Volitional strategies and future time perspective: embracing the complexity of dynamic interactions

This study investigated the dynamic interaction, over time, between volitional strategy use and perceptions of endogenous instrumentality, two constructs associated with choice and executive motivation. The Academic Volitional Strategy Inventory and the Perceptions of Endogenous Instrumentality scale were administered at multiple points throughout the semester to 103 undergraduates in a human development course. Results showed the relationship between volitional strategy use and perception of endogenous instrumentality to grow over time, thereby supporting a dynamic interpretation.     

The Effect of Gender and Minority Status on Salary in Private and Public ARL Libraries

The purpose of this study was to identify pay disparities within gender and race using private and public Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries as a lens. In this study, 44 ARL libraries participated, leading to 1099 usable responses to our survey. The findings indicate that race and gender pay disparities are larger at private libraries than at public libraries. However, disparity levels at both public and private ARL libraries are smaller than the national averages for all professions and continue to shrink.     

Financial Pasts,Presents, and Futures of Community College Students of a Personal Finance Course

This study is an opportunity to share insights with librarians about students' ability to process information on personal finance. These insights might help librarians direct students to appropriate materials and resources. This article uses qualitative techniques to detect differences in student backgrounds and patterns in their ability to apply lesson content. The analysis suggests that males and females differently applied techniques they learned about how to approach spending. Moreover, students with chronic disadvantage applied the information less readily than those who had experienced shorter-term disadvantage.     

US principals’ attitudes about and experiences with single-sex schooling

Despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting the use of single-sex education, the number of US public schools offering single-sex education has increased. However, our understanding as to why decision-makers have implemented single-sex education is lacking. To address this gap, we surveyed US public school principals and assessed their attitudes about and experiences with single-sex schooling. Sixty-seven principals from single-sex schools and 193 principals from co-educational schools participated. The results indicated that principals who had experience with single-sex schooling tended to have more positive attitudes about single-sex schooling, viewed it as more effective, and more often evoked gender-essentialist rationales for the use of single-sex schooling than did co-educational principals. However, both single-sex and co-educational principals noted issues with single-sex schooling. It was concluded that single-sex schooling is not a silver bullet to educational reform and that when single-sex schooling is implemented, one set of issues and problems is substituted for another.     

Research–Practice Partnerships to Support the Development of High Quality Mathematics Instruction for All Students

The gap in achievement in mathematics between at-risk students and their more advantaged counterparts is a persistent problem of the U.S. education system. Although some research-based curricula and pedagogy have demonstrated promise in supporting students from diverse backgrounds to develop conceptual understanding and procedural fluency in mathematics, scaling up instructional change across a district organization is a significant challenge. The Middle School Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) Project is a research–practice partnership seeking to understand how large urban school districts can support the development of rigorous and equitable middle-school mathematics instruction at scale. This article enumerates the goals and design of this multiyear, multidistrict partnership, and describes one illustrative example of how our partnership activities informed and supported one district's efforts to improve mathematics instruction over multiple years. General recommendations for district–researcher partnerships are discussed.     

Health-care Provider Compassionate Love and Women's Infertility Stressors

The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships between doctor compassionate love and treatment, relational, and psychological stressors, as well as to identify effective health-care provider compassionate messages. Participants were 233 women who had been treated for infertility in the past 12 months. Doctor compassionate love was directly associated with positive affect during treatment, perceived treatment stress, and self-esteem. Additionally, perceived treatment stress mediated the relationship between doctor compassionate love and social and marital stress, as well as self-esteem and depression. Participants identified five categories of memorable compassionate messages sent by health-care providers, including offering hope, privileging the patient ahead of the self, practicing patient-centeredness, empathizing, and nonverbally communicating. Messages that constituted privileging the patient ahead of the self and nonverbally communicating were significantly more compassionate than those of offering hope. The study provides implications for the clinical treatment of infertile women and a practical tool for doing so compassionately.