Choice of Holland's Social Type College Majors for U.S. Racial/Ethnic Groups

We used national data to study the longitudinal effects of several variables on choice of Holland (1997) social type college majors versus other majors. We examined these effects for four of the five major U.S. racial/ethnic groups, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites. Effects of mathematics scores and gender on choice of social majors were fairly consistent across racial/ethnic groups, whereas effects of reading scores and SES differed across racial/ethnic groups. Results for Whites were most consistent with Holland's theoretical formulations regarding the effects of variables on choice of social-type educational/occupational environments.     

How Much Does Experience Matter in NCAA Division I Volleyball? A Retrospective Study

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between years of collegiate playing experience and success of NCAA Division I volleyball programs. Methods: Data were gathered from the 2010–2015 seasons for each volleyball program in the “power five” conferences. Players that were involved in at least 66% of the sets were selected for analysis. Each player’s years of college experience were tabulated and a team average experience score was created. This score was correlated with the end of season Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Years with a significant correlation between success and experience were further analyzed for differences in on-court statistics by years of experience. Results: The range for team average experience score was 2.52–2.66. Only the 2012 season showed a moderate correlation between the team average score and RPI (ρ = ?0.421, p = .001), indicating that more experienced teams finished with a higher national ranking. Within this year, teams with more experience had a statistically significant (p < .05) higher season win percentage, higher conference win percentage, higher hitting percentage, more kills/set, and more assists/set than teams with low or only moderate experience. Conclusions: These data suggest that more collegiate playing experience does not always result in a significantly more successful season, but trends indicate that a relationship does exist between experience and success. In the one year that showed significance, more experienced teams had more favorable statistics related to skills that terminate play (e.g., kills) rather than ball control skills (e.g., digs and passing).     

The relative effectiveness of lecturing,modeling, and role playing in training paraprofessional reading tutors

Three methods of training remedial reading tutors were compared. One group of college student volunteers heard lectures and received written handouts describing seven tutoring skills. Another group received the handouts and observed an expert model demonstrate the skills. A third group was given handouts, practiced the skills, and received feedback on performance. All groups attended eight half-hour training sessions. Data from videotaped tutoring tests indicated all groups made significant improvements in the target behaviors. The group that practiced the skills and received feedback made the greatest gains and was significantly better than the other two groups at the end of treatment. The demonstration group also was significantly better than the lecture group.     

On the personal growth of school psychologists

Trainers of school psychologists in the United States were surveyed to assess the importance they ascribe to personal growth and interpersonal effectiveness of their trainees. Although results suggest that such qualities are essential for competent practice, the identity of these characteristics, their emphasis in training, and methods of evaluation vary greatly. Trainers and practitioners are challenged to clarify the personal qualities desired in the practice of school psychology and to demonstrate them through example.     

Minority status,sex, and school psychological services

The sex and minority status of 355 students referred for psychological services from a random sample of schools in an urban school system were examined in relation to the frequency of referral, type of problem, and the nature of subsequent psychological services. A significantly higher percentage of both minority students and males were referred for psychological services; males were referred approximately twice as often as females. When referral problems were categorized as either academic or behavior problems, there were no differences between majority and minority students nor between males and females on percentage referred for each type of problem. Parent contacts were made significantly more often for majority students and for females, and recommendations to parents of majority students were more varied than those made to parents of minority students. Special Education resource services were recommended significantly more often for minority students. Possible reasons and implications of these findings are discussed.