Assessing child-care quality with a telephone interview

As increasing numbers of children enter child-care environments that are subsidized by federal and state funds, the demand has risen from policy makers and activists for valid, cost-effective methods of assessing the quality of those environments. In this study we asked whether data on child-care quality obtained from a telephone interview with the provider can serve as an adequate proxy for data obtained from direct observation. Observations were conducted in 89 family child-care homes and 92 centers using the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) and the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS-R), respectively. The target providers and teachers were subsequently interviewed by telephone using a protocol developed by the authors. For the family child-care providers, the 25 item telephone interview explained 49% of the variance (adjusted r²) in the total FDCRS score. Discriminant analyses revealed that the telephone interview was able to predict accurately 92% of the homes in terms of three FDCRS-derived categories of quality: “poor,” “mediocre,” or “developmentally appropriate.” For the centers, the 22 item telephone interview accounted for 51% of the variance (adjusted r²) in the total ECERS-R score. The telephone interview was able to predict the classification of 89% of the centers in terms of the ECERS-R derived categories of “poor,” “mediocre,” or “developmentally appropriate.” Shorter forms of the telephone interviews (12 items for family child-care; 13 items for center-based care) also demonstrated adequate predictive capability. These findings suggest that the telephone interview can be a valid source of data concerning the global quality of a child-care environment.     

Assessing the older worker: The career counselor's dilemma

Journal of Career Development -     

Assessing and changing career decision-making self-efficacy expectations

Conclusion Evidence that a significant percentage of career decision-makers may be helped only partially by traditional information-oriented approaches suggests that career counselors pay increased attention to the personal-emotional barriers which deter many individuals from making and enacting sound career plans. Self-efficacy theory seems to be especially promising as a guide for changing negative expectations, as it offers the counselor a set of specific strategies for assessing low expectations and for treating them. Social-cognitive theory provides a firm research-based framework from which the counselor can encourage clients to gather new efficacy information. Using the basic social-cognitive strategies, counseling can proceed to facilitate the changing of clients' cognitive schemata, by means of the counselor's encouraging clients to consider new evidence and to try further tests of old beliefs. Counselors are encouraged to continue to explore methods for assessing and treating low career decision-making self-efficacy expectations. A self-efficacy-based approach lends itself to the requirement for focused, short-term intervention which is typical of many settings in which career counseling is practiced, while it also ensures that important personal-emotional issues in career decision-making are addressed.     

An exploration of adult career interests and work values in Taiwan

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between vocational interests and work values among 206 adults in Taiwan. The instruments were the Career Interest Inventory developed based on Holland’s RIASEC typology and the Work Value Inventory developed based on Super’s theory. The results of multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant gender differences in overall vocational interests and overall work values. In addition, the gender differences were found in three vocational interests (Realistic, Artistic, and Social) and three types of work value (Achievement, Economic Return, and Way of life). The results of canonical correlation analyses showed similar, but not exactly the same, patterns in correlation of interests and values between men and women. These results were discussed in terms of their implications for research and practice.     

Investigating the professional identity dynamic in career counselling: The socioconstructivist interview

A socioconstructivist method is used to investigate the professional identity dynamic of employees in the context of career counselling. This method is particularly well-suited because of the intrication, at the core of the client’s identity, of psychological dimensions, such as values and capabilities, which are essential to career counselling. Additionally, this approach allows one to contextualise these dimensions, as biographical and environmental references emerge to give meaning and relevance to representations of the self and others. We apply the multistage investigator of the social identity method to study two specific cases, and to illustrate the contribution of the socioconstructivist interview.     

