Marion Cornelia van de Sande, Esther Pars-Van Weeterloo, Rene F.W. Diekstra, Carolien Gravesteijn, Paul L. Kocken, Ria Reis and Minne Fekkes
Worldwide, schools implement social-emotional learning programs to enhance students' social-emotional skills. Although parents play an essential role in teaching these skills…
Abstract
Purpose
Worldwide, schools implement social-emotional learning programs to enhance students' social-emotional skills. Although parents play an essential role in teaching these skills, knowledge about their perspectives on social-emotional learning is limited. In providing insight into the perspectives of parents from adolescent students this paper adds to this knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
An explorative qualitative study was conducted to gain insight into parents' perspectives (N = 32) on adolescent social-emotional learning. A broadly used professional framework for social emotional learning was used as a frame of reference in interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds. Within and across case analyses were applied to analyze the interviews.
Findings
A conceptual model of four social-emotional skills constructs considered crucial learning by parents emerged from the data: respectful behavior, cooperation, self-knowledge and self-reliance. Parents' language, interpretations and orderings of skills indicate that the model underlying these constructs differs from skills embedded in the professional framework.
Research limitations/implications
Participants were small in number and mainly female. Therefore, more research is necessary to test the model in other parent populations.
Practical implications
The social-emotional skills students in prevocational secondary education learn at home differ from those targeted in SEL programs. Engaging students’ parents in SEL program implementation is indicated to align the skills taught at home and school. Preparing teachers to implement such programs requires training them on engaging parents from diverse backgrounds.
Originality/value
The study is one of the first providing insight into parents’ perspectives on SEL, the social-emotional skills deemed crucial to master for adolescents, and the roles they view for themselves and school on teaching these skills.
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M. Fekkes, M.C. E. van de Sande, J. C. Gravesteijn, F.D. Pannebakker, G. J. Buijs, R.F.W. Diekstra and P. L. Kocken
– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the Dutch “Skills for Life” programme on students’ health behaviours, bullying behaviour and suicidal ideation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of the Dutch “Skills for Life” programme on students’ health behaviours, bullying behaviour and suicidal ideation.
Design/methodology/approach
The effectiveness of the “Skills for Life” programme on health behaviour outcomes was evaluated at three points in time in using a cluster randomized controlled study design with a follow-up of 20 months. In total, 27 schools and 1,394 students were included.
Findings
The programme was judged to be well implemented in just under half of cases. The outcome results for the experimental group (EG) compared with controls present a complex picture at the three different time points used for evaluation. There was a clearly positive effect on levels of alcohol consumption and a clearly negative effect on smoking across time. There was a mixed picture over time for suicide ideation and for bullying including sexual bullying (although the prevalence rates for bullying were low and thus results should be treated with caution). There were generally more positive impacts on students with lower educational levels including less suicidal ideation and less bullying.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations were the dropping out of several schools during the study and the low level of fidelity of the curriculum. Social emotional learning (SEL) programs can be part of a health promoting school framework but should be more tailored to disadvantaged school populations.
Originality/value
The findings indicate that students with a less optimal starting position, when it comes to health related behaviours, benefit most from a SEL programme. This indicates that schools with disadvantaged school populations could benefit most from a Health Promoting School approach.
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While not all air travel experiences are pleasant, the question of how to cope with and ease people’s fear of flying has long been an interesting topic for research. This study…
Abstract
While not all air travel experiences are pleasant, the question of how to cope with and ease people’s fear of flying has long been an interesting topic for research. This study investigates the impact of media on public anxiety and physiological reactions toward air travel. In addition, it aims to examine the dimensionality of the public’s fear of taking an air flight and the media usage characteristics of fearful fliers. A quasiexperiment with a treatment group and a control group is designed to evaluate the study propositions. A total of 260 samples are collected using a structured questionnaire after the participants view three-minute-long, airline-related video clips. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis are used to analyze the data. This study finds that a negative media report could lead to an increase in the public’s anxiety toward air travel. These specific air travel anxieties are grouped with the corresponding symptoms among participants who viewed the accident-related video reports. Implications and further research are discussed.
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Elder suicide is a major problem, particularly in the USA, that accounts for 15.9 in 100,000 deaths, or an average of one death every 95 minutes. The rate of elder suicide is…
Abstract
Elder suicide is a major problem, particularly in the USA, that accounts for 15.9 in 100,000 deaths, or an average of one death every 95 minutes. The rate of elder suicide is higher than that of any other age group. Unlike teens, or younger age groups, the elderly attempting suicide are largely successful. This selective literature guide includes materials on elder suicide that deal with all aspects of the topic, including identification of those at risk, prevention, and survivors, as well as resources addressing alternative views of suicide, such as assisted, rational, and pre‐emptive suicide.
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Paul W. Richardson, Helen M.G. Watt and Christelle Devos
Teaching is increasingly recognised as a complex, demanding career. Teachers experience higher levels of stress and burnout than other professionals. The career is subject to…
Abstract
Teaching is increasingly recognised as a complex, demanding career. Teachers experience higher levels of stress and burnout than other professionals. The career is subject to heightened levels of public scrutiny and yet offers only modest rewards in the form of social status and income. Drawing on a typological model of coping styles among a diverse sample of German health professionals, we identified six types of emotional coping (Good health, Sparing, (healthy) Ambitious, (path to) Burnout, Diligent, and Wornout) among a longitudinal sample of 612 Australian primary and secondary teachers. A significant outcome of our study was the empirical differentiation between burned out and wornout teachers. This extends the literature on teacher burnout and offers new directions to the study of ‘at risk’ beginning teachers.
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Anne-Cathrin Hoppe-Herfurth, Birgit Burkhardt, Nancy John and Ludwig Bilz
Teachers are exposed to many stressors. Compared to other occupational groups, they are more frequently affected by psychosomatic complaints. In recent decades, numerous…
Abstract
Purpose
Teachers are exposed to many stressors. Compared to other occupational groups, they are more frequently affected by psychosomatic complaints. In recent decades, numerous prevention and intervention measures for promoting health have been developed and implemented for this target group. However, it remains unclear how the uptake of health-promotion measures (HPMs) by teachers can be increased in order to prevent stress-related disorders. This paper examines two facets of health literacy—health awareness and health value—in terms of their importance in both the take-up and intended take-up of HPMs.
Design/methodology/approach
In the 2017/2018 school year, data were collected by paper and pencil from a representative sample of 830 teachers across all school types in the German State of Brandenburg.
Findings
Teachers who place great value on their own health show significantly higher levels of take-up and intended take-up of HPMs. The findings regarding health awareness are more heterogeneous. Further associations were found with age and psychosocial stress.
Originality/value
While there has been growing academic interest in developing HPMs for teachers, there has been relatively little focus on the factors that may influence the implementation and uptake of these measures. The paper contributes to addressing this gap by shedding light on the relevance of two facets of health literacy. Strengthening the perceived importance of health could be a starting point for increasing the use of HPMs by teachers and thus improving their health.