Deborah Price

On the scrap-heap at 45: The human impact of mature-aged unemployment

This paper reports on a qualitative study conducted in Adelaide, South Australia into the impact of mature-aged unemployment and under-employment on the individual. Data were collected by means of six individual and group interviews with a total of 27 participants (17 men and 10 women). The participants were asked about the impact on their quality of life, their expectations for the future and their short-term and long-term financial situation. The results suggest that there is a substantial ‘lost generation’ of mature-aged unemployed people who are characterized by shrinking horizons and impaired quality of life. The participants expressed frustration at being unable to contribute to society and support their own adult children. Inability to use their skills and talents, with consequent skill depreciation, can lead to what we label the ‘peg-down phenomenon’, an intermediate step between becoming unemployed and entering the ranks of the discouraged job-seekers that ultimately leads to a premature exit from the workforce. This cohort is different from other age groups of unemployed people because of the unique developmental characteristics of middle-aged people, compounded by financial and caring demands from both the younger and older generations. The paper concludes with policy recommendations, including expanding social inclusion policies to address the needs of this cohort and early intervention with more focused job-specific training.

Ego Depletion Effects on Mathematics Performance in Primary School Students: Why Take the Hard Road?

Reduction in performance level following on from brief periods of self‐control is referred to as ego depletion. This study aimed to investigate if a brief ego depletion experience would impact upon primary school students working through an online mathematics exercise involving 40 computational trials. Seventy‐two students participated in the control group, and 80 students participated in the ego depletion group. The students were 10–14 years of age. A three‐minute task involving resistance to distraction was used as the depletion experience. Before each trial, participants selected task difficulty level. Control group students began by working at a moderate difficulty level and then progressed to work on more difficult items. Ego‐depleted students chose to work on easy problems throughout. Ego depletion did not markedly affect error rate after the first trial. Depletion effects can be evident in students’ academic application through encouraging students to undertake easier options.

Impact of a Brief Ego Depletion Procedure on Creative Behaviour in the Upper Primary Classroom.

In the course of normal classroom lessons, 103 students (median 11.10 years) were asked to spend 15 min writing ‘anything you can think of’ about the number 50 on a blank page. The products were independently scored by 2 specialist art teachers and 2 specialist mathematics teachers on criteria relevant to their specialisations. Immediately before this task, however, half the students (depleted group) worked on difficult matching problems for 3 min, whereas controls worked on facile problems. Although volume of creative response appeared only marginally affected, depleted students were rated as lower on overall creativity (d = .8) by the arts teachers. The mathematics teachers also rated the depleted students as showing less quality in their work (d = .97). The depleted students cited fewer mathematical statements, but displayed more errors in statements they had written. The findings were interpreted in terms of ego depletion effects upon creativity.

Ecological influences on teachers’ well-being and “fitness”

The complex and ever-changing nature of teachers’ work challenges their well-being. Teacher well-being and “fitness” includes versatility, mental strength, and commitment to promote effective teaching and learning. In framing this notion, we seek to understand the ecological influences impacting on teacher well-being and “fitness” in the twenty-first century. Drawing on the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner, this interpretive qualitative study explored the perceptions of pre-service teachers in relation to their teacher well-being and “fitness.” Data were collected from a teacher well-being survey completed by 120 final-year undergraduate pre-service teachers. The survey shed light on themes at four levels: the microsystem (individual and collective capacities); mesosystem (interrelationships between contexts); exosystem (organisational); and macrosystem (societal and legislative influences), compounded by the influence of time at the chronosystem level. These ecological influences were perceived to impact on teacher well-being and ability to be “fit” for sustained performance.

Thinking it through: a study of how pre-service teachers respond to children who present with possible mental health difficulties

Teachers are key professionals in responding to children and adolescents with possible mental health difficulties and who exhibit social, emotional or behavioural difficulties in the classroom. Health and education policy increasingly positions teachers as vital agents in connecting mental health services with affected young people. A growing corpus of research, however, questions practitioners’ capacity to undertake this important role, particularly given the limited space afforded to content around mental health in pre-service teacher education. This paper reports on a qualitative case study, conducted in an Australian context, investigating pre-service teacher responses to five vignettes of young people presenting behaviours indicative of possible mental health difficulties. In light of educator expectations to identify and appropriately respond to mental health difficulties, this study discloses the need for explicit, structured mental health guidance which form a discrete, core ‘knowledge base’ of teacher education. Patterns in data, analysed in light of policy literature, also suggest the value inherent in advocating open-minded, non-judgemental and collegial professional responses. Further research opportunities highlighted include a systematic review of current provision around mental health in pre-service teacher education programmes.

‘Go over there and look at the pictures in the book’: an investigation of educational marginalisation, social interactions and achievement motivation in an alternative middle school setting

The middle years of school represent a time of educational turbulence, serving to marginalise some students from educational opportunities. Much research has focussed on individual cognitive factors influencing educational engagement, with less attention directed towards social interactions. Theoretically positioned within an expectancy–value model of achievement motivation, this study draws on the lived experience of a 12-year-old student within an alternative school in South Australia, Australia, to explore how social encounters may contribute to educational marginalisation. Findings from a narrative case study employing a semi-structured interview suggested that connections exist between social influences, such as interactions with teachers and peers, and subsequent achievement motivation. This study suggests that social interactions are critical determinants to an individuals educational engagement, affecting educational ability, expectancy and value beliefs.

Public Libraries and Access for Children with Disabilities and Their Families: A Proposed Inclusive Library Model

Abstract Within the library profession, there is widespread support for access to libraries for people with disabilities. However, there is limited literature on the topic of access to public libraries for children with disabilities and their families and very little empirical research on this topic exists. This paper reports on an investigation of factors influencing access to public libraries for children with disabilities and their families from the perspective of the public librarian. An in-depth study of 18 public librarians who focus on providing access to public libraries for children with disabilities was undertaken. Librarians from the United States and Canada took part in both a one-on-one interview and a questionnaire. Based on the research findings, a model for inclusive public libraries is proposed.

Cyborg and autism: exploring new social articulations via posthuman connections

Abstract This paper explores the connections a young man with autism spectrum (AS) made using cyborg imagery having attended school in Nova Scotia, Canada. Cyborg is applied as a conceptual approach to explore the young man’s connections to human and nonhuman elements. We also make use of rhizomes as a methodological framework to support the exploration of the young man’s multiplicity of experiences with cyborg configurations. Data are drawn from a semi-structured interview with the young man where he demonstrated his capacity to employ cyborg imagery as a means to rearticulate his social identity when experiencing school on the periphery. A diffractive reading of the data produced alternative understandings outside contemporary thought on his schooling experiences. Findings challenge educators in applying cyborg to cut across static social categories and theorize new social knowledge on the experiences of students with AS.

Trajectories of smooth: the multidimensionality of spatial relations and autism spectrum

ABSTRACT This paper examines how two men with autism spectrum (AS) experience educational spaces having attended public school in Nova Scotia, Canada. Smooth and striated space is mobilised as the main conceptual framework to account for the men’s affectivities when experiencing the educational terrain. The central aim when applying smooth and striated space is thinking through variation with attentiveness to the men’s situated movements. A discourse focusing on the men’s affective relations to school spaces counters over-coded special education frameworks that have largely centred on students with AS functionality in remedial educational settings. The concern when only knowing students with AS through normative functionality discourses is that it produces a homogenous line of thinking with limited attendance to their everyday situated worlds. Here, by attuning to the men’s spatial experiences we can begin to think in more open ways rather than AS subjects preconfigured to given positions.