Competitors' Perceptions of Questions in Individual Events Rounds.
The practice of judges asking competitors questions at the conclusion of their speeches is an area of interest in the arena of individual events competition. The practice has been most notably used in past years in rhetorical criticism at the National Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (NFA-NIET). The practice has undergone scrutiny a number of times. A1984 survey of coaches found support to abolish the practice at the NFA-NIET. A ground swell of support from the student ranks, who were in favor of the question period, saved the practice. Coaches again brought the issue before the NFA-NIET at the 1989 meeting held at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. The coaches voted once again to drop the questioning period; the students, once again, expressed a desire for it to remain as part of the event. This time the coaches' position carried the day. Judges' questions in rhetorical criticism were officially abolished at the NFA business meeting held at the 1989 Speech Communication Association convention in San Francisco. The students raised their concerns for the third time at the 1990 NFANIET, expressing a desire for the questioning process to return to rhetorical criticism. The coaches discussed the issue and decided questioning would remain in the past; the issue was not addressed at all at the 1990 SCA convention in Chicago. A point which deserves attention is the opinion of the student competitor. The student voice was heard and considered in one instance (1984), circumvented the next time (1989) and virtually ig-
In-depth interviews examining perceptions of burnout in college forensics
College forensics is an incredible activity with many more benefits for students than drawbacks. This competitive community strives to better itself and the community around it by teaching students life-long skills. College forensics seeks to change the world by offering students a toolbox ready to equip them to be leaders in their communities, advocates for the voiceless, and partners in progress. It is because this activity is such an essential institution of development that this study focuses on a negative area of this educational titan. Research for decades has outlined the harmful impact this activity can have on the health and wellness of its participants. This study seeks to uncover the dimensions of student wellness through the lens often applied to the experiences of forensic coaches. Burnout is explored through a review of relevant literature which lays the groundwork for an analysis of in-depth interviews of current forensic students and their perceptions of wellness and burnout in college forensics. Interviews were conducted with students from various sized programs from across the country. Students views suggest that more emphasis is needed in equipping competitors with tools to manage the emotional stress experienced in the activity. The study concludes with a discussion of the limitations and areas for future research. STUDENTS PERSPECTIVES OF BURNOUT IN COLLEGE FORENSICS iii Table of
Historias de mi barrio: contemporary art in a community at high risk of social exclusion
Abstract Historias de mi barrio is a piece of pedagogic research aimed at highlighting the way art can articulate the relationship between the educational context and a neighbourhood at high risk of social exclusion. The starting point for this study was to ask whether this type of research, centred around the arts, was suitable in complex contexts and whether it might eventually lead to pedagogic improvement. The results gathered, and indeed the work carried out by the artists and university lecturers involved, together with pupils 6–12 years old and their instructors in a state school, provide evidence of a positive answer – and notably of the necessity of knowing about the socio-economic reality of the student cohort when planning learning projects and of the importance of the arts as a crucial element in education.