Spiritual Confusion: a critique of current educational policy in England and Wales

This article constitutes an analytical survey of recent approaches to spiritual development and, in particular, a critique of government policy and practice in the documentation produced by OFSTED and SCAA (now QCA). It questions the consistency and adequacy with which spiritual development has been addressed and the ambiguity inherent in the SCAA approach when set alongside the pronouncements of its Chief Executive Nicholas Tate. By drawing on selected writers the claims for inclusivity, exclusivity and consensus as bases for educational practice are scrutinized and the case for a relativist approach to the subject advanced. The writer argues that teachers should engage with the process of spiritual development rather than being concerned with a pre‐determined outcome aligned to either moral ends or faith commitment.     

Changes in self-concept during occupational socialization of new recruits to the police

In a cross-sectional study five groups of male recruits (n = 369; ages 21 to 36) to a large English provincial police force were tested: one group at entry, three groups at different stages of their 2-year probationary period (one at one-quarter, one at one-half and one at three-quarters of the way through) and one immediately after the probationary period. Significant group effects were found on all 27 items of a set of self-concept statements, suggesting effects of entry-level occupational socialization on recruits' self-image. Changes from group to group during the course of training were examined using discriminant function analysis. Factor analysis yielded four clusters of items: isolation/vulnerability, tension/apprehension, self-worth and commitment/empathy; scores on all four fluctuated during training. Isolation and apprehension rose from a low base during training, and self-worth fell from a high base, but entry levels were recovered by completion of training, giving support for a weak version of the U-curve hypothesis of adaptation. However, high levels of commitment and empathy at entry were significantly depressed on completion of training. In addition, older trainees reported lower self-worth and higher apprehension. Results are interpreted in terms of adaptation during occupational socialization towards a more instrumental and cynical operational style.     

纳西族和汉族儿童情绪理解能力的发展

选取3～5岁的纳西族儿童107人,3～5岁的汉族儿童90人,使用情绪理解任务系统地考察了他们情绪理解的发展,同时还测量了两个民族儿童的错误信念理解和语言能力。结果表明,两个民族儿童情绪理解能力具有相似的发展规律,但完成各任务的成绩有显著差异,提示了两个民族儿童情绪理解能力发展的不同步性。研究还发现,心理理论社会知觉成分与认知成分随年龄的增长相互促进和相互制约,并且都与语言能力有关。     

School pupils' perceptions of the police that visit schools: Not all police are ‘pigs’

This paper presents data concerning young people's perceptions of the police taking part in a police—schools liaison programme. Eighty-one 14-year-old school pupils took part in 28 semi-structured group discussions concerning their perceptions of the ‘typicality’ of police officers working in their schools. Pupils clearly differentiated between these and those ‘on the street’. Central to this differentiation was the issue of police power; the perceived atypicality of the police in schools was intimately bound up with pupils' perceptions of the qualitatively different social relations that obtain between young people and the police ‘in the school’ and ‘on the street’. The implications of these data for the literatures concerning the ‘contact hypothesis’ and police—schools liaison are discussed.     

病症理解与性别权力——基于女性主义的视角

病症理解的唯科学主义倾向反映了医学领域的男性主义思维统治。病症的唯科学理解割裂了病症与不同性别主体的联系;病症的唯科学理解忽视女性经验与情感在医学科学研究中的意义。病症的理解需要范式的根本转变,这种新的范式将不仅应该根据临床界定的疾病状态来理解病症,而且应该根据患者的性别与心理以及他们的生存困境来理解病症。     

Empathy and evaluation: Understanding the private meanings of behavior

This paper makes three points. First, empathy cannot be considered an epistemic basis for qualitative research and evaluation. Second, it is, however, a valuable method for understanding the private meanings of words and deeds. Third, this method is not completely reliable for purposes of what Popper called refutation, but is useful in what he dubbed scientific conjecture or the generation of theory. Basic researchers will need to take the necessary steps to subject empathetic hunches to critical examination. However, owing to the exigencies of action settings and decision-making, disciplined conjectures are sometimes the most that evaluators can hope to record.An earlier version of this paper was printed in the Proceedings of the Far Western Philosophy of Education Society, 1989. This version is published with permission of the Far Western Philosophy of Education society. The author is grateful for helpful comments and critisism made by members of the California Association for Philosophy Education. Remaining errors, of course, are the authors responsibility alone.     

