E-Book Readers for Full-Time MBA Students: An Investigation in Manchester

This article is an investigation of the use of e-book readers by MBA students at the Manchester Business School of the University of Manchester. In Summer 2010 we undertook a pilot study with a small number of MBA students in order to gauge the effectiveness of e-book readers as an alternative means of accessing their course readings. The findings of this study are presented in tandem with discussion of the drivers behind the project and an overview of similar developments at other educational institutions globally, concluding with the results of our pilot and wider implications.     

Exploring the communicative nature of corporal punishment

Extensive research in sociology and psychology suggests that corporal punishment of children is a serious problem because it increases the risk of physical and psychological harm. In the present study we utilized a recently developed communication framework to investigate corporal punishment. We derived two hypotheses and conducted a study of 178 college students. Following established procedures, we asked respondents to report about corporal punishment during a period of their youth. Participants rated each parent and themselves on aggressive communication measures. They also rated themselves on assault tendencies, anger, self‐esteem, and intentions to use corporal punishment. Support for our two hypotheses revealed that when participants recalled receiving higher levels of corporal punishment they perceived their parents to be higher in verbal aggressiveness. Furthermore, they reported being higher in assault tendencies, anger, and intentions to use corporal punishment with their children.     

Aggressive communication in the coach‐athlete relationship

This study concerned how coaches’ efforts to solicit better performance from athletes related to male athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ communication and to athletes’ self‐reports of satisfaction and performance. Data were collected from 192 former male high‐school athletes. Results indicated that when male athletes perceived that their coaches used more aggressive tactics athletes evaluated their coaches communication unfavorably and that when male athletes evaluated their coaches’ communication unfavorably they reported less satisfaction with their coaches, less team success in terms of win‐loss percentage, and less sportsmanship.     

From Mario to FIFA: what qualitative case study research suggests about games-based learning in a US classroom

This article explores the impact of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) videogames in a high school curriculum when developed through a connected learning frame by examining the influence that COTS videogames have on transforming students’ literacy learning in-school. However, it must be noted that transforming literacy in school is about more than bridging in- and out-of-school literacies; it concerns developing a deeper understanding of the meaning of literacy in today’s multimediated world, and the ways that these experiences are connected not only to media, but to traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers, so that we can better grasp how to harness new learning styles and new ways of making meaning in contemporary classroom spaces. To understand how to capture in and out-of-school practices, we conducted a qualitative case study of two high school students enrolled in a reading intervention class that incorporated a COTS videogames curriculum. Data were analyzed via a constant comparison analysis. Findings indicated that the games-based curriculum created through a connected learning frame enabled students to engage in a constellation of connections among digital media, traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers.     

The impact of Antioch education through experience abroad

Participants in a program of living, studying, and working abroad in the 1960's consider this in retrospect to have been one of the most important experiences they ever had. A preliminary analysis of questionnaire data indicates, along with academic outcomes, a significant impact upon subsequent behavior. Educational and job decisions were influenced, as well as thinking about values and American identity. It appears that the more a program overseas encourages involvement in other cultures in a variety of roles, with work experience prominent among them, the more we can expect enduring attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.This study was made together with Dr. Ruth Churchill, Dean of Educational Evaluation at Antioch, and Paula Spier, Director of Student Programs, Antioch International. It was first reported in February, 1978, at the national meetings of the International Studies Association in Washington, D.C., and a condensed version was printed inAntioch Notes in March, Working into Another Culture.     

Talking about contract cheating: facilitating a forum for collaborative development of assessment practices to combat student dishonesty

Contract cheating presents an existential threat to university assessment integrity and, therefore, to the reputations of universities and their graduates. We report on two workshops, with academic development participants who collaboratively addressed assessment identity verification through problem identification and solution creation. As facilitators, we iteratively reflected on the workshop processes to design and refine subsequent offerings. The corresponding research sought to increase sectoral collaboration and evidence student authorship in assessment. This work provides one approach to developing practice-driven resources and insights for academic developers to encourage others to collaboratively address complex problems that are difficult to resolve, like contract cheating.     

The Application of the Microcounseling Paradigm to the Training of Support Personnel in Counseling

The microcounseling paradigm was utilized in 3 4-hour segments to train paraprofessionals in the skills of attending behavior, expression of feeling, and reflection of feeling. Sixteen female subjects served in the project and followed a modified micro-counseling routine in learning each of the skills. Results showed that all trainees evidenced significant learning of all 3 behavioral skills in a short period of time. Significant pre- to post-treatment differences occurred on all criterion measures. Results are discussed with respect to the training of support personnel in counseling via the microcounseling paradigm.     

Recording Primary Language

The ILEA Primary Language Record has had a significant effect upon approaches to the assessment of language in the primary school, having proved to be both professionally thorough and practically useful. In this article Dominic Wyse explores ways in which the PLR can be modified to make it even more useful for teachers, while maintaining its underlying philosophy. He shows quite clearly how the record can be used to improve the quality of teaching and learning and offers a welcome alternative to simplistic models of literacy assessment.     

Texas Hold ‘Em: An Exploration of the Divergent Perspectives of Texas’s Campus Carry Law

One of the most pressing concerns on college campuses today is student safety. To date, nine states have passed Campus Carry legislation and more states may follow. Texas was the eighth state to pass Campus Carry legislation. Specifically, in the 2015 Legislative session, the Texas Legislature voted to allow License to Carry (LTC) holders to carry concealed weapons on college and university campuses. This law, Senate Bill 11 (SB 11), took effect in the fall 2016 at four-year universities and, a year later, took effect on two-year college campuses across Texas. At the heart of this debate, are questions that will affect college campuses across this nation: will this law make colleges safer, or more dangerous and how practical is it to allow or prevent guns on campus? This article employed a case study approach to explore the perspectives held by faculty, staff and students at a Texas community college, which is currently implementing this new law. While the vast majority of Higher Education institutions opposed this new law, its passage in the Texas legislature was swift. At the onset of this study, the researcher speculated that the Campus Carry Law would be vigorously opposed by the faculty, staff and students, but surprisingly this research revealed dramatically different perspectives held by the stakeholders mostly centered around one issue: perceptions of safety. This research also seeks to outline policy considerations for institutions in states with similar pending legislation.