SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST DIAGNOSTIC DECISION‐MAKING: A PILOT STUDY

The current study examined the diagnostic decision‐making of school psychologists as a function of a student's disability and academic performance with three research questions using a randomly‐selected sample of school psychologists from the state of Texas. Results from the first research question indicated that school psychologists significantly differentiated between what diagnoses were considered most correct according to the DSM‐IV and what diagnoses would be in a child's best interest at school. Results from the second research question indicated that this differentiation in diagnostic decision‐making was present as significantly associated with academic performance. Results from the third and final research question indicated that school psychologists differed in their diagnostic decision‐making according to their perceptions about the particular disability.     

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN A THREE‐TIERED APPROACH TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICY AND PRACTICE

Research indicates that school discipline policies and practices have a significant influence on both student and school functioning. The purpose of this article is to uncover how the ethical standards guiding the field of school psychology inform school decisions about discipline in a three‐tiered approach. Various discipline approaches, empirical research evaluating the effectiveness of these approaches, and the role of school psychologists in school discipline decision making are reviewed. Ultimately, this integration of theory, empirical research, and ethical standards points to the importance of creating comprehensive and individualized school discipline policies that apply ethically sound practices at all three tiers of intervention. Implications for practicing school psychologists are discussed.     

关于大学史研究的基本构想

本文通过对学术史的初步梳理,提出把大学史研究建成一个专门的学术研究领域的设想,以深化对大学发展基本问题的探索;并认为在中国当代大学教育发展的关键时期,大学史研究具有特殊的理论和实践意义。     

ASSESSING LEARNING STYLES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING PROGRAMS: A PILOT STUDY

Why are many community college students unable to exit remedial college preparation programs and advance into credit courses? Many educators have grappled with this question for years. While many fads and new techniques have been tried, few have been successful, except for learning styles, a research-based approach that has demonstrated statistically significant results. Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have learning-style preferences, but individual preferences differ significantly and the stronger the preference, the more important it is to provide compatible instructional strategies, especially among less academically successful students whose preferences may be quite different from successful students. With this in mind, two experiments were conducted at an urban community college experiencing difficulty getting remedial students to pass the ACT Writing Skills Test. In both experiments, the majority of students passed the standardized test and improved their scores significantly.     

学校体育教学改革落实素质教育的探讨

本文通过对我国学校体育现状、问题及成因的分析,提出教改必须在体育教学的目标、内容、形式以及考核办法方面配套进行,方能达到素质教育全面性、全体性和主体性的要求.     

A CASE STUDY OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHINESE KINDERGARTEN MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM

In 2001, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued Guidelines for Preschool Education (GPE) (trial version) to call on early childhood practitioners to use a child-centered and play-based approach to teaching and learning. The guidelines also include mathematics within the science domain and described its standards in a way that significantly lessens the teacher’s role as knowledge disseminator. Instead, the guidelines encourage mathematics learning and teaching through play, self-discovery, and problem solving. This qualitative case study examined one kindergarten teacher’s implementation of and associated challenges in delivering mathematics lessons from a newly developed integrated provincial curriculum (PC) and the quality of instruction as influenced by using a curriculum that is organized around thematic units. The analysis of the curriculum, ten videotaped lessons, two teacher interviews, and other supporting documents, such as student work and teacher lesson plans, indicated that the teacher encountered difficulties implementing the PC as intended due to a number of factors, including inadequate curricular resources, incoherency of the curriculum design, and a mismatch between the mathematics standards and curriculum goals and the teacher’s instructional style and teaching philosophy. As a result, the quality of mathematics instruction was poor, especially in the areas of (1) using effective teaching strategies, (2) providing clear and accurate instruction with a positive attitude, (3) engaging students in sustained interactions with mathematical ideas, and (4) offering on-going assessment and feedback. To close, recommendations for curriculum refinement and professional development are provided.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCEPTABILITY OF VIDEOCONFERENCING WITHIN A SCHOOL‐BASED BEHAVIORAL CONSULTATION FRAMEWORK

