Books of the Month

Maurice Horn (ed.) The World Encyclopedia of Comics (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1976—$30.00 for trade edition; $42.50 for augmented library edition

Anthony Rhodes Propaganda: The Art of Persuasion, World War II (New York: Chelsea House, 1976— $30.00     

Impression management messages and reactions to organizational reward allocations: The mediating influence of fairness and responsibility

In this scenario‐based experiment we examined the relationships among impression management messages, evaluations of reward allocations (fairness and responsibility) and reactions to rewards (anger, approval of manager and overall job satisfaction). The results suggest that impression management messages directly influence fairness and responsibility, and indirectly influence anger and approval. Specifically, justifications and enhancements increased evaluations of fairness, excuses decreased attributions of responsibility for unfair rewards, and entitling accounts increased attributions of responsibility for fair rewards. Also, justifications and enhancements indirectly decreased anger, increased approval, and increased job satisfaction through the mediating influence of fairness. Excuses and entitling accounts indirectly decreased anger and increased approval through the mediating influence of responsibility.     

Assisting Parents of Bilingual Students to Achieve Equity in Public Schools

This article provides school-based consultants with an overview of the English language learner (ELL) student population and common programs available to ELL students (such as English-only programs, pull-out English as a second language [ESL], content-based ESL, transitional bilingual programs, maintenance bilingual programs, and two-way or dual language bilingual education programs). Past and current research examining bilingual education programs and guidelines and recommendations for the application of bilingual education knowledge to consultative practice with school personnel and culturally and linguistically diverse parents are discussed. Because of the paucity of research regarding school-based consultation related to bilingual education issues, guidelines and recommendations are presented within the larger framework of multicultural and cross-cultural consultation. Recommendations for future research regarding school-based consultation related to bilingual education issues are provided.     

COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS' OPINIONS REGARDING THE VALUE OF THEIR FRESHMAN SEMINAR EXPERIENCE

Students enrolled in a community college freshman seminar course were interviewed to gather qualitative data on their opinions regarding the value of the course. Existing dissatisfaction among students, faculty, and administrators initiated this study . Data analysis revealed that randomly grouping students with wide - ranging levels of academic abilities and life experiences in a freshman seminar class had a number of drawbacks, as older adult learners differ greatly from younger student learners in aptitude, ability levels, maturity, and academic needs. The findings suggest that older adults need a different kind of freshman seminar course than the traditional first - year student, and that "gifted" older students might be used to provide "on - campus apprenticeships" for other first - year students.     

Factors associated with minimal changes in countermovement jump performance throughout a competitive division I collegiate basketball season

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to assess factors that contribute to countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in women’s basketball athletes. Thirteen female athletes participated and were tested for maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max) and heart rate (HR_max). Athletes were monitored, daily for a total of 21 weeks with heart rate-based wearable devices and CMJ performance and body weight were tested weekly after one day of recovery. 3-jump average height (CMJ_avg), maximum height jump (CMJ_max), and CMJ power (Watts) were calculated and recorded. Playing intensities >85% HR_max, HR_avg, HR_max and training load were averaged for three consecutive days prior to the recovery day. After the season, data was grouped as changes in CMJ power from week one: Large (≤ ?4.39% change), Moderate (?4.4% to ?0.62% change), and Minimal (≥ ?0.61% change) changes. Fixed-effects models revealed a main effect of group (p ≤ 0.05) for CMJ_avg, CMJ_max, VO_2max, weekly percent changes in body weight and for 3-day training load, HR_avg, and playing time at >85% HR_max. When athletes experienced minimal changes in CMJ performance, relative to large changes, they produced greater power, jumped higher, avoided negative changes in weekly body weight, had a greater preseason VO_2max and 3-day average workloads appeared to have an impact on CMJ performance     

Effects of Different Combinations of Intensity Categories on Self-Reported Exercise

Abstract

Self-reports of exercise are used extensively in behavioral, social psychological, and epidemiological research (Ainsworth, Montoye, & Leon, 1994; Caspersen, 1997). Schwarz (1999) noted that many characteristics strongly influence self-reports of behavior, including question wording, format, and context. Of particular interest in the present study is the possible effect of providing different combinations of intensity categories (i.e., light/mild, moderate, and vigorous/strenuous) on self-reported exercise. A review of the exercise measurement literature indicates that researcher-developed and published questionnaires have varied in the number of exercise intensity categories they present to respondents. For example, researcher-developed questionnaires have often used only one category of exercise intensity, such as moderate (e.g., Miller, Trost, & Brown, 2002; Wallace, Buckworth, Kirby, & Sherman, 2000) or vigorous (e.g., Owen, Sedgwick, & Davies, 1988; Washburn, Goldfield, Smith, & McKinlay, 1990). Conversely, published questionnaires have typically used multiple intensity categories, such as moderate and vigorous/strenuous (e.g., Blair et al., 1985; Heath, Pate, & Pratt, 1993) or light/mild, moderate, and vigorous/strenuous (e.g., Baecke, Burema, & Frijters 1982; Godin & Shephard, 1985; Myers, Bader, Madhavan, & Froelicher, 2001). It is unknown, however, if providing different combinations of exercise intensity categories has any effect on the amount of exercise reported in a given intensity category or in total.     

Government and Higher Education

The so-called 'dialogue' between Government and higher education is bedeviled with mutual incomprehension of the difficulties of the other, and in the case of many in higher education a failure to appreciate how and why the political climate has altered since the euphoria and expansion of the 1960s. Both sides are victims of changes in attitudes and expectations which many have not filly grasped, and there has been a persistent failure to pose, and attempt to answer, the vital question as to what higher education is really for. The author, a former Fellow of All Souls, Oxford, and Professorial Fellow of Sussex University, MP for Cambridge since 1976 and, between 1979 and December 1985, Liaison Officer for Higher and Further Education, has been in the unique position of being on both 'sides' .     

The assessment of teaching in higher education: A critical retrospect and a proposal

The first part of this paper (published in Higher Education, Vol. 4, No. 3) summarized fundamental defects in three contemporary approaches to the evaluation of teaching in higher education: assessment of learning outcomes, analysis of teacher characteristics and analysis of pedagogical behavior. The absence of a cumulative coherent theoretical framework for analysis obviated use of data from these sources in support of professional development or productive personnel decisions. A normative conception of teaching was argued as a necessity to justifiable evaluation. In this second essay, the required conception is developed in a context of development of a capacity for critical norm-oriented human action as a central goal of higher education. In developing this conception, teaching is distinguished from other activities frequently incorporating the same techniques: conditioning, indoctrinating, brainwashing, training, informing and instructing. Intent is stipulated as the key factor. The stipulated intent is not to produce learning, but to “bring about” a specified sequence of intervening activities necessary to intellectual development required for attainment of desired general educational goals. A “gnometectonic” sequence integrates pedagogical and student activities which are the foundation of the intended intellectual development. The gnometectonic sequence and a model of intellectual development constitute the essential structure of a potential theory of teaching and the basis for a Teacher Assessment Program. This structure is realized in the construction of student and instructor report forms as a first step in the development of such a program. Data derived from these forms are based on minimal assumptions beyond those implied by the normative teaching model. Preliminary results from trial use of forms-in-development indicate the effectiveness of the model in discriminating teachers in terms of intent, course arrangements in support of that intent and student perceptions of consequences of these arrangements as related to instructor expectations. In addition, reports about relevant pedagogical aspects of a course are differentiated from preference-related reports of course “atmosphere”.