Decision making: Influence of features and presentation mode upon generation of alternatives

Decision making can be defined as the process of making reasoned choices among alternatives based upon judgments consistent with the values of the decision maker. Models describing decision making generally include: identification of the problem, collection of relevant information, generation of alternatives, identification of consequences of alternatives, and selection of alternatives. This research focuses on the ability of children to generate alternatives in decision-making tasks. The problem was to determine the differential effects of the number of features of a decision-making situation in interview and computer-simulation modes on the number of alternatives children generate. The study involved 208 children with equal numbers of 2nd and 4th grade boys and girls. Each child responded to three decision-making situations either in an interview or computer-simulation mode. The three situations varied on the number of features of the award objects. An increase in the number of features (color) of the award objects (jelly beans) in a decision-making situation increased the number of alternatives generated. The children in this study generated more alternatives in the interview setting than with the computer simulation.     

Determining the influence of the social versus physical context on environmentally responsible behaviour among cycling spectators

The paper explores the relationships between three factors and environmentally responsible behavioural intentions among cycling spectators: place attachment, subculture identification and subjective norms. Two categories of behavioural intentions are presented namely situational (while spectating) and future (before attending similar events). Analysis of covariance is used to test the relationships in a sample of 619 spectators from both road race and mountain bike events. The paper supports previous research highlighting the importance of the social dimension of sport spectating and the link to social norms that drive environmental behaviour. It also adds to existing research on place attachment as a precursor to environmentally responsible behaviour with reference to sport spectating.     

Anatomy Students That are “Team-Taught” May Achieve Better Results Than Those That are “Sole-Taught”

Anatomy practical classes have traditionally been taught by a team of demonstrators (team-taught) in a large dissection room. More recently, particularly in nonmedical contexts, practical classes have been taught by one teacher (sole-taught) to smaller student groups. The aim of this study was to compare student outcomes when the same course was delivered with practical classes team-taught at one campus (metropolitan) and sole-taught at a second campus (regional) while maintaining similar staff to student ratios. This anatomy course, for physiotherapy and lower academically credentialed exercise science/physiology students, utilized blended delivery whereby most content was delivered online and practical classes comprised the main face-to-face teaching. In 2018, the metropolitan campus introduced team-teaching practical classes while the regional campus continued with sole-teaching. Student marks and engagement with online content were compared between campuses and to the previous year (2017) when both campuses had sole-taught practical classes. While final marks for the course increased overall in 2018 (P < 0.01), exercise science/physiology students at the metropolitan campus (team-taught) improved their final marks (53.5 ± 1.1%) compared to a slight decrease for the regional (sole-taught) campus (44.8 ± 1.4%) (P < 0.01). There were no differences between campuses for physiotherapy students in 2018. Student engagement with online content did not contribute to the improvement in marks for exercise science/physiology students. Introduction of a team-teaching format improved student marks, particularly for the lower academically credentialed students. Team-teaching should be considered as the preferred format for anatomy practical classes, particularly in courses involving students with diverse academic credentials.     

High school teachers' perceptions of cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies

Recent meta‐analyses indicate that bully prevention programs produce minimal change in student behavior. This study examined 66 high school teachers' perceptions regarding the effect of cyberbullying on students, which intervening strategies teachers would use when dealing with cyberbullying, and which prevention strategies would assist in preventing cyberbullying. Almost one fourth of teachers indicated cyberbullying does not have long‐lasting negative effects and that cyberbullying “prepares students for life.” Fewer than half of teachers favored implementing a formal cyberbully prevention program. Teachers perceived the following strategies as most helpful in addressing cyberbullying: increasing parental involvement, warning students about consequences for cyberbullying, and increasing consequences for cyberbullying. School administrators should consider teachers' perceptions before implementing prevention programs that target cyberbullying. Additionally, strategies should consider fostering greater teacher buy‐in, thus improving intervention fidelity and creating a unified effort focused on decreasing student cyberbullying. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Exploring sport brand double jeopardy: The link between team market share and attitudinal loyalty

Marketers are charged with the responsibility of attracting consumers and encouraging loyalty for their brands. Double jeopardy, a marketing law observed across numerous product and service settings, contends that loyalty is largely influenced by a brand's market share. There have been suggestions that sport may be one of the few areas immune to such effects, providing researchers with an opportunity to test how sport brand loyalty may be impacted by market share. The current research capitalises on this opportunity by assessing the effects of market share on attitudinal loyalty reported by a sample of 794 Australian sport fans. ANOVA tests revealed that fans of high market share brands displayed higher levels of attitudinal loyalty towards their favourite teams in comparison to small market share team fans. Further tests revealed that differences existed in terms of the brand association perceptions held by high and small market share team fans, and how these contributed to predicting attitudinal loyalty. Consequently, sport marketers should be cognisant of double jeopardy effects when evaluating sport brands and formulating marketing strategies, though future research is needed to determine the full applicability of double jeopardy within the sport context.     

Book reviews and notes

THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL ATTITUDES IN CHILDREN by Robert D. Hess and Judith V. Torney, Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co., 1967. xviii + 288 pp. $9.75.

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION by Kenneth P. Langton, New York: Oxford University Press, 1969. xvii + 215 pp. $2.50, paperback.

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION edited by Edward S. Greenberg. New York: Atherton Press, 1970. x + 199 pp. $6.95.

AGAINST THE ODDS: THE HIGH RISK STUDENT IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE by William Moore, Jr. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass, Inc., 1970. xii + 244 pp. $8.50.

HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE NATION'S HEALTH: POLICIES FOR MEDICAL AND DENTAL EDUCATION by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. New Jersey: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, 1970. 128 pp. $2.95.

FREE‐ACCESS HIGHER EDUCATION by Warren W. Willingham. New York: College Entrance Examination Board, 1970. x + 240 pp. $6.50.

EDUCATION IN AMERICA, 1960–1969, THE EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT OF THE SATURDAY REVIEW. New York: Arno Press, 1971. 4 vols., 2,790 pp. $175.00.     

An exploration of teachers' current perceptions of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties

Difficulties exist in identifying and providing services for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). As teacher referral is an essential link in service delivery this study investigated teachers' current perceptions of SEBD by examining characteristics of children nominated by their teachers as having SEBD. While the majority of children were nominated for externalizing behaviours, teachers rated girls as having more severe externalizing difficulties than boys. In contrast, there was no significant difference between teachers' internalizing ratings of boys and girls, despite the fact that girls reported more severe depressive symptomatology. Moreover, teachers rated gender‐contrary behaviours more severely than gender‐consistent behaviours. Consistent with achievement results, teachers rated the majority of children as having moderate to severe academic difficulties. Little agreement was found between characteristics reported by teachers and children. Implications are discussed within the context of the school psychologist's role in working with teachers to increase awareness of the profile of these children.     

Veiled and overt school choice: A consideration of the ways in which different forms of school choice affect student experiences

Parental choice of secondary schools is central to the Labour Government's education agenda. This article draws on work from an Economic and Social Research Council funded study considering teachers' and students' perspectives and experiences of choice in two locales. Two distinct ways in which choice operates are identified: overt choice, which is parental choice as Labour's education policy envisages it, and veiled choice, which refers to the previous more clandestine operation of parental choice. The article qualitatively explores students' experiences of choice in East Town with active parental choice, and in North Town where there is a strong tradition of attending the local school. For some students who do not get into their chosen school, choice appears to be having negative effects on their experiences of school, whilst choice has positive effects when students attend a school they actively chose and one which is viewed positively by the community.