Proactive Outreach to Adult Students: A Department and Library Collaborative Effort

The number of adult learners in institutions of higher education is increasing, and these students' reasons for attending, ways of learning, challenges, and methods for overcoming challenges often differ from those of traditional-age students. Faculty and library personnel can support these students in their research efforts using several collaborative endeavors. One department and university library recognized the struggles of many of their adult students as they sought to conduct research for coursework, as well as theses or dissertations. Collaborative activities proved effective in reducing students’ anxieties and frustrations with using the library and its resources.     

Education and Families in The Spirit of Community: questions of identity,individuality and diversity

ABSTRACT

This paper [1] [1] Sections of this article will appear as part of chapter 1 in Demaine & Entwistle (1996), and some sections were included as part of a paper entitled ‘The politics of identity and the identity of sociology’ presented to the International Sociology of Education Conference on ‘Pedagogy, Identity and the Politics of Difference’ at Sheffield, United Kingdom, 3‐5 January 1996. examines communitarian argument on schools, families and youth culture in Amitai Etzioni's influential book, The Spirit of Community. The paper concludes that in lieu of detailed policy argument Etzioni's readers are presented with appeals to ‘changes of heart’ and a circular (and inconclusive) account of the supposed role of various social institutions in inculcating ‘appropriate moral values’. The paper also discusses Ray Pahl's critique of communitarianism and his account of identity, individuality and diversity in what he refers to as the ‘friendly society’.

     

An Experimental Study in Remedial Teaching in College Freshman Mathematics

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a specific cell, Memory of Figural Units–Visual Mode (MFU-V), of the Structure of Intellect (SOI) can be significantly affected by training kindergarten and first-grade children, and whether improvement in MFU-V has a significant (.05 level) effect on reading achievement of first grade children. A pre- and posttest design for experimental and control groups was used. Results showed an overall statistical significance (.05) of medians of the experimental over control in reading accuracy. No significant difference was evident in memory improvement between experimental and control groups. One-hundred and seventeen pupils were involved in this study.     

Representations of class and gender on primetime Spanish‐language television in the United States

This study examines the content of primetime Spanish‐language programming available in the United States. Four alternate nights of primetime, serial programming, which included 6 telenovelas and 1 drama, were analyzed on three Spanish TV networks—Telemundo, Univision and Azteca America. Content analysis included gender roles, class, sexual talk, and physical and verbal aggression. Women were represented comparably to men in overall numbers, but with more childcare responsibilities, less job status and a greater emphasis on attractiveness. Lighter skin characters were more likely to play major roles, were more fit and younger, and more likely to be upper class than their darker skin counterparts. Sexual talk followed a pattern similar to U.S. soaps but was more pronounced on Spanish‐language television. Verbal and physical aggression were less prevalent compared to U.S. programming. The potential impact of stereotypical class and gender roles on U.S. viewers is discussed.     

Looking at Literacy in the 21st Century

Literacy instruction has shifted in recent years alongside acts of legislation. Areas of literacy education like adolescent literacy and RTI are now receiving increased attention, whereas phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency receive considerably less attention than 10 years ago. Comparative discussions describe “very hot” and “cold” topics as they relate to philosophy/approach, level, content, materials, and assessment in 2001 versus 2010. Educators can utilize this content information to inform their instruction and direct attention to needed areas within their own schools.     

The (co-)production of public uncertainty: UK scientific advice on mobile phone health risks

UK scientific advice on the possible health risks of mobile phones has embraced (or seems to be embracing) broader engagement with interested non-experts. This paper explains the context of lost credibility that made such a development necessary, and the implications of greater engagement for the construction (and expert control) of "public concern." I narrate how scientific advice matured from an approach based on compliance with guidelines to a style of "public science" in which issues such as trust and democracy were intertwined with scientific risk assessment. This paper develops existing conceptions of the "public understanding of science" with an explanation based around the co-production of scientific and social order. Using a narrative drawn from a series of in-depth interviews with scientists and policymakers, I explain how expert reformulation of the state of scientific uncertainty within a public controversy reveals constructions of "The Public," and the desired extent of their engagement. Constructions of the public changed at the same time as a construction of uncertainty as solely an expert concern was molded into a state of politically workable public uncertainty. This paper demonstrates how publics can be constructed as instruments of credible policymaking, and suggests the potential for public alienation if nonexperts feel they have not been fairly represented.