School‐based behavioral consultation with classroom teachers is one of the primary ways school psychologists deliver intervention services to students. The present study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of videoconferencing (VC) with teachers as an alternative medium of consultative communication. Specifically, problem identification interviews (PIIs) were conducted with 60 classroom teachers to simulate a typical consultation interaction. Each teacher completed two PIIs with the researcher consultants, one in a traditional face‐to‐face (FtF) format and one in a videoconference (VC) format Teachers completed two brief pre‐post measures, the Fast Form of the Technology Acceptability Model (FF‐TAM) and the Distance Communication Comfort Scale (DCCS) to evaluate the acceptability of VC. Demographic moderators of the acceptability of VC were evaluated using a multiple regression analysis. The results suggest that although teachers rated VC as an acceptable communication medium prior to participating in the VC interview, teacher acceptability ratings increased to “highly acceptable” after participating in the study. Finally, no variables were identified that significantly moderated the relationship between teachers' acceptability rating of VC and their demographic variables. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

PURPOSES AND APPROACHES OF SELECTED MENTORS IN SCHOOL‐BASED MENTORING: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY

Over the last decade, community leaders have connected with students through school‐based mentoring (SBM) programs (e.g., adults who mentor at‐risk students). However, research in the area of SBM is only on the cusp of understanding relationship elements for impacting youth. In this collective case study, we examined the perceptions and experiences of 11 selected mentors in dyadic relationships (i.e., mentee and mentor) to understand better ways to retain and to engage mentors for longer‐lasting mentoring relationships, providing a sense of connectedness for students. Specifically, we investigated purposes and approaches of mentoring through the voices and experiences of mentors working with elementary‐aged students in SBM. Results revealed self‐sustaining synergy within the dyads (with little or no program support) and themes of consistency, commitment, spirituality, playfulness, the use of self‐disclosure, creativity, and emphasis on the present. In addition, implications for cross‐cultural and, in particular, cross‐age mentoring are discussed. One exemplar case illustrates specific profile characteristics used to bridge age, gender, and cultural differences.     

CLASSROOM CONTEXTS AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT: A NATIONAL STUDY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Contextually based assessments reveal the circumstances accompanying maladjustment (the when, where, and with whom) and supply clues to the motivations underpinning problem behaviors. The Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) is a teacher rating scale composed of indicators describing behavior in 24 classroom situational contexts. This study examines the Trinidad and Tobago national normative process for the ASCA contextual dimensions with a representative sample of elementary school children (N = 900). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded the same three dimensions (peer context problems, teacher context problems, and learning context problems) observed in U.S. national samples. Dimensions were scaled using item response theory (IRT) and Bayesian scoring methods, with peer and learning context problems scores relating more strongly to clinical behavior disturbances and learning context problems showing stronger association with classroom learning styles. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

BUILDING A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CLERKSHIP IN GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Recent curriculum changes at McGill University include a mandatory 4-week clerkship for third-year medical students. The basis of this clerkship is the assessment and management of frail elderly who have a combination of complex acute and chronic medical problems and functional disabilities. It includes the understanding of the need for continuity of care across settings and the transition from hospital to the community. Our main purpose is to offer students a learning experience based upon self-reflection, access to technology, interactive learning and permanent feedback. To accomplish the technological goals, didactic sessions were mostly electronic-based with two main components: web-based interactive modules that include the contents in seven web-based interactive lectures complemented with pre- and post-tests, and an electronic portfolio to assess students' acquisition of skills and attitudes. We expect that implementation of this model of clinical clerkship will prepare future physicians, not only for the practice of geriatric medicine, but also for different medical and surgical specialties, and will enhance the attitudes, knowledge, and skills practitioners need to care for older people.     

QUALITY STAFF DEVELOPMENT — DELIVERY AND EVALUATION: A CASE STUDY OF HE‐FE COLLABORATION

This paper explores the contexts, origins, nature and evaluation of a modular “Quality in FE” staff development programme, collaboratively designed by two LEA evaluation teams and a university department of education and “delivered” by the latter. Emphasis is placed on the accreditation/progression features of the programme; and its evaluation is reported. An embryonic “in‐house consultancy” model is identified and its aptness to the current conjuncture, especially following the 1991 FE White Papers, is suggested.     

