Media releases

• Brock experts available to comment on U.S. election

  Tuesday, November 05, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY – November 5, 2024 – R0133

  Brock University Political Science experts are available to comment on the U.S. election in terms of American politics, Canada’s trade relationships with the U.S. and wider geopolitical effects stemming from the outcome.

  Associate Professor Paul Hamilton says people around the world will likely be “glued to their screens” as the election results begin to roll in because the consequences of the presidential election will be “enormous” not only for the U.S. but also for countries around the world.

  He also says people should pay attention to races further down the ballot.

  “There has been less attention paid to the congressional elections, but those will determine the policy-making latitude of the next president,” says Hamilton. “The very strength of America’s democratic institutions may be tested in the coming weeks and months — and this will be even more contentious if there is a discrepancy between the popular vote and the electoral college vote.”

  Associate Professor Stefan Dolgert says that “regardless of the actual outcome of the election, the U.S. will be in a democratic death spiral for at least the next decade” due to the current organization of the U.S. political system.

  “The antiquated constitutional structure of the United States over-represents white, rural voters, many of whom are fearful of the emerging multiracial democracy that the U.S. is becoming, and who therefore will support fascists like Donald Trump to preserve what they see as their traditional birthright — political dominance,” he says.

  Dolgert, whose expertise is in the history of political thought as well as in the construction of contemporary institutions, says he uses the term “fascist” intentionally, based on the definition of the term. He also notes he isn’t alone in invoking that definition, with even Trump’s former chief of staff now using the term to describe him.

   

  Brock University Associate Professors of Political Science Paul Hamilton and Stefan Dolgert are available for media interviews on this topic.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University sackles@brocku.ca or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases

• Rude behaviour spiked in Ontario classrooms after COVID-19: Brock research

  Monday, November 04, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – November 4, 2024 – R0132

  Incivility comes in many forms: texting instead of listening to a teacher, interrupting classmates who are speaking, showing up late to class.

  Following an unprecedented period of at-home learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, similar types of disruptive behaviour spiked in Ontario classrooms, says Natalie Spadafora.

  The Brock University Postdoctoral Fellow and her team examined the rate of classroom incivility in elementary and high schools both before and after pandemic-related school shutdowns, and saw a significant increase.

  Their findings are detailed in the recently published paper “Are child and adolescent students more uncivil after COVID-19?”

  The research team conducted two separate studies with Ontario participants, gathering information from 308 adolescents aged nine to 14 as well as 101 primary educators teaching Grades 1 to 3.

  They compared data from fall 2019 to that collected in fall 2022 to gauge the impact the pandemic closures had on the behaviour of young learners.

  “Teachers reported that incivility was happening much more frequently in their current classrooms than it did prior to the COVID-19 school closures, and that there was a lack of awareness of expectations in the classroom,” Spadafora says.

  Adolescent students also self-reported engaging in significantly higher levels of classroom incivility in the 2021-22 school year, while other variables, such as bullying and friendships, remained relatively the same.

  In the retrospective study, 42 per cent of teachers surveyed for the project reported instances of classroom incivility happening daily, compared to only six per cent prior to March 2020. Sixty-eight per cent also rated classroom incivility as “moderately” or “very” serious in the 2021-22 school year, compared to 32 per cent before COVID-19.

  “Teachers expressed there was a general lack of respect, with students also not following instructions or caring about the consequences of their behaviour in the classroom,” Spadafora says. “Many students were lacking the basic elements underlining classroom civility.”

  The pandemic closures, which shut down Ontario schools for about 100 days, meant children were not exposed to a typical school routine, classroom norms and teacher direction in a classroom setting.

  The primary years are a fundamental time to establish classroom routines, behaviours and expectations, Spadafora says, adding the impact the interruption to traditional learning has had is now making itself known.

  Many teachers indicated that students did not have the opportunity to learn — and educators the chance to reinforce — the “rules” of the classroom that are emphasized as students move through subsequent grades.

  “These children missed out on the early days in the classroom where you learn how to be in school,” Spadafora says. “Because of that, behaviours you wouldn’t typically see in Grade 3 are presenting themselves more frequently.”

  Teachers called attention to a lack of social skills and self-regulation amongst students, with an increase in children who were not used to being part of a group. This resulted in teachers needing to provide students with more coaching to work kindly and co-operatively with others, Spadafora says.

  Nearly all teachers — 95 per cent — reported students’ socio-emotional skills were “lower” or “much lower” than past cohorts.

  Spadafora says it’s important to pay attention to these behaviours, as previous research by her team has indicated incivility can be a precursor to bullying.“If incivility is heightened after the pandemic, and we know it can predict bullying behaviour, we should be intervening more in these lower-level behaviours,” she says.

  She encourages parents to talk to their children about manners and civility in general.

  “It all starts with being a kind, respectful person,” she says. “If you can teach your children that at a really basic level, you’ve laid a good foundation for them to build from as they head into the classroom.”

  Spadafora’s team now plans to look at whether the rise in incivility has continued to climb beyond the period surrounding the COVID-19 school closures, with a particular focus on the younger demographic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University sackles@brocku.ca or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases