Educational pathways of minority youth in Norway: intersections of gender, ethnicity and social class

Educational aspirations during lower secondary school and choice of upper secondary education are important for young people’s future trajectories into higher education and labour market positions. In line with ideas about reflexive, autonomous individuals (Giddens, 1991), choice of education is often represented as a young person’ individual decision, and educational guidance as aimed at discovering what ‘fits’ an individual’s personality, interests and abilities. Educational aspirations and choices are also social patterns that are reproduced. Some population categories represent exceptions from expected patterns of social reproduction of educational level and professions. In several countries, one such category is young people from families with migration experiences (Lauglo, 2000; Modood, 2004). In Norway, students have a legal right to non-compulsory upper secondary schooling and 96 percent of the students continue from lower to upper secondary school. In spite of positive developments regarding minority youths’ completion of upper secondary and higher education in later years, studies still persistently show lower educational attainment among minority youth, particularly among boys (Fekjaer, 2006). However, in lower secondary school, minor ity youth tend to have markedly higher educational aspirations and stronger learning motivation than their majority peers, as well as greater effort in school and strong adherence to school values (Lauglo, 2000) despite lower educational attainment or lower socio-economic backgrounds. In addition, gender differences in educational aspirations seem to be smaller among minority youth. The principal objective of the study in progress that will be presented in this paper, is to describe how processes relating to gendered, ethnic and class-based identities influence young people’s educational choices. The study is undertaken as a PhD project in social anthropology. The methodological approach is ethnographic longitudinal fieldwork in two multicultural lower secondary schools in Oslo. The study is part of a larger project that also include quantitative analyses of longitudinal data covering 9th graders in Oslo 2006 through four data collections during lower and upper secondary school.

Higher education as formation of the self and citizenship: an ethnography of the University Students from Amman, Jordan

My interest in higher education and citizenship in the Middle East at large and in Jordan in particular is fostered by some of the reflections Eickelman proposed (1992). Being a quite recent phenomenon, intimately linked with the more general topic of state formation it seemed to me more suitable to study it in a little country with a recent history (a field study left almost unexplored until now as far as Jordan is concerned, to the best of my knowledge, since Antoun 1994 focuses on the migration as a quest for higher education). The process of state formation in Jordan is quite studied. I thus intended to study the higher education policies as an attempt both to create a national citizenry and more recently as a way of controlling the more problematic part of the population (youth, which constitutes more than the double of the population. See UNDP and Ministry of Planning 2000). How do the young students enter the university system, and in which way does this system work? How is this system designed, in order to retain social control of the students (since they are usually perceived to be a factor of social and political instability, as in Iran or in Egypt)? Is there any significant difference between different faculties? And if so, why? My conclusions at this stage are that the university system is an integral part of the survival of the regime. The system works quite well, and Jordan has one of the best educational position in the region. Yet there are important distinctions to be made: the access to the better faculties is socially selective while the less valued faculties are left to the poorer and less wealthy youth. This results in a different treatment of the students and of the courses that I analysed. In the better faculties the teaching standards are quite high, and the relationship between professors and students is almost on a same-level base, while in the less privileged faculties the opposite is true. Thus we can observe a concrete politics of divide et impera intended to split the youth in two. For the more privileged there are some freedoms, both within and outside classes, designed I guess at forging them as autonomous individuals. On the opposite the less privileged are kept under tight control, even if also these students are a privileged category among youth at large.

La construcción social de las emociones en las sociedades occidentales: el amor materno en la Catalunya del siglo XXI

El objetivo principal de esta investigación es analizar la forma cómo se construye socialmente el amor materno en el marco de las sociedades occidentales, y para ello partiremos del estudio del caso de las maternidades en la Catalunya actual. El amor materno, como emoción, aparece como una codificación cultural que responde a la canalización de la vida que cada cultura establece. En las sociedades occidentales el amor materno se revela como uno de los ejes vertebradores y legitimadores de la esfera reproductiva y del papel de la mujer dentro de ésta, definiéndose en consonancia y dando coherencia al resto de aspectos del sistema social. Dada su importancia los discursos hegemónicos de la sociedad que lo define tienden a naturalizar esta emoción en favor del mantenimiento y el no cuestionamiento del orden social dado, a pesar de que abundante evidencia empírica en ciencias sociales demuestra que se trata de una construcción social que responde a las necesidades del sistema social en cuestión. Actualmente los discursos tradicionales que contenían y definían la concepción de amor materno en Occidente se han ampliado y diversificado debido a cambios sociales como el ingreso de la mujer en la esfera pública; el logro de igualdad jurídica entre géneros; cambios en los modelos familiares; nuevas situaciones en torno a la infancia y la juventud; la intensificación de los flujos migratorios; la creciente urbanización; la expansión de los servicios públicos (escuela y salud); el alargamiento de la esperanza de vida, los métodos anticonceptivos modernos..., de manera tal que muchos de ellos entran en contraposición con las definiciones tradicionales. Es decir, nuevos y viejos discursos alrededor de la maternidad se encuentran enfrentados en su redefinición a otros que lo cuestionan, y a prácticas y cambios en ciertas instituciones que llevan en otra dirección la construcción de esta emoción. Esta nueva situación, aún en fase de conformación, reclama una explicación que pasa por conocer las causas, las formas y la definición del amor materno, en nuestro actual contexto.

