Daily steps in midlife and older adults: relationship with demographic, self-rated health, and self-reported physical activity

The relationship between average daily step counts and age, body mass index (BMI), self-reported physical activity (PA) level, and perceived health was determined in 85 middle-aged and older adults who wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days. Average daily steps were significantly (p < .05) correlated with BMI (r = -.26), age (r = -.44) and perceived health (r = .53) but not with self-reported PA level (r = .19). The adjusted percentage of participants classified as meeting the PA recommendation in < or = 5,000, 5,001-9,999, and > or = 10,000 steps/day categories ranged from 53 to 61%. These findings support previous evidence in younger populations suggesting that the recommended minimal level of health-related PA may be achieved despite not accumulating 10,000 steps/day.     

Making the hard decisions: Student teachers moving towards ethical judgment

Abstract

In Australia in recent years, as in other countries, there has been media attention to, and public interest in, the ethical and proper behavior of people considered to be leaders in society. Some have been “caught out” for acting unethically—harming children, engaging in corruption, disregarding human rights and dignity. The time is right for educators, researchers and authors to demonstrate leadership in ethics by focusing on morals and ethics more strongly and overtly.

The teaching profession has not escaped scrutiny and criticism of their ethical practice. Members of the early childhood sector of the profession however, have demonstrated proactive leadership in ethics. In Australia, for example, a code of ethics and supporting materials were developed and leaders continue to develop supporting resources. This paper focuses on the professional preparation of the next generation of early childhood teachers. It has two primary purposes. Firstly, I raise questions about current notions of student teacher preparation for ethical practice in complex, changing contexts. Secondly, I propose some ideas aimed at better preparing student teachers for ethical judgment.     

A REPLY Listening to How You're Heard: On translations,mistranslations, and really bad mistranslations

This study explored the use of video cases to teach literacy instruction to special education pre‐service teachers. One class of pre‐service teachers was examined for knowledge gains and attitudes towards video cases as an instructional medium. Results suggest that video cases did not result in greater learning of phonemic awareness or reading comprehension topics than traditional lectures with discussion teaching. They also provided comparative data on student teachers’ responses to video versus traditional face‐to‐face instruction. Further implications for special education teacher preparation and future research directions are discussed.     

THE EFFECT OF ACADEMIC FACTORS ON TRANSFER STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND GRADUATION: A COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE CASE STUDY

Critics contend that enrollment in a community college lessens the likelihood that a student will complete a bachelor's degree (S. Brint & J. Karabel, 1989). A number of studies have examined personal, demographic, and environmental characteristics that influence the academic performance of community college transfer students. This research has included characteristics that are not readily available to admissions representatives at four‐year institutions, and studies have not considered the private, liberal arts college as the senior institution.

The purpose of this study was to identify easily ascertainable characteristics that occur prior to transfer and to assess the relationship of these characteristics to persistence and baccalaureate attainment at a private, liberal arts college. Two academic factors related to persistence and graduation were included in the methodology: completion of the associate (AA) degree and community college grade point average (GPA) The subjects for the study were 200 students who completed the AA degree and transferred from one of three community colleges to a private, liberal arts college over a 5‐year period.

Results indicated that whereas completion of the AA degree resulted in a higher persistence/graduation rate, completion of the AA degree with a community college GPA of 3.0 or higher increased the persistence/graduation rate to a level equal to that of native students.     

A QUALITY INITIATIVE FOR POSTSECONDARY TECHNICAL INSTRUCTORS

The quality of instruction provided through the post‐secondary technical institutes reflects the capabilities of the instructors. It would be ideal ifinstructors were trained through traditional teacher education programs. However, instructors inpost‐secon‐dary technical education generally have few collegiate programs in teacher preparation available to them.

The Georgia Instructor Academy is responsible for delivering in‐service training to both new and experienced instructors. The academy is divided into three specific divisions: the Technical Training Division, the Instructor Training Institute (ITI), and the Professional Development Division.

Technical Training provides instructors with opportunities to advance their occupational expertise. Training is delivered through classes, workshops, seminars, and industry‐based practicums and internships.

