Research reports

This paper addresses the matter of method in rhetorical criticism, especially from a pedagogical viewpoint. Seven postulates are advanced as an approach to the study of criticism. A working definition of criticism as argument is posited and discussed from which is derived a specific proposal and plan for adapting the Toulmin model as a procedural base for teaching students to develop the structure of critical analyses in an orderly scheme.     

The Tao of speech

This essay argues that the study of “speech” as an act and as a subject matter may present the characteristics of a “Tao.” A “Tao” consists of a way of life leading to an increase in humane being for the individual and for society.     

Work and family conflict in academic science: patterns and predictors among women and men in research universities

This article addresses work-family conflict as reported among women and men academic scientists in data systematically collected across fields of study in nine US research universities. Arguing that academic science is a particularly revealing case for studying work-family conflict, the article addresses: (1) the bi-directional conflict of work with family, and family with work, reported among the scientists; (2) the ways that higher, compared with lower, conflict, is predicted by key features of family, academic rank, and departments/institutions; and (3) patterns and predictors of work-family conflict that vary, as well as converge, by gender. Results point to notable differences, and commonalties, by gender, in factors affecting interference in both directions of work-family conflict reported by scientists. These findings have implications for understandings of how marriage and children, senior compared with junior academic rank, and departmental climates shape work-family conflict among women and men in US academic science.     

Beyond the “I” framework: Improving emotional expression and increasing social connectedness among college athletes through the psychological displacement paradigm in diary-writing

This study explored the effects of a 6-week psychological displacement paradigm in diary-writing (PDPD) intervention on alexithymia and social connectedness in Taiwanese college athletes at the individual and interpersonal levels. The sample comprised 87 participants (M_age = 19.80 ± 0.75 years). After a pretest, the individual writing group engaged in individual and interpersonal PDPD twice a week for 6 consecutive weeks. A posttest was conducted after the interventions, and a follow-up test was conducted 2 months later. Both the individual and interpersonal writing groups scored lower than did the control group on difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings in the posttest, and the effects persisted at follow-up. Moreover, PDPD contributed to an increase in social connectedness. This study provided evidence of the effects of individual and interpersonal PDPD on athletes' emotion control and emotion regulation.     

Small steps and stronger relationships: parents' experiences of homeschooling children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

During the current global pandemic, parents and carers in England and across the UK have been asked by the Government to ‘home school’ their child/ren, and a plethora of resources have been produced and made available to assist with this. The perceived detrimental effects of being absent from school have been a driver for the Government in ensuring that schools remain open for as long as possible, and the current pandemic situation is replete with narratives of ‘loss’. Little attention has been paid to any potential benefits for children and families of homeschooling or the opportunities it provides. This paper reports on a small-scale online survey that explored the experiences of parents’ homeschooling their child/ren with SEND during a global pandemic in England. The findings are revealed through a qualitative methodology merged with post-qualitative concepts that emerged post-analysis. Novel findings regarding possibilities for creative and inclusive learning practices, family bonding and children’s improved social and emotional well-being are revealed in this paper.     

Does Dual Enrollment Influence High School Graduation,College Enrollment,Choice, and Persistence?

Research in Higher Education - This study examines relationships between dual enrollment and high school graduation, college enrollment, college choice (2-year or 4-year), and persistence in...     

Concurrent predictors of word reading and reading comprehension for 9-year-olds with Williams syndrome

Reading and Writing - We examined the cognitive, language, and instructional factors associated with reading ability in Williams syndrome (WS). Seventy 9-year-olds with WS completed standardized...     

Children’s Social Information Seeking is Sensitive to Referential Ambiguity

We examined children’s spontaneous information seeking in response to referential ambiguity. Children ages 2–5 (n = 160) identified the referents of familiar and novel labels. We manipulated ambiguity by changing the number of objects present and their familiarity (Experiments 1 and 2), and the availability of referential gaze (Experiment 2). In both experiments, children looked to the face of the experimenter more often while responding, specifically when the referent was ambiguous. In Experiment 2, 3- to 4-year olds also demonstrated sensitivity to graded referential evidence. These results suggest that social information seeking is an active learning behavior that could contribute to language acquisition in early childhood.