Expected and Actual Family Size in Greece: 1983–1997

On the basis of data collected in the 1997 fertility study in theGreater Athens area, in which a sub-sample of women previouslyinterviewed in the 1983 National Fertility Survey wereinterviewed again, the validity of aggregate and individualfertility intentions is evaluated. The main finding is thatfertility intentions slightly overestimate ultimate family size.Moreover, higher expectations are associated with higher`transition rates' towards having children and to shorter birthintervals for all parities.     

Implementation of Child Rights in the Children's Homes in Malaysia

The objective of this study was to examine the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in the Children Homes under the Social Welfare Department (SWD) in Malaysia. Data was collected from 402 registered children who were staying in six Children Homes across the country. This study employed self‐report surveys where multiple data collection methods, such as face‐to‐face structured interviews, key informant interviews (KIIs), and documentation survey, were used. The study found that the SWD failed to comply with most of the commitments of CRC in Children Homes at its implementation level, and it is still needs based. The findings of this study present important guidelines for government and policy makers in improving child welfare services in the Children Homes in Malaysia.     

Deconstructing the Greek-Cypriot new national curriculum: to what extent are disabled children considered in the ‘humane and democratic school’ of Cyprus?

The present paper contextualizes the recent process of development of the New National Curriculum (NNC) for use in Greek-Cypriot public schools. Using content analysis, it pays particular attention to the degree to which the language, performance expectations, and suggested materials described in the NNC take account of disabled children. Notwithstanding the human rights and anti-discrimination rhetoric that surrounds the process of creating an inclusive NNC, the findings presented herein suggest that the curriculum falls short of addressing the rights of disabled children in inclusive education. On the basis of this finding, the paper discusses the dangers inherent in implementing the proposed NNC in its current form.     

Initial teacher education for inclusion: a review of the literature

This article presents a review of the literature on initial teacher education for inclusion published from 2000 to 2014. The analysis uncovers a number of aspects of concern to academics, researchers, teacher educators, and policy-makers. Making informed decisions about the design of initial teacher education courses and units of study for inclusion depends upon addressing some fundamental issues (i.e. the legacy of special education, and the challenges faced in different regions) and making a balanced and informed assessment of the value of content-infused, single-unit, and school placement/experience approaches. The article discusses the implications of this literature review’s findings for future research.     

Disability studies as a framework to design disability awareness programs: no need for ‘magic’ to facilitate children’s understanding

Abstract

This paper presents and critically discusses a disability awareness program that was addressed to non-disabled children aged between 6-8 years old in Cyprus. The main aims were to explore how disability studies and anti-oppressive pedagogies could inform decisions on structured activities and materials to support children understand disability as condition of life, and recognize disabling practices. Artefacts from children’s work and narratives are presented throughout the paper to inform decisions and choices in relation to the program. The discussion draws on international literature and critically examines: a. how disability feminists’ focus on experiences of disability can have a central place in awareness raising programs, and can be further strengthened by a social model understanding of disability, b. the local context and the use of language as raised by postmodernists/poststructuralists, and c. the use of cartoons as a form of art that can help recognize and challenge dominant disability stereotypes.     

On statistical tests of functional connectome fingerprinting

Fingerprinting of functional connectomes is an increasingly standard measure of reproducibility in functional magnetic resonance imaging connectomics. In such studies, one attempts to match a subject's first session image with their second, in a blinded fashion, in a group of subjects measured twice. The number or percentage of correct matches is usually reported as a statistic, which is then used in permutation tests. Despite the simplicity and increasing popularity of such procedures, the soundness of the statistical tests, the power, and the factors impacting the test are unstudied. In this article, we investigate the statistical tests of matching based on exchangeability assumption in the fingerprinting analysis. We show that a nearly universal Poisson(1) approximation applies for different matching schemes. We theoretically investigate the permutation tests and explore the issue that the test is overly sensitive to uninteresting directions in the alternative hypothesis, such as clustering due to familial status or demographics. We perform a numerical study on two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting‐state datasets, the Human Connectome Project (HCP) and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). These datasets are instructive, as the HCP includes technical replications of long scans and includes monozygotic and dizygotic twins, as well as non‐twin siblings. In contrast, the BLSA study incorporates more typical length resting‐state scans in a longitudinal study. Finally, a study of single regional connections is performed on the HCP data.     

New policies,old ideas: the question of disability assessment systems and social policy

This paper reports on qualitative content analysis research and critically analyzes the state’s intention to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a tool to develop a national disability assessment system that will guide social policy developments, and particularly the allocation of pensions and benefits to disabled people. The work uses Cyprus as an example, and reviews the most important issues arising from a recent study prepared by the Department for Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. The most important points stemming from the analysis are grouped and discussed in such a way as to shed light upon the most controversial aspects of the proposed assessment system, such as the definition of disabled people in national laws, and the implications of associating social policy with the assessment of disability and functioning. The discussion addresses issues that are of interest at international level.     

Microcredit for rural poverty alleviation and social well‐being: A study of Sabah,Malaysia

Microcredit is an influential intervention used to alleviate poverty and improve social well‐being in rural communities in Sabah, Malaysia. This study examined the effects of a microcredit scheme, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), on the well‐being of these communities. Using a survey method, a pre‐tested interview schedule was administered to 277 AIM recipients in Sabah, Malaysia. Social well‐being was examined based on the three indicators of Midgley's social development approach: the management of problems, the fulfillment of basic needs, and social opportunities provided. AIM microcredit schemes were successful in improving the well‐being of AIM recipients, although the recipients faced a number of problems, including unemployment, lack of education, and access to public services and healthcare facilities. The findings of this study represent a useful guideline to the AIM authority, development practitioners, policymakers, and governmental organization and non‐governmental organization workers.     

Modelling the fertility-employment relationship: Simultaneity and misspecification testing

The relationship between fertility and the employment of women is examined in the framework of micro-economic fertility analysis. Sociological considerations enter through the assumption that the shape of the utility function is influenced by women's sex role attitudes. An equilibrium assumption leads to a simultaneous three-equation model, which is estimated from a sample of 1303 married women living in the Greater Athens Area. Misspecification testing, however, revealed the presence of significant heteroscedasticity in the two demand equations for employment and number of children. A final model consisting of three structural and two variance equations was estimated. The main finding of the analysis is that of a significant causal influence of employment on fertility, both directly and through sex role attitudes. Fertility does not appear to have any significant effect on employment. The model is used to make some policy recommendations.