Both in the United States and abroad, newspapers tend to portray people with mental illness negatively, making them vulnerable to social rejection, discrimination, and forced treatment. This portrayal also makes them hesitant to seek treatment for fear of being stigmatized. To help determine how reporting on mental illness can be improved, I interviewed in this study 11 U.S.-based print journalists who had won awards for stories on mental illness about how they covered their stories. The interviews, which were semi-structured, were conducted between October 2010 and February 2011 and were analyzed using a grounded-theory approach. Eight themes were identified in the interview transcripts: determining story idea, evaluating newsworthiness, identifying and obtaining information from interview sources, identifying and obtaining information from non-interview sources, ensuring accuracy, building rapport with sources, writing the story, and factors facilitating reporting. Overall, respondents prepared their stories in accordance with journalistic conventions. What helped them produce quality stories was a mixture of the following organizational and personal factors: editorial support, considerable journalism experience, personal exposure to mental illness, and empathy. Also noteworthy were respondents' opinions on suggestions in reporting guides about imitation or copy-cat suicides, sensitive language, and positive mental illness news. Whereas some agreed that reporting suicide details could lead to imitation suicides, others disagreed, explaining, for example, that the details were important to the story. Similarly, respondents expressed diverse views about the importance of using sensitive language to describe individuals with mental illness. Finally, respondents indicated that instead of calling for positive stories on mental illness, media guidelines should encourage thoughtful and balanced reporting on various aspects of mental illness. In conclusion, the results suggest that it would be valuable to investigate in more detail how journalists' personal attitudes toward mental illness influence their reporting. Also, guidelines for mental-health reporting should be created with the collaboration of journalists and mental-health professionals. Further, there is a need to make journalists aware of the copy-cat suicide phenomenon. Finally, lessons gleaned from respondents' experiences in reporting their award-winning stories can be used to inform mental-health media guides.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Skillstreaming the Adolescent social skills training program on sixth grade students' social skills as reported by themselves, their teachers, and their parents. The study was conducted in two phases. Participants in Phase I were 24 sixth grade boys and 25 sixth grade girls selected from a Midwestern, small suburban elementary school. Experimental Group 1 consisted of 24 students and Control Group I consisted of 25 students. The mean age of the students was 11.7 years. Participants in Phase II were 28 sixth grade boys and 21 sixth grade girls. Experimental Group 2 (n=16) and Experimental Group 3 (n=16) were combined for the training intervention. Control Group 2 consisted of 17 students. The mean age of these students was 11.6 years. Pretest and posttest assessments of students' social skills were measured using the Social Skills Rating System-Parent, Teacher, and Student forms (Gresham & Elliot, 1990). Data were analyzed for both phases using repeated Measures of Multivariate Analysis of Variance. In Phase I no significant interaction between time of testing, raters, and group were found. However, differences were found between the experimental and control groups regardless of time, and between time (pre and post tests) regardless of group, primarily due to teacher ratings. In Phase II there was a significant interaction between time of testing, raters, and group. The control group scored higher than the experimental group on students' social skills ratings. Based on univariate tests, the control group's significantly higher ratings were the result of teacher ratings. This study did not find support for the overall efficacy of the Skillstreamins, the Adolescent training program on improving students' social skills as measured by the SSRS-parent, teacher, and student forms. Results and implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to previous research and future directions for study. It is suggested a follow-up measure when students transition to junior high school may provide evidence of long-term effects of social skills programs. An investigation of teachers' expectations may also provide a greater understanding of the impact of training programs. / Department of Educational Psychology