Conseqüències de crèixer i madurar en condicions de dificultat social

El tema del projecte consisteix a treballar les habilitats de relació interpersonal i de comunicació dels interns del Centre Penitenciari de Joves de Barcelona com un possible ajut de cara a la seva reinserció i integració social posterior, ja que un domini adequat de les habilitats socials és del tot imprescindible perquè qualsevol persona pugui encaixar socialment.

La integració de persones amb discapacitats en el lleure. Una resposta educativa i social : les colònies integradores

Aquest vol ser un treball que, emmarcat dins l'esfera del lleure, centri la seva atenció en la interrelació dels vèrtexs d'un triangle que formen els següents components: un grup d'infants i d'adolescents, un grup de monitors i unes activitats de lleure. Els objectius van dirigits als nens i als monitors, perquè aquesta empresa la construeixen entre tots els que hi prenen part. La intervenció psicopedagògica vol aconseguir que la interacció d'aquests elements, en aquest context, possibiliti que tots els nens assoleixin uns objectius educatius i socials determinats. No es tracta d'un plantejament descriptiu dels tipus d'aprenentatge que tenen lloc a la colònia, alguns tan evidents com l'aprenentatge per imitació de models o l'aprenentatge vicari per a l'aprenentatge social d'actituds i de comportaments, sinó d'assessorar els monitors sobre com han d'intervenir en les relacions que s'estableixen en el si de la colònia per tal d'arribar a aconseguir els canvis en els comportaments i en les actituds.

Does it pay to be socially responsible? Evidence from spanish retail banking sector

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of strategic competition in retail banking when some of the financial firms are non-profit organisations that invest in social activities. Banking literature about competition is fairly large, but the strategic interaction between profit maximizing and non profit maximizers has not been extensively analysed except for Purroy and Salas (1999). In this paper, a completely different approach is taken. An adaptation of Hotelling’s two stage model of spatial competition is developed to take into account consumer perceptions respect to the two different types of financial institutions. The empirical analysis confirms that consumers take into account other features different from the price, such as social contribution or closer service to make a deposit or mortgage decision. These conclusions are of interest in the debate about a firm’s social or ethical activities. It is shown that if consumers value social activities, firms can improv

One person in the battlefield is not a warrior: Self-construal, perceived ability to make a difference, and socially responsible behavior

We suggest that cultivating an individual's connectedness to others promotes sociallyresponsible behavior both directly and indirectly through increased perceived abilityto make a difference. Individuals whose interdependent self is more prominent feel theyhave more of an impact on larger scale societal outcomes and, therefore, engage more insocially responsible behaviors than do individuals whose independent self is moreprominent. We test these hypotheses in two experiments in which participants makefinancial contributions or exert an effort for a social cause. In a survey, we find thatperceived effectiveness mediates the effect of self-construal on socially responsibleconsumption.

Modelling state dependence and feedback effects between poverty, employment and parental home emancipation among European youth

Youth is one of the phases in the life-cycle when some of the most decisivelife transitions take place. Entering the labour market or leaving parentalhome are events with important consequences for the economic well-beingof young adults. In this paper, the interrelationship between employment,residential emancipation and poverty dynamics is studied for eight Europeancountries by means of an econometric model with feedback effects. Resultsshow that youth poverty genuine state dependence is positive and highly significant.Evidence proves there is a strong causal effect between poverty andleaving home in Scandinavian countries, however, time in economic hardshipdoes not last long. In Southern Europe, instead, youth tend to leave theirparental home much later in order to avoid falling into a poverty state that ismore persistent. Past poverty has negative consequences on the likelihood ofemployment.

