Virtual Worlds and Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

The introduction of computerised virtual worlds in the early twenty-first century was considered to be an innovation that would be widely used in higher education. There are a number of examples of virtual worlds used for higher education in medicine, nursing, and allied health, including examples in social work. The aim of this article is to explore the potential value of virtual-world technology to enhance the student learning experience for social work education in interpersonal communication skills in a virtual health centre. Findings of a study of Australian undergraduate social work students who engaged in a role play in a virtual health centre for skill development in interpersonal communication are presented. The study findings highlight issues for social work educators to consider when deciding whether or not to use virtual-world technology in social work education, and when designing further research on similar innovations.     

Too sexy too soon,or just another moral panic? Sexualization,children, and “technopanics” in the Australian media 2004–2015

In this paper, I analyze the discourse of what I argue are two moral panics that played out in the Australian media during the period 2004–2015: the sexualization of children debate, and the sexting panic, which appeared some years later. I argue that while the issue of the alleged sexualization of children is nothing new, the way that the issue has been constructed in the media has shifted during the last decade, with greater focus on children’s use of technology. By comparing these two panics, we can diagnose a shift in the nature of mass-media-based panics, from concerns about external sources of sexualization to concerns about children’s own practices of self-representation via contemporary technologies. Both panics mobilized a range of broader social anxieties about the commodification and sexualization of culture and the increasing agency of children, and panics in relation to contemporary mobile technologies are a collective response to shifts in the power relations between children, their parents, and other figures of authority.     

Living in the shadow of occupation: Life satisfaction and positive emotion as protective factors in a group of Palestinian school children

Starting from perspectives on functioning and wellbeing, the aim of the present study was to investigate positive and negative affect, self-perceived life satisfaction and happiness in a group of 74 Palestinian children exposed to political violence. We hypothesized that the children in our sample would display generally satisfactory wellbeing and good functioning in terms of positive affect, life satisfaction and happiness, despite their negative life conditions. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the dimensions of participants' wellbeing was carried out. In particular, we explored the ecological dimensions affecting the wellbeing of Palestinian children through content analysis of narratives produced by the group of participants. Positive emotions were found to contribute to wellbeing and life satisfaction in children, acting as protective factors in dealing with daily violence. The children displayed a range of personal resources facilitated above all by the functioning community structure supporting them. Implications for clinical intervention are discussed.     

Let the countdown begin — Aging experiences of young adults in countdown blogs

This paper examines a particular blog phenomenon that has not yet received much attention: Countdown blogs which are written before a significant birthday (in this paper, it is the thirtieth birthday). The bloggers fill the remaining time, often a year, with the accomplishment of particular tasks, reflections on their lives or photo projects. In their blogs, the young adults demonstrate an age awareness that is often overlooked in aging studies. The paper argues that young adults use countdown blogs to cope with their aging experiences and, in doing so, they apply a particular economic rhetoric and emerge as entrepreneurs of themselves - an identity concept that Foucault presented in the late 1970s. Foucault, however, did not consider the themes of age as symbolic capital nor the marketing strategies that entrepreneurship of the self imply. In a close reading of a sample of twenty-one countdown blogs, the paper suggests new complexities in Foucault's concept. At the same time, it argues that young adults today have developed creative strategies in terms of multimedia projects and heightened self-scrutiny to cope with the finitude of time, the expectations of age-appropriate behavior and the coercions of neoliberal consumer culture.     

论“道德自由人”—构建三网融合后的青年伦理生态

道德自由人意指道德精神在其实体中意识到自己被解放了。三网是道德自由人具有场域性、映像性、交互性、平等性特征的实体。道德自由人的出现是新世纪以来青年伦理意识的新动向。三网融合的趋势下,道德自由人的行动日益活跃,亟待冲出场域映像进入生活世界。道德自由人的出现给传统伦理带来了挑战,也为优化现有的伦理秩序提供了难得的机遇。以道德自由人为轴心,以三网为基地,构建青年伦理生态正是当前的急务。     

当代青年的道德表现与体系重构

从“杭州胡斌飙车案”、“复旦学子虐猫”到“时尚女孩拒绝帮扶摔伤老人”,形形色色的表象后蕴含着同一实质：当代中国青年在社会化过程中,面对西方思潮与社会转型的冲击,其价值观念、行为方式都已发生剧变,部分青年表现出道德自我意识膨胀、道德功利性明显、道德价值混乱等多方面的道德偏失。重构当代青年道德体系．培育与现代化社会发展相适应的道德人格和道德主体精神,使每个个体走出道德困惑,不仅是青年成人成才的自我要求,更是构建和谐社会的迫切需求。     

青少年道德判断能力研究

道德教育重要组成部分的道德判断能力,在规范人际关系上发挥着法律所无法起到的作用,对此进行研究为中国学校道德教育提供有效的评估工具和手段．使道德教育更具科学性和可操作性。德国道德心理学家林德设计的“道德判断测验（MJT）”界定了道德认知和情感。对湖北省青少年的研究发现,青少年道德判断能力的总体相对偏低。在政治面貌这一特征上出现了显著差异,而性别职业学历、是否为独生子女、家住农村或城镇等方面的不同不会带来显著差异。具体到各特征内部,出现了年龄、政治面貌等值得进一步关注的问题。     

不同家庭结构中的老年人主观生活评价分析——基于贵阳市调查数据的实证检验

利用贵阳市调查数据,对不同家庭结构中的老年人生活状况和生活满意度进行分析。文章假定:主干家庭中的老年人生活状况及满意度高于核心家庭,而核心家庭高于夫妇家庭和单身家庭。即:主干家庭>核心家庭>夫妇家庭>单身家庭(">"表示优于)。并从老年人对其生活状况(包括经济状况、生活照料、精神慰藉)和生活满意度的主观感受和评价来考察这一假定。结果发现:夫妇家庭中的老年人主观生活状况及满意度最高,单身老年人次之。新的次序变为:夫妇家庭>单身家庭>主干家庭>核心家庭。文章对此进行了解释。分析还发现,生活自由度可能是影响老年人主观生活评价的一个重要指标。     

中国老年人口健康预期寿命延长还是缩短？——基于Sullivan方法的实证研究

随着老年人口数量在总人口中不断增长,中国人口的总体健康水平。特别是老年人的健康预期寿命将会发生新的变化。中国老年人口的健康预期寿命是在增长还是在缩短？老年人口的健康预期寿命在总预期寿命中的比例是在增大还是在缩小？搞清楚这个问题对于我们合理地制定老龄政策至关重要。本文尝试应用国际上最为流行的Sullivan方法回答上述问题。     

高校生命教育现状与学生个性发展问题研究

生命是教育的起始点,教育的最终目标是引导鲜活的、独具个性的生命体得到其个性的充分发展。随着我国经济建设飞速发展,人们将主要精力放在有助于生存的知识和技能的获取上。在这样的背景下,高校把具有个性的生命塑造成知识的载体和社会发展的工具,学生个性特征得不到应有的发展。因此,要认清当前高校在教育理念、教育体制、教育实践等方面不尽如人意的现状,认真分析传统文化及周围环境对高校生命教育和学生个性发展产生的影响,并坚持将生命教育贯穿学生学习全过程、加强专职教师队伍建设、不断丰富生命教育的内容和形式,进一步促进学生个性发展。