Effects of witness characteristics on the perception and reportage of child abuse

Vignettes depicting the physical mistreatment, psychological mistreatment and neglect of children were used in an experimental design to test for bias in perception and reportage of child abuse. Subjects were 160 jurors and 176 child protective service (CPS) and police personnel. Jurors born before 1945 were less critical of such mistreatment than those born later. Female jurors pledged to report mistreatment more often than did male jurors, and they pledged to report the abuse of a female victim more often than a male victim. The other groups did not show this bias in reporting. Findings might explain discrepancies between studies of the incidence of child abuse and reportage of it.     

Measuring the quality of e‐learning

This paper shows how concept mapping can be used to measure the quality of e‐learning. Six volunteers (all of them 3rd‐year medical students) took part in a programme of e‐learning designed to teach the principles of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Their understanding of MRI was measured before and after the course by the use of concept mapping. The quality of change in individuals' maps was assessed using criteria developed to distinguish between meaningful and rote‐learning outcomes. Student maps were also scored for evidence of conceptual richness and understanding. Finally, each map was compared directly with the content of the electronic teaching material. The results show that many of the student misconceptions were put right in the course of their learning but that many of the key concepts introduced in the teaching were ignored (or sometimes learnt by rote) by the students. This was because the teaching material locked these new ideas in structures and terminology that precluded meaning‐making among non‐experts. Our data suggest that students' prior knowledge is a key determinant of meaningful learning. We suggest that this must be acknowledged if the design and use of electronic teaching material is also to be meaningful. Ultimately, measures of student learning are the only authentic indicators of the quality of teaching through technology.     

Adolescent sexual risk behaviors and school‐based sexually transmitted infection/HIV prevention

Many adolescents are susceptible to negative outcomes associated with sexual behavior. This is particularly true for those who initiate sexual intercourse at an early age, have many sex partners, or engage in unprotected sex because these behaviors put one at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. This article reviews the various demographic, social‐contextual, and intrapersonal factors linked to sexual risk behaviors. Successful STI/HIV prevention programs must consider developmental and gender issues, as well as cultural norms and values, to effectively meet the prevention needs of all adolescents. We discuss the characteristics of effective intervention programs and provide the names and key features of empirically validated, school‐based STI/HIV prevention programs. In addition, we recommend specific roles for school psychologists in STI/HIV prevention efforts. Finally, other resources are provided to assist practitioners in their continuing review of STI/HIV prevention education. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

PhD students’ work conditions and study environment in university- and industry-based PhD programmes

During the last 10 years, new models of funding and training PhD students have been established in Denmark in order to integrate industry into the entire PhD education. Several programmes have been conducted where it is possible to co-finance PhD scholarships or to become an employee as an industrial PhD in a company. An important question is what impact these new conditions will have on the PhD students’ training, work conditions and study environment. In this article, the new type of programmes will be presented together with data analysis of PhD students’ work conditions and study environment in various programmes mainly based on a research project from 2006. The results of this study show no significant difference between PhD students in a traditional university PhD programme and PhD students in an industrial programme concerning working environment. However, the study shows significant differences in the intercultural dimension, where foreign PhD students are significantly more satisfied with their study environment compared with Danish PhD students. In general the workload is very high and the environment is stressful for all PhD students.     

An integrated and open-ended experiment

In this article we discuss an exciting experiment in non-linear dynamics. This provides an imaginative platform for bringing in chemical, physical, biological, mathematical and computational sciences together. There are implications for earth sciences as well. B M Deb is a theoretical chemist who has been designing experiments for chemistry teaching laboratories for more than thirty years. Mainak Sadhukhan, Sudarson Sekhar Sinha and Sucheta Sengupta were students of PBIR-Chemical Sciences. Ranjit Biswas is a physical chemist working on both theory and experiment in chemical dynamics.     

School-enrollment rates and trends,gender, and fertility: a cross-national analysis

The analysis of the association between educational status and fertility decline is performed 1) by examining the rates of enrollment in primary and secondary schools by gender and 2) by assessing the effects of the change/spread in rates of enrollment between 1965 and 1986. 59 countries were involved in the cross-sectional analysis. Variables included the logged crude birth rate, total enrollment rates, enrollment rates by gender, male-female ratios, the growth rate for each educational measure by world system status (core, peripheral, and semiperipheral countries), control variables (economic growth, family planning, multinational corporate penetration, women's labor force participation, child mortality rate, social insurance programs), and enrollment changes. The evidence reflects a strong association between levels of enrollment of girls in primary and secondary school and gender inequality and fertility declines. Caldwell's theory of the flows of wealth and the spread of education effect was found to have little support. High levels of female enrollment and low levels of gender inequality in access to schooling are associated with fertility declines. Caldwell's theory is that this indicates a decline in patriarchy, change in women's familial roles and a shift to a more egalitarian family structure. Increases in female education mean higher status and more power for women.