Students' voices: a report of the student view of dyslexia study skills tuition

This article reports research using case studies of 22 university students receiving study skills development funded by the Disabled Student's Allowance at an independent dyslexia consultancy. In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted. The students identify the primary benefits of the tuition as: developing an understanding of dyslexia and specific learning difficulty as part of the process of self‐development; normalising their experiences; and developing their critical analysis and problem‐solving techniques to support the skills needed for studying. The implications for good practice in supporting university students with dyslexia are considered.     

Experience of completing a PhD: a student's perspective

This article describes the experiences of a student who undertakes a period of intensive research for a doctorate whilst still being employed as a teacher working with children with special educational needs. Carol Wolstenholme gives an ‘insider glimpse’ into the challenges and opportunities presented to her as a teacher‐researcher and offers readers a personalised reflection on both her chosen research topic and the process of obtaining an advanced qualification in special educational needs.     

A QUANTITATIVE METHOD FOR MEASURING SEX “BIAS” IN STANDARDIZED TESTS1

The item content of eight standardized tests was examined for sex imbalance as well as for stereotyped representations of women. A quantitative method for classifying tests with respect to sex imbalance was devised which depended upon the frequency counts of male and female nouns and pronouns. Applications of this method revealed that all eight of the standardized tests exhibited considerable sex imbalance and, further, that this sex imbalance was not due to the language restrictions of English. For 19 of the 27 batteries analyzed, males are referred to more than twice as often as females. For only one battery, females were referred to more often than males. Test constructors, editors, and publishers are invited to make use of the index to measure sex imbalance in new, as well as already published testing materials. In this way, the undesirable reinforcement of discriminating sex-role stereotyping can be curtailed, and the preponderance of male noun and pronoun references can be eliminated.     

The Use of a Mock Trial as an Instructional Method in Counselor Preparation

This article describes the use of a mock trial as an instructional method to teach complex legal, ethical, and professional issues in counselor education.