Over the span of the last 16 years of my teaching career I have taught elementary, secondary and adult learners in both traditional classroom environments, alternative school settings and distributed learning platforms. Regardless of the grade, subject or environment I have been an advocate of digital technology in education, and enthusiastically welcomed George Siemens’ predicted paradigm shift to connectedness enabled through its uses (as cited in Wikipedia, 2013). However, over the past decade this ability to connect through technology has also lead to an increase in cyber-bullying coupled with inherent risks associated with online environments making the connection between cyber-bullying and social media an important area of study. This study began because of a legal case study I was presented with during a graduate course at the University of Victoria concerning issues related to teachers and the law. The case study is based on a high profile YouTube cyber-bullying incident in Canada. Using concepts such as neoliberalism and the promotion of technology as a 21st century tool for schooling, I reviewed Government of Canada and British Columbian research as well as international research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the use of technology by humans and in education. These documents provided an overview of debates around the benefits for using the Internet, and contrasted this with risks connected to loss of privacy and possible bullying online (cyber-bullying). My methodology for the study is grounded in qualitative research in which I used three different focus groups from which to gather data. The first group included graduate students from the University of Victoria enrolled in Leadership Studies. The second group consisted of members from a Social Justice Committee. The final group represented a team of teachers, administrators and support staff at a Secondary School on a coastal School District in British Columbia. Each focus group observed a video posted on YouTube and the discourse that was left below the posting of the video. Participants were asked to reflect individually, discuss as a group and record their thoughts and feelings for the purposes of the study and as a means to suggest ways to mitigate change. Their comments and suggestions for ways to mitigate change supported research I found and at times pointed towards directions I had yet to consider. Similar to me, the act of viewing and participating in the case study left an impact as to how best to mitigate change through the use of case studies and discussions that helped develop compassion and awareness for cyber-bullying victims. The study concludes with a review of current technology and health and career curriculum as it pertains to issues involving cyber-bullying and promoting socially responsible behaviour on the Internet available to schools in British Columbia, along with information regarding new initiatives including the E.R.A.S.E. bullying website. / Graduate / 0515 / 0710 / 0530 / ssamaras@sd46.bc.ca

The purpose was to investigate whether using two type of interventions (i.e., Four rooms of change in school and EQ- workshop) in addition to curriculum guidelines can affect character development in children 10-12 years of age. The data was collected using the test Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI; Cloninger, CR, 1994) in three elementary schools among students in fifth grade who had been involved in any of the two interventions for the past two years or no intervention at all. The J-TCI scales were used to, besides the seven personality dimension it measures, create a self-constructed empathy scale. A total of 55 participants were included in the study (girls n = 26 and boys n = 29). Statistical testing with MANOVA showed no significant main effect on empathy or any personality trait. There was however an interaction effect between intervention and gender on the character traits. Girls in the Four Rooms of change in school, compared to boys, reported higher Self-directedness and Cooperativeness and girls in the EQ-workshop reported higher Self-transcendence. The interventions Four Rooms at school and EQ workshop seems to have different impact on boys and girls. / Syftet var att undersöka om användandet av två typer av interventioner (dvs, Fyrarummaren i skolan och EQ verkstan) utöver Läroplanens riktlinjer kan påverka karaktärsutveckling hos barn 10-12 år. Data samlades in med hjälp av testet Junior Temperament och Character Inventory (J-TCI, Cloninger, CR, 1994) i tre grundskolor bland elever i femte klass som hade varit inblandade i någon av de två insatserna under de senaste två åren alternativt ingen intervention alls. J-TCI skalorna användes för att, förutom de sju personlighetsdimensioner den mäter, skapa en egentillverkad empatiskala. Totalt 55 deltagare ingick i studien (flickor n = 26 och pojkar n = 29). Statistisk testning med MANOVA visade ingen signifikant huvudeffekt på empati eller något personlighetsdrag. Det fanns dock en interaktionseffekt mellan intervention och kön på karaktärsdrag. Flickor i  Fyrarummaren i skolan, jämfört med pojkar, rapporterade högre Self-directedness och Cooperativeness och flickor i EQ-verkstan  rapporterade högre Self-transcendence. Interventionerna Fyrarummaren i skolan och EQ-verkstan verkar ha olika påverkan på pojkar och flickor.

