READING COURSES IN SOCIAL SERVICE

The lived experience of persons with disabilities necessarily challenges our understandings of religious education. In this article, the author reviews how the marginalized lives of persons with disabilities might lead us to re-envision how religious education is defined and embodied in Western Christian communities. Based on this, suggestions are made as to how we might begin to alter our religious education programs more broadly and inclusively. Literature shows that, for persons with “disabilities,” our programs should be more empowering, interdependent, affirming, and intentional with the religious symbols that they use. Religious educators are therefore invited to embody such expressions.     

Web design and learning in agri-environmental education: A UK case-study

Abstract

The development of websites was traditionally an occupation for those that possessed an in-depth knowledge of computer systems and programming languages. The advent of ‘user-friendly’ web development software in recent years has made this process less select. The Environmental Challenges in Farm Management project is an educational website developed by a team of non-web specialists both for third-level education and the agricultural community. This paper outlines the design, development and use of the site, and makes recommendations to those new to the task of putting web-based learning on-line, based on the experience gained during the project.     

Special symposium: Reviews of books in applied communication

CONDITIONS OF LIBERTY: CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITS RIVALS by Ernest Gellner. New York: Penguin, 1994; $27.95.

LISTEN UP: VOICES FROM THE NEXT FEMINIST GENERATION. Edited by Barbara Findlen. Seattle, Washington: Seal, 1995; pp. xi‐264. $12.95.

“I GOTTA TELL YOU”;: SPEECHES OF LEE IACOCCA. Edited by Matthew W. Seeger. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994. 335 pages. $27.50 (hardcover). $15.00 (paperback).

A IS FOR OX: VIOLENCE, ELECTRONIC MEDIA, AND THE SILENCING OF THE WRITTEN WORD by Barry Sanders; New York: Pantheon Books; 1994; 271 pages, $23.00.

HOW THINGS GOT BETTER: SPEECH, WRITING, PRINTING, AND CULTURAL CHANGE by Henry J. Perkinson; Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey; 1995; 173 pages; $49.95.

CONCEPTUALIZING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AS DISCURSIVE PRACTICE. Edited by Shereen G. Bingham. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1994; pp. 206. $55.00

APPLIED COMMUNICATION IN THE 21^st CENTURY; edited by Kenneth N. Cissna; Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erbaum Associates, 1995; 218 pages, $19.95     

The effect of longer-term creatine supplementation on elite swimming performance after an acute creatine loading

We investigated the effect of an acute creatine loading (25 g per day for 4 days) and longer-term creatine supplementation (5 g of creatine or 5 g of placebo per day for 2 months) on the performance of 22 elite swimmers during maximal interval sessions. After the acute creatine loading, the mean of the average interval swim times for all swimmers (n = 22) improved (44.3 +/- 16.5 s before vs 43.7 +/- 16.3 s after supplementation; P ? 0.01). Three of the 22 swimmers did not respond positively to supplementation. After 2 months of longer term creatine supplementation or placebo,neither group showed a significant change in swimming performance (38.7 +/-13.5 s before vs 38.7 +/- 14.1 s after for the creatine group; 48.7 +/- 18.0 s before vs 48.7 +/- 18.1 s after for the placebo group). We conclude that, in elite swimmers, 4 days of acute creatine loading improves swimming performance significantly when assessed by maximal interval sessions. However, longer-term supplementation for 2 months (5 g of creatine per day) did not benefit significantly the creatine group compared with the placebo group.     

Antenatal education as perceived by health professionals

This article aims to identify the learning needs of expectant and new parents for antenatal education as perceived by health professionals. In Australia, antenatal education programs are predominantly designed by health professionals, and recent research has challenged the efficacy of this approach. The data collected from 73 health professionals, reported here, demonstrates that their perceptions of the concerns and interests of expectant and new parents were divided into three interrelated categories: "need to know...what's happening," "they won't listen," and "balanced information." The health professional ideas for improving antenatal education were limited and identified a reluctance to change practice.     

Will Library E-Books Help Solve the Textbook Affordability Issue? Using Textbook Adoption Lists to Target Collection Development

In response to rising textbook costs, many have urged adoption of open educational resources (OER) for students. However, library-owned e-books also provide free access to students, without the potential disadvantages of OER. In this study the authors explore the suitability of e-books as textbooks by examining the social sciences textbook list in Fall 2017 at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Overall, 18% of the textbooks were available as a multi-user format and this rate increased with course level. Despite their limited availability, multi-user e-books provide a free, convenient option for students, and they may play a role in the textbook affordability solution.     

Collaboratively Managing the Behaviour of a Reception Class Pupil

This article describes collaborative work to address the needs of a 5-year old pupil at risk of exclusion from his reception class. The intervention is presented as a typical piece of educational psychologist (EP) casework. It outlines a preventative approach to behaviour management influenced by the 'Circle of Friends' work outlined by Newton et al. (Newton, D., Taylor, G. & Wilson, D. (1996). Circles of friends: an inclusive approach to meting emotional and behavioural needs. Educational Psychology in Practice, 11 (4), 41-48) and the behaviour management approach developed by LaVinga & Donnellan (LaVigna, G.W. & Donnellan, A.M. (1986). Alternatives to Punishment: Solving Behaviour Problems with Non-aversive Strategies. New York: Irvington Publishers, Inc.). The authors conclude by highlighting the ways in which this routine intervention can be seen to address some of the current challenges to EPs at local and national levels.