Marta Cristina Azaola

Developing teenagers’ views on their health and the health of their future children

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the outcome of a city‐wide survey of teenagers’ views on their health, and compare this with the outcomes of a science‐oriented health intervention called LifeLab, a hospital‐based classroom aimed at developing teenagers’ attitudes towards their health and that of their future children.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey of 597 14‐year olds across the city of Southampton was conducted to gauge their views and behaviour in relation to their own health. The views of 37 students who took part in innovative, hospital‐based, hands‐on LifeLab activities were compared with those of their peers six months after the intervention to analyse long‐term impacts of the experience. Interviews were carried out with ten LifeLab students to gain further insights.Findings – The intervention created a wider appreciation among students that food they eat now could affect their long‐term health and the health of their future children. Students became significant...

Revisiting Bourdieu: alternative educational systems in the light of the theory of social and cultural reproduction

The paper reflects upon the principles and practice of an alternative educational system operating in rural Mexico in the light of Bourdieu’s theory of cultural and social reproduction. Bourdieu’s theory seeks to explain processes of reproduction of power relations within schools and society; whereas alternative educational systems seek to expand educational access in deprived areas in order to counteract processes of social inequality. The paper argues that, although Bourdieu’s theory does not fully explain the gradual inclusion of more people from disadvantaged backgrounds into education through alternative educational systems, processes of social reproduction in deprived communities still occur mainly because of lack of state support after primary school level, and a shortage of better infrastructure and opportunities for this sector of the population. Since the widespread upward educational and class mobility of the rural poor has not yet been achieved, the paper concludes that the processes of cultural and social reproduction continue despite the introduction of alternative educational systems.

A Peer-Mentoring Scheme for Immigrant Students in English Secondary Schools: A Support Mechanism for Promoting Inclusion?.

ABSTRACT Immigration in Europe has increased rapidly over the last years. As a result, schools are accepting students arriving from other countries at various stages of the school year. This can be a challenging process both for students and for schools. This paper describes the introduction of a peer-mentoring scheme to support immigrant students in three English schools, which took part in a European Union funded project that involved five countries. Data from semi-structured interviews with mentors, mentees and facilitators were analysed and highlighted a number of positive impacts, such as getting support from mentors, making new friends and increased confidence both for mentors and mentees. However, it seems that the way that the programme was implemented in the English schools, focused only on the individual students, rather than having an impact on the whole school. The implications of such an approach in relation to inclusion are discussed.

7.4 Juxtaposing Interpretations of Research on School Principalship

Research evidence suggests that the idea of leadership as a panacea for all the functional ills of schooling is unfounded, however convenient the notion has been for policy-makers. Good leadership is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for good schooling, and we now know that principals successful in one school context cannot always operate with equal efficacy in a different setting. Research on school leadership has likewise suffered from the tension between evidencing and delivering improvement, and challenging and informing policy, most obviously in the dearth of research on quantifying the impact of leadership on pupil outcomes. This chapter sifts through a range of research from developed and developing countries to get an overview of interpretations away from the hegemony of ‘Western’ contexts, interrogating findings in terms of how they relate to method and interpretation. The link between interpretation and methodology is theory, in the absence of which the researcher cannot be sure what has been found. The appropriateness of the latter affects the legitimacy of the former, and ultimately the usefulness of the research. Our review suggests that good research, from whatever cultural tradition, goes beyond the folk-knowledge of anecdote to the theoretically constructive.