The aim of this present study was to investigate the effects of ambivalent sexism, locus of control, empathy and belief in a just world on attitudes toward rape victims. In order to do so, 425 graduate and undergraduate students at Middle East Technical University participated in the current study. The results of the study indicated that hostile sexism (&amp / #946 / = .47), empathy (&amp / #946 / = -.28), education (&amp / #946 / = -.22), internal locus of control (&amp / #946 / = .10), belief in a just world (&amp / #946 / = .10), benevolent sexism (&amp / #946 / = .10) and income (&amp / #946 / = -.09) had a significant contribution on the participants&rsquo / unfavorable attitudes toward rape victims after eliminating the effects of age and education. Additional analysis further revealed that male participants demonstrated significantly more endorsement on unfavorable attitudes toward rape victims than female participants. The main effect of pornography viewing on attitudes toward rape victims was not found significant. However, the results further indicated that there was a significant interaction effect among gender, pornography viewing and empathy. That is, in the high victim empathy condition male participants who had been exposed to pornography scored significantly higher on unfavorable attitudes toward rape victims than those who had never been exposed to it. On the other hand, in the high empathy condition, female participants who viewed pornography showed less endorsement on unfavorable attitudes toward rape victims than those who never viewed pornography. Finally, the results of the study indicated that the interaction effects of pornography viewing and hostile sexism were significant. Indeed, in the high hostile sexism condition, both male and female participants who were exposed to pornography showed significantly greater endorsement on unfavorable attitudes toward rape victims when compared to those who did not watch pornography. The major contributions of this thesis are (1) investigating some of the effects of important demographic variables such as age, education and income, (2) comparing the unique contributions of locus of control, empathy, belief in a just world, hostile and benevolent sexism with a hierarchical regression analysis, and (3) showing the interaction effects of some variables like gender, pornography viewing, levels of empathy and hostile sexism on participants&rsquo / attitudes toward rape victims.

Over the course of the 2007/2008 school year, I visited three classrooms to investigate the effectiveness of Augusto Boal’s drama method, Image Theatre, with elementary-aged students. In Image Theatre, the practitioners and students use their bodies to create frozen images, which in turn become the focus of collaborative meaning- making. I applied the reflective practitioner methodology in my work as it allowed me to adapt to the rapidly altering situations that arise in elementary classrooms. Through reflecting on my interactions with students, I refined a set of teaching techniques that worked best to integrate Image Theatre into the classroom and ultimately into the curriculum. My research provides a qualitative analysis of the power of Image Theatre to foster student dialogue, develop empathic learning, and introduce conflict awareness techniques. My thesis highlights some specific exercises and theoretical frameworks that guided my work and produced the most effective results. The effects of applying Image Theatre to elementary-aged classrooms has not been extensively studied in the past and my research attempts to address this academic gap. It is my hope that future researchers will adapt my activities and further demonstrate the capacities of this theatre technique. Ultimately, I hope that Image Theatre methods can find a place in standard curricula.

The purpose of this essay is to examine how I as a childminder was affected in my profession by a child whose long introduction did not lead to a desired result from the start. What was needed in order to get a child to thrive and feel secure at my practice? Would I be able to give sufficient emotional care to all the children when one child was demanding such a huge amount of attention and tenderness? The essay begins with a story from my family day care practice. When I reflected over the events in it, it awakened my issues. Through this writing, I want to come to a deeper understanding of what seemed to be working for the new child. As a result of this writing process, I have reached the conclusion that the introduction finally succeeded. It did so because of ethical decisions that I made and because I put an extended moral responsibility in my working role. The change in our relationship where I succeeded to meet Elton more empathically, made it easier for me to test and find new ways to deal with his sorrow. Theories that I use relate to the knowledge about the importance of attachment in the kinder garden, Vygotskijs’s thoughts about the play, the Aristotele’s forms of knowledge and their importance for my development as an educator. I also treat the importance of the knowledge of emotions in interhuman activity, aided by the philosopher Fredrik Svenaeus. I support my thought constructions on theories that I quote. The quotations give more weight to my results, but they also help me to critically analyse my way of handling the dilemma that was generated. The process of writing this essay has given me new knowledge, obtained through reflection, and I feel that I am better equipped for the future. I also feel more ready as a professional to encounter sensitive children in my practice.

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Empathy of Workers in Helping Professions The term empathy means the ability to understand emotions of other people. It is the person´s ability to understand the mental condition of the other person with whom he or she is in immediate contact. Such understanding makes it possible to understand emotions, thinking, acting, behavior and attitudes of other people. To empathize with someone the person needs to efficiently focus and concentrate on the other person and to have the sufficient will to do so. Empathy is a complex psychological experience. The objective of the thesis is to determine whether the attitudes to empathy and experience of difficulties associated with empathy are different among personal assistants and nurses. The research was conducted among personal assistants operating in the district of České Budějovice and among nurses working in the hospital in Jindřichův Hradec. The respondents were of diverse ages with a different representation of men and women. The method of the research was inquiry with a questionnaire technique. I formulated three hypotheses in total. All the hypotheses have been confirmed by the completed research. The thesis may be used as a source of information for the general public, as well as for teaching purposes.

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