Staff support group on a cancer ward: a pilot project

Despite strong evidence of high stress among oncology nursing staffs, few empirical intervention studies have been attempted. This study involved a pilot project to combine two anxiety-reducing aids--group support and the provision of pertinent information--into a single format for maximum stress reduction. Weekly groups producing both support and information lasted 8 months and covered a wide range of topics. Both unstructured and didactic sessions were used. Pre- and postquestionnaires were distributed to each participant to assess ward atmosphere, attitudes about cancer, and level of stress. Participants expressed great satisfaction with the project, but their enthusiasm was not supported by statistical evaluation. Various methodological and programmatic aspects that may account for the discrepancy between anecdotal and statistical results are discussed.     

Education and economic development: The fundamentals revisited

Education levels are positively related to variables which are themselves indicators of economic development, yet there is no direct linkage between education levels and economic development On the evidence of the past 24 years it appears that the countries experiencing higher growth rates are those which combine high investment levels and large education outlays with a set of supporting domestic policies. These policies are revealed by substantial factor productivity gains, which are especially related to openness to the international environment. There is evidence that specifically vocational training is a less efficient use of public education resources than generic or “academic” education.     

The university of the future: Boyer revisited

The paper considers Boyer's declaration that the work of a university centres around four areas of scholarship: discovery, teaching, application and integration. The evolution of the modern university is analysed in terms of the struggle for dominance by each area of scholarship in turn, to meet the needs of the contemporary society. It identifies three major times of upheaval. At the birth of the Civic universities, the scholarship of discovery was added to that of teaching. With the plate glass expansion and the institution of the polytechnic sector, the need for application was acknowledged. As knowledge has expanded and new subject areas continue to form where disciplines connect and overlap, the discipline of integration has become increasingly relevant and, with the merging of the polytechnic and university systems, it could be argued that there has also emerged a need for a management system to support that integration.The paper concludes that Boyer's four areas of scholarship are still necessary, and remain core to the business of universities, but they are no longer sufficient for survival and development unless the scholarships are considered, not only at an institutional and national level, but also as part of a global learning system. The four scholarships will only be guaranteed if the unique role of the university itself is defined and defended.     

The birth plan revisited

In answer to a reader's question, the author of this column discusses moving birth plans beyond a check list of options to a plan of evolving confidence, support-building, and comfort.     

The Biglan classification revisited

Conclusion The Biglan classification scheme provides a valid framework for studying academic diversity within the higher education system. It continues to be a strong construct for classifying faculty as evidenced by its power to discriminate current faculty on a recent faculty data set. Previously unclassified professional disciplines of Dentistry and Nursing were classified as hard-applied-nonlife and soft-applied-life respectively. Difficulty classifying other fields may be the result of diverse, interdisciplinary subject matter, and the stage of academic development of the discipline. An expanded classification system such as the one by Becher may be more inclusive and deserves further study.     

The target language revisited

This article reports on a study on the use of the target language (TL) in foreign language classrooms, drawing on the perspectives of student teachers and practising teachers. Observational and group discussion data showed that TL use was not extensive. While student teachers and practising teachers shared a commitment to using the TL, this was undermined by several factors, notably inconsistencies between university and school positions on TL use, challenging classes, external inspection and examinations. Lack of coherence between student teachers' experiences at university and in schools has implications not only for languages but also other subjects in teacher preparation.     

The ivory tower revisited

The corollary of the concept of the ‘ivory tower’, as reflected in the writings of Plato and Newman amongst others, was, paradoxically, the vital importance of the university for wider society. Nevertheless from the mid-twentieth century, the esteem in which a ‘liberal’ university education was held was diminished by rising expectations that higher education institutions would actively contribute to addressing broader socio-economic challenges through ‘knowledge-transfer’, education for employment, and community service. However while this linear conception of universities' ‘third mission’ eroded their ‘ivory tower’ status, the death knell of the ‘ivory tower’ rings in contemporary literature on higher education, which articulates a dialectical view of its historical development in which the university and wider society are synthesised in the ‘engaged university’. With its focus on reciprocal ‘knowledge-exchange’, the co-creation of knowledge through teaching and learning, and civic engagement, the ‘engaged university’ embraces the ‘other’ as intrinsic to its identity. Yet arguably the increasing instrumentalism and democratisation of higher education are irrevocably eroding the academic freedom and institutional autonomy upon which universities' immeasurable contribution to society ultimately depends.     

The motive-strategy congruence model revisited

This paper, based on research with 1266 Australian secondary school students, provides support for two propositions central to Biggs' (1985, 1987) notion of motive-strategy congruence. Evidence was found that students tended to utilize learning strategies congruent with their motivation for learning and that congruent motive-strategy combinations are associated with higher average school grades than noncongruent combinations.     

临界频率和非临界频率——频率和语法化关系的重新审视

以往人们对频率—语法化关系的研究多建立在笼统意义的频率基础上,这在理论和实证上都遇到了问题。频率对语法化的影响是通过语用推理来实现的,因而有必要区分语法化项在具备语用推理条件和不具备语用推理条件两种环境下的频率,即临界频率和非临界频率。语法化受到前者的直接推动,但与后者并无关联。     

The regulation of public social life: Communication law revisited

A complex arena of legal regulations governing public space and the built environment shape the opportunities for and nature of social interaction. This article develops a taxonomy of the indirect or accidental, intentional, or unintended regulations which influence social interaction in public spaces and suggests an expansion of the scope of communication law. The taxonomy developed through a case study of a suburban municipality and encompasses zoning laws (which address signage, facade, parking, display windows, take‐out and delivery service, and vending machines, the segregation of functions, design districts), penal codes, minimum drinking and driving ages, and the regulation of smoking in public places. These form the regulatory web around which communication in public life revolves.     

Mission matters: The cost of small high schools revisited

With the financial support of several large foundations and the federal government, creating small schools has become a prominent high school reform strategy in many large American cities. While some research supports this strategy, little research assesses the relative costs of these smaller schools. We use data on over 200 New York City high schools, from 1996 through 2003, to estimate school cost functions relating per pupil expenditures to school size, controlling for school output and quality, student characteristics, and school organization.We find that the structure of costs differs across schools depending upon mission—comprehensive or themed. At their current levels of outputs, themed schools minimize per pupil costs at smaller enrollments than comprehensive schools, but these optimally sized themed schools also cost more per pupil than optimally sized comprehensive schools. We also find that both themed and comprehensive high schools at actual sizes are smaller than their optimal sizes.