Parents' Evaluation of an Educational Psychology Service

An evaluation of parents' views of an Educational Psychology Service was carried out using a questionnaire survey and follow-up telephone interviews. The most satisfaction was expressed for the pre-school, early years services and child guidance support where a statement was not involved. Parents found it helpful to learn alternative ways to interpret behaviour from understanding professionals. They were less satisfied with statutory assessments of their older children already attending school. The main sources of dissatisfaction were the lack of communication with and involvement of parents in the course of the assessments, the length of time it took to decide on an assessment and the time taken to collect the relevant reports to draw up a statement. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Using Personal Digital Assistants in Clinical Supervision of Student Teachers

Journaling is an important tool to help student teachers reflect on the nature of the student teaching experience. The communication of journals to student teacher supervisors is enhanced greatly by using e-mail. Previously we described software that can be used to enhance journaling. This software included tools to facilitate writing field notes during in-class observations by the supervisor. E-mail exchange largely has supplanted the need for an electronic journaling tool. Here we describe flexible strategies using a personal digital assistant (PalmPilot) to facilitate the development of field notes during observations. These notes are then readily communicated to the student teacher by several means including e-mail.     

The Gates-MacGinitie Readiness Skills Test and Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities as predictors of first-grade reading

Compares the effectiveness of the Gates-MacGinitie Readiness Skills Test (G-M) and Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) for predicting reading achievement in grade one and studies whether either test differentially predicts reading in an i. t. a. approach Gr a t. o. sight approach. Subjects in grade one were administered the G-M, a measure of intelligence, and the ITPA at the beginning of the school year and the Lee-Clark Reading Tests at the end of the year. Subjects were learning to read in two approaches to reading –i. t. a. and t. o. sight-oriented approach. Relationships between the G-M. IQ, ITPA, and reading were analyzed using Pearson-Product Moment Correlations, Partial Correlations with intelligence controlled, and Stepwise Regression Analyses. The G-M was found to be a better predictor of reading than the ITPA for both i. t. a. and t. o. groups. The relative importance of specific subtests was found to depend on the factors of reading groups and/or sex. Future research may find a combination of available reading readiness tests to be most predictive of reading.     

A Look at the Anatomy Educator Job Market: Anatomists Remain in Short Supply

In 2002, a widely publicized report projected an anatomy educator shortage based on department chairpersons' perceptions. Now, 17 years later, the question lingers: “Does an anatomy educator shortage persist and, if so, how severe is the shortage?” Trends in the number, type, and fill rate of anatomy educator job openings were explored by analyzing job posting in the United States over the past two years. A survey was distributed to leaders of anatomy-related departments in the United States, Canada, and European Union. Most departmental leaders who responded (65% or more) from the United States/Canada (n = 81) and the European Union (n = 52) anticipate they will have “moderate” to “great” difficulty hiring anatomy educators in gross anatomy, histology, and embryology over the next five years. Within the United States, the number of anatomy educator job postings at medical schools more than doubled from at least 21 postings in 2017 to 52 postings in 2018. Twenty-one percent of postings between 2017 and 2018 were never filled. While the number of anatomy educator openings within the United States/Canada is perceived to remain in a steady state for the next five years, the European Union estimates a five-fold increase in the number of openings. Departmental leaders prioritize anatomy educator applicants who have teaching experience (mean ± SD = 4.64 ± 0.84 on five-point Likert scale), versatility in teaching multiple anatomy disciplines (3.93 ± 1.07), and flexibility in implementing various teaching pedagogies (3.69 ± 1.17). Collectively, these data suggest the shortage of anatomy educators continues in the United States/Canada and the European Union.