Socialization into Sport: Parent and Child Reverse and Reciprocal Effects

Purpose: A signature characteristic of positive youth development (PYD) programs is the opportunity to develop life skills, such as social, behavioral, and moral competencies, that can be generalized to domains beyond the immediate activity. Although context-specific instruments are available to assess developmental outcomes, a measure of life skills transfer would enable evaluation of PYD programs in successfully teaching skills that youth report using in other domains. The purpose of our studies was to develop and validate a measure of perceived life skills transfer, based on data collected with The First Tee, a physical activity-based PYD program. Method: In 3 studies, we conducted a series of steps to provide content and construct validity and internal consistency reliability for the Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS), a measure of perceived life skills transfer. Results: Study 1 provided content validity for the LSTS that included 8 life skills and 50 items. Study 2 revealed construct validity (structural validity) through a confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity by correlating scores on the LSTS with scores on an assessment tool that measures a related construct. Study 3 offered additional construct validity by reassessing youth 1 year later and showing that scores during both time periods were invariant in factor pattern, loadings, and variances and covariances. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated internal consistency reliability of the LSTS.Conclusion: Results from 3 studies provide evidence of content and construct validity and internal consistency reliability for the LSTS, which can be used in evaluation research with youth development programs.     

A Developmental,Person-Centered Approach to Exploring Multiple Motivational Pathways in Gifted Underachievement

Research on underachieving gifted students has uncovered a large number of characteristics differentiating gifted underachieving and achieving students. However, less is known about the way in which underachievement develops across schooling. Using a person-centered theoretical framework and key constructs from current motivational theories, we propose that there are multiple developmental trajectories in underachievement that arise from early school experiences. Two primary pathways are proposed: (a) a Maladaptive Competence Beliefs Pathway whereby underachievement results from the development of particular beliefs about giftedness and maladaptive coping behaviors, and (b) a Declining Value Beliefs Pathway in which underachievement develops from declining value beliefs and increasing perceptions of costs associated with academics. Avenues for future empirical research with these pathways are discussed.     

An empirical test of the validity of student evaluations of teaching made on RateMyProfessors.com

The present article examined the validity of public web‐based teaching evaluations by comparing the ratings on RateMyProfessors.com for 126 professors at Lander University to the institutionally administered student evaluations of teaching and actual average assigned GPAs for these same professors. Easiness website ratings were significantly positively correlated with actual assigned grades. Further, clarity and helpfulness website ratings were significantly positively correlated with student ratings of overall instructor excellence and overall course excellence on the institutionally administered IDEA forms. The results of this study offer preliminary support for the validity of the evaluations on RateMyProfessors.com.     

An application of document filtering in an operational system

This paper describes an applied document filtering system embedded in an operational watch center that monitors disease outbreaks worldwide. At the initial time of this writing, the system effectively supported monitoring of 23 geographic regions by filtering documents in several thousand daily news sources in 11 different languages. This paper describes the filtering algorithm, statistical procedures for estimating Precision and Recall in an operational environment, summarizes operational performance data and suggests lessons learned for other applications of document filtering technology. Overall, these results are interpreted as supporting the general utility of document filtering and information retrieval technology and offers recommendations for future applications of this technology.     

Hyperfiction: its Possibilities in English

When writers use hypertext — the technology that makes possible nonsequential, fully electronic reading and writing — to produce a fictional narrative, the result is interactive hyperfiction. This article charts what we know about electronic non-linear narrative: its origins, literary precursors and distinctive features. It also explores the potential of hyperfiction in the English classroom. Finally, it examines some of the difficulties associated with the use of hyperfiction as well as the hype that has surrounded its introduction into educational settings.     

Writing with word processors: an effective way to develop students' argumentative writing skills

Context one: the computer classroom It is period three on Tuesday. 8H is in the computer room. Wendy is tapping at her keyboard energetically, stopping every few minutes to read over the evolving text on the screen. The writing task is a letter to the members of the school's Student Representative Council (SRC) to persuade them that Our school is the perfect school. She is engrossed in her writing, oblivious to any movement or talk in the classroom. At another table, Susan stands behind Samantha who is peering at her monitor. Susan points to a sentence on the screen and suggests that Samantha move it to the beginning of the paragraph where, she argues, it might be more effective. Samantha uses a block command and inserts the sentence in its new position. They confer, then decide that it worked better where it was, so Samantha moves it back to its original location. Mary and Jill have been working at adjacent computers. They turn away from their keyboards and screens, move their chairs closer together and talk about the possible directions Mary's letter could take. Lauren has just printed her letter to the SRC. As she tears off the perforated edges, she approaches Tina and asks her to read it. They stand together, resting against a table, their eyes moving down the printed page. Tina suggests to Lauren that the tone is too formal. Lauren agrees and asks Tina's advice about how to loosen it up. Jacqui, the teacher, sits beside Anabelle who is reading her piece out loud. They are concentrating on the cohesiveness of the letter. Jacqui suggests where a conjunction would be useful. All the students in the classroom are engaged in writing, some independently, some collaboratively. Context two: the pen classroom English, Friday morning. The students of 8K are working on their letters to the members of the SRC. Jacqui, the teacher, sits next to Petula, but their discussion of the sequencing of the text is regularly broken. For the third time since the lesson began, Jacqui stands up and asks the girls to stop talking and get on with their writing. The students sit four to a table: they whisper to each other; the giggles and nudges indicate that they're not discussing writing. Jill has decided to move to an unoccupied table: as she gathers her books, Jill explains to Peta that she hopes she'll be able to concentrate better away from the interruptions of her friends. Abigail looks at her watch and exclaims that the bell is about to go and she has written only one paragraph. Jodie and Penny also announce that they are nowhere near finishing their letters. Jodie remarks that it's boring writing in class. Penny agrees and comments: “It's also too hard!”     

Faculty salary equity: Issues and options

How do you develop a salary equity analysis procedure that will help identify whether or not your institution has a reasonably equitable and legally defensible salary structure? This paper presents a multiphase approach to identify and correct salary inequities based on gender. The major steps are to (1) determine if a problem situation exists by using a conceptually sound, objective procedure that does a legal and effective job of explaining faculty salaries; (2) develop feasible adjustment strategies if inequities exist that solve or improve the situation; (3) implement the correction and establish a monitoring process that is consistent with the culture and values of the institution. Involving and educating key university personnel in the selection of models and strategies is critical to acceptance and validation of the process and to minimizing negative reaction internal or external to the campus. This paper is designed to be helpful to administrators and researchers who need to make informed choices about salary equity models and implementation strategies.     

Connecting college and work: examining the relationship between students’ college employment experiences and their professional and career attitudes

This study examined the relationship between U.S. students’ employment experiences during college/university and their fourth-year professional career attitudes as defined by the Wabash National Study Professional Success Scale, including obtaining recognition from one’s colleagues for contributions to their field of expertise, having administrative responsibility for the work of others, working in a prestigious occupation, making a lot of money and becoming successful in a business of one’s own. This study considered three types of employment experiences (on-campus work; off-campus work; and completing an internship practicum, field experience, co-op or clinical assignment), as well as the number of hours spent engaged in on-campus and off-campus employment, and whether these measures of student employment were associated with students’ fourth-year professional career attitudes. Results suggest that on-campus work experiences, off-campus work experiences; and completing an internship practicum, field experience, co-op or clinical assignment, as well as the number of hours of employment during college have the potential to influence students’ fourth-year professional career attitudes.