing regimes.     

新时期大学生思想政治教育的现状与对策

大学生的思想政治教育在时代背景、社会环境和大学生自身素质等方面都呈现出了与以往不同的特点。大学生思想政治教育亟需深刻的改革和创新。通过分析当前大学生思想政治教育的现状以及存在的问题，提出相应的对策进行研究。     

高校辅导员调解能力提升路径研究

在高校学生管理中，辅导员是预防学生矛盾激化的“第一道防线”，这要求辅导员需要具备较强的调解能力。将从高校学生矛盾冲突的现状出发，挖掘辅导员在调节能力上的不足，剖析人民调解与高校学生管理的内在联系，提出高校辅导员调解能力提升的路径。     

新时期大学生艰苦奋斗教育研究

艰苦奋斗精神是中华民族历经几千年传承的精神财富，更是当前党和国家发展前进的精神动力和精神保障。通过探索改革开放新时期艰苦奋斗精神的时代内涵，分析大学生艰苦奋斗精神缺失的表现，积极探索新时期大学生艰苦奋斗教育的新方法和新载体。