The Lake Wobegon Effect: A Skeleton in the Testing Closet?

In this article, officials of the U.S. Department of Education explain what they think of the "Lake Wobegon" phenomenon brought to widespread attention by Dr. Cannell– and what the Department is doing about it.     

A New Variant of the Generalized JSM-Method for Automatic Support of Scientific Research

This article reviews a new variant of the generalized JSM-method for automatic support of scientific research (ASRS). This version of the JSM-method applied for ASRS contains ternary predicates of similarity (cause, brake, effect) which contain binary “cause–effect” predicates and explicit brake definitions. The article considers a possibility for the basis of fact partition for the cases of the truth of the generalized method and an inductive method of similarity with a ban on counter-example predicates.     

Direction in AV communication research

Summary To summarize, it has been the thesis of this paper that research in AV communication embraces research in all areas of the social sciences. Possibilities for future research were analyzed under four headings: (a) empirical investigation into classicial-type effects problems, the mass media of communication, areas such as learning which are basic to communication study, and projective and AV testing; (b) conceptualistic investigation into theoretical problems, history, and philosophy; (c) action research embracing technical developments, campaign-type studies, curriculum studies, and organizational surveys; (d) criticism including literary criticism applied to the products of the mass media, scientific criticism, and social value criticism. The directions for AV communication research seem plain enough. The problem is the tremendous distance we have to go. The many possibilities for future AV communication research are analyzed and fruitful suggestions of procedure are discussed. James D. Finn is Associate Professor of Education and Chairman of the Audio-Visual Education Department, University of Southern California. This article is based upon a paper presented at the Research Section meeting of the DAVI National Convention in Chicago in March, 1954. Society not only continues to existby transmission,by communication, but it may fairly be said to existin transmission,in communication. There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication. Men live in a community in virtue of the things which they have in common; and communication is the way in which they come to possess things in common. Persons do not become a society by living in physical proximity … If, however, they were all cognizant of the common end and all interested in it so that they regulated their specific activity in view of it, then they would form a community… Concensus demands communication… Not only is social life identical with communication, but all communication… is educative (11:5–6).     

English language arts and the economy: discursive constructions of two fields

This article presents discourse analyses of two teachers’ statements about the economic payoff of studying English in the United States’ high schools. Specifically, the article examines how English teachers construe reading as an economic asset that can be developed in schools and used on the job. Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of field and capital are mobilized to explore how teachers (a) construe and relate the fields of English and the economy and (b) define the resources operative in and across both fields. The present study uses methods of discourse analysis to develop detailed pictures of teachers’ theories of the economic dimensions of English (as described in original interviews). The teachers’ views are read against widely circulating arguments about the economic value of English. The teachers involved in the study construe basic skills reading as being of less economic value than practices of reading driven by curiosity and enjoyment.     

What predicts international higher education students’ satisfaction with their study in Ireland?

The internationalisation of higher education – a facet of broader processes of globalisation – has resulted in increased study-related travel, and the development of policies to attract international students. Nevertheless, in the context of a strong drive to recruit international students, little is known about how they are faring during their study abroad. This article addresses the gap in research, analysing the experiences of international students studying in Irish higher education institutions, drawing on nationally representative data from the Eurostudent IV study. The findings show that students’ satisfaction with study while abroad is shaped by a number of different factors including, first and foremost, their satisfaction with their education institution and subjective rating of their health.     

On the Use of Beats-Per-Minute and Interbeat Interval in the Analysis of Cardiac Responses to Mediated Messages

The measurement of an individual’s heart rate has many relevant theoretical implications for communication research. However, there are reasons to believe that the most common way of reporting cardiac response—beats per minute (BPM)—might not be appropriate for all methodological situations. This article presents an overview of the historical use of cardiac activity within communication research, and provides a summary of the current conceptualizations of attention and resource allocation. To fully understand the difference between BPM and interbeat interval (IBI)—an alternate method for reporting cardiac response—a comparative analysis was performed on a data set from a previously published study. This article concludes with a set of suggestions that researchers may want to consider when utilizing BPM or IBI within communication research.     

Profiles of reading related skills in dyslexic families

The aim of the present study was to investigate patterns of similarity in reading related tasks among dyslexic members of the same family. From a sample of 19 well defined dyslexic students in grade 8, three cases were randomly selected for closer examination with a battery of tasks assumed to be causally related to reading. In all selected cases the fathers reported reading disability and in one case the mother was affected as well. The profiles of performance on the various tasks showed a striking similarity within families suggesting similar mechanisms underlying the reading disability. All cases showed remarkable problems in phonological processing, although functional reading skills were almost intact in some cases. Thus, the phonological tasks might be regarded as marker tasks for identifying genetic dyslexia.Requests for reprints should be sent to Torleiv Høien, Center for Reading Research, Stavanger Teacher College, P.B. 2521, Ullandhaug, N-4004 Stavanger, Norway.