Voice and speech examinations in American educational institutions

A PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS OF MEDICAL PRACTICE: TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY AND ETHIC OF THE HEALING PROFESSIONS. By Edmund D. Pellegrino and David C. Thomasma. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981; pp. xv + 342. $19.95.

THE SILENT WORLD OF DOCTOR AND PATIENT. By Jay Katz. New York: The Free Press, 1984; pp. xxi + 263. $15.95.

ROUTINE COMPLICATIONS: TROUBLES WITH TALK BETWEEN DOCTORS AND PATIENTS. By Candace West. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1984; pp. xiv + 199. $27.50.

TALKING WITH PATIENTS, VOLUME 1: THE THEORY OF DOCTOR‐PATIENT COMMUNICATION. By Eric J. Cassell. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1985; pp. xiii + 223. $9.95 paper.

TALKING WITH PATIENTS, VOLUME 2: CLINICAL TECHNIQUE. By Eric J. Cassell. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1985; pp. xii + 200. $9.95 paper.     

Digital Gaming Perspectives of Older Adults: Content vs. Interaction

There were two objectives to this study: (a) to establish flow and (2) to establish whether computer game interaction or content was important to the older adult, using the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 2 consoles. An earlier study had identified the sports genre as a preference, and three games (golf, tennis, and boxing) were selected that suited play on the game consoles. Participants completed a survey that incorporated the Flow State Scale (FSS). Observations undertaken used, a seven-point scale adapted from the FSS measuring subjects’ ease of use, control of game, enjoyment, concentration, and skill. Participants reported a more positive experience on the Wii console than on the PS2 in relation to the sports genre. Qualitative data collected illustrated participants’ experienced fun, laughter, and smiling and gave more positive aural feedback than the PS2. Two of the three games (golf and tennis) played on the Wii console identified the experience of flow by participants.     

The impact of maternal responsiveness and control on change in externalising behaviour problems: differences between regular and special schools

The present study compared 124 adolescents from special schools for students with emotional and behavioural disturbances (EBDs) and 133 regular schooled adolescents with regard to their perceived maternal behaviour. It was also tested longitudinally whether effects of maternal parenting behaviour on subsequent externalising behaviour vary as a function of school type. The two groups did not differ from each other with regard to perceived maternal parenting behaviour. However, an interaction effect of school type and parenting behaviour on externalising behaviour was found. Maternal warmth/support predicted a decrease and maternal strict control an increase in subsequent problem behaviour only for adolescents from special schools. The importance of parenting programmes especially for parents of adolescents attending special schools for students with EBD is discussed.     

An exploration of school mobility: Risks and protective factors in late elementary

This study explored negative emotional, behavioral, and academic performance outcomes for highly mobile students and potential protective factors. Participants were fourth and fifth-grade students (N = 647, 51% male) from three schools with low socioeconomic status, highly mobile student populations within a large, suburban school district in the midwestern United States. Data were collected through student self-report surveys, teacher-report surveys, and school records. Multilevel moderation analysis tested whether school connectedness (SC) or social and emotional competence (SEC) acted as protective factors for highly mobile students, moderating the effect of school mobility on emotional problems and academic performance. Student mobility was associated with more emotional problems and lower academic performance. In contrast to past research, there was not an association between mobility and behavior problems. Although they did not act as protective factors, SC and SEC were independently associated with fewer emotional problems and stronger reading performance for all students, controlling for mobility. Results build on existing evidence that student mobility has negative effects on emotional and academic outcomes and lend support for interventions focused on enhancing SC and SEC of all students, including those at increased risk due to high mobility.     

Mainstreaming: Parental perceptions

Parents of learning disabled, mentally retarded, and emotionally disturbed children were surveyed regarding their reactions to mainstreaming handicapped children. Results indicated that parents of learning disabled children were significantly more supportive of this educational procedure than were the other two groups of parents. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed.     

Community and conversation: tackling beginning teacher doubt and disillusion

Margaret Somerville has suggested that a new methodology of postmodern emergence might allow researchers to disrupt the taken-for-granted and provide fresh insight into familiar problems. One such familiar problem is the doubt and disillusion many early-career teachers experience, both during their teacher education and in their first years. Attrition rates are high. This paper, co-authored by two teacher educators and two early-career secondary teachers, draws on Somerville’s ideas by creating multiple modes of creative expression in order to allow fresh insight to emerge from the relationship between the multiple parts of the paper. Different readers will draw their own conclusions from the rich material presented, but for the authors the research reminds us of the regenerative potency of relationships and conversations in which doubts and disillusion can be expressed and heard. The implications for teacher education, at a time when direct face-to-face time with students is being eroded, are explored.     

“These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty”: Older Children and Adults Struggle With Induced‐State Episodic Foresight

We explored children's and adults’ ability to disengage from current physiological states when forecasting future desires. In Study 1, 8‐ to 13‐year‐olds and adults (N = 104) ate pretzels (to induce thirst) and then predicted and explained what they would want tomorrow, pretzels or water. Demonstrating life‐span continuity, approximately 70% of participants, regardless of age, chose water and referenced current thirst as their rationale. Individual differences in working memory and undergraduate grade point average were positively related to performance on the pretzel task. In Study 2, we obtained baseline preferences from adults (N = 35) and confirmed that, prior to consuming pretzels, people do not anticipate wanting water more than pretzels the next day. Together, these findings indicate that both children and adults are tethered to the present when forecasting their future desires.