The ITI delivers pedagogical development. It provides new instructors with the basic pedagogical skills needed to become effective teachers. The ITI is broken into three hierarchical phases.

Professional Development provides experienced instructors with activities that enhance their professional lives. Classes, seminars, and workshops offer instructors opportunities to serve themselves, their home institutes, and professional organizations.

Educationally, the Georgia Instructor Academy provides various opportunities to develop and enhance the quality of Georgia's postsecondary technical teachers. By addressing these three important areas of teacher education this comprehensive program will benefit both students and, ultimately, the State of Georgia.     

BOUNDARIES OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE LABOR MARKET: THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER IN PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGES

A number of studies have shown that 2-year colleges comprise a labor market for administrators. This study extended the work of two previous studies on organizational and membership boundaries to this labor market. Twombly (1986) identified employment in a postsecondary (2- or 4-year) institution in the immediately previous position as a membership boundary to the administrative labor market of 2-year colleges. B. C. Clark, Twombly, and Moore (1990) found state lines to be organizational boundaries that affected movement from one position to another in the labor market. This study examined the organizational and membership boundaries relatedto the chiefacademic officer position inpublic community colleges. It expanded the membership boundary to include 2-year, 4-year, and K-12 educational organizations and investigated organizational boundaries for up to four position moves. Findings indicate that membership in the labor market becomes increasingly closed to those employed by 2-year institutions as an individual moves closer to the chief academic position. The state line was found to be an organizational boundary, and there was also a strong within-institution influence affecting position-to-position mobility.     

Strategic Planning in Schools: An oxymoron?

This paper argues that traditional approaches to school planning no longer serve the needs of schools. In particular, it puts forward the view that strategy, as applied to school planning, is only of partial use. It argues that there should be a new way forward for schools seeking to meet the challenge of effective leadership and management in the new millennium. This would utilise the concept of 'strategic intent' encapsulated in a new model which replaces the limited 'school development planning' framework.     

Beat the Instructor: An Introductory Forecasting Game

This teaching brief describes a 30‐minute game where student groups compete in‐class in an introductory time‐series forecasting exercise. The students are challenged to “beat the instructor” who competes using forecasting techniques that will be subsequently taught. All forecasts are graphed prior to revealing the randomly generated actual demand. Experiential learning and forecasting exercises are reviewed before detailing how the game is administered and debriefed. Student survey results (n = 247) provide evidence of teaching effectiveness, including that 78% of students said that playing the game increased their interest in learning the forecasting techniques that were used by the instructor.     

A Doubled Heterotopia: Shifting Spatial and Visual Symbolism in the Jewish Museum Berlin's Development

This essay considers the rhetoric of space in a rapidly transforming culture. Using Michel Foucault's concept of “heterotopias” to understand the rhetorical power of a building's disposition, it is argued that the Jewish Museum Berlin contains two heterotopias, one within the other. The first is Daniel Libeskind's original building design in relation to the surrounding city, but the second is the placement of an art installation, Menashe Kadishman's Shalechet, in a central location within the museum. The doubling of heterotopian space uses dialectical–rhetorical transcendence to build identification with the museum's message for an increasingly international audience.     

Communication with feeling: Emotion,publicness, and embodiment

AN EMOTIONAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. Edited by Peter Stearns and Jan Lewis. New York & London: New York University Press, 1998; pp. 476. $22.50.

ANOTHER SELF: MIDDLE CLASS AMERICAN WOMEN AND THEIR FRIENDS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. By Linda W. Rosenzweig. New York & London: New York University Press, 1999; pp. 225. $35.00.

BATTLEGROUND OF DESIRE: THE STRUGGLE FOR SELF CONTROL IN MODERN AMERICA. By Peter Stearns. New York & London: New York University Press, 1999; pp. 434. $28.95.

CRYING: THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF TEARS. By Tom Lutz. New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999; pp. 352. $25.95.

EMOTIONS IN SOCIAL LIFE: CRITICAL THEMES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. Edited by Gillian Bendelow and Simon J. Williams. London & New York: Routledge, 1998; pp. 336. $29.99.