On‐line professional staff development: An evaluation study

This paper reports the design, implementation, and evaluation of a teleseminar on instructional design (ID) and computer‐mediated communication (CMC) for the purposes of staff development at The University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia. Participation was open to any staff with an involvement or interest in distance education. This study was motivated by the following research questions: Is CMC a viable medium for the professional development of staff in distance education? Does the nature of moderation of CMC‐based discussions influence the nature of contributions from subscribers? Do participants use different strategies (interactive, cognitive, and metacognitive) in CMC‐based discussions? To address these questions a teleseminar was instituted with a focus on the issues of ID and CMC. CMC‐based moderation techniques were used to manage the discussion. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools were used to measure the outcomes of the teleseminar. Results of these evaluation data show that CMC proved to be a viable medium for the professional development of staff, that the moderation strategies influenced the nature of contributions from the subscribers, and that participants used a range of strategies to manage the discussion and their participation in it.     

Responses of Mentally Retarded Children on a Visual Discrimination Task Involving Concept Formation

This study evaluated 3 groups of mentally retarded children on a visual discrimination reading readiness task. Ss included 75 mentally retarded persons residing at the Columbus State Institute divided into 5 MA groups ranging from 3 years to 8 years. Three different groups of 25 Ss were matched on CA, MA, and IQ and two of these were paired on perceptual functioning on the basis of Gellner classifications. The third group included 25 Ss diagnosed as having genetic mechanisms. The task consisted of 100 cards of three coloured pictures with two of them being associated. Results showed the minimally handicapped visual group performed higher than the other two groups. MA was highly related to success especially for the highest MA group. Implications of these data are discussed.     

Epistemological beliefs across cultures: critique and analysis of beliefs structure studies

The findings of epistemological beliefs studies in North America, Hong Kong and Taiwan were compared and interpreted in terms of the different cultural contexts and methodologies used in the research studies. Based on cross culture analysis a hypothesis for the structure of epistemological beliefs was proposed. Implications were also drawn for future research in this field, in light of the limitations and potential of existing measuring instruments.     

The Case for Women Mentoring Women

ABSTRACT

The authors argue that there will be a critical mass of women in leadership positions in kinesiology and across higher education for substantial gender-based mentoring to take place in the 21st century. First, the current state of women in higher education leadership, trends in mentoring, and the reasons it is important for women who have aspirations to advance in their careers are examined. The authors argue that it is important to have access to gender-based guidance and support that are critical to successful leadership into the future. The authors advocate for a focused, purposeful type of mentoring supported by relational-cultural theory and narrative practice. Men will continue to be important mentors for women, but the authors argue that, at the same time, women also need to have access to the perspectives of other women who have forged the way into higher education administration.     

Are all phonemic awareness tests created equally? A comparison of the Yopp‐Singer and the task of auditory analysis skills (TASS)

This study examined two screening instruments designed to measure phonemic awareness (Test of Auditory Analysis Skills‐TAAS and Yopp‐Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation). Participants included 25 second‐semester kindergarten children who were administered both instruments. The dependent measure (the STAR Reading Test) was administered in February of their First‐Grade year. The investigation was designed to determine if these instruments are both evaluating the same skills and identify which was more effective in predicting success in reading near the end of First Grade. The children's scores from the Yopp‐Singer and the TAAS were correlated (r=0.56, p<0.01) and so were the scores between the TAAS and STAR (r=0.51, p<0.01). Comparison of scores between the Yopp and the STAR produced non‐significant results (r=0.31). Although the TAAS produced a higher correlation with reading achievement than the Yopp‐Singer, the difference between these two measures failed to reach significance (t=1.16). Implications of these findings, along with possible explanations of the results, are discussed.     

Remembering Activities Performed Versus Imagined: A Comparison of Children with Mental Retardation and Children with Normal Intelligence

CHILDREN with mental retardation and children with normal intelligence were asked to perform a series of tasks or to only imagine performing them. They were then asked to remember which tasks had been performed and which had been imagined at an immediate interview and after an eight week delay. There were no overall differences between the two groups in the number of correct responses. However, all children gave more correct responses to specific probes than to open‐ended probes and remembered activities performed better than those imagined. Performance was more accurate for both groups at the immediate interview than at the delayed interview. Responses to questions about activities neither performed nor imagined were good for both groups of children to the initial questions but decreased significantly in response to a follow‐up probe. Accuracy of responses to these misleading questions decreased over the eight week delay.