PILOT STUDY: SITUATIONAL EVALUATION AND BASE‐LINE TECHNIQUES IN ARTICULATION THERAPY

The problem of this study was to consider how a speech therapist can adequately evaluate the effectiveness of therapy. The unique feature of this pilot study was the use of a pre‐ and post‐test administration at the beginning and end of each therapy session. An error sound of the subject was selected on the basis of maturity and stimulability. Ten correct or incorrect responses to this error sound were tabulated for each session, establishing a base‐line on the initial performance and enabling progress checks. The number of correct responses during each therapy session increased as the number of sessions progressed. Increased efficiency could have been attributed to the effectiveness of previous sessions.     

IDENTIFICATION OF READING PROBLEMS IN FIRST GRADE WITHIN A RESPONSE-TO-INTERVENTION FRAMEWORK

Models of Response to Intervention (RTI) include parameters of assessment and instruction. This study focuses on assessment with the purpose of developing a screening battery that validly and efficiently identifies first-grade children at risk for reading problems. In an RTI model, these children would be candidates for early intervention. We examined accuracy, fluency, growth, and teacher rating measures as predictors of child status (at risk, not at risk) at the end of the school year based on an unselected sample of 243 children. The prediction model that best fit our selection criteria included 2-word fluency measures and a teacher rating of reading problems. Word-fluency growth was an equally plausible choice statistically, but, because the measure would require an additional data point, it was not the most efficient choice. The receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis yielded an area-under-the-curve index of .96, which indicates the selected 3-variable model is highly accurate.     

CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES WITH NEW CURRICULUM MATERIALS DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS IN MATHEMATICS: A CASE STUDY OF TEACHERS COPING WITH CHANGE

A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the classroom experiences of three sixth-grade teachers and their mathematics coach as they worked with new instructional materials during the implementation of a new state-mandated curriculum based on performance standards in mathematics. Teachers' collective participation in the exploration of the new standards, selection of materials, participation in a summer professional development workshop specifically tied to the use of the new materials, and the creation of an in-school professional development program were catalysts in the teachers' perception of the need to change their practice. The intended state-level standards were implemented with some success; however, despite their desire to change their practice and in contrast to their belief that considerable change had occurred, the data suggest that the change in the teachers' instructional practice was minimal.     

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS’ SELF‐EFFICACY TO THEIR PROGRAMMATIC SERVICE DELIVERY

Self‐efficacy pertains to individuals’ belief about their capability to accomplish a task; consequently, school counselors’ positive self‐efficacy is a theoretically based prerequisite for their facilitation of school‐based interventions. In addition, school counselor‐led interventions and comprehensive, developmenta l guidance programs benefit students’ personal social, academic, and career development. Therefore, this investigation examined the contribution of practicing school counselors’ (N = 693) self‐efficacy in relation to the frequency of their programmatic service delivery. The findings indicate that participants’ self‐efficacy scores contributed to the frequency of their programmatic service delivery (48% of the variance explained). Implications for school counselors, supervisors, and educational researchers are discussed.     

SCALE‐UP OF SAFE & CIVIL SCHOOLS’ MODEL FOR SCHOOL‐WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS

This study evaluated the scale‐up of a Safe & Civil Schools Foundations: Establishing Positive Discipline Policies positive behavioral interventions and supports initiative through 4 years of “real‐world” implementation in a large urban school district. The study extends results from a previous randomized controlled trial that established the effectiveness of the Safe & Civil Schools program in 32 elementary schools in the same district. This study emphasizes the application and evaluation of the program in regular district schools. Four‐year results indicate that elementary, middle, and high schools experienced moderate but steady improvements in (a) school discipline, (b) student safety policy and training, (c) staff perceptions of student behavior, and (d) student suspension and chronic tardiness rates. With few exceptions, improvements occurred after schools began Safe & Civil Schools Foundations training, and more years of training were associated with larger cumulative improvements in school and student outcomes. Given that similar effects were observed in schools with and without random assignment of training, and only after training began, we concluded that the improvements stem from Safe & Civil School's Foundations training.