Police and prosecution systems: An evaluation of a police criminal case preparation program

Program evaluation can provide objective information relevant to decisions on program maintenance. A program to address problems in the preparation of criminal investigation reports in a metropolitan police department was evaluated. The program permanently altered environmental conditions under which reports were prepared to facilitate performance. Police officers, who had previously prepared reports without assistance, visited the Case Preparation Room to prepare reports with assistance from office personnel. Compared to reports prepared without assistance, reports prepared in the Case Preparation Room documented more case elements required by the state legal code for criminal prosecution, were completed in fewer days following arrests, and received higher ratings from Assistant District Attorneys. Operation of a permanent program available to approximately 945 officers proved a practical solution to improving the preparation of criminal investigation reports.     

中小学生惯用语理解发展的研究

对惯用语理解的发展 ,是儿童语言发展的重要方面。本研究结果表明 ,在无语境条件下 ,中小学生对惯用语的理解年级差异显著 ,小学生和中学生差异较大 ,而小学和中学各年级内部差异不显著。学生对惯用语是先理解字面意义 ,再理解比喻意义。在有语境条件下 ,不同年级学生对惯用语的理解差异显著 ,惯用语语义倾向性的影响不显著 ,但语境对学生惯用语理解有重要影响 ,高年级学生能更好地利用语境。     

Custody Disputes and Alternative Religions in the Courts of England and Wales

The courts in England and Wales have repeatedly claimed that they occupy a position of religious neutrality when faced with a case involving parties from two differing religions. While this assertion may well be true, when established, traditional religions are involved, it does not appear to be so clear cut, when one of the religions could be described as a ‘new religious movement’ or an ‘alternative religion’. Perhaps the most telling area of law in which to examine the courts’ alleged neutrality is in custody disputes in family law, as it is in these cases that the religious practices of the parents have sometimes become a factor in the case and judges have been more likely to express their opinion of such religious practices. This article analyses the approach of judges to such disputes and demonstrates that the judges tend to maintain a bias towards Judaeo-Christian morality.     

Understanding the properties of interactive televised characters

Children's television programming frequently uses interactive characters that appear to directly engage the viewers. These characters encourage children to answer questions and perform actions to help the characters solve problems in the televised world. Children readily engage in these interactions; however, it is unclear why they do so. To investigate this issue, 53 5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds made decisions about events occurring in the real world based on information provided by a live individual and by a televised interactive computer-generated character. Five-year-olds followed the advice of both the live individual and the televised computer-generated character, whereas 7- and 9-year-olds only followed the advice of the live individual. Results are discussed in terms of a transition from children believing that interactive televised characters can engage in a real communicative interaction to children understanding that this apparent interaction is an illusion.     

The relationship of work stressors and emotional support to strain in police officers

This study tested whether quantity and quality of social support and two sources of work stress (organizational stressors and job risk) predicted work strain in police officers, a high-risk occupational group. The participants were 135 police officers from a large metropolitan law enforcement agency who responded to questionnaires for assessing work stress, social support, exhaustion, and other strain symptoms. Emotional support and work stressors accounted directly for significant variance in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and symptom frequency. Conflicted relationships, which are a source of both work stress and support, also contributed to strain. In contrast to previous findings, a reverse buffering effect for social support did not contribute to predicting strain. Stress management programs for police and other high-stress occupations should target increasing emotional support from supervisors and peers, and reducing conflict in job and family relationships.     

Patrol evaluation research: a multiple-baseline analysis of saturation police patrolling during day and night hours

The effects of a carefully monitored and increased police patrol on the report of crime were examined in four patrol zones. Overall patrol movement was increased to four times normal levels and slow patrol movement (under 20 mph) to around 30 times normal levels for 10 days. The patrol was active in two zones between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and in the other two zones between 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. A multiple-baseline design and time-series statistical analyses showed statistically reliable changes in reported levels of Part I crime (such as robbery, burglary, and aggravated assault) during both night patrols, but not in the day patrols. In both night-patrol zones, there were also reliable increases from saturation patrol to postsaturation patrol in report of Part I crime after the night patrol was terminated. Neither of the day patrols showed significant crime report changes on termination. Despite statistically reliable decreases in report of crime during nighttime hours, the value of saturation patrolling as a crime-prevention technique was questioned on cost/benefit grounds.     

任务、年龄和性别对幼儿情绪理解成绩的影响

以69名3-6岁幼儿为被试,考察了在简单面部表情识别任务、基于愿望的情绪理解任务、基于信念的情绪理解任务和冲突情绪理解任务四种条件下幼儿情绪理解的表现。结果表明:1)幼儿的情绪理解能力随年龄发展不断提高,各层次的情绪理解上存在先后顺序,情绪理解性别差异不显著;2)幼儿在情绪类型识别上表现出一定的偏好;3)幼儿在情绪理解任务上的表现总体上存在潜在的认知一致性,在不同层次上又具有显著的任务特异性。     

青少年和父母对心理咨询认识的质性研究

用访谈法探讨8个已求助和5个未求助家庭的青少年和父母对心理咨询的认识;比较已求助者和未求助者、青少年和父母对心理咨询认识的差异。结果显示,青少年和父母从6个方面描述心理咨询:功能、形式、适用问题、服务提供者、求助者和效果,各方面提及次数最多的分别是问题解决、谈话法、心理困扰、心理医生、心理有病的人和有帮助;误解包括心理咨询是针对心理有病的人,只有严重问题才需要求助。已求助者比未求助者更了解心理咨询,提及问题解决、心理困扰和有帮助的次数更多。青少年更多认为心理咨询是心理老师处理正常群体的心理困扰;父母更多认为心理咨询是心理医生处理心理疾病。青少年和父母对心理咨询的认识趋于理性和准确,但仍有误解需要澄清。     

The relation of new Samaritan clients and volunteers to high risk people in England and Wales (1965-1977)

The declining English and Welsh suicide rates are associated with increased Samaritan efforts and detoxification of household gas during the pre-1972 era. The resulting debate has been heuristic. The author reviewed annual rates of new callers, volunteers and suicidal deaths between 1965 and 1977 and computed ratios of new clients to high risk people. This reveals an asymptotic progression towards 27 percent since 1972. Similarly, the ratio of new clients to volunteers has been constant at 11 for the same period. These consistencies help to explain the constant suicide rate at eight per 100,000 live people after 1972 despite increasing Samaritan efforts. The author recommends an effort to increase the percentage of high risk served as a test for the hypothesis of Samaritan causality in explaining the reduced English suicide rates.     

Aggression of police officers as a function of temperature: An experiment with the fire arms training system

The impact of temperature on police officers' tension, perception, and behaviour in police—offender interactions was investigated. It was hypothesized that increased temperature results in: (1) increased tension; (2) a negative impression of the offender; and (3) aggressive behaviour. The findings confirmed these hypotheses. Finally, some implications of the results are discussed.     

On being mindful,emotionally aware,and more resilient: Longitudinal pilot study of police recruits

Police officers are at particular risk of stress when compared to people in other occupational groups. A compounding factor is that police are prone to the use of avoidant coping strategies when attempting to deal with this stress. Evidence suggests that “anti‐avoidance” strategies, of acceptance, mindfulness and emotional awareness, are more effective ways of coping, and are linked to both mental health and personal effectiveness. This study followed 60 trainee police officers from the recruit phase into the workplace to determine if these processes predicted more positive mental health and wellbeing in police recruits after 1 year of service. Mindfulness predicted depression at follow‐up, while emotion identification skill predicted general mental health. These results suggest that police officers and police organisations may benefit from interventions aimed at developing and promoting mindfulness and emotion identification.     

A comparison of the effects of posted feedback and increased police surveillance on highway speeding

A counterbalanced, reversal design was used to compare the effectiveness of posted feedback and increased police surveillance in reducing speeding on two urban highways. Drivers' speeds were measured using a concealed radar unit. During public posting, a large highway sign, which listed the percentage of drivers not speeding during the preceding week and the best record to date, was erected on each street. Use of the feedback sign alternated with periods of baseline and periods of increased police surveillance and ticketing. During increased police surveillance, highly visible, stationary police radar patrols were established along the highways for either 30 min or 60 min per day, 5 days per week. Results indicated that although public posting was highly effective in reducing the percentage of speeding drivers, increased police surveillance was not. Thus, since the feedback sign required only 30 min per week to maintain, public posting was at least 10 times more efficient in controlling speeding than was police surveillance and ticketing.     

Ethical analysis of the new proposed mental health legislation in England and Wales

The ethical case for Open Access (OA) (free online access) to research findings is especially salient when it is public health that is being compromised by needless access restrictions. But the ethical imperative for OA is far more general: It applies to all scientific and scholarly research findings published in peer-reviewed journals. And peer-to-peer access is far more important than direct public access. Most research is funded so as to be conducted and published, by researchers, in order to be taken up, used, and built upon in further research and applications, again by researchers (pure and applied, including practitioners), for the benefit of the public that funded it – not in order to generate revenue for the peer-reviewed journal publishing industry (nor even because there is a burning public desire to read much of it). Hence OA needs to be mandated, by researchers' institutions and funders, for all research.