Letters to the editor

This study examines editorial photography in nine major erotica magazines to determine how pictures vary as a function of the social class, gender and sexual preference of the intended readership. The analysis reveals that upwardly‐mobile, heterosexual men are treated to idealized images, whereas working‐class, heterosexual men are presented with more mundane yet highly‐sexualized images. Heterosexual women are provided with photographs of nude males in a low‐sexual context. Magazines for homosexual men present images, except for gender, very similar to those created for upwardly‐mobile, heterosexual men. These patterns are discussed from a functionalist perspective to show how erotica magazines contribute to social‐order maintenance.     

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER RETRAINING IN OLDER ADULTS

Recent research on the cognitive development and functioning of older adults is reviewed and explored in relation to vocational retraining. It is argued that an ecological approach to the study of cognitive development in older adults is preferable, based on the life‐phase, hierarchical‐stage and cognitive functioning literatures. The relevance of this literature for career development in older adults is considered and suggestions for future research are offered. In particular, it is proposed that retraining programs designed to facilitate the career adaptability and success of older persons should attempt to increase their cognitive complexity and flexibility.     

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE,ATTITUDES, AND SOCIAL RELATIONS IN INTERGENERATIONAL COLLEGE CLASSES

Increasing acceptance of the idea of older adults returning to college campuses has raised a number of questions. Not least among the concerns are those related to classroom behavior and classroom relations. Despite the philosophical support for mixing older and younger students in college classes, limited empirical support is available to administrators who must contend with the fears of younger students and the insecurity of faculty. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze research concerning three important dimensions of the mixed classroom: academic performance, attitudes, and social relations.

Studies reported in three major gerontological journals since 1978 were reviewed. Accordingly, seven studies reported in 1980 or later were identified and analyzed. Based on the analysis, conclusions and recommendations are reported.     

Constraints Affecting ICT Utilization by Agricultural Extension Officers in the Niger Delta,Nigeria

Abstract

The study focused on constraints affecting the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for agricultural extension activities by Agricultural Extension Officers in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region. Data were derived from 160 extension officers affiliated to both public and private extension organizations in four states of the Niger Delta. Findings revealed important specific constraints to include: poor ICT infrastructure development, high cost of broadcast equipment, high charges for radio/television presentations, high cost of access/interconnectivity and electricity power problems. The use of Factor Analysis aided to crystallize identified constraints into three factors of ‘poor enabling environment’, ‘lack of access’ and ‘dissemination of unrelated information’. Against the background of several national government initiatives to develop the infrastructure base of the country, recommendations are proffered to ameliorate ICT use constraints.     

Participants' Roles in the Context of a Video Club

This study examines the nature of teacher participation in the context of a video club. Video clubs are professional development meetings in which teachers watch and discuss excerpts of video from their classrooms. In this study, I adopt a situative perspective to examine how teachers develop in their participation to accomplish the goals of the video club. In particular, I examine the roles participants play and explore teachers' participation in four roles that correspond with key goals of the video club. Analysis revealed that teachers' participation shifted in qualitatively different ways over time, with the teachers coming to prompt the group to discuss student mathematical thinking, to propose a variety of interpretations of student ideas, to build on one another's ideas, and to challenge one another's thinking in order to advance the group's conversations. This analysis suggests that the group learned how to participate in roles central to accomplishing the goals of the video club. Studying teacher learning through a lens of participation provides insight into the ways in which teachers coordinate themselves to engage with the goals of professional development and has implications for designing professional development that helps teachers develop practices for teaching mathematics for understanding.     

Identifying the required knowledge elements for the effective detection,investigation, and prosecution of high technology crime: The perspective of academe

This is a selective bibliography of 89 references on recruitment of minority students and faculty for graduate and professional schools and programs. Education, social sciences, and law literature were scanned for the years 1981 to 1991. Resources on recruitment in graduate and professional education are included, as well as a few relevant references of somewhat broader scope on diversity in higher education. This bibliography is divided into two parts: Part 1 is on student recruitment, Part 2 on faculty recruitment. Each part is subdivided into three sections—general literature, strategies and programs, and literature pertaining to particular fields of study or professions.     

“The Equitable Powers of the Judge”: The Conflict Between No Child Left Behind and Court-Ordered Desegregation in Richmond County,Georgia

This article consists of a case study and policy analysis of a conflict between two federal mandates that arose during the initial implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 in a southern school system, Richmond County, Georgia. The first part of the article documents the conflict, drawing on primary source documents and interviews with the school superintendent and school board attorney. A U.S. District court judge ruled that the 1972 court order that had mandated county-wide school desegregation was in conflict with No Child Left Behind's public school transfer policy and granted the county a one-year delay so that the school system could study the policy's likely effects. The U.S. Department of Education's response to the judge's ruling instigated a situation that led to a federal-local political disagreement, whose origins and resolution are described. In the article's second section, the author places these events into broader historical perspective, arguing that they reveal how federal policy in elementary and secondary education has shifted during the intervening decades since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's enactment in 1965. The case highlights the changing federal-district relationship, the equitable implementation of the No Child Left Behind public school choice provision, and the nature of federal authority in education policy, and how it is currently being exercised by the Bush administration.     

Results of a Pilot Study to Investigate Community College Student Perceptions of the Value of an Online Health-Risk Reduction Program

Health is associated with academic success. Universal, web-based interventions to reduce risks associated with alcohol and other drug use have been found to be effective at changing four-year college students’ health behaviors. An online health program may also be well-suited to a community college population, as it can reach students off campus and can be accessed at times that are convenient for students. The purpose of the current paper is to report the results of a community college student evaluation of a fully-developed, online health risk reduction program. One hundred and thirty four students evaluated the program. Students perceived the program to be successful at addressing college health and wellness issues, and they considered it a tool that could help students make a healthy adjustment to college. A universal, online, health-risk reduction program may have the potential to be a useful component of a community college's overall prevention strategy.