Alberto Mateo-Urdiales, Margaret Michael, Charlotte Simpson and Jane Beenstock
The prevalence of obesity in secure mental health units is higher than in the general population, having a negative impact on the physical health and mental well-being of people…
Abstract
Purpose
The prevalence of obesity in secure mental health units is higher than in the general population, having a negative impact on the physical health and mental well-being of people with severe mental health illness (SMI). The purpose of this study was to describe the feasibility of a programme aimed to help people with SMI to eat healthily and be physically active.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods approach was used. A questionnaire administered to patients in both wards measured acceptability, demand, implementation and practicality of the project. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to explore staff and patients’ perceptions of the project; as well as the barriers and enablers towards an effective implementation and participation in the project’s activities.
Findings
Patients were, overall, satisfied with the activities implemented. Successful activities were easy to implement, had staff actively engaged and did not require logistic or administrative planning beforehand. Barriers included unawareness around funding mechanisms of activities, staff capacity issues or lack of patients’ permission to leave the ward.
Originality/value
Few studies have assessed the feasibility of real-life interventions aimed to improve healthy eating and physical activity in secure mental health units. The results of this study can inform commissioners and providers of mental health services to design and implement new interventions and programmes.
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Michael Sherraden and Margaret Sherrard Sherraden
Non‐military service, sometimes called national service, refers to organised programmes in which young people engage in a period of service to the community or to the nation. Over…
Abstract
Non‐military service, sometimes called national service, refers to organised programmes in which young people engage in a period of service to the community or to the nation. Over the past twenty‐five years, there have been a number of major studies in the United States which have recommended large‐scale voluntary non‐military service (Eberly, 1966; Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education, 1979; Committee for the Study of National Service, 1979; Sherraden and Eberly, 1982; Danzig and Szanton, 1986; Moskos, 1988; Eberly and Sherraden, 1990).
CANADA, until the last generation or two, has been basically a pioneer country but two world wars have changed all this and the economy has moved from an agricultural to a…
Abstract
CANADA, until the last generation or two, has been basically a pioneer country but two world wars have changed all this and the economy has moved from an agricultural to a manufacturing community able to provide a standard of living second to that of the United States. (At the present time only 10.8 per cent of Canadians live on farms according to the 1961 census.) Natural resources, such as timber, wheat and mining, continue to play, however, an important role in the life of the nation. As in most developing and pioneer countries, learning has had to assume a secondary role compared with other enterprises and activities. This is gradually beginning to change as more people continue in school and the percentage of individuals attending university increases. Established organizations, like the National Film Board and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, catering to mass culture, have been strengthened and enlarged and new establishments, like the Canada Council and the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, of narrower function and appeal, have been set up. The Library movement, not the least of learning agencies, is gaining strength every day. In this paper some of the interesting new developments of the last ten years in the latter field will be discussed. Of necessity, much is abbreviated; a lot is ignored. Data selected has been based on the most recent sources; hence the variety in dates.
Margaret J. McLaughlin, Michael P. Krezmien and Mark Zablocki
Different interpretations of what constitutes educational equity have shaped public policies and practices for students with disabilities over the past century. These differences…
Abstract
Different interpretations of what constitutes educational equity have shaped public policies and practices for students with disabilities over the past century. These differences are apparent in the clash between access to education as defined in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and access to more intensive educational services which smaller special education classrooms are designed to provide. This chapter examines these differences within the context of how services have historically been provided and how students have been assessed and have achieved academically. Specifically, this chapter also describes relevant literature and current data related to services and outcomes for youth with disabilities. We describe academic and behavioral interventions and strategies that have been used in different settings. We conclude by offering recommendations for future research in developing effective interventions to help close the achievement gap and move toward true educational equity.
Margaret P. Weiss and Michael Faggella-Luby
Although improving, students with learning disabilities (LD) still do not experience positive postsecondary outcomes at the same rate as their nondisabled peers. Research…
Abstract
Although improving, students with learning disabilities (LD) still do not experience positive postsecondary outcomes at the same rate as their nondisabled peers. Research indicates that inclusion in the general education classroom for core content courses correlates to better outcomes; however, the large amount of content to be covered in these courses makes it difficult to deliver targeted transition services, such as instruction in self-determination skills, in these settings. In this chapter, we briefly summarize the research on transition services for students with LD and then provide examples of opportunities for instruction and practice of self-determination skills in the general education classroom.
