Educational performance, children and adolescents

  • Drs Peter John Gordon and Nadine McCloud from the Department of Economics have investigated the determinants of high school performance, providing empirical evidence regarding our Jamaican School System regarding Common Entry and Exit Assessments.
  • Our Faculty members within the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work are also working to address key issues relating to the Jamaican adolescent. For example, Dr Caryl James Bateman, through her work on eating disorders, has identified body dissatisfaction among Jamaican Adolescents who were more likely to engage in skin bleaching. Her research provides evidence on specific risk factors such as a history of sexual abuse and low self-esteem within the Jamaican context, which allows for the identification of at-risk adolescents as well as early intervention. Also, Drs Julian Devonish and Sharon Priestley advocate for adolescents through their work on fertility, population and reproductive health, for example, exploring correlates of delayed sexual initiation among adolescent girls.
  • Advocacy for children is evident through the work of Dr Claudette Crawford Brown, from the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work, who is known for her advocacy to promote the welfare of children. Dr Crawford-Brown has brought about a change in our Jamaican society through her work on the barrel-child syndrome, play therapy and violence prevention. In addition to making the lives of children better, Dr Crawford-Brown has informed policy development as a result of recommendations made in numerous books she has published.
  • Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee from SALISES, a Child Rights advocate, is focused on research exploring children's issues such as child well-being. Her research has been funded by several international agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, PAHO, DFID and Family Health International (FHI). In addition to research, Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee advocates for the rights of the child through coordination of other programmes such as the SALISES graduate course Social Investment in Children and her position as Chair of the annual Caribbean Child Research Conference.