A COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS ON THE NATIONAL TEACHER EXAMINATIONS

Minimum standards were established for the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) area examinations in mathematics and in elementary education by independent panels of teacher educators who had been instructed in the use of either the Angoff, Nedelsky, or Jaeger procedures. Of these three procedures, only the Jaeger method requires that normative data be provided to the judges when evaluating the items. However, it was of interest to study the effect such information would have upon the standards obtained using the other two methods. Therefore, the design incorporated three sequential review sessions with the level of normative information different for each. A three-factor ANOVA revealed significant main effects for methods and sessions but not for subject area. None of the interactions was significant. The anticipated failure rates, the psychometric characteristics of the ratings, and other factors suggest that the Angoff procedure, as modified during the second session of this study, yields the most defensible standards for the NTE area examinations.     

Counselor Education Courses in Program Evaluation and Scientific Research: Are Counselors Being Prepared for the Accountability Press?

Counselor education programs listed in Counselor Preparation 1980 were surveyed to determine the proportion of required coursework devoted to instruction in scientific research and program evaluation. Regardless of area specialization, department size, or academic unit in which the program is housed, responding counselor education programs were found to devote approximately twice as much required instructional time to scientific research as to program evaluation. A rationale and suggestions for change are presented.     

The Effect of Touch on Perception of Counselors

The authors examine observers' perceptions of counselors using touch as part of the client-counselor interaction. Results indicate that touch conveys a sense of caring but does not encourage understanding or client self-disclosure.     

Coordination of Clinical Supervision in Practicum and Internship Programs

The authors examine practicum/internship coordination, viewing it as a system. Important components of the system are identified, and their impact on the system is explored.     

Avoiding a Digital Dark Age for data: why publishers should care about digital preservation

This paper provides an overview of the needs and threats for digital preservation and summarizes the findings from project PARSE.Insight. This project, co‐funded by the EU, contains one of the first large worldwide surveys about digital preservation including most players of the STM information chain: researchers, libraries, data managers, publishers, and research funders. One of the conclusions is that in the present data deluge, it is extremely important that all players in the information chain work together on proper digital preservation of all research output, to ensure its future usability, understandability, and authenticity. This poses a new role for publishers who can ensure better discoverability and citability via good linking and integration of data and publications.     

Cyprus' Accession to the European Union and Educational Change: a critique

Cyprus will soon become a member of the European Union. The negotiations for its the access have ended and as from next year it will represent one of the countries that will expand the EU. The member countries of the EU have progressed in the field of education, they have high requirements from their schools and offer quality education (although there is no homogeneity amongst their educational systems). Therefore, the future accession of Cyprus to the EU raises many questions regarding the situation of its education system in comparison to the other Members. With a focus on change, this article studies the situation that prevails in Cyprus and examines the different barriers that hamper the development of its educational system. The authors then discuss a number of ways to achieve educational change.