Research Resources

Carolyn J. Mullins' A Guide to Writing and Publishing in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (New York: Wiley- Interscience, 1977—$18.95)

Kirk Polking and Leonard S. Meranus, eds. Law and the Writer (Cincinnatti, Ohio: Writer's Books, 1978—$9.95)

Mary-Claire van Leunen's A Handbook for Scholars (New York: Knopf, 1978—$12.95)

Paul Wasserman and Jacqueline Bernero, eds. Statistics Sources: A Subject Guide to Data on Industrial, Business, Social, Educational, Financial, and other Topics for the United States and Internationally (Detroit: Gale Research Cbmpany, 1977 [5th ed.]—$58.00)

Bibliocom 1976: Biblioqraphie Internationale de la Documentation en Lanque Francaise sur la Communication (Institut International de is Communication, Yniversite de Montreal, C.P. 6128 Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada—$18.95, paper)

June D. Buteau's Nonprint Materials on Communication: An Annotated Directory of Select Films, Videotapes, Videocassettes, Simulations and Games (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1976—$16.00)

Sarojini Balachandran's Technical Writing: A Bibliography (Urbana, Ill.: American Business Communication Association, l977—price not given, paper)     

The Slavic Cataloging Manual

The article discusses the Slavic Cataloging Manual (SCM), available on the World Wide Web since 1994. The SCM contains a great deal of valuable information for all aspects of cataloging materials in Slavic and East European languages and in the non‐Slavic languages of the former Soviet Union, as well as equally valuable information for cataloging materials about the area. The manual offers especially detailed guidance on heading construction and subject analysis for the dissolved unions of the former USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. This is a valuable resource for anyone involved in Slavic cataloging, both the experienced cataloger and the novice.     

Complexity of reasoning about children's development: Links with teacher‐preparation content courses and supervised laboratory experience

Abstract

In a sample of 74 university students studying early childhood and pre‐kindergarten education, researchers assessed the relationships between child development knowledge, complexity of reasoning about development, prior work experience with children, and teacher‐preparation content courses and laboratory courses. There was no statistically significant association between knowledge of child development and complexity of reasoning. The former primarily involves the acquisition of facts about patterns of general change, whereas complexity of reasoning permits caregivers to apply those facts to real‐life care‐giving dilemmas. Child development knowledge was predicted by the number of completed pre‐kindergarten content courses, but not by experience with children. Complexity of reasoning was predicted by both content and laboratory courses, the effects of which were assessed separately. Findings suggest that teacher‐preparation content courses, supplemented by guided experience with children, provide a basic framework for integrating important concepts about children's growth and behavior.     

Preservice teachers’ perceived control over negative caregiving outcomes: Implications for early‐childhood teacher preparation

Abstract

This study is focused on preservice early‐childhood teachers’ attributions about control and responsibility for negative caregiving outcomes. Prior research has linked low perceived control over failed outcomes with harsh care‐giving behavior. In this sample of 81 preservice teachers in a pre‐kindergarten, Associate‐degree program, bivariate correlations revealed associations between preservice teachers’ perceived control over caregiving outcomes, the parenting styles they experienced during childhood, and the complexity of their reasoning about children's development. When entered into regression analyses, low perceived control over negative caregiving outcomes was predicted by ratings of high parental permissiveness experienced as a child, as well as by categorical, rather than complex, conceptions of development. Implications of findings for university preparation of preservice teachers are discussed. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

The impact of an integrated approach to science and literacy in elementary school classrooms

This study investigates the efficacy of an integrated science and literacy approach at the upper‐elementary level. Teachers in 94 fourth grade classrooms in one Southern state participated. Half of the teachers taught the treatment unit, an integrated science–literacy unit on light and energy designed using a curriculum model that engages students in reading text, writing notes and reports, conducting firsthand investigations, and frequent discussion of key concepts and processes to acquire inquiry skills and knowledge about science concepts, while the other half of the teachers taught a content‐comparable science‐only unit on light and energy (using materials provided by their districts) and provided their regular literacy instruction. Students in the treatment group made significantly greater gains on measures of science understanding, science vocabulary, and science writing. Students in both groups made comparable gains in science reading comprehension. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 631–658, 2012     

Exploring the syntactic skills of struggling adult readers

This study investigated the syntactic ability of 82 struggling adult readers who recognize words between the third and fifth grade levels. Analysis of the adults?? performance on the TOLD-I:3 indicated that they were deficient on the syntactic task. Correlations found the struggling adult readers?? oral language skills, written language skills, and reading comprehension skills to be related. A regression analyses indicated that the adults?? syntactic knowledge did not individually predict reading comprehension, however their other oral language skills did. The findings of this study suggest that the adults performed similar to children who are either learning to read or considered poor readers. This study also contributes to the adult literacy field by providing exploratory information on an area (syntax and struggling adult readers) that is lacking.     

The impact of concept mapping and visualization on the learning of secondary school chemistry students

The aim of this study was to examine whether the construction of integrated knowledge structures by students can be stimulated by concept mapping and by better visualization of concepts and their interrelationships. The investigation was carried out in regular teaching settings: chemistry courses in secondary schools in Flanders, in the domain of electrochemistry. A significant positive effect of extra attention to visualization on the learning achievement of students was found. However, significant effects of concept mapping as an instruction method could not be detected under the given research conditions.     

A Vocationalized School Science Curriculum?

This article is concerned with the meaning and legitimacy of the view that the secondary science curriculum can be given a vocational emphasis, and with a current attempt to create such a curriculum. Although this perspective on the science curriculum has a long history, in recent decades it has received little attention. This article examines recent research into the vocational and work‐related aspects of secondary school science, and the historical and policy background. Its empirical focus is a late secondary course with the title “Applied Science”, which was introduced into schools in England and Wales in 2002. It draws on the preliminary findings of a research study focusing on the origins and implementation of this course. Overall, the article provides an overview of the major issues and research agenda associated with the notion of a vocational or applied school science curriculum, focusing ultimately on the key issues of educational purpose, pedagogy, and status.     

Revisiting the Fantasy–Reality Distinction: Children as Naïve Skeptics

Far from being the uncritical believers young children have been portrayed as, children often exhibit skepticism toward the reality status of novel entities and events. This article reviews research on children's reality status judgments, testimony use, understanding of possibility, and religious cognition. When viewed from this new perspective it becomes apparent that when assessing reality status, children are as likely to doubt as they are to believe. It is suggested that immature metacognitive abilities are at the root of children's skepticism, specifically that an insufficient ability to evaluate the scope and relevance of one's knowledge leads to an overreliance on it in evaluating reality status. With development comes increasing ability to utilize a wider range of sources to inform reality status judgments.