title: Virtue, self-narratives, and the causes of action

authors: Lumsden, David

abstract: Virtues can be considered to play a causal role in the production of behaviour and so too can our self-narratives. We identify a point of connection between the two cases and draw a parallel between them. But, those folk psychological notions, virtues and self-narratives, fail to reduce smoothly to the underlying human physiology. As a first step towards handling that failure to connect with the scientific framework that is the familiar grounding for our understanding of causation, we consider the causal theory of action, a leading theory of action, which shows how reasons, understood as an appropriate pair of beliefs and desires, can be treated as causes of action. Davidson’s picture is based on cause as a relation between events, which can have both a description in scientific terms and in folk psychological terms. The character of both virtues and self-narratives is not that of events, even extended ones, so we need to refer to examples of scientific explanation that incorporate structural properties of objects. While we retain the spirit of the causal theory, we wish to guard against any unwarranted optimism that an explicitly scientific explanation for human action lies in our future, drawing on Chomsky’s view that a causal explanation of human actions is likely to remain beyond human science forming capacities. We take a mild-realist view of virtues and self-narratives, in the style of Dennett. We argue that, in spite of that limited form of realism, underlined by Chomsky’s mysterian position in this domain, we still need to frame our explanations of behaviour based on virtues and self-narratives in causal terms.

text: Virtue, self-narratives, and the causes of action Virtues can be considered to play a causal role in the production of behaviour and so too can our self-narratives. We identify a point of connection between the two cases and draw a parallel between them. But, those folk psychological notions, virtues and self-narratives, fail to reduce smoothly to the underlying human physiology. As a first step towards handling that failure to connect with the scientific framework that is the familiar grounding for our understanding of causation, we consider the causal theory of action, a leading theory of action, which shows how reasons, understood as an appropriate pair of beliefs and desires, can be treated as causes of action. Davidson’s picture is based on cause as a relation between events, which can have both a description in scientific terms and in folk psychological terms. The character of both virtues and self-narratives is not that of events, even extended ones, so we need to refer to examples of scientific explanation that incorporate structural properties of objects. While we retain the spirit of the causal theory, we wish to guard against any unwarranted optimism that an explicitly scientific explanation for human action lies in our future, drawing on Chomsky’s view that a causal explanation of human actions is likely to remain beyond human science forming capacities. We take a mild-realist view of virtues and self-narratives, in the style of Dennett. We argue that, in spite of that limited form of realism, underlined by Chomsky’s mysterian position in this domain, we still need to frame our explanations of behaviour based on virtues and self-narratives in causal terms.

year: 2023-10-23

title: Teachers' views on providing for children with special needs in inclusive classrooms:a papua new guinea study

authors: Mapsea, Allan Jim

subjects: iclusive eucation

abstract: The purpose of having inclusive education is to value children with special needs so they can participate equally in all educational activities alongside their peers without special needs. There should not be any discrimination, segregation or isolation of these children with special needs from being educated rather they must be given an equal opportunity to participate alongside children without special needs.

This study seeks to investigate primary school teachers' views and experiences in implementing the Inclusive Education Policy in regular schools. The study was conducted in five districts of the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea. Six primary schools were selected and involved 77 teachers who responded to questionnaire items, while 12 teachers within the group were chosen to be involved in interviews. Data for the study were gathered and analysed from the questionnaires, and the interview transcripts.

The findings from the study revealed that most teachers supported the notion of Inclusive Education Policy and would like to implement it. However, they indicated that there needed to be a change in attitudes of teachers, peers, boards of management, and parents/caregivers to provide assistance for children with special needs. Most teachers felt that there needs to be more awareness of the principle and the importance of inclusion. 

Teachers' limited knowledge of teaching children with special needs was also highlighted. In this study teachers admitted they needed more training in the field of educating children with special education in order to accommodate and teach children with special needs. This shows that teachers' colleges and universities need to have trained lecturers to develop more courses in special education. Teachers expressed concern that school inspectors do not know enough about the inclusive education concept and need to be trained as well so collaboratively they could implement the policy. 

Government support is needed to effectively implement the inclusive education policy. This includes training of specialists to support teachers, funds for teaching and learning resources and facilities in schools.

The cultural implications and geographical issues have also had some impact on the implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy, while the issue of children with HIV and AIDS was raised that teachers needed to be prepared in order to accommodate and teach those infected children.

All these issues highlighted are very important and it is hoped that the outcome of the findings will provide the Department of Education with new strategies to improve and strengthen their commitment to implement Inclusive Education Policy.

text: Teachers' views on providing for children with special needs in inclusive classrooms:a papua new guinea study The purpose of having inclusive education is to value children with special needs so they can participate equally in all educational activities alongside their peers without special needs. There should not be any discrimination, segregation or isolation of these children with special needs from being educated rather they must be given an equal opportunity to participate alongside children without special needs.

This study seeks to investigate primary school teachers' views and experiences in implementing the Inclusive Education Policy in regular schools. The study was conducted in five districts of the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea. Six primary schools were selected and involved 77 teachers who responded to questionnaire items, while 12 teachers within the group were chosen to be involved in interviews. Data for the study were gathered and analysed from the questionnaires, and the interview transcripts.

The findings from the study revealed that most teachers supported the notion of Inclusive Education Policy and would like to implement it. However, they indicated that there needed to be a change in attitudes of teachers, peers, boards of management, and parents/caregivers to provide assistance for children with special needs. Most teachers felt that there needs to be more awareness of the principle and the importance of inclusion. 

