Publication productivity among American criminologists: An analysis of gender,regional, and work differences

This study examines the research productivity of a random sample of members of the American Society of Criminology. A total of 178 respondents provided information on their publication productivity over the last five years. The results show that considerable variance exists within groups and among groups. Male Ph.D.s published more pages of books and journal articles than female Ph.D.s over the last five years, but the differences were not significant. Approximately 4 percent of male Ph.D.s failed to publish any journal articles, whereas almost 6 percent of female Ph.D.s had not published in journals. Nearly 40 percent of the Ph.D.s had failed to publish any material in books. Few significant differences were found among geographical regions, type of degree, and type of work.     

A Self-Insured Health Program: From Crisis to Opportunity

Moberly Area Community College faced a crisis in healthcare coverage that eventually lead to enhanced benefits, greater control, plan stability, and increased flexibility through a self-insured program. Presented here is how Moberly Area Community College overcame the health care coverage crisis and how other institutions can benefit from the lessons we learned from the process.     

Community College Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Climate and Fundamental Engineering Skills

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine community college engineering students’ perceptions of their classroom climate and how these perceptions are related to fundamental skills in engineering. The study was guided by the following research question: How are community college engineering students’ perceptions of their fundamental engineering skills related to their perceptions of classroom climate? Data from a 2009 National Science Foundation sponsored project, Prototype to Production: Processes and Conditions for Preparing the Engineer of 2020 (P2P), which contains information from students in 15 pre-engineering community college programs, were examined. Measures of classroom climate and fundamental skills related to engineering were first established through an exploratory factor analysis. In order to explore differences in student perceptions by individual characteristics and by institution, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used. Results indicated that for community college engineering students, a warmer perception of classroom climate was associated with a higher perception of fundamental engineering skills. At community colleges, class sizes are generally smaller, especially compared to introductory courses at universities, and may provide a warmer climate for students considering beginning their engineering degrees. Given the diversity within community colleges, these institutions may provide an important pathway for underrepresented groups in engineering.     

Early Learning in CRESPAR

The goal of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) Early Learning program is to ensure that young children reach the 1st grade with the necessary skills and competencies to be effective learners. This goal has been accomplished by 2 integrated areas of research. One area of research focuses on the development of effective practices that promote the development of language and literacy skills in young children. A 2nd area of research examines the systemic issues regarding school policies and teachers' beliefs and expectations that affect classroom practices. Over the past 5 years, the CRESPAR Early Learning Program has been conducting research in these areas, which has added to our understanding of how children learn and what teachers think that they can learn.     

Problem Solving as Home: School Strategy and Research Methodology

Researchers with the European Union-funded Parents and Schools (PAS) Project worked alongside primary schools in an attempt to locate a strategy for the enhancement of home:school partnerships. In so doing, the research approach rejected traditional methodological paradigms which have often produced research results which are easy for practitioners to ignore. Instead, a problem-solving activity, the priority diamond exercise, was developed to raise qualitative and quantitative data in order to help launch schools into meaningful dialogue between parents and teachers and to raise questions within a field fraught with preconceptions about the nature of groups active in the home:school dynamic. Résumé Les chercheurs impliqués dans le Projet Parents et Écoles (PAS: "Parents and Schools Projects"), projet soutenu par l'Union Européenne, ont collaboré avec des écoles primaires pour tenter d'implanter une stratégie de développement d'un partenariat entre famille et école. Ce faisant, cette approche a rejeté les paradigmes méthodologiques classiques qui ont souvent produit des résultats dont les praticiens peuvent aisément ne pas tenir compte. Une activité de résolution de problème (l'exercice "la hiérarchie du diamant"/"The Priority Diamond Exercise") a ainsi été développée dans le but d'aider les écoles à se lancer dans un dialogue authentique entre parents et enseignants et de faire émerger des questions dans un domaine qu'encombrent les préjugés sur la nature de groupes actifs dans la dynamique famille : école. (Traduction: Dominique G. Brassart, UFR des Sciences de l'Education, Université Charles de Gaulle - Lille 3, Villeneuve d'Ascq)     

The perceptual gaps in using a learning management system: Indigenous cultural perspectives

ABSTRACT

Learning management systems (LMS) have been utilised for enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in higher education, yet the cultural needs of Indigenous students are rarely considered. The study reimagines culturally inclusive learning in an LMS by critically reviewing theories of culturally inclusive learning and Indigenous pedagogical values. It explores perceptual gaps between Indigenous cultural needs and the current use of an LMS through analysis of data collected from Indigenous students and academic staff via an online questionnaire (n = 100) and face-to-face interviews (n = 20) at one Australian university. As a result, it articulates and unpacks mythical perceptions of using an LMS. Consequently, there is clear evidence that Indigenous students expect to experience more human-to-human interactions and develop a sense of community through the use of available communication tools, whereas academic staff tend to rely on a binary opposition between pedagogy and culture in which culture is regarded as a subordinate concept to pedagogy.     

