A Competency-Based Approach to Adult Counseling and Guidance

This article describes the Adult Career Education Counseling Project, a special demonstration project funded by the United States Office of Education, Division of Occupational and Adult Education. The major goal of the project is to develop a competency-based individualized instructional training system for guidance personnel wanting to work in adult education settings. The article explains the rationale, development, and process used in identification of conceptual areas that were developed into modules currently being pilot tested prior to final revision. Once the total training system has been developed, adult education and counseling and guidance programs may use these materials to design a counseling and guidance program unique to local program or institutional goals and objectives.     

Designing a telematic learning environment in a social constructivist paradigm

The authors of this paper are engaged in designing and developing telematic learning environments to assist in programmes of initial teacher training. Two aspects have been supported by European Union (EU) funded programmes: the Telematics for Teacher Training (T3) and Reflect projects. Telematics is a term describing the combined use of information technology and telecommunications. The authors are not searching for a pedagogy of telematics but are seeking ways in which telematics can assist pedagogy. Their work specifically addresses the question of whether it is possible to design such environments in a social constructivist paradigm and the evaluation of their work regularly returns to the theoretical model of learning central to their training programmes. The authors will show that whereas the aspect of video-conferencing keeps faith with their view of the nature of learning, the design of the website is raising some issues that have, as yet, to be resolved     

THE COMPARISON OF GPA REGRESSION EQUATIONS FOR REGULARLY ADMITTED AND DISADVANTAGED FRESHMEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

The regression equations of first semester grade point average (GPA) on high school percentile rank (HSPR) and verbal and quantitative score on the Cooperative School and College Ability Tests (SCAT) were significantly different for men and women regularly admitted freshmen and men and women freshmen admitted to the Special Educational Opportunities Program (SEOP) at the University of Illinois. HSPR and SCAT verbal scores were useful predictors of GPA for all groups. However, separate regression equations for the prediction of GPA were indicated, since there were significant differences in the regression coefficients of all of the independent variables among the four groups.     

A Model for Teaching Counselor Trainees How to Make Challenging Responses

This report presents a systematic model for training student counselors to make advanced influencing skills such as confrontation. The authors have developed a videotape training package that integrates cognitive structures and counselor performance through rehearsal and immediate feedback so that counselors-in-training can move comfortably into a more active helping relationship with clients.     

Systematic Desensitization as an Instructional Module

This article reports on the development and evaluation of an instructional module for teaching systematic desensitization. As the module makes use of widely available published materials, it requires little classroom time or work for the instructor. Furthermore, the module gives the student an evaluated quasiclinical experience with desensitization. Physiological and self-report data reflecting changes in client fear levels were gathered in an attempt to determine whether the instructional module is effective.     

亚洲大学和研究图书馆的藏书补充方针和实用指南

在文献载体类型不断发展,新技术的应用和检索手段在网络环境日益完善的情况下,传统的信息资源的更新、补充手段也面临许多新情况、新变化。 本文是美国ＥＢＳＣＯ公司信息部亚洲地区负责人戴维德在总结了美国和亚洲地区一些大学和研究图书馆面临网络环境下藏书补充采取的新的方针和手段的基础上,提出了一些建议供我们参考。 戴维德先生希望他的这篇论文能在本刊发表,考虑到其论文涉及新技术条件下的藏书补充问题,我们拟将其论文按原稿发表。作为一种尝试,请读者对此提出意见。     

The Effect of Visitors ‘ Agendas on Museum Learning

It has been argued that visitors' pre-visit “agendas” directly influence visits. This study attempted to directly test the effects of different museum visit agendas on visitor learning. Two new tools were developed for this purpose: (1) a tool for measuring visitor agendas; and (2) a tool for measuring visitor learning (Personal Meaning Mapping). Visitor agenda was defined as having two dimensions: motivations and strategies. Personal Meaning Mapping is a constructivist approach that measures change in understanding along four semi-independent dimensions: extent, breadth, depth, and mastery. The study looked at 40 randomly-selected adults who were visiting the National Museum of Natural History's Geology, Gems and Minerals exhibition. Visitor agendas did significantly impact how, what, and how much individuals learned. Results are discussed in terms of the current debate about education vs. entertainment.     

Impact of National Aquarium in Baltimore on Visitors' Conservation Attitudes,Behavior, and Knowledge

This study at the National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) was conducted to assess four key aspects of the visitor experience: (1) incoming conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of NAIB visitors; (2) patterns of use and interaction with exhibition components throughout the NAIB; (3) exiting conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of visitors; and (4) over time, how the NAIB experience altered or affected individuals' conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Three hundred six visitors participated in the study, which was conducted from March through July, 1999. The study utilized four data‐collection techniques: (1) face‐to‐face interviews, (2) Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM), (3) tracking, and (4) follow‐up telephone interviews. Participants were a self‐selected population and were generally more knowledgeable about, more concerned about, and more involved in conservation‐related issues than the general public. However, they were far from conservationists. Visitors in this study clearly absorbed the fundamental conservation message at the NAIB. In fact, the NAIB visit appeared to focus visitors' conservation‐related thoughts, while also broadening their understanding of conservation. Changes in visitors' conservation knowledge, understanding, and interests by and large persisted over six to eight weeks after visiting NAIB. The NAIB experience also connected to visitors' lives in a variety of ways following their visit. However, these personal experiences rarely resulted in new conservation actions. In fact, their enthusiasm and emotional commitment to conservation (inspired during the NAIB visit) generally fell back to original levels, presumably in the absence of reinforcing experiences. The findings of this study are guiding subsequent investigations at the NAIB. More generally, the results suggest strategies to enhance current understanding of the impact free‐choice learning institutions have on their visiting public.