Teachers' limited knowledge of teaching children with special needs was also highlighted. In this study teachers admitted they needed more training in the field of educating children with special education in order to accommodate and teach children with special needs. This shows that teachers' colleges and universities need to have trained lecturers to develop more courses in special education. Teachers expressed concern that school inspectors do not know enough about the inclusive education concept and need to be trained as well so collaboratively they could implement the policy. 

Government support is needed to effectively implement the inclusive education policy. This includes training of specialists to support teachers, funds for teaching and learning resources and facilities in schools.

The cultural implications and geographical issues have also had some impact on the implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy, while the issue of children with HIV and AIDS was raised that teachers needed to be prepared in order to accommodate and teach those infected children.

All these issues highlighted are very important and it is hoped that the outcome of the findings will provide the Department of Education with new strategies to improve and strengthen their commitment to implement Inclusive Education Policy.

year: 2006

title: Colonial versus ancestral legacy: The assertion of culture and identity through public arts in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton

authors: Kiff, Shirin

subjects: Ethnography

abstract: This thesis is an ethnography of Hamilton. It focuses on the role of public arts as a cultural regeneration tool and their function in shaping the community(s) in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton through building a sense of place and identity. As a qualitative study, I conducted nine semi- structured interviews with public art artists, art advocates and residents to explore the relational context within which the development and transmission of meaning takes place, a process which is central to culture and identity. The primary purpose of the research interviews was to gain insight into the factors that motivate arts organisers and planners to direct valuable limited resources into public art projects and its observable outcomes. The second purpose of the interviews, conducted while walking to public artworks in the city centre with six participants, was to examine the effect of public art on the public.
My methods also include tracking press reviews, monitoring comments and posts on social media and institutional debates involving residents, artists, and public authorities concerning public arts. I also recorded data by taking photographs and recording field notes of my observations during and after the fieldwork process. Data gathering was also enhanced by the large-scale collection of written materials and resources, including public art publications and HCC policy documents. Taken together, these research methods allowed me to investigate whether Hamilton had achieved its goals in its cultural regeneration efforts. In my analysis, I discuss the role of public art and its association with place and consider how artworks may antagonise Māori-Pākehā relationships or otherwise emphasis residents’ sense of place.
Biculturalism and monoculturalism narratives appear to dominate public arts with the purpose of invoking either a colonial legacy or ancestral legacy while the politics of multiculturalism continue to jockey for place. Colonial legacy refers to the glorifying of colonial achievements while ancestral legacy in this context refers to Māori assertion of history, culture and identity. Particularly, in this research, ancestral legacy belonging to local hapū, Ngāti Wairere. Participants’ narratives reveal four overarching themes, 1) the publics’ resistance to the making of colonial places through public art, 2) Ngāti Wairere struggles to assert ancestral legacy through public arts, 3) the need for ethnically diverse artworks to create and maintain ethnically diverse places, and 4) a yearning for a collective identity represented through public arts. Hamilton’s public artworks are variously perceived as a superficial representation of Māori culture, identity and history, a reminder of a colonial binary discourse, the colonised versus the coloniser, an assertion of either a Māori ancestral legacy or a colonial legacy or, minimally, a nod to multiculturalism. Nevertheless, my research shows that participants engagement with these artworks reveal a yearning for a local collective identity that is still a work in progress.

text: Colonial versus ancestral legacy: The assertion of culture and identity through public arts in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton This thesis is an ethnography of Hamilton. It focuses on the role of public arts as a cultural regeneration tool and their function in shaping the community(s) in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton through building a sense of place and identity. As a qualitative study, I conducted nine semi- structured interviews with public art artists, art advocates and residents to explore the relational context within which the development and transmission of meaning takes place, a process which is central to culture and identity. The primary purpose of the research interviews was to gain insight into the factors that motivate arts organisers and planners to direct valuable limited resources into public art projects and its observable outcomes. The second purpose of the interviews, conducted while walking to public artworks in the city centre with six participants, was to examine the effect of public art on the public.
My methods also include tracking press reviews, monitoring comments and posts on social media and institutional debates involving residents, artists, and public authorities concerning public arts. I also recorded data by taking photographs and recording field notes of my observations during and after the fieldwork process. Data gathering was also enhanced by the large-scale collection of written materials and resources, including public art publications and HCC policy documents. Taken together, these research methods allowed me to investigate whether Hamilton had achieved its goals in its cultural regeneration efforts. In my analysis, I discuss the role of public art and its association with place and consider how artworks may antagonise Māori-Pākehā relationships or otherwise emphasis residents’ sense of place.
Biculturalism and monoculturalism narratives appear to dominate public arts with the purpose of invoking either a colonial legacy or ancestral legacy while the politics of multiculturalism continue to jockey for place. Colonial legacy refers to the glorifying of colonial achievements while ancestral legacy in this context refers to Māori assertion of history, culture and identity. Particularly, in this research, ancestral legacy belonging to local hapū, Ngāti Wairere. Participants’ narratives reveal four overarching themes, 1) the publics’ resistance to the making of colonial places through public art, 2) Ngāti Wairere struggles to assert ancestral legacy through public arts, 3) the need for ethnically diverse artworks to create and maintain ethnically diverse places, and 4) a yearning for a collective identity represented through public arts. Hamilton’s public artworks are variously perceived as a superficial representation of Māori culture, identity and history, a reminder of a colonial binary discourse, the colonised versus the coloniser, an assertion of either a Māori ancestral legacy or a colonial legacy or, minimally, a nod to multiculturalism. Nevertheless, my research shows that participants engagement with these artworks reveal a yearning for a local collective identity that is still a work in progress.

year: 2021