Homosexual Experience,Desire and Identity Among Young Adults

ABSTRACT

Is young people's sexuality becoming more fluid and less tied to steady, stable identity patterns? Are we developing into a society where sexual relationships between individuals of the same sex are no longer reserved for the small minority of gay men and lesbian women? Adherents of so-called queer theory have promulgated such views. Using a population-based sample of young adults (aged 19 to 26, N 2753), we investigated homosexual experiences, desire and identity. We found that levels of prevalence of homosexuality were primarily a function of the criteria we used. Using the most restricted (“narrow”) definitions, we found that about one percent of both genders reported “exclusive” homosexual interest and identity. Using the most inclusive criteria, we found that one of ten young men and one of four young women reported having some homosexual experience, interest or identity. Still, the most striking finding involved the substantial gender-specific differences: homoerotic activity and interest are far more interwoven with heterosexual activity for women. There are strong indications that homosexuality is a lot more threatening and potentially in conflict with traditional male gender roles than we find to be the case for women. In other words, while there may be signs of more fluid sexual identity categories, this phenomenon primarily applies to women.     

Addressing inequality: Educators responding to the contexts of young children’s lives?

A child's early relationships and experiences influence their long-term development and learning. In Australia, some children can face complex levels of deprivation when compared to their peers. This study sheds light on how educators are responding. Data analysed consist of individual interviews with early childhood educators working in diverse communities. The findings highlight educators’ accounts of responsiveness as narrowly framed with attention focused on children's cultural heritage which overshadows other equity groups. The paper argues that by becoming sensitive to the contexts of children's lives, there is potential to build the early childhood workforce's capacity for addressing inequalities in childhood.     

Young people's orientations to the future: navigating the present and imagining the future

This article discusses the findings of the Imagine Sheppey project (2013–2014) which studied how young people are ‘oriented’ towards the future. The aim and approach of the project were to explore future imaginaries in a participatory, experimental, and performative way. Working with young people in a series of arts-based workshops, we intervened in different environments to alter the space as an experience of change – temporal, material, and symbolic. We documented this process visually and made use of the images produced as the basis for elicitation in focus groups with a wider group of young people. In this article we discuss young people's future orientations through the themes of reach, resources, shape, and value. In so doing, we reflect on the paths that our young respondents traced to connect their presents to what is next, what we call their modes of present–future navigation. We explore the qualities and characteristics of their stances within a wider reflection about how young people approach, imagine, and account for the future.     

‘Queen of the world’: experiences of ‘at-risk’ young people participating in equine-assisted learning/therapy

There is a significant body of research into the benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) but less into the fields known as equine-assisted learning and therapy (EAL/EAT) where horses are incorporated in therapeutic and learning interventions. This paper explores the experiences of seven ‘at-risk’ young people who participated in a therapeutic horsemanship (TH) programme. The study followed a practice-near approach seeking to capture the young people's experiences within a participative ethnography. Themes related to the risk and resilience literature such as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy and a sense of mastery, empathy and the opening of positive opportunities are explored in this paper.     

提升工科专业青年教师教育能力的若干途径

本文分析了工科专业青年教师队伍现状和特点,论述了工科专业青年教师教育能力存在的主要问题,提出工科青年教师应从教学、实践、科研以及学生非专业素质培养等方面提升自身教育能力。     

论海外华人网文中的感伤情结与忧患意识——以“寒胭”作品为例

海外华人的网络写作越来越普遍,大多以非功利的＂民间＂立场、＂性灵性＂写作特点与多元文化视角独树一帜。网名＂寒胭＂者写作中对家国文化传承、城市现代化进程、人性变异与现代人精神实质的追溯与揭示颇具代表性,其感伤情结、家国情怀和忧患意识体现于哀国、殇城、感人、忧世四个方面。此类写作的意义在于,当一个民族身为＂弱国＂的历史未过百年,被强势文化浸濡的现状尚在延续,物质的发展建构在一定道德文明代价的付出之上,而多数人已在现代化进程中麻痹自满时,作为愈是远离而乡情愈重的海外儿女,他们的民族危机意识对＂人的存在＂与＂现代化＂真正涵义的质询与考辨,无论是对于祖国民族道德传承,还是精神物质文明建构,均有着弥足轻重的镜鉴意义。     

新世纪以来山药蛋派研究述评

新世纪以来,山药蛋派的研究整体而言,不是学术界的热点话题,但仍有一些有价值的学术成果出现。在流派研究方面,苏春生、席杨、傅书华、张恒等或对流派作全方位的评述,或提出卓有见地的观点。作家研究方面除赵树理外则更为贫乏,但段崇轩的马烽研究值得注意。着眼于将来,山药蛋派研究仍然有颇多言说空间。     

新形势下高校教师思想政治工作困境及对策研究

师德师风建设是高校教师思想政治工作的核心内容。当前高校教师思想政治工作还面临一些现实困境：工作重心转移, 方法手段单一且落后,教师人格养成的后现代嬗变,市场本位导向下的思想政治工作主体地位嬗变。创新思想政治工作,就必 须进行观念创新,以高校青年教师为主要对象,以师德师风建设为主要内容,充分占领网络制高点,注重实效,以机制构建和路 径创新为核心,增强高校教师思想政治工作实效。     

农村幼儿早期阅读现状及解决对策

早期阅读是学前时期幼儿通过绘画、文字、色彩、倾听等多种方式认知、探索世界的重要学习方式之一。通过阅读幼儿能够了解、认知世界,开阔幼儿的视野,对幼儿口头表达能力、记忆力、观察力、思维力有很大的提高。同时,为幼儿社会生活适应能力打下一定的基础。在与农村幼儿园教师、家长的长期接触中发现：家、园对于阅读并不是太过注重,只是作为一些环节补充,可有可无,这种不利局面应该得到关注及改善。本文对农村幼儿早期阅读现状进行了解,分析出幼儿早期阅读易出现的误区表现为：阅读方式的不合理、阅读过程的不科学、阅读内容的不全面等问题。应营造阅读氛围、引起阅读兴趣、培养幼儿阅读技能、养成良好阅读习惯、贴近生活,注重延伸及时鼓励表扬幼儿等是解决对策。     

青年流失对农村文化建设的消极影响

当前农村青壮年农民过度流失严重影响社会主义新农村建设,也成为农村文化建设的桎梏。必须改善农村的谋生环境和生活环境,对农村劳动力转移的适度性和合理性加以宏观的调控,这是繁荣农村文化的基础。