Personal and Institutional Influences on Beginning Teachers’ Classroom Management Perspectives

The current investigation focused upon the changing perspectives of four young student teachers in their transition from university to secondary schools. Use was made of an interpretive inquiry method, including employing interviews and classroom observations for data collection.     

A Mixed Methods Examination of Gender Disparity in High Schools Implementing Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)

This mixed-methods research study offers insights and explanations into gender imbalance in the college readiness program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). Over 200 schools that have been implementing AVID for more than 4 years across the United States participated in this study. Three years of archived historical data pertaining to school demographic information and AVID certification information was accessed and analyzed to examine recruitment and retention of male and female students over time, as well as student enrollment in rigorous curriculum. Our research indicated that at the high school level, gender disparity became most apparent in the 11th and 12th grades. Results indicated that schools that struggled to recruit and retain boys continued to enroll AVID students, both boys and girls, into rigorous advanced placement curriculum at comparable rates as schools that did not struggle to recruit and retain boys in the program. This indicates that once in AVID, boys and girls are provided equal access to rigor; however, recruiting and retaining boys in AVID continues to be a challenge for AVID schools. Research participants indicated that academic identity, peer and family support, leadership and mentoring opportunities and male role models influence male participation in AVID.     

Effectiveness of a Science Agricultural Summer Experience (SASE) in Recruiting Students to Natural Resources Management

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an increase in Natural Resource Management (NRM) jobs within the next 10?years due to baby-boomer retirements and a 12% increase in demand for these occupations. Despite this trend, college enrollment in NRM disciplines has declined. Even more critical is the fact that the soon-to-be-majority Hispanic population is underrepresented in NRM disciplines. The goal of the present study was to determine if an in-residence, two-week, summer science program for underrepresented minorities would not only increase interest in science, actual science knowledge, and perceived science knowledge, but also have an overall impact on underrepresented minority students?? decisions to attend college, major in a scientific discipline and pursue a career in science. During a four-year period, 76 high school students participated in a Science Agricultural Summer Experience (SASE) in Northern New Mexico. A pre/post science-knowledge exam and satisfaction survey were administered to participants. We demonstrate that participants improved significantly (p?<?.05) in all areas measured. In particular, comfort with science field and lab activities, science knowledge and perceived science knowledge were enhanced after exposure to the program. Students not only found science exciting and approachable after participation, but also exhibited increased interest in pursuing a degree and career in science. Of the 76 SASE participants within graduation age (n?=?44), all graduated from high school; and 86% enrolled in college. These findings suggest that the implemented SASE initiative was effective in recruiting and increasing the confidence and abilities of underrepresented minority students in science.     

Enhancing preschool children's vocabulary: Effects of teacher talk before,during and after shared reading

This observational study analyzed patterns of teacher extratextual talk as it occurs before, during, and after reading books to children, and the frequency and duration of teacher questioning by type (label, define, associate) on preschoolers’ receptive and expressive vocabulary knowledge. Over the course of 18 weeks, 13 teachers and 100 children participated in ninety 20-min small-group sessions of teacher-guided shared reading instruction. Teachers’ reading instruction was examined through videotaped observations using the Multi-Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES™; Tapp, Wehby, & Ellis, 1995). Two findings, in particular, yielded relevant educational and theoretical implications. First, time spent after reading was significantly related to expressive vocabulary. However, question timing did not seem to matter in terms of receptive vocabulary outcomes. Second, duration of teacher association questioning was significantly related to receptive vocabulary outcomes while both frequency and duration of teacher vocabulary-related association-level questioning were related to expressive vocabulary. For receptive vocabulary, both vocabulary- and comprehension-related association-level questioning mattered. These findings complement the body of work demonstrating that engaging children in interactive shared reading that elicits their active participation is related to meaningful gains in children's language and literacy growth. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.     

Impact of Media

Dennis K. Davis and Stanley J. Baran, Mass Communication and Everyday Life: A Perspective on Theory and Effects (Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth Publishing, 1981—$7.95, paper)

James B.LOmert Does Mass Communication Change Public Opinion After All? A New Approach to Effects Analysis (Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1981—$17.95/8.95)

Annual Report 1978/79. 1979/80 of the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation (50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10020—free on request, paper)

Emile McAnany, Jorge Schnitman, and Noreene Janus, eds. Communication and Social Structure: Critical Studies in Mass Media Research (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1981—price not known)     

Statistical Models and Inference for the True Equating Transformation in the Context of Local Equating

Based on Lord's criterion of equity of equating, van der Linden (this issue) revisits the so‐called local equating method and offers alternative as well as new thoughts on several topics including the types of transformations, symmetry, reliability, and population invariance appropriate for equating. A remarkable aspect is to define equating as a standard statistical inference problem in which the true equating transformation is the parameter of interest that has to be estimated and assessed as any standard evaluation of an estimator of an unknown parameter in statistics. We believe that putting equating methods in a general statistical model framework would be an interesting and useful next step in the area. van der Linden's conceptual article on equating is certainly an important contribution to this task.     

Differences in the magnitude and reliability of velocity variables collected during 3 variants of the bench press exercise

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to compare the reliability and magnitude of velocity variables between 3 variants of the bench press (BP) exercise in participants with and without BP training experience. Thirty males, 15 with and 15 without BP experience, randomly performed 3 variants of the BP on separate sessions: (I) concentric-only, (II) fast-eccentric and (III) controlled-eccentric. The mean velocity (MV) and maximum velocity (V_max) of the concentric phase were collected against 3 loads (≈30%1RM, 50%1RM, and 75%1RM) with a linear velocity transducer. Reliability was high regardless of the variable, BP variant, and load (coefficient of variation [CV] ≤ 4.47%, intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥ 0.87). The comparison of the CVs suggested a higher reliability for the fast-eccentric BP (8 out of 12 comparisons), followed by the concentric-only BP (5 out of 12 comparisons), and finally the controlled-eccentric BP (never provided a higher reliability). No differences in reliability were observed between experienced (CV ≤ 4.71%; ICC ≥ 0.79) and non-experienced (CV ≤ 6.29%; ICC ≥ 0.76) participants. The fast-eccentric BP provided the highest MV (p < 0.05) and no differences were observed for V_max. These results support the assessment of movement velocity during the fast-eccentric BP even in participants without experience.