Social justice in Chinese higher education: Regional issues of equity and access

A topic of growing concern in Chinese higher education to policy-makers, scholars, and future student applicants is social justice. With the trend toward increasing enrollments in China’s higher-education institutions, issues of equity and access have begun to surface, especially as they relate to China’s minority population of over 100 million persons. The present contribution offers an overview of the regional boundaries of China, both geographic and historical. It then looks at the development of urbanicity in connection with higher education. Third, it describes the recent history of the gender gap in education both in general and in higher education in particular. Fourth, it examines the ethnic boundaries that exist in higher education. The final section analyzes related findings drawn from interviews and questionnaires administered to faculty members, administrators, and students at ten sample universities.     

Suicide intervention: Training,roles, and knowledge of school psychologists

Practitioner‐members of the National Association of School Psychologists (N = 162) completed questionnaires regarding their suicide prevention and postvention roles, training, preparedness, and knowledge. Most were crisis team members, yet less than one‐half reported graduate training in suicide risk assessment and less than one‐fourth in postvention. Compared to nondoctoral‐level practitioners, doctoral‐trained practitioners felt better prepared to handle suicidal students. Most respondents had participated in a suicide risk assessment in the past 2 years, with few using standardized measures. Performance was moderately strong on questions about knowledge of risk factors, warning signs, and appropriate steps to respond to a suicidal student, but respondents showed less familiarity with postvention recommendations intended to discourage contagion. Training suggestions were identified. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 157–170, 2007.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of interactive computer tutorials for an undergraduate mathematical literacy course

This article describes a study of learning when students used interactive spreadsheet‐based computer tutorials in a mathematical literacy course. It foregrounds theories relating to the role of computer technology (and specifically spreadsheets) as a mediator for learning of mathematics. It outlines the application of quantitative methods involving pre‐ and post‐testing of students, both in the computer laboratory and in the lecture sessions, and discusses factors constraining the experimental design and the usefulness of the results. There are indications that the data reveal real differences between the learning experiences in the lecture sessions and the computer laboratories. It appears that in some respects the computer tutorials were more effective in conveying the concepts than the lecture sessions were. A method of analysing and representing the data, that tracks the extent of learning of concepts through the pre‐ and post‐tests, was developed. It allows for the performance of sub‐groups of students to be examined separately. This analysis shows that simple definitions of disadvantage (such as having English as a second language) are inadequate to account for the poor performance of students in the lower quartile.     

Inquiring into the Nature of STEM Problems

Around the world, there is a growing interest in integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education. Many of the calls for integrated STEM emphasize the need for students to engage with complex STEM problems that cut across multiple fields. Yet there is a need to clarify the nature of those problems and differentiate STEM problems from those of different kinds. This conceptual work examines the nature of STEM problems in order to inform pre-college educational efforts in STEM. A typology is introduced that situates STEM problems within a broader space of problems within STEM and non-STEM fields, and the characteristics of STEM problems are described. The typology and characteristics are then applied to different approaches to STEM instruction. A key conclusion is that many integrated STEM education efforts tend to focus on STEM problems that are narrowly framed and that do not include attention to social, cultural, political, or ethical dimensions. However, alternative instructional approaches exist that re-introduce those missing dimensions. If STEM education is to prepare students to grapple with complex problems in the real world, then more attention ought to be given to approaches that are inclusive of the non-STEM dimensions that exist in those problems.

     

Zero‐Slack,Noncritical Paths

The critical path method/program evaluation and review technique method of project scheduling is based on the importance of managing a project's critical path(s). Although a critical path is the longest path through a network, its location in large projects is facilitated by the computation of activity slack. However, logical fallacies in oft‐repeated statements of the relationship between slack and the critical path make it easy to overlook the phenomenon of zero‐slack, noncritical paths. This article points out the fallacies and then describes and illustrates the phenomenon. We conclude with teaching recommendations to avoid suboptimal decisions in reducing project duration.     

Getting serious about institutional performance in student retention: Research-based lessons on effective policies and practices

The Indiana Project on Academic Success and the College Board Pilot Study on Student Retention evaluated the effectiveness of a variety of approaches to student retention. The authors share empirically grounded insights gleaned from this research.     

Maltreatment following reunification: Predictors of subsequent Child Protective Services contact after children return home

ObjectivesThis study examined risk of maltreatment among children exiting foster care using a statewide sample of children reunified between 2001 and 2004 in Rhode Island. The objectives were: (1) to compare rates of maltreatment following parental reunification for youth in care as a result of maltreatment with those in care for other reasons; and (2) to assess the effects of child, family, and case characteristics on rates of re-maltreatment among children placed in foster care due to maltreatment.MethodA longitudinal dataset of all reunified cases was matched with state records of substantiated Child Protective Service (CPS) investigations. Two Cox proportional hazards models were tested. The first model compared rates of subsequent maltreatment for two groups: children in foster care as a result of maltreatment, and those in care for other reasons. The second model investigated the effects of child, family, and case characteristics on re-maltreatment rates for those in care as a result of maltreatment.ResultsChildren in foster care due to maltreatment were significantly more likely to be maltreated following reunification. Among children in foster care due to maltreatment, factors that raised risk for re-maltreatment included a previous foster care placement, exiting care from a non-relative foster home, and removal due to neglect. Older adolescents had lower rates of re-maltreatment than infants. Child neglect was the primary type of recurrent maltreatment that occurred following reunification.ConclusionsSupports are needed for families about to be reunified, particularly when the removal was prompted by incidents of abuse or neglect. Incidents of neglect are particularly likely and appropriate services should specifically target factors contributing to neglect. Cases involving youth with a history of repeated foster care placement or in which non-relative placements are utilized may need additional supports.Practice implicationsThis study suggests that services should be developed to minimize the risk for recurrent maltreatment following reunification. Services would be most useful for high-risk cases prior to reunification and during the first year following reunification. Understanding the risks associated with maltreatment will help guide development of appropriate interventions.     

Re-Examining the Similarities Between Teacher and Student Conceptions About Physical Science

There is a large body of research that has explored students’ misconceptions about science phenomena. Less research, however, has been devoted to identifying teachers’ misconceptions, but the results of the few existing studies demonstrate that teachers and students possess similar misconceptions. This study explored the physical science conceptions of 103 elementary science teachers to determine whether, after three decades of misconception research, teachers still possess conceptions similar to those held by students. We found that our teachers expressed misconceptions regarding gravity, magnetism, gases, and temperature that were similar to common student misconceptions. Suggestions for improving science professional development programs are discussed.     

Investigating Strategies for Pre-Class Content Learning in a Flipped Classroom

In a flipped classroom model, learning of basic content is shifted before class while in-class time is used for concept application. Empirical and controlled research studies are lacking on the best strategies to provide the necessary pre-class content instruction. In this study, we tested three methods of pre-class content learning—interactive online tutorials, video lectures, and textbook-style readings—while holding the content and the in-class application activities constant. Identical introductory, non-majors biology classes were manipulated at both a public, open-enrollment institution and a private, highly selective institution. We found that video lectures offer a small advantage to overall student learning over interactive tutorials or textbook-style readings. Although our two populations differed in their ability to effectively learn from pre-class activities, through a student-centered flipped classroom approach, students at both institutions demonstrated equal learning gains by the final assessment. Potential reasons for some observed differences are suggested.