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Zeynep Melis Kirgil, Andrea Voyer and Gary Alan Fine
In this essay on new directions in symbolic interaction, the authors have two related goals. First, the authors argue for the relevance of collective intentionality for overcoming…
Abstract
In this essay on new directions in symbolic interaction, the authors have two related goals. First, the authors argue for the relevance of collective intentionality for overcoming the critical divide in symbolic interaction theory between self and society. In focusing on the way in which collective intentionality allows for understanding how intersubjectivity is made part of the interaction order by group members and local communities, the mesolevel of analysis should be integrated into the interactionist perspective. In making this argument, the second goal is to uncover the important social phenomenology of the early 20th German philosopher, Gerda Walther, which raised similar issues. Perhaps because of her gender, the lack of a secure university position, the financial reserves of her family, or a personal turn to mysticism, her early work has largely been erased. Today her significance and her important 1922 work, A Contribution to the Ontology of Social Communities, is being recovered, published last year (Walther, 2023). Here we highlight her relevance for the interactionist tradition and its approach to intersubjectivity.
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David Wilson and Elizabeth Yardley
This paper aims to respond to a number of pleas for interdisciplinary – or integrative – approaches to psychology and criminology in exploring the value of simultaneously applying…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to respond to a number of pleas for interdisciplinary – or integrative – approaches to psychology and criminology in exploring the value of simultaneously applying micro and macro analytical tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The study reported in this paper applies both the revised psychopathy checklist (PCL‐R) and structural analysis to the historical case of Mary Ann Cotton, a nineteenth century British serial killer.
Findings
Findings suggest that multi‐level approaches to analysis are valuable in developing holistic understandings into serial murder, which are appreciative of both the psychological characteristics of the individual offender and their location in the broader social and historical context. Micro analysis would now label Cotton a psychopath, but we need to broaden the analysis and to consider macro questions related to gender, poverty and the wider social structure in which Cotton operated.
Research limitations/implications
In the absence of an interview with the offender, this study has supplemented alternative materials and as such, prompts debate into the application of contemporary tools to historical cases.
Practical implications
The findings imply that the application of PCL‐R alongside structural analytical tools reveals more in‐depth and socially rooted insights into the study of historical cases of serial murder and as such, provide a valuable addition to both criminological and the psychological methodology frameworks.
Originality/value
This research prompts academic debate within psychology and criminology into the potential value of a combined, integrative approach to historical cases drawing upon both micro and macro analytical tools.
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Michael D. Mumford and Jill M. Strange
Articulation of a vision is commonly held to be a critical component of theories of outstanding leadership – both transformational and charismatic leadership. Although there is…
Abstract
Articulation of a vision is commonly held to be a critical component of theories of outstanding leadership – both transformational and charismatic leadership. Although there is reason to suspect that vision contributes to leader performance, less is known about the nature and origin of viable visions. In the present chapter, we argue that leaders’ visions can be viewed as a prescriptive mental model reflecting beliefs about the optimal functioning of an organization. To test this proposition, outstanding leaders possessing two contrasting types of prescriptive mental models were identified: ideologues whose models stress the maintenance of extant standards and charismatics whose models stress adaptive change. These two types of prescriptive mental models were associated with distinct patterns of leader behavior in a sample of notable historic leaders. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to current theories of outstanding leadership.
Dianne L. Hoff, Nancy Yoder and Peter S. Hoff
George Counts' classic 1932 speech asks, “Dare the school build a new social order?” This article proposes examining whether emerging school leaders are prepared to face this…
Abstract
Purpose
George Counts' classic 1932 speech asks, “Dare the school build a new social order?” This article proposes examining whether emerging school leaders are prepared to face this challenge and embrace the society‐building responsibility at the core of public schooling. It aims to focus especially on students from homogeneous backgrounds, their capacity to address issues of diversity, and the extent to which their educational leadership program has prepared them to champion social justice within schools.
Design/methodology/approach
This study looks at emerging leaders in three master's level cohort programs in educational leadership at a state university in New England. It incorporates survey data, interviews, and document analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to organize and summarize the data. Open‐ended questions and interviews were transcribed and coded, and program documents examined to identify overall purposes of educational leadership and evidence of diversity awareness.
Findings
Findings indicate these educational leaders are not adequately prepared to lead public schools toward a greater understanding of diversity or to help change the social order. They claim little responsibility for promoting social justice, especially when social change may challenge local norms. Responses indicate their perspective is not broad enough to understand fully the social responsibility Counts advocated.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to graduate students in New England, most of whom experience little diversity within their communities.
Practical implications
The study concludes with suggestions for educational leadership programs.
Originality/value
This study reveals the difficulties in preparing educational leaders to address the complexities of a diverse society – difficulties arising both from their limited personal experience and from voids in their educational leadership program.