Considering student retention as a complex system: a possible way forward for enhancing student retention

This study uses multilayer minimum spanning tree analysis to develop a model for student retention from a complex system perspective, using data obtained from first-year engineering students at a large well-regarded institution in the European Union. The results show that the elements of the system of student retention are related to one another through a network of links and that some of these links were found to be strongly persistent across different scales (group sizes). The links were also seen to group together in different clusters of strongly related elements. Links between elements across a wide range of these clusters would have system-wide influence. It was found that there were no elements that are both persistent and have system-wide effects. This complex system view of student retention explains why actions to enhance student retention aimed at single elements in the system have had such limited impact. This study therefore points to the need for a more system-wide approach to enhancing student retention.     

Are the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire Scales stable or transient?

Body image is an important concept when assessing mental health and, thus, a target for intervention work. The common approach to assess body image is via self-report and, consequently, it is important to assess stability and susceptibility of items to random change. Participants (N = 99, aged: 18–30 years) completed the 34-item Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS) twice, separated by two weeks. Stability was quantified by calculating the test–retest differences for each item, with a stable item showing 90% of respondents’ differences within a criterion of ≤±1. This method was used in preference to correlation, which is a test of association rather than agreement. Analyses identified 29 stable items. Five items were found to be unstable including the entire “Appearance Evaluation” scale. One particular unstable question, Q9 = “Most people would consider me good-looking”, revealed strong associations with both gender and weight status. Forty-four per cent of “overweight” respondents changed their minds by more than ±1 compared with only 10% of “normal-weight” participants, suggesting that being overweight is associated with uncertainty and instability. We suggest that future research is needed to investigate why such factors as being overweight appear to be linked to instability in self-report measures of body image.     

A latent growth curve approach to investigating developmental dynamics and correlates of change in children's perceptions of physical competence.

In both the physical and academic domains interest has recently grown regarding developmental change in children's perceptions of competence. Recent advances in statistical methodology, such as latent growth modeling, enable the researcher to analyze developmental trends from both an inter- and intraindividual perspective, thus serving to increase our understanding of correlates of change in perceived competence. Using latent growth modeling, the purpose of the present study was to investigate developmental change in children's perceived competence at physical skills, examining maturational factors and chronological age as possible correlates of change. Subjects were male adolescents (N = 94). Data were collected during the child's sixth, eighth, and ninth grade school years. Results revealed a good fit for the hypothesized model, which specified mean level changes in the variables over time and an interrelationship among the latent chronometric common factors. Although a significant relationship existed between maturation and perceived competence, no significant relationship was evident between chronological age and perceived competence. Findings are discussed with particular reference to the utility of latent growth curve models for assessing developmental processes at both the inter- and intraindividual level.     

Work-based antipoverty programs for parents can enhance the school performance and social behavior of children

We assess the impact of the New Hope Project, an antipoverty program tested in a random assignment experimental design, on family functioning and developmental outcomes for preschool- and school-aged children (N = 913). New Hope offered wage supplements sufficient to raise family income above the poverty threshold and subsidies for child care and health insurance to adults who worked full-time. New Hope had strong positive effects on boys' academic achievement, classroom behavior skills, positive social behavior, and problem behaviors, as reported by teachers, and on boys' own expectations for advanced education and occupational aspirations. There were not corresponding program effects for girls. The child outcomes may have resulted from a combination of the following: Children in New Hope families spent more time in formal child care programs and other structured activities away from home than did children in control families. New Hope parents were employed more, had more material resources, reported more social support, and expressed less stress and more optimism about achieving their goals than did parents in the control sample. The results suggest that an anti-poverty program that provides support for combining work and family responsibilities can have beneficial effects on the development of school-age children.     

Mary Monroe Atwater: A transformative force in science education

This article highlights the transformative contributions of Mary Monroe Atwater to the field of science education. Influenced by worldviews shaped by a segregated macro-society and the privileges of a micro-society, Mary stood against oppression in the early years of her academic career by desegregating academic settings and being the first and only African American in varied arenas for many years. As an aspiring academic, Mary challenged dominant paradigms and as an activist academic, she changed the landscape of science education. She broadened the knowledge base through scholarship and praxis and diversified the science education community through personal and professional efforts that were pioneering in nature.

An assessment of the benefits of the diffusion of an innovation

A benefit-cost analysis of an innovative pharmaceutical in a relatively small market in the United Kingdom was carried out. The market was that for anti-tuberculosis drugs. The impact of the innovation, as it proceeded through its commercial life cycle, on competing products and on alternative hospitalisation therapy was evaluated. Despite the high cash price of the product relative to those it replaced this price was dwarfed by the benefits provided.     

Rationalizing teacher roles in developing and assessing physical literacy in children

PROSPECTS - Physical literacy serves as the foundation for several skills or attributes needed for lifelong physical activity participation. Based on its connection to physical activity, physical...