Computer‐assisted learning in anatomy at the International Medical School in Debrecen,Hungary: A preliminary report

The University of Debrecen's Faculty of Medicine has an international, multilingual student population with anatomy courses taught in English to all but Hungarian students. An elective computer‐assisted gross anatomy course, the Computer Human Anatomy (CHA), has been taught in English at the Anatomy Department since 2008. This course focuses on an introduction to anatomical digital images along with clinical cases. This low‐budget course has a large visual component using images from magnetic resonance imaging and computer axial tomogram scans, ultrasound clinical studies, and readily available anatomy software that presents topics which run in parallel to the university's core anatomy curriculum. From the combined computer images and CHA lecture information, students are asked to solve computer‐based clinical anatomy problems in the CHA computer laboratory. A statistical comparison was undertaken of core anatomy oral examination performances of English program first‐year medical students who took the elective CHA course and those who did not in the three academic years 2007–2008, 2008–2009, and 2009–2010. The results of this study indicate that the CHA‐enrolled students improved their performance on required anatomy core curriculum oral examinations (P < 0.001), suggesting that computer‐assisted learning may play an active role in anatomy curriculum improvement. These preliminary results have prompted ongoing evaluation of what specific aspects of CHA are valuable and which students benefit from computer‐assisted learning in a multilingual and diverse cultural environment. Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Cancer communications research and health outcomes: Review and challenge

This report presents a detailed review of current published research on cancer communications that provide strong positive outcome data on the effectiveness of strategic communications in cancer control. The research literature is examined in three categories based on the communications strategy used and behavior targeted: 1) strategic communications on adoption of prevention behaviors in diverse populations; and on promotion of cancer detection and screening behaviors; 2) tailored communications on promotion of cancer prevention and control; and on promotion of screening and detection behaviors; and 3) interpersonal communications on provision of social support to individuals living with cancer. The review of the literature suggests that communication interventions can influence important health outcomes in cancer prevention and control, and communication is a central process for disseminating cancer information to key populations. For example, the review illustrates the role of the NCI's Cancer Information Service as an important source of communication for providing consumers with relevant cancer information. Implications are drawn from this review for demonstrating the value of the expanded research programs proposed by the National Cancer Institute as part of their Extraordinary Opportunity in Cancer Communications Research initiative.     

Film Industry Studies

Gary Prebula and Mario Berguiristain: INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL—A COMPLETE COURSE OUTLINE FOR THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (Hollywood: The Hollywood Reporter, 1983—$10.00).

John P. Driscoll's COMMUNICATING ON FILM (available from Stipes Publishing Company, 10-12 Chester Street, P.O. Box 526, Champaign, Illinois 61820—$4.80, paper).

Peter Von Arx, FILM DESIGN (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983—$40.50).

Marc Sigoloff's THE FILMS OF THE SEVENTIES: A FILMOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN, BRITISH, AND CANADIAN FILMS 1970-1979 (McFarland & Company, Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640—$29.95).

THE OFFICIAL HOLLYWOOD HANDBOOK (New York: Pocket Books, 1984- $6.95, paper).     

Longitudinal associations among youth depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and low peer acceptance: an interpersonal process perspective

A longitudinal investigation was conducted to explicate the network of associations between depressive symptoms and peer difficulties among 486 fourth through sixth graders (M = 9.93 years). Parent and teacher reports of depressive symptoms; peer, self, and teacher reports of victimization; and peer reports of peer acceptance were obtained. A systematic examination of nested structural equation models provided support for a symptoms-driven model whereby depressive symptoms contributed to peer difficulties; no evidence was found for interpersonal risk or transactional models. Analyses further revealed that victimization mediated the association between prior depressive symptoms and subsequent peer acceptance. Results extend knowledge about the temporal ordering of depressive symptoms and peer difficulties and elucidate one process through which depressive symptoms disrupt peer relationships.