The central idea of social constructivist thought is that knowledge is not objective but characterized by interpretation. Because knowledge is seen as deriving from individual interpretations of reality, knowledge is subject to change. This understanding contrasts with the present transmission approach taught in public schools. If knowledge is individual and socially constructed, then teachers employing the social constructivist approach in the classroom may be able to move education toward a more pluralistic and inclusive model. Interestingly, it seems that in public alternate education classrooms, many teachers may have avoided the traditional model of school, in which rewards and penalties dominate student-teacher relationships. A focus group research design was used to explore teacher-student relationships in public alternate schools, focusing on the use of social constructivist principles and practices. Data were collected through five focus groups, four groups of students and one group of teachers. All participants were drawn from public alternate schools in northern British Columbia. The results of the focus group study indicated that public alternate teachers rely on some components of a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning. For example, students have been provided with a student-centered learning environment. Findings also reveal that a strong relationship has developed between the teachers and the students in these alternate schools. It seems important for alternate school teachers to become aware that they are exercising some social constructivist learning practices so that a common approach and purpose can be employed in all alternate settings. The implications for counsellors using a social constructivist approach to counselling is discussed.
Society progressively alters its attitude towards children and their welfare. Therefore, expectations of parents are reviewed and changed. So to it is with child abuse. Social welfare is guided by the prevailing social beliefs, theories, and knowledge which shape political initiatives legislating the ground work and practices which frame child welfare responses to child abuse. Child abuse consists of neglect, physical and sexual abuse. This study contends that counsellor's decision around reporting suspected child abuse is influenced by a variety of factors. The defining factors of child abuse and related ethical issues for Counselling Professionals will be examined. Most child abuse occurs within the family, therefore, I will focus in this area. As professionals are mandated to respond to child abuse, this paper will speak to different issues in terms of social work and issues related to reporting child abuse to Child Protection Services. In this paper, I will use the descriptors 'counsellor' and 'therapist' inter-changeably.
This survey study examined stress, coping and social support mechanisms in a sample of 87 nurses working in rural hospitals in northern British Columbia. Instruments included the Tension Thermometer, a control appraisal measure, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, a social support check list and the Nursing Stress Scale. Evidence was found to support the concept that nursing is stressful. While most of the stressors identified by the nurses fell into Parkes' categories of nursing stress, the number one stressor was workload/overload as indicated by forty-six percent of the respondents. As hypothesized there was a positive relationship between nurses' appraisal of a stressful situation and the use of emotion-focused coping. In addition, general social support was positively related to nursing stress while specific measures of social support were not related to nurse stress. Implications for counselling are discussed.
Given that alcoholism can be transmitted intergenerationally, some adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) may be at risk of becoming alcoholic. The present research examined the process of appraisal and coping with stress, in relation to alcoholism in adult children of alcoholics. Subjects included 162 adult women recruited throughout a rural community. Subjects completed a survey containing measures to assess their appraisal and coping strategies, whether they were alcoholic, and whether they were adult children of alcoholic parent(s). The results suggested that the rate of alcoholism was higher among A CO As than non-ACOAs indicating that ACOAs may be at risk for the intergenerational transmission of alcoholism. ACOAs were found to use appraisals of "I had to accept it or get used to it" less frequently than non-ACOAs in interpersonal stressful situations. This suggested that ACOAs appraise such stressful situations as controllable or changeable more frequently than non-ACOAs. In contrast, ACOAs and non-ACOAs were found to use the appraisal "I had to hold myself back from doing what I wanted to do", problem-focused and emotion-focused coping similarly in interpersonal and non-interpersonal stressful situations. This suggested that ACOAs are no different from non-ACOAs in regards to appraisal and coping. The study concludes by discussing the implications for therapeutic support of ACOAs and suggestions for future research.
This pilot study explores how adolescents, who have been trained in peer mediation, use their skills within a school-based peer mediation program, and how these same adolescents transfer their peer mediation skills to other areas of their lives. It also explores how adolescents trained as peer mediators think this training has affected them. Three adolescent peer mediators discussed their experiences with their mediation skills in a focus group setting. They reported using their mediation skills in their family, work, and social lives as well as in the school-based peer mediation program. All of the participants indicated that they thought they were better communicators and felt more confident in their abilities to resolve conflict as a result of their peer mediation training. Recommendations for school-based peer mediation programs provide useful information for practitioners who might wish to institute a similar program.--Page ii.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a schoolwide social skills training program. Two groups of elementary school children (twenty-six new transfer-in students and thirty-two students who had been in the program for two years, n = 58) were administered questionnaires at pre and at six months post to see if there were changes in social skill ratings and behaviour ratings. Students aged 8 to 1 2 were randomly selected from Grades 3 to 6 classrooms to participate in this study. Separate versions of the Social Skills Rating Scale were administered to both teachers and children. It was expected that all students would improve in their social skills and problem behavior scores. In addition, it was hypothesized that new students would show a greater improvement in both social skills and problem behavior scores than the two year group. Results indicated that neither social skills or problem behaviours improved. In addition, students new to the school were not significantly different from students who had participated in the program for more than two years. However, there were significant findings in relation to age.
For this research project, nine grade 8 girls were asked specific questions during focus group interviews to illuminate their stressors and methods of coping. The results revealed that stress is a significant factor in three main areas of their lives: school (especially the transition to high school), family and peers. The girls utilized mostly active coping strategies. They sought assistance from family, friends or other adults in their environment. A small group format was mentioned as affording an opportunity to practice coping skills. These findings imply that young adolescent girls elicit most of their support through connection with others. Therefore, a stress management group intervention is presented to assist young adolescent girls in managing the transition to secondary school and beyond. The program attempts to help the students learn skills that will increase their ability to cope actively with their stressors. This project concludes with recommendations and practical applications for future endeavors.--Page ii.