Poverty and living arrangements among youth in Spain, 1980-2005

One of the most relevant demographic events in Spain from a recent historical perspective was the baby boom of the 1960s and 1970s. The “adapting to circumstances” of these generations of youth and their families through delayed emancipation and childbearing has been key in preventing a decline in their economic status. The results show that the reduction of the poverty risk among non-emancipated youth for the period 1980-2005 is explained by the fact that an increasing number of young Spaniards live with two employed parents. Thus, emancipation delay is found most in those families that can best afford it. Furthermore, the salaries of young workers remaining in the parental home have become an important factor in reducing their family poverty risk. On the other hand, fertility decline is readily explained by the economic difficulties young couples encounter in sustaining their offspring

Black culture, white youth: la tradició cultural jamaicana al Regne Unit

Amb aquest projecte es pretén documentar tres dècades d'influència jamaicana en la cultura britànica, a partir de l’arribada del vaixell Empire Windrush al 1948, de la independència de Jamaica al 1962 i fins a finals dels anys setanta, coincidint amb l’arribada del rastafarisme. Es tracta de posar de manifest la contribució cultural i social dels jamaicans que, en gran part, ha ajudat al desenvolupament del Regne Unit.Els sound systems, els segells discogràfics i les seves subsidiàries, les gires i concerts d’artistes jamaicans... són una clara mostra de les aportacions de la comunitat jamaicana al país i que molts cops es posen de manifest amb celebracions tan populars com el famós Carnaval de Notting Hill. I és que la música i la cultura jamaicana és quelcom més del que molts es pensen, no només és Bob Marley i el consum de marihuana.

Socially anxious and confident men interact with a forward virtual woman: an experiment study

Male volunteers entered an immersive virtual reality that depicted a party, where they were approached by a lone virtual woman who initiated a conversation. The goal was to study how socially anxious and socially confident men would react to this event. Interest focused on whether the socially anxious participants would exhibit sustained anxiety during the conversation or whether this would diminish over time, and differ from the responses of the more socially confident men.

Young people and youth policies in Spain in times of austerity: between juggling and the trapeze

The aim of this article is to present and discuss the situation regarding young people and youth policy in Spain via the parameters of the magic triangle linking policy, research and action: (1) the situation of young people in Spain today -some indicators are highlighted regarding the main challenges and opportunities for young people, with references to the so-called"Ni-Nis" (neither studying nor working)- and the movement of the"outraged" youth that occupied the streets of Spain"s major cities in May 2011; (2) the current approaches adopted by public youth policies in Spain and limitations and difficulties encountered by the government in attempting to meet the demands of young people; (3) social work with young people and professionals involved in youth policies. In the last section, we conclude with some open questions and proposals for the immediate future

Smoked cocaine in socially-depressed areas

Background: The main objectives of this study are to describe the smoked cocaine user's profile in socially-depressed areas and their needs from a harm-reduction perspective, to investigate their use of smoking crack and compare the acute effects between injecting and smoking consumption. Methods: The study took place in SAPS, Barcelona, Spain. Two focus group sessions were undertaken with a total of 8 drug users. Secondly, the 8 participants answered a structured questionnaire and in the course of the sessions, as a snowball activity, were trained to survey 6 other crack smokers. Results: We obtained 56 questionnaires. The majority of participants were from non-European Community countries (62.69%), 70.2% of participants referred to sharing the smoking equipment. The most frequent symptoms reported during smoked cocaine were mydriasis (83.33%)), perspiration (72.92%) and compulsive object search (70.83%) During the group sessions, participants said that smoked cocaine is much more addictive than injected cocaine and causes more anxiety. Participants also reported the difficulty of changing from injected use to smoked use, due to the larger amount of cocaine needed to reach the same effects as when having injected. Conclusions We can conclude that the research, focused on achieving greater knowledge of the smoked cocaine user's profile, their usage of smoking crack, consumption patterns and acute effects, should be incorporated into substance misuse interventions.

Characterization of clinical and electrocardiographic findings in a youth population

Resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) has been employed in the evaluation of young asymptomatic subjects to detect pre-existing heart diseases. Although the incorporation of routine ECG remains controversial, there is increasing evidence that cardiomyopathies and ion channelopathies show ECG changes as the initial manifestation. The causes of sudden cardiac death in young people show a significant geographical variation. We aim to determine the prevalence and spectrum of ECG findings in a youth population. Methodology: From May 2010 to April 2013, a total of 976 young secondary school students (mean age, 14 years; range, 13-15) underwent voluntary medical screening that included a resting 12-lead ECG and structured clinical survey. Subjects with abnormal ECG findings were classified into two groups: major ECG findings group, which fulfilled a pre-specified checklist to screen for principal structural and electrical cardiopathies, and minor ECG findings group showing other ECG changes. The major ECG findings group was referred for secondary diagnostic tests at a tertiary institution. Results: Of the 976 subjects screened, 252 (25.82%; CI95%, 23.17-28.66) had ECG findings. Of note, 17 (1.74%) had major findings and 235 (24.08%) had minor findings on ECG. The prevalence of cardiovascular pathology within the major ECG findings group was 35.29%. The prevalence of ECG abnormalities was significantly higher in males than in females (29% vs 20.9%, P<0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence of ECG findings in a youth population was 25.82%. There were significant gender differences. The inclusion of universal ECG screening, in addition to medical history, may increase the sensitivity of a cardiovascular screening program. Knowledge of the spectrum and prevalence of ECG findings and disease conditions would be pivotal in designing customized screening programs