Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Opinions of the Quality of Distance Education Courses

This study describes the development of a learning process of genetic counseling and basic genetics using an e-learning model and its application to a group of psychologists in the state of Parana in southern Brazil. The aim was to analyze the impact on the increase of knowledge in the presented subjects and the possibility of applying this project on a larger scale. The results of two observations were compared. The observations consisted of scores on the same exams, applied before and after taking the course. Results indicated that the remote education process is indeed a viable alternative for genetic counseling education and is validated for application in large scale together with Centers for Family Health Care Assistance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health Care.     

Children put the national tests to the test

Much is known about what teachers, parents and educationalists think about the National Tests. But what do the children think? This article describes part of a research project, ‘Children's Perceptions of the National Tests’ (partially supported by the QCA), in which a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate explored the user-friendliness of the national assessment materials. The article focuses on the KS2 Reading Comprehension tests and discusses salient features, identified by the children, of the stimuli and answer booklets.     

Beginning teachers' conceptual understandings of effective history teaching: examining the change from “subject knowers” to “subject teachers”

This article reports the investigation of change in preservice teachers' conceptions of effective history teaching across a secondary history methods course in a postgraduate diploma of education program. Using concept mapping to plot shifts in their expressed reflections, data were obtained that indicate personal constructs of effective history teaching based around participants' map structures, curriculum understandings, knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of learners, knowledge of pedagogies, and pedagogical content knowledge. The purpose of this article is twofold: to present the findings of research exploring the growth in conceptual understandings of early career history teachers promoted through the use of concept maps, and to discuss the participants' response to tangible opportunities to reflect on their own conceptual understandings of history teaching.     

Criminology/Criminal Justice Representation in the Discipline of Sociology: Changes between 1992 and 2002

This paper examines changes in the representation of criminology, as an area of specialization, in the discipline of sociology between 1992 and 2002. Utilizing the ASA Guide to Graduate Programs in Sociology, we note faculty areas of specialization. We expect that criminology will appear more often as a specialty area in 1992 than 2002. All full‐time faculty in U.S. graduate programs in sociology are included in the analyses. We found no significant change in listing criminal justice as a specialty between 1992 and 2002. Our findings suggest that faculty with terminal degrees from less prestigious institutions and those who teach in less prestigious institutions are more likely to list criminology as a specialty area.     

Improving Direct‐Care Staff Consistency in a Residential Treatment Program through the Use of Self‐Recording and Feedback

A program for increasing staff effectiveness in implementing a group home behaviour management program was evaluated. The program consisted of self‐recording and supervisor feedback. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate staff consistency in four skill areas; implementing response cost for the occurrence of physical aggression, implementing response cost for the occurrence of verbal aggression, setting guidelines for successful task completion, and providing feedback to residents. Staff increased consistency in all four areas following intervention. A one week follow‐up demonstrated short‐term maintenance of intervention effects. Results are discussed with reference to future training procedures.