Vol. 24-1（2011/6）
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Disciplinary Measures of Compulsory Expression in Schools:Perspectives of Student Human Rights
Dah-Chian Tseng
Students’ rights to body autonomy and personality development are protected in the Educational Fundamental Act in Taiwan. In contrast to corporal punishment which is prohibited by law, disciplinary measures of compulsory expression such as asking studentsto apologize or confess in writing are commonly practiced in elementary and middleschools. Although such disciplinary measures are likely to negatively impact one’s personality development, they have been widely accepted in most education related laws.However, these particular disciplinary measures might not only conflict with freedom of speech and human dignity protected by the Constitution but also differ from the trend of international human rights development. As a result, this paper attempts to analyze the problems that disciplinary measures of compulsory expression may have caused based on regulations in law, views in judicial practice, basic human rights theories and international human rights documents. This study finds that it is practically difficult for disciplinary measures of compulsory expression to have a legal basis as students’ inner thoughts cannot be manipulated. Therefore, when schools need to carry out disciplinary measures of compulsory expression, it is essential to do it in a noncompulsory way and focus more on the intention of such measures in counseling. To act in students’ best interests, school counselors may incorporate some positive values and encourage cooperation—in anoncompulsory manner.
Keyword：freedom of expression, human rights in school, student discipline
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Kuo-Tai Chen
The purpose of this study is to design a reflective teaching practicum with two stages in which an enhanced curriculum was arranged between the first and second stage, and then the study explored its influence on the development of student teachers’ practical knowledge. Twenty-one student teachers taking the course of “teaching practicum” at center of teacher education in south Taiwan were invited to participate in this study, and data was collected by classroom observation, interviews and document analysis. The results were as follows: (1) Although student teachers’ super structure of practical knowledge (i.e. image of teaching) was not influenced by the two stages of reflective student teaching course, their concepts of relevant practical knowledge was. Thus, their images of teaching were getting more exquisite enabling their practical knowledge to be more applicable. (2) Students teachers significantly developed their knowledge of teaching objectives, knowledge of learners, and knowledge of instruction through the reflective and clarifying process of observation and awareness, suspicion and criticize, investigation and exploration, and insight and identification. (3) The practical knowledge student teachers attained during the enhanced curriculum and the first stage of the student teaching course was very clear and in a definite direction; therefore, when they went back to the same classroom setting and were faced with similar teaching problems in the second stage, they would verify the practical knowledge developed through reflection, and their enhanced teaching effectiveness would reinforce their practical knowledge again.
Keyword：image of teaching, practical knowledge, reflective teacher education, student teacher, two-stage teaching practicum
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Jeng-Fung Hung & Chih-Neng Lin
This study aimed to design an argumentation-based learning environment to promote the argumentation abilities of 6th grade students. Three intact classes with a total of 103 students participated in the study. The treatments lasted for eight weeks to compare the argumentation performance in three different groups: the online argumentative-based learning group (OG), the in-class argumentative-based learning group (IG), and the control group (CG). This study, which adopted a quasi-experimental design, used the Critical Thinking Test I (Yeh, 2003) for pre-test and an Argumentation Ability Test for post-test. The results showed that: a) The argumentation abilities of the students in the IG group were superior to those in the OG group and the effect size was medium. The implication revealed that the design of IG could be applied to teaching practice. b) Students’ argumentation focused mainly on describing a phenomenon instead of explaining it, c) Students defended their own claims while they were in the debate, and d) Students rebut by identifying their opponents’ weaknesses in arguments.
Keyword：argumentation abilities, argumentation-based learning environment, networked learning environment
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Indicator-Based Evaluation of Special Education Practices for Students with Disabilities in Taiwan
Tien-Miau Wang & Chun-Jung Huang
Based on some indicators on educational provision for students with disabilities, this study intends to investigate what resources and services are provided for students with disabilities across different levels of education in Taiwan and who receives such services. A questionnaire was designed to collect data from city/county educational authorities in the school year of 2007and selected data in Special Education Transmit Net were analyzed. It was found that approximately 2.3% of students recieving compulsory education have disabilities, and were mostly identified as having developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, or learning disabilities. The male-female ratio was reported to be 65:35. The percentages of students with disabilities receiving special education in public schools were about 33.6% at preschool, 98.8% at elementary and junior high, and 62.2% at senior high levels. Most of the students with disabilities were placed in regular classes at all levels; however, there were more itinerant specialist assistance in preschools, more resource room programs provided in elementary and junior high schools, but 44% of students with disabilities at senior high level were educated in special classes or special schools. Approximately 91% of junior high school graduates with disabilities attended advanced study in senior high schools. In terms of service accessibility in public schools, 9.6% of preschools, 46.5% of elementary, 76.5% of junior high, and 23.5% of senior high schools provided special education for students with disabilities. Variation of resources among counties or cities has great impacts on what and how special education and related services are delivered to children with disabilities. Some recommendations are offered to protect rights to education for students with disabilities and to promote special education policy.
Keyword：educational indicators, special education, students with disabilities
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Walk with Him/Her:Alleviate the Scars Through Involvement Relationship
Tsz-Yi Chang & Ho-Kai Yu
In the summer of 2009, we shared a marvelous journey in a narrative group in Hsinchu mountain with young friends whose parents had been diagnosed with mental illness. The composition of this group was unusual. Members’ age ranged from 13 to 19 years old, and they were from three different families: three brothers who lived together but were rarely aware of each other; a cynical adolescent and his younger sister with whom he fought a lot, but were close as well; a manly yet delicate and considerate 19-year-old young girl who was always the big sister in the group. Except for the parent’s mental condition, there was little similarity within the groups. In addition, with siblings in the group, various unspoken feelings were even harder to be shared. From a traditional treatment point of view, the composition of this group was controversial and doubtful. However, "we" never meant to "cure" "them". They agreed to accept help and companionship from those who listened to them with sincerity and empathy, but not treatment. Instead of "treatment" or "therapy," providing "relief" is more like what we have been doing in our educational practices for young people. For these youngsters who are living in what is considered to be the bottom of society, who come from what are so-called “defective” families,, tribulations due to class, economic structure, and moral prejudice may somewhat scar them in the course of life, but we truly believe these scars can be relieved by trust and love. This is what we mean by "relief." Through re-writing the stories of the group in the summer 2009, the authors reflect and invite readers to new prospects for adolescent educational practices.
Keyword：adolescent, child of depressive patient, helping behavior, narrative group
