Measuring Professional Identity Development Among Counselor Trainees

This study examined the differences in professional identity development between novice and advanced counselor trainees (N = 161). Multivariate analyses of variance indicated significant differences between groups. Specifically, advanced counselor trainees demonstrated greater professional development compared with novice counselor trainees. No differences existed between groups with understanding of professional orientation and values. Implications are presented.     

Facilitating research amongst radiographers through information literacy workshops

Background:Despite a strong research presence in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (LTHTR), allied health professionals from the organization are underrepresented in developing and publicizing research that is inspired by day-to-day clinical practice and staff experiences. Two LTHTR departments, Library and Knowledge Services (LKS) and Research and Innovation (R&I), came together to enable a group of staff to develop the knowledge and skills that they needed to access information and create new “home grown” research.Case Presentation:A clinical librarian and an academic research nurse created a research engagement program in the diagnostic radiography department at LTHTR, which included the development, delivery, and evaluation of 6 workshops. Sixteen individuals took part in these workshops, and data were collected on library usage, self-efficacy in information literacy, and research output before and after their delivery. Library membership increased by 50% among diagnostic radiography staff, literature search requests from this department increased by 133%, and all participants who attended at least 1 workshop reported an increased Information Literacy Self Efficacy Scale (ILSES) score. An increase in research activity and outputs was also attributed to the program.Conclusions:This project has resulted in a set of freely available workshop plans and support resources that can be customized for other health care professionals and has won several awards for its innovative use of departmental collaboration. Through the evaluation of the program from workshop attendees and non-attenders, we have identified impacts, outputs, and barriers to engagement in order to continue to deliver this content to other departments and embed a home grown research culture at LTHTR.     

Stronger Working Memory Reduces Sexual Risk Taking in Adolescents,Even After Controlling for Parental Influences

This study examined the prospective influence of adolescent working memory (WM) on changes in impulsivity and sexual risk taking and assessed whether this relation could be explained by confounding effects of parental influences. Data from 360 community adolescents (M_age = 13.5 ± 0.95 years; 52% female; 56% non‐Hispanic White; low‐mid socioeconomic status (SES); recruited from Philadelphia area in 2004–2005) were analyzed using structural equation modeling to predict changes in impulsivity and sexual risk taking over a 2‐year follow‐up, using baseline assessments of WM, parental monitoring, parental involvement, and SES. Stronger WM predicted reduced involvement in sexual risk taking at follow‐up, effects channeled through changes in impulsivity dimensions of “acting without thinking” and “inability to delay gratification.” Parental variables had a protective influence on adolescent impulsivity and risk involvement, but the effects of WM operated independently of parental influences.     

Ability Grouping in English Secondary Schools: Effects on Attainment in English,Mathematics and Science

The impact of ability grouping on attainment is examined in a cohort of year-9 pupils in 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools, representing a variety of grouping practices. Analyses using multilevel models reveal an effect of the extent of setting experienced by pupils on progress in mathematics, but not in English or science. In mathematics, pupils attaining higher levels at the end of year 6 make more progress in sets, whereas pupils attaining lower levels make more progress in mixed ability classes. Placement in a high, middle or low set also has a significant effect on mathematics attainment. Possible explanations are discussed and educational implications considered.     

Legitimizing “Baby Brain”: Tracing a Rhetoric of Significance Through Science and the Mass Media

The discursive construction of “baby brain” functions to legitimize gender stereotypes and deflect attention from a host of material conditions that influence how women experience pregnancy and motherhood. This essay focuses on how the baby brain myth gains public legitimacy by tracing and analyzing its recent emergence in both scientific and mass mediated discourse. I argue that the myth gained legitimacy through a rhetoric of significance—one that conflates statistical significance and functional significance—that operates in both science and media discourse. In the conclusion, I offer an alternative interpretation of baby brain's cause, one that highlights the social structures that make pregnancy and motherhood difficult.     

Using Authentic Assessment to Evidence Children’s Progress Toward Early Learning Standards

The increasing emphasis on accountability in early care and education has created an opportunity for programs to revisit their child assessment practices. This article presents a model for using authentic assessment practices to document children’s progress toward a set of program standards, specifically the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, as well as describe how authentic assessment processes can inform curriculum planning. Programmatic implementation issues are discussed and a case study is presented.     

An Analysis of the Presentation of Art in the British Primary School Curriculum and its Implications for Teaching

This article presents an analysis of the way art is conceptualised in the British primary school curriculum and provides an historical framework that maps an evolution of ideas that have shaped the way art is presented in the modern day primary curriculum. In order to achieve this a Foucauldian style genealogical analysis is utilised to trace the discourses (systems of meaning) surrounding the nature of children's artistic development and how these discourses are used in the present day British primary curriculum to construe art in different ways. The analysis in this article is threefold. It explores the presentation of art in the curriculum as (1) an expressive subject, (2) a skills based subject, (3) a subject which focuses on art history and art appreciation. Second, the teaching positions associated with each approach are identified as follows (a) the facilitator, (b) the expert and (c) the philosopher; as well as the issues teachers face when adopting these positions. Third, attention is given to how these theoretical principles might be linked to practice. In so doing this article contributes to the debate surrounding the value of art in the primary curriculum and the way in which the curriculum serves to shape teaching practice.     

Revolution,evolution or a Trojan horse? Piloting assessment for learning in some Scottish primary schools

This article analyses some of the findings of an evaluation of Project One of the ‘Assessment is for Learning’ Development Programme in 16 Scottish primary schools and two junior high schools in which teachers developed formative assessment strategies aimed at improving teaching and learning. Drawing on data from pupils, teachers and parents, the use of such strategies is examined. The study provides some evidence that the use of formative assessment led to pupils taking more responsibility for their learning, contributing to improved motivation, confidence and classroom achievement, especially for lower attainers. Employing such strategies also developed teachers' conceptual understanding of formative assessment, moving some from a teacher‐centred pedagogy to one which placed pupils and their learning needs at the heart of teaching. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the project for teachers' professional development and the constraints faced by teachers in sustaining and embedding such practices.