In recent decades, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers have sought a new way of life in large numbers, often leaving their countries of origin behind in search of places that offer a better way of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary and middle school students in state schools in Reading, England (primarily speakers of Asian languages), and Richmond, Virginia (primarily speakers of Spanish), were supported academically, when most children's first language was not English. The authors were interested in exploring whether or not there were cultural or structural differences in the way each country helped or hindered these students as they progressed through the school systems. Three UK schools in a district of approximately 100,000 and three US schools in a district of approximately 250,000 were the focus of this exploration from 2000 to 2003. Findings indicated that there were cultural and legislative differences and similarities. Teachers and administrators in both countries attempted to provide services with limited and sometimes diminishing resources. Community support varied based on resources, attitudes toward various ethnic groups, and the coping strategies adopted by these groups in their new environments. Marked differences appeared with regard to the manner in which assessments took place and how the results were made available to the public.
Educators demonstrate compassionate caregiving to students who experience traumatic loss from violence, natural causes, and health issues. Theorists raise critical issues about caregiving pedagogies, specifically the potentially limiting public displays of mourning in schools. This essay analyzes such theories in relation to three traumatic case studies: a teacher's response to a student's death caused by physical conditions, a student teacher's response to the violent death of a high school student, and experiences by counselors who participated in a camp for youth whose siblings were diagnosed with terminal illness. Guiding research questions include: What are the salutogenic factors that affect youth who are engaged with trauma? How do teachers and counselors integrate the cognitive, behavioral, experiential, and spiritual aspects of well-being? The research provides a critical analysis of camp and school based responses to grief.
This study presents a cross-cultural comparison of United States, English and Welsh students' perceptions of secondary classroom environments in six academic disciplines -English, mathematics, science, history, geography, and French. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between classroom environment and subject matter (i.e. academic disciplines). This can be phrased as a question, 'Do academic disciplines have universal structural characteristics that influence classroom environment and the pedagogical interaction between students and teachers?' To gain insight into the relationship between an academic discipline and teacher/student interaction, classroom environments in six subject areas were investigated, using the Classroom Environment Scale (CES). CES protocols were completed by and collected from the following students in the US (n = 412); England (n = 152) and Wales (n = 232), ranging in age from 13 to 19 years. In addition to the CES, data collection included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and an examination of the cultural and political context of the schools. Variable differences in classroom environments were found to exist on the basis of academic discipline, nationality, age and gender across all CES subscales. Subject matter patterns suggest that the nature of the academic discipline may indeed influence teacher and student interactions and that these patterns are consistent across national boundaries.
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