Gardening as a cognitive activity

Gardening and children are a natural combination; children love to play in the dirt, and are fascinated by growing things. The benefits of having a garden can go beyond the fresh vegetables and flowers, a lot can be learned in the process. Although skills involved in planting and caring for the garden and acquiring a rudimentary knowledge of biology are obvious benefits, many other cognitive skills can be introduced or reinforced with a garden project.Deborah G. Ventis is Associate Professor of Psychology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburgh, VA.     

The Technical Quality of Performance Assessments: Standard Errors of Percents of Pupils Reaching Standards

How accurate is the reported percent of students’reaching standards at the school level? How are standard errors for these statistics computed? How do estimates vary with choice of generalizability model?     

Deciding for or Against Participation in Higher Education: The Views of Young People from Lower Social Class Backgrounds

The main concern of this paper is the decision making of young people from lower social class backgrounds about whether or not to participate in higher education. In the light of recent reforms of student funding and renewed efforts to widen participation in British higher education, an examination is made of the factors influencing the choices made by young people close to the time of making application for entry. Drawing on the findings of a research study undertaken in 2000 and conducted with recent and prospective undergraduate entrants, a contemporary perspective is offered on the issues facing different groups of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. By way of conclusion, consideration is given to the need for improved information sources to guide young people in their decisions.     

Academic libraries and university presses

In recent years university presses have undergone some significant changes, such as expansion of their scope to include materials that may have appeal beyond the scholarly market. This article investigates, through the use of a survey of university libraries, the acquisition of university press products by libraries. In general, recent years have been changes in the relationship between university presses and libraries that have resulted in fewer items being purchased by the libraries.