“Packaged” Information: How are new Means of Delivering Information Affecting Students’ Information-Seeking Behavior?

This article explores two methods of “packaging” information for students: custom textbooks and web-based discovery services. It examines the implementation of each of these initiatives at the University of Reading, using the institution as a case study to explore the implications on students’ information-seeking behavior. This is combined with a review of the relevant literature surrounding each service. Custom textbooks were used by the University's History department to support one of its first-year undergraduate modules, with the aim of providing a source of essential reading. The University Library released its web-based discovery service to students in October 2011. Various effects on information-seeking behavior are observed, including the potential decline of critical thinking in order to evaluate sources and the danger of sidelining search skills in favor of easy information solutions. The article concludes that librarians have an important role to play in helping students to understand the complexity of information searching. Whilst custom textbooks and discovery services are in some ways beneficial to students, they still require guidance from expert library staff to help them navigate these resources as independent learners. Finally, topics for further research are presented.     

Merging Catalogs: Creating a Shared Bibliographic Environment for the State University Libraries of Florida

The eleven state universities of Florida have long shared an integrated library system architecture, but maintained separate databases. In 2009 the deans and directors of the eleven state university libraries tasked the three largest libraries to investigate the feasibility of combining all catalogs into a single bibliographic entity. With the help of a central automation group, the three successfully negotiated the fine line between sharing data and retaining the unique work created by each of the three libraries. The groundwork laid in this initiative should prove valuable to other libraries seeking to centralize functions and pool resources.     

Illusions of consensus: New South Wales stakeholders' constructions of the identity of history

This article analyses the relationships between the perspectives of stakeholders involved in the development of the 1998 New South Wales Stages 4–5 history syllabus. It examined four key issues that emerged in the debates about history education during the review and found that stakeholders' views diverged significantly on three of these issues. While loose coalitions formed around particular issues, stakeholders provided different rationales for their positions, and coalitions re-formed on other debates. The analysis highlights the divergence between stakeholders and between the Commonwealth and state governments and stakeholders on the desirable content and goals of history education. The findings indicate that consultation might not produce consensus, and that even the appearance of consensus can be grounded in substantively and philosophically different premises. In practical terms, the findings suggest that if the purpose of consultation as a method of curriculum development is to produce a syllabus that reflects the diverse perspectives held by stakeholders, then the syllabus structure needs to make provision for content options as well as common core areas of study.     

Motivating learners in open and distance learning: do we need a new theory of learner support?

This paper calls for a new theory of learner support in distance learning based on recent findings in the fields of learning and motivational psychology. It surveys some current learning motivation theories and proposes that models drawn from the relatively new field of Positive Psychology, such as the ‘Strengths Approach’, together with Dweck’s Self Theory and Anderson’s insistence on proactive support, could be developed into a ‘Proactive Motivational Support’ theory. Such a theory might enable distance educators to support learners more successfully than existing models of learning skills development and remedial support. The paper then reports on further findings from experiments (one previously described in Open Learning), using these approaches in the UK Open University. These findings confirm the previous results, showing significant increases in retention that, in the context of the Open University’s funding arrangements, appear to be at least self‐financing.     

Conditional inference and advanced mathematical study: further evidence

In this paper, we examine the support given for the ‘theory of formal discipline’ by Inglis and Simpson (Educational Studies Mathematics 67:187–204, 2008). This theory, which is widely accepted by mathematicians and curriculum bodies, suggests that the study of advanced mathematics develops general thinking skills and, in particular, conditional reasoning skills. We further examine the idea that the differences between the conditional reasoning behaviour of mathematics and arts undergraduates reported by Inglis and Simpson may be put down to different levels of general intelligence in the two groups. The studies reported in this paper call into question this suggestion, but they also cast doubt on a straightforward version of the theory of formal discipline itself (at least with respect to university study). The paper concludes by suggesting that either a pre-university formal discipline effect or a filtering effect on ‘thinking dispositions’ may give a better account for the findings.     

Ancillary staff members' mainstreaming recommendations for students with mild exceptionalities

Mainstreaming decisions, including identification of handicapped students for regular class placement and support service recommendations (e.g., reduced class size, inservice training, consultation services), are frequently made by nonclassroom personnel such as school psychologists, occupational/physical therapists, and speech/language pathologists. Factors considered by these professionals in making mainstreaming decisions are poorly understood, however. This study sought to identify mainstreaming modifications judged to be important by ancillary professionals in recommending mainstreaming of students with mild exceptionalities. Data revealed that no significant differences were noted in number of selected modifications as a function of diagnostic category. Ancillary staff members indicated, however, that substantial modifications were needed to facilitate successful mainstreaming. Results are discussed relative to current educational trends.     

Statistically significant differences between subtest scores on the test of reading comprehension

The authors contend that erroneous conclusions concerning intraindividual strengths and weaknesses may result when comparing scaled scores on subtests of The Test of Reading Comprehension. Examination of scaled scores may seem to indicate that a given student has performed better on one subtest than on another when, in reality, the difference between the two scores is not statistically significant. The authors present a table in which statistically significant differences between subtest scaled scores are identified. Use of the table enables more precise determination of intraindividual strengths and weaknesses.     

The concurrent validity of the peabody individual achievement test relative to the KeyMath diagnostic arithmetic test among adolescents

To investigate the concurrent validity of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test, both instruments were administered to 171 adolescents. Math scores on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test were correlated with all scores on the KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. Partial correlation coefficients were computed according to age, sex, race, IQ, and total group. The presence of relatively high and positive partial correlations between the scores supported the concurrent validity of the instruments.