An operational definition of learning disabilities (cognitive domain) using WISC full scale IQ and peabody individual achievement test scores

An operational index of discrepancy to assist in identifying learning disabilities (LD) in the cognitive domain was derived using the Full Scale IQ, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Wechsler, 1949, and relevant subtest scores on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) (Dunn and Markwardt, 1970. The index was applied to all legally identified LD children (N = 60) of a Michigan county who were in the LD program (1% of the total elementary school population of 6000 children). Of the 50 males and 10 females (mean age: 9 years 2 months; mean IQ: 91), the index identified 74% and 30% respectively as may be LD in the cognitive domain. This comprised 67% of the 60 children, or 2/3 of 1 % of the total elementary school population. Of the 67% may be LD children, 93% had discrepancy low PIAT subtest scores in Reading Recognition, 88% in Reading Comprehension, 83% in Spelling, and 52% in Arithmetic. Considerable caution should be exercised when classifying children, especially females, as LD.     

Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment and Data Driven Policy Implementation

The use of dual credit has been expanding rapidly. Dual credit is a college course taken by a high school student for which both college and high school credit is given. Previous studies provided limited quantitative evidence that dual credit/dual enrollment is directly connected to positive student outcomes. In this study, predictive statistics were calculated using the generalized linear mixed model function in SPSS. For the final analysis, a two-level, propensity score weighted, multinomial logistic regression model was developed. Findings of this study are that even after controlling for selection bias, variation across high schools, and several education and socioeconomic status variables, dual credit/dual enrollment was significantly related to increased odds of enrolling at both four-year institutions and community colleges upon high school graduation. The opportunity presented by dual credit expansion and related policy recommendations are explored within the state and federal completion agenda context.     

An overview of learning analytics

Learning analytics, the analysis and representation of data about learners in order to improve learning, is a new lens through which teachers can understand education. It is rooted in the dramatic increase in the quantity of data about learners and linked to management approaches that focus on quantitative metrics, which are sometimes antithetical to an educational sense of teaching. However, learning analytics offers new routes for teachers to understand their students and, hence, to make effective use of their limited resources. This paper explores these issues and describes a series of examples of learning analytics to illustrate the potential. It argues that teachers can and should engage with learning analytics as a way of influencing the metrics agenda towards richer conceptions of learning and to improve their teaching.     

Research Experiences of Staff within a Specialist UK Higher Education Institution: Challenges,opportunities and priorities

The study discussed here was based on a collective case approach involving a specialist UK higher education institution. Six individual interviews were carried out with a cross-sectional sample of the institution’s staff members. Additional information was gained through observations and examination of relevant documents. These data were interrogated with the purpose of exploring how the institution had made the transition from a teacher training college to a teaching-led higher education institution with a particular commitment to developing research capacity. This analysis yielded a number of key findings: first, the institution had experienced a cultural shift, with research forming a more noticeable profile; second, practitioner-oriented research was the dominant research endeavour; and third, there appeared to be an incomplete understanding of the potential of research to change a staff member’s career and teaching practice. The article concludes by giving consideration to the implications of the findings.     

The Assessment of Patron-Initiated Collection Development via Interlibrary Loan at a Comprehensive University

Patron-initiated collecting via interlibrary has been examined regularly in the literature over the past decade, with articles examining the topic at public libraries, liberal arts colleges, and large doctoral institutions. This paper examines a patron-initiated collection development program at Grand Valley State University, a comprehensive university with an enrollment of 24,000 students. It compares Grand Valley State University's experiences with those at other types of institutions. The paper also discusses the different models used to assess the success of these programs within the literature and how Grand Valley State University used WorldCat Collection Analysis, circulation statistics, and peer comparisons to assess its program.     

Audience Studies

NATURAL AUDIENCES: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH OF MEDIA USES AND EFFECTS edited by Thomas R. Lindlof (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1987—$37.50)

COMMUNICATION, GENDER, AND SEX ROLES IN DIVERSE INTERACTION CONTEXTS edited by Lea P. Stewart and Stella Ting-Toomey (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1987—$35.00)

QUESTIONNAIRES: DESIGN AND USE by Doug R. Berdie, et al. (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1986—$22.50)

CHILDREN AS CONSUMERS: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS by James U. McNeal (Lexington, MA: Lexington/Heath, 1987—$24.95)     

Large-Scale Patterns of Entertainment Gratifications in Linguistic Content of U.S. Films

We count words in film subtitle files in an attempt to reveal morally relevant patterns of linguistic content. We argue that function words (e.g., pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions) should be positively associated with thought-provoking narrative forms. To test this hypothesis, we associate function words to aggregate measures of film viewership and appraisals. Results suggest that function words are negatively associated with measures of viewership but positively associated with appraisals. As such, our finding is consistent with the idea that function words are more likely to occur in narrative forms that audiences value more than they actually consume. We relate this finding to past research, which has shown the same pattern for hedonic versus meaningful entertainment gratifications. Discussion centers on implications for recent theorizing in this area.     

Plausibility Judgments in Conceptual Change and Epistemic Cognition

Plausibility judgments rarely have been addressed empirically in conceptual change research. Recent research, however, suggests that these judgments may be pivotal to conceptual change about certain topics where a gap exists between what scientists and laypersons find plausible. Based on a philosophical and empirical foundation, this article presents a theoretical model of the role of plausibility judgments in conceptual change (PJCC) with implications for epistemic cognition. The PJCC moves beyond the limitations of cold cognitive processing by incorporating the warmer constructs of affect, motivation, and motivated reasoning. We review recent research in plausibility judgments that informed the PJCC's development and discuss components of the model. Of particular note is the importance of using explicit critical evaluation to reappraise plausibility judgments that may have been originally made through implicit cognitive processes. We also suggest potentially productive areas of future research based on the PJCC model.     

A day in the life: Interviews with three PE/VC librarians

ABSTRACT

This article is an interview with three librarians with extensive experience in private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) research. Two of the participants work in a business research consultancy and one works in an academic library within a graduate business school. They shared their thoughts on what is unique or noteworthy about conducting research in these areas. Topics covered include: a typical workday; common research requests; information resources used; differences in research in private equity and venture capital; the information needs of entrepreneurs, students and professors; and challenges that arise in conducting PE and VC research.     

The Role of Values in Preservice Teachers' Decision to Teach

The current study explored the values preservice teachers use as motivation for pursuing a teaching career. Preservice teachers (N = 97) from a large Northeastern urban university were chosen to complete a survey measuring personal utility value, social utility value, and epistemic value. Data analysis was conducted using exploratory factor analysis, correlations, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results indicated moderate and significant correlations among subscales; a two-group MANOVA demonstrated that females were rated higher on the subscale desire to work with children/adolescents and Secondary Education participants rated highest on social contribution; and a MANCOVA using sex as the covariate demonstrated that participants pursuing Early Childhood Education were rated higher on the personal utility value main scale and the time for family and job transferability subscales.