高职职业生涯规划平台建设研究

随着国内高职院校招生人数的日益增多,就业问题成了高职院校面临的重大难题之一,如何有效促进高职生就业,为高职生搭建职业生涯规划平台成为各高职教育的重中之重。而高职职业生涯规划教育体系尚未成熟,存在诸多问题,为了使高职职业生涯规划教育取得有效成果,需要从学校、社会、高职生三个层面着手,全方位搭建高职职业生涯规划平台,为学生个人职业生涯发展和社会进步作出贡献。     

大学生就业指导课程构建的新思考

近年来,各地高校陆续开设了大学生就业指导课。随着社会新形势的发展,对大学生就业指导课提出了更高的要求。本文通过对大学生就业指导课的现状进行分析后提出新的构建思路。     

Assessing mathematics within advanced school science qualifications

Following sustained discussion regarding the relationship between advanced mathematics and science learning in England, the government has pursued a reform agenda in which mathematics is embedded in national, high stakes A-level science qualifications and their assessments for 18-year-olds. For example, A-level Chemistry must incorporate the assessment of relevant mathematics for at least 20% of the qualification. Other sciences have different mandated percentages. This embedding policy is running in parallel with an adding policy that is encouraging all young people to include the study of mathematics to 18. In this paper, we present a detailed scrutiny of the published sample assessment materials in the new A-level Physics, Chemistry and Biology qualifications in order to consider what the impact of this policy move might be for the teaching and learning of mathematics, its applications in upper secondary school advanced science studies and the implications in the transition to mathematically-demanding undergraduate studies.     

基于利益相关者理论的施工项目管理绩效评价

根据建筑施工企业项目管理的特点,在分析基于利益相关者理论的施工项目管理绩效评价的特殊性基础上,从考虑施工项目管理目标任务的执行情况和满足利益相关者利益需求出发,对施工项目管理绩效评价指标体系重新进行构建,以便能更有效地评价建筑施工企业的项目管理绩效。     

我国大学生创业服务体系构建研究

构建大学生创业服务体系是鼓励大学生创业、缓解就业压力的重要举措。大学生创业服务体系的构建应从政府和高校两方面着手,政府通过政策支持、融资服务以及技术服务等手段,高校通过创业教育和创业实践等途径为大学生创业做好前期准备,鼓励和扶持大学生创业。     

浅析心理游戏“生涯价值拍卖”的构建

在心理课的游戏活动体系中,价值观探索是一项相当重要的内容,它有助于学生树立正确的价值观,认清人生的价值,确立人生的方向,为学生准确定位人生的职业方向提供参考。本文以"生涯价值拍卖"游戏的实施为基础,探讨生涯价值拍卖的构建以及在其中必须注意的问题、原则等。     

关于加强大学生就业指导课程建设的思考

当前,许多高校的就业指导课在教学安排、教学内容、教学形式和师资队伍建设等方面存在着一些问题和不足.解决这些问题,必须以教学安排全程化、教材内容科学化、教学形式多样化、教师队伍专业化、教学机构完善化、教学管理规范化和学科研究先进化为目标,全面加强就业指导课程建设.     

谈生涯人物访谈在高职院校就业与创业课程教学中的运用

近年来,高职大学生就业与创业指导课程的建设取得长足进步,但学生对课程学习的兴趣和积极性不高,课程教学效果不佳的问题仍十分突出。理性分析发现,教师教学方法缺乏新意,教学手段单一,未能发挥学生学习的主观能动性是导致课程教学实效性不强的主要原因。如何才能从根本上解决问题呢？笔者作为课程教学一线的教师,认为紧扣课程的特点,突出学习主体的地位,选择运用恰当的教学方法和手段是关键。将生涯人物访谈法运用于高职院校就业与创业课程教学中,能更好地激发学生的学习兴趣,明显提高教学实效。     

翻译批评与翻译理论建构———关于翻译批评的对谈

本文为刘云虹教授与中国当代翻译研究界领军学者许钧教授围绕翻译批评展开的一次对谈,表达了诸多重要的观点,其中包括: 一、翻译批评在当今中国的有效在场不够,翻译批评遭遇了生存危机; 二、翻译批评者的主体意识和翻译批评的历史意识这两者的重要性尚未得到充分认识; 三、翻译批评的学术合法性基础之一在于它是翻译实践与翻译理论构建之间的互动场域,必须真正发挥翻译批评在翻译理论构建中的重要作用,同时真正让批评介入翻译场域和系统。