Using Publications Counts to Measure an Institution's Research Productivity

Studies that attempt to evaluate and rank institutions often overlook the research activities of an institution. In this article, we show how readily available data from the Institute of Scientific Inquiry (ISI) may be used to estimate the number of scholarly articles written by an institution's faculty. We show how institutions are ranked according to total publications and the ratio of publications to full-time faculty, how these measures vary by type of institution, and how they are correlated with other selected measures of research resources and institutional quality.     

Journalistic and other Media Writing Guides

John Hohenberg's The Professional Journalist (New York: Holt, Rinehart CI Jinston, 1978—price not given)

Griffith, John L., and Edward G. Weston. Programmed Newswriting (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1978—$4.50, paper)

Blanche G., and Wayne A. Danielson. Programmed News Style (Prentice Hall, 1978—$4.98, paper)

Lee, Robert, and Robert Misiorowski, Script Models: A Handbook for the Media Writer (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$8.95/4.50)

Hall, Mark W. Broadcast Journalism: An. Introduction to News Writing (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$7.95/4.95)

Bolch, Judith, and Kay Miller. Investigative and In-Depth Reporting (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$9.50)

Williams, Paul N. Investigative Reporting and Editing (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1978—price not given)

Kelley, Jerome E. Magazine Writing Today (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest, 1978—$9.95)

Nelson, Roy Paul. Articles and Features (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1978—price not given)

Pearsall, Thomas E., and Donald H. Cunningham, How to Write for the World of Work (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston l978—price not given),

Mills, Gordon H., and John A. Walker, Technical Writing (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1978—price not given)     

The Next Big Idea: A Framework for Integrated Academic and Behavioral Intensive Intervention

Despite advances in evidence‐based core instruction and intervention, many students with disabilities continue to achieve poor academic and behavioral outcomes. Many of these students are not sufficiently responsive to standardized programs and require more intensive, individualized supports. While many interventions and school problem‐solving teams focus primarily on either academic or behavioral concerns, students with the most intensive needs often have interrelated needs in both areas. The next big idea in special education should be to merge these efforts, building upon all that we have learned about problem solving at all levels of support, to improve outcomes for these students. Data‐based individualization provides a framework for integrating academic and behavioral problem solving and intervention.     

Communication and role development for zoo volunteers: responding to role-sending,role-making,and role-remaking

High turnover among volunteers means organizations spend significant resources recruiting and retaining them. Research on employees indicates the importance of role development in increasing employee identification and satisfaction while reducing turnover, but limited research has addressed these issues for volunteers. This study explored zoo volunteers’ role development in two phases. In phase one, interviews explored how volunteers learned and understood their roles. Results indicated volunteers learned their roles through communication with supervisors and peers and were generally satisfied with them despite limited opportunity to be innovative. In addition, some volunteers became concerned when their roles were changed with limited input from them. In phase two, questionnaires explored relationships between volunteers’ communication experiences and outcomes. Results indicated volunteers responded negatively to role-remaking, but communication with management, education staff, day captains, and family was associated with positive outcomes. By contrast, communication with peer volunteers had a negative impact on some outcomes.     

Investigating Undergraduate Science Students’ Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification.