Reading Practices in the Juvenile Correctional Facility Setting: Incarcerated Adolescents Speak Out

This multi-phasic, qualitative study explored the perceptions and provision of research-based reading instruction in the juvenile correctional facility setting. In three settings in two states, we interviewed students (n = 17), teachers (n = 5), and administrators (n = 3); and conducted two focus groups (n = 8), student surveys (n = 49), and seven observations of reading instruction. Our purposes were to (a) examine students' perceptions of themselves as readers, (b) their perceptions regarding the importance of reading, and (c) the reading practices implemented with juvenile offenders. Findings suggest that a majority of incarcerated students view reading as an important skill, but there is a large disparity in the amount and type of reading instruction they are provided.     

Book reviews

SPECTACULAR NATURE: CORPORATE CULTURE AND THE SEA WORLD EXPERIENCE. By Susan G. Davis. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1997; pp. xii + 313. paper $18.95.

FEMINISM AND DOCUMENTARY. By Diane Waldman and Janet Walker. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999; pp. xvi + 365. $49.95 cloth; $19.95 paper.

FASHIONABLE NONSENSE: POSTMODERN INTELLECTUAL'S ABUSE OF SCIENCE. By Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont. New York: Picador USA, 1998; pp. xiv + 300. $16.10 cloth; $11.20 paper.     

Feynman Diagrams,Problem Spaces,and the Kuhnian Revolution to Come in Teacher Education

A blue‐ribbon panel convened by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) concluded in 2010 that teacher education in the United States must be “turned upside down,” with practical experience at its center and academic content woven around the practical. It might seem that the new clinical model based on medical education, which has been adopted by eight states, would be well‐aligned with a Deweyan inquiry‐based pedagogy. Dewey himself recognized a paradox, however: preparation for the combination of rigor and flexibility needed for inquiry‐based pedagogical skills absolutely requires immersion in clinical settings, even as immersion in the teaching environment that prevails in U.S. public schools systematically socializes new teachers to a very different set of skills than those needed for this model of effective pedagogy. Recent scholarship by Kuhnian scholars provides practical guidance for an alternative understanding of how changes in practice occur and may be transmitted to future generations.     

Informational-Motivational Components of a Model's Demonstration

Abstract

The effects of the informational and motivational components of a model's demonstration on motor performance were investigated. A secondary aim was to examine the effects of observer sex on observational learning. Male and female fifth- and sixth-grade students (N = 80) were compared under four conditions comprising the presence or absence of informational and/or motivational cues using the Bachman ladder-balance task. Access to informational cues was manipulated by means of a model demonstration. Motivational cues consisted of a model providing subjects with verbal knowledge of results (KR) of model's prior task performance. Results of the Sex × Informational Cues × Motivational Cues (2 × 2 × 2) ANOVA indicated that males had higher average performance scores than females. These differences, however, did not appear to be due to greater modeling by males. Subjects receiving a model demonstration had higher performance scores than subjects not given a model demonstration. The results were interpreted as evidence that the informational component of a model's demonstration is the primary element affecting motor performance.     

“I am” versus “we are”: Effects of distinctive variants of self-talk on efficacy beliefs and motor performance

Abstract

Before completing a team-based dart-throwing activity, 80 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three pre-performance self-talk conditions: (a) self-talk statements that focused upon one's personal capabilities, (b) self-talk statements emphasizing the group's capabilities, or (c) a control condition where neutral statements were implemented. Participants in all conditions subsequently rated their confidence in their own (i.e. self-efficacy) as well as their team's (i.e. collective efficacy) capabilities, before carrying out the task. Overall, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and performance indicators were all greatest for individuals who practised self-talk focusing on the group's capabilities, as opposed to individual-focused and neutral conditions. Findings are considered with respect to their novel theoretical contribution to the social cognition literature and their implications for fostering efficacy perceptions and team performance.     

Extending Validity Evidence for Multidimensional Measures of Coaching Competency

This study extended validity evidence for multidimensional measures of coaching competency derived from the Coaching Competency Scale (CCS; Myers, Feltz, Maier, Wolfe, & Reckase, 2006) by examining use of the original rating scale structure and testing how measures related to satisfaction with the head coach within teams and between teams. Motivation, game strategy, technique, and character building comprised the dimensions of coaching competency. Data were collected from athletes (N = 585) nested within intercollegiate men's (g = 8) and women's (g = 13) soccer and women's ice hockey (g = 11) teams (G = 32). Validity concerns were observed for the original rating scale structure and the predicted positive relationship between motivation competency and satisfaction with the coach between teams. Validity evidence was offered for a condensed post hoc rating scale and the predicted relationship between motivation competency and satisfaction with the coach within teams.     

Testing Social-Cognitive Theory to Explain Physical Activity Change in Adolescent Girls From Low-Income Communities

Purpose

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesized structural paths in Bandura's social-cognitive theory (SCT) model on adolescent girls' physical activity following a 12-month physical activity and dietary intervention to prevent obesity.

Method

We conducted a 12-month follow-up study of 235 adolescent girls (M _age = 13.2 years, SD = 0.4) from 12 secondary schools located in low-income communities. At baseline, participants completed SCT scales related to physical activity (i.e., self-efficacy, intention, parental support, and outcome expectations). At baseline and 12-month follow-up (postintervention), participants wore accelerometers for 7 days. Structural equation modeling was used to determine if Time 1 measures predicted physical activity at 12-month follow-up after adjusting for baseline activity.

Results

The model explained 28% and 34% of the variance in physical activity and intention, respectively. Model fit indexes indicated the data were a good fit to the model; however, only self-efficacy was associated with physical activity at 12 months. There was no support for intention or outcome expectations as proximal determinants of behavior. Self-efficacy was associated with outcome expectations and parental support; however, only outcome expectations predicted intention.

Conclusions

Current findings indicate a large proportion of the variance for physical activity and intention remains unexplained and that the proposed pathways in the SCT model were not fully supported. Future model testing may need to consider augmentation or integration of theoretical models, which may include ecological components if we are to advance our understanding of physical activity behavior in this subgroup of the adolescent population.     

Is building relationships the key to leadership?

Instructional designers are at the forefront of many interactions both within an organization and client‐facing. They are responsible for providing noteworthy learning experiences and ensuring the success of instructional programs. However, are instructional designers at a disadvantage because of a lack of interpersonal and building‐relationships skills? This article begins to uncover the notable absences of leadership and relationship‐building skills in professional and educational instructional design environments and the consequences to practicing and budding instructional designers.