Faculty attitudes toward student protest

As part of a large-scale university survey, a random sample of faculty (75% of whom had had firsthand experience with serious student revolt) were asked for their reaction to a series of questions dealing with student protest — with the reasons for it, the kinds of student protest tactics employed, and the type of actions an administration might take to control it. Statistical comparisons were made between faculty, students, and administrators; and among faculty across disciplines to try to account for different attitudes. Findings suggest that faculty differ less among themselves than from other university constituent groups as to attitude about protest. They tend to distinguish sharply between dissent (which they support) and disruption (which they do not), and to favor responses to protest which keep the university open and functioning. Finally, the view is advanced that violent unrest is the unfortunate result of reciprocal escalation which can be avoided by attention to the causes of dissent rather than its dramatic manifestations.Revised and adapted from a paper delivered at the National Convention of the American Educational Studies Association, Washington, D.C., November 1972     

Role models and student attitudes toward nontraditional careers

This study investigated the immediate and delayed attitudinal effects of presenting ninth-grade students with career information and role models in two media forms, slide/tape and print. On an immediate measure, both the slide/tape and print treatments had a significant positive effect on student attitudes toward the suitability of nontraditional careers for both men and women. Students also had more positive attitudes toward nontraditional careers included in their treatment than toward those not included. Attitudes of the print and slide/tape groups did not differ significantly from each other. None of the significant differences were sustained on a delayed test administered 8 days later. Several interactions related to gender of student and job were found. More comprehensive programs involving multiple role models and other career-related activities are recommended to increase the probability of long-term changes in attitudes toward the appropriateness of nontraditional careers.     

Faculty attitudes toward student evaluation of teaching

This study dealt with university faculty attitudes toward the validity of and varying uses for student evaluations of teaching. It was hypothesized that faculty attitudes toward the potential uses of student evaluations would be systematically related to a professor's a priori frame of reference regarding the validity of these instruments. On the basis of responses to selected questionnaire items, faculty were divided into those whose frame of reference (1) opposed the idea that student evaluations could be made valid, (2) supported the idea that existing evaluation forms were valid, and (3) were uncommitted regarding this validity question. A fourth group, administrators at the university, were also surveyed. Large and consistent differences among these groups were found on policy matters such as the use of student evaluations in tenure and promotion decisions, in providing information to students to help them choose courses, and on a variety of other issues. In each case the results supported the hypothesis.Authors' names are ordered randomly.     

Oral versus written assessments: a test of student performance and attitudes

Student performance in and attitudes towards oral and written assessments were compared using quantitative and qualitative methods. Two separate cohorts of students were examined. The first larger cohort of students (n = 99) was randomly divided into ‘oral’ and ‘written’ groups, and the marks that they achieved in the same biology questions were compared. Students in the second smaller cohort (n = 29) were all examined using both written and oral questions concerning both ‘scientific’ and ‘personal development’ topics. Both cohorts showed highly significant differences in the mean marks achieved, with better performance in the oral assessment. There was no evidence of particular groups of students being disadvantaged in the oral tests. These students and also an additional cohort were asked about their attitudes to the two different assessment approaches. Although they tended to be more nervous in the face of oral assessments, many students thought oral assessments were more useful than written assessments. An important theme involved the perceived authenticity or ‘professionalism’ of an oral examination. This study suggests that oral assessments may be more inclusive than written ones and that they can act as powerful tools in helping students establish a ‘professional identity’.     

Relationship between ecology fieldwork and student attitudes toward environmental protection

This article is a summary of research carried out on Spanish secondary school students 14–16 years of age, with the intention of finding out what contributions fieldwork makes toward the understanding of concepts and principles of ecology, and also to ascertain the effects of fieldwork on the defense of the studied ecosystem. Before further research was conducted, an exploratory study was carried out consisting of an initial diagnosis of the pupils' ideas; fieldwork materials were prepared and an ecology unit for the study of a freshwater ecosystem was designed, along with evaluation instruments. The experimental design was given shape thanks to work done with two groups of students on whom a more exhaustive study was performed. The independent variable consisted of a field trip; the dependent variable was the learning of ecological concepts and their application to the assessment of an environmental problem. The study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. A result of the research work was the conclusion that fieldwork helps clarify ecological concepts and intervenes directly in the development of more favorable attitudes toward the defense of the ecosystem. Both components are seen when making valid judgments for the resolution of problems which negatively affect the ecosystem and for showing the way toward the type of actions and solutions which should be adopted. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 431–453, 1999     

Relation of field independence and test-item format to student performance on written piagetian tests

In this study we have investigated the relationship between the field-dependence-independence (FDI) dimension as measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and subject performance on the Longeot test, a pencil-and-paper Piagetian test, through the open or closed format of its items. The sample consisted of 141 high school students. Correlation and variance analysis show that the FDI dimension and GEFT correlate significantly on only those items on the Longeot test that require formal reasoning. The effect of open- or closed-item format is found exclusively for formal items; only the open format discriminates significantly (at the 0.01 level) between the field-dependent and -independent subjects performing on this type of item. Some implications of these results for science education are discussed.     

Traditional and nontraditional student attitudes toward the mixed age college classroom

As the numbers of nontraditional students on college campuses continue to climb, college educators should become increasingly aware of issues regarding the mixed age college classroom. The research reported in this paper is focused on understanding mixed age classrooms from the student's perspective. Through telephone interviews with over 300 students we explored three major areas: attitudes traditional and nontraditional students hold regarding their mixed age classroom experience; attitudes each group has toward their own age group and the other age group; and perceptions of the differences between older and younger students' relationships with their professors. Data on both younger and older students were collected, analyzed and compared.Jean M. Lynch is an Assistant Professor of Sociology/Anthropology, and Associate Director of the Applied Research Center at Miami University. She received her Masters in Sociology from the University of Rhode Island and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University. Her research interests include the mixed age college classroom and the sociology of law and gender. Cathy Bishop-Clark is an Assistant Professor in the Systems Analysis Department at Miami University. She holds an M.S. in Information Systems, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Foundations at the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include the mixed age college classroom and cognitive style as relates to computer programming.     

Influences on teacher education student attitudes toward youth who are HIV+

The expectations, attributions, and reactions toward children and youth who have contracted HIV/AIDS warrant close attention from parents, teachers, related service personnel, and others who will interact with these students in the schools. Those who are misinformed or unaware of their beliefs may inadvertently discriminate against children and youth with the disease. This study examined factors that influence judgments about children and youth with HIV/AIDS in a sample of teacher education students. Course of infection of HIV accounted for significant differences in the participants' judgments about responsibility and blame for contracting the disease and also fearfulness and attitudes reflecting isolation for these youth. Educational professionals should be aware of the many negative attributions placed on adolescents who are diagnosed as HIV⁺ and be prepared to act as facilitators when designing appropriate interventions to assist these students. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 211–219, 2004.     

Instructional television and student attitudes toward teacher,course, and medium

Summary and conclusions Semantic Differential data were obtained from 234 ninth graders who had just completed an algebra course which included a televised lecture presenting a new approach to the subject matter, and from 269 pupils who had had algebra taught in the usual way.     

Educators' perceptions and attitudes toward school counseling and student personnel services: A cultural perspective

This study was designed to survey and compare attitudes and perceptions toward school counseling and student personnel programs as held by educators in the Caribbean. The subjects in the study comprised 275 teachers and administrators employed in public and private junior and senior high schools in Nassau, Bahamas. The statistical tests used to analyze the data were the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and the Friedman two-way analysis for repeated measures. The findings indicate that administrators at all levels expressed significantly more favorable attitudes and perceptions toward counseling and student personnel programs in the schools than teachers. Teachers in the study expressed the following: (a) serious concern regarding the competency of practicing counselors in their schools; (b) a need for clarification of their role and function in the guidance process and a clarification of the counselor's role; and (c) minimum acceptable standards should be established for school counseling positions.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel dieses Berichts war es, die Haltungen und Wahrnehmungen von Erziehungswissenschaftlern in der Karibik gegenüber schulischer Beratung und Personalprogrammen für Schüler zu untersuchen und zu analysieren. Für den Bericht wurden 275 an öffentlichen und privaten Junior und Senior High School tätige Lehrern und Administratoren befragt. Um die Daten für die statistische Analyse zu gewinnen, wurden die Kruskal-Wallis Ein-Weg Varianzanalyse und die Friedman Zwei-Weg Analyse für wiederholte Maßnahmen angewandt. Die Befunde ergaben, daß Administratoren sämtlicher Stufen erheblich günstigere Haltungen und Wahrnehmungen gegenüber Beratungs- und Personalprogrammen für Schüler an den Schulen einnahmen als die Lehrer. In dem Bericht äußerten die Lehrer folgendes: (a) erhebliches Bedenken bezüglich der Kompetenz praktizierender Berater an ihren Schulen; (b) die Notwendigkeit sowohl ihre Rolle und Funktion in dem Beratungsprozeß als auch die Rolle des Beraters zu klären; (c) ein Minimum an annehmbaren Standards für Schulberatungspositionen sei festzustellen.

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Résumé Cette étude a été conçue pour examiner et comparer les jugements et les opinions enregistrés sur les conseils d'école et les programmes du personnel étudiant tels qu'ils sont organisés par les spécialistes de l'éducation aux Bahamas. Les sujets de cette étude ont fait appel à 275 enseignants et administrateurs employés dans les écoles d'enseignement secondaire et supérieur de Nassau aux Bahamas. L'analyse unidirectionnelle de variance de Kruskal et Wallis ainsi que l'analyse bidirectionnelle de Friedman pour mesures répétées ont été utilisées en tant que tests statistiques pour traiter les données. Les résultats montrent que les administrateurs ont exprimé à tous les niveaux des jugements et des opinions bien plus favorables que celles des enseignants au sujet des conseils et des programmes du personnel étudiant des écoles. Les enseignants interviewés dans le cadre de cette étude ont exprimé les points suivants: (a) un grand intérêt pour ce qui est de la compétence des conseillers en exercice dans leur école; (b) la nécessité de préciser leur rôle et leur fonction dans le processus d'orientation ainsi que le rôle du conseiller; et (c) des normes minimums acceptables doivent être fixées pour les postes des conseils d'école.

     

Gender and attitudes toward work

This paper presents some differences between men and women regarding their attitudes to work and the implications of those attitudes regarding counselling. The subjects were 300 Polish students (150 men and 150 women) and 306 German students. The study is part of a larger collaborative research program conducted in 43 countries by Lynn (1991). The results are presented against the background of Weber's (1929) Protestant work ethic, Schumpeter's (1934) theory of competitiveness, McClelland's (1976) theory of achievement motivation, and Wiener's (1981) theory of low valuation of business.All of these theories seek to show the relationship and influence of the psychology of the individual, as that is manifested in attitude, on the economic growth of a nation. The results of the present study support Wiener's theory that the social status of business occupations play an important role in the growth of economies. They also reveal that men are generally more concerned than women, with the attitudes, and values, that are considered as a motive power of economic growth.