Comparison of bilingual children on the WISC-R and the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler Para Ninos

A comparison was made of bilingual Puerto Rican students' scores on the WISC-R and the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler Para Ninos to see whether there were any differences in scores based on the language in which they were tested. These children were determined to be equally proficient in English and Spanish, based on scores from the Dailey Language Facility Test. There were no significant differences between the Full Scale and the Verbal Scale scores on both tests, but significant differences were found between the Verbal and Performance Scale scores on both tests. Caution in testing bilingual children before determination of bilinguality, as well as further research into development of intelligence tests for individual culture groups, is recommended.     

Life events as stressors with gifted adolescents

The present study investigated the perceived stressfulness of life events by 53 gifted adolescents in a rural southeastern area. In comparison to previous samples, these youths rated life events as similar except for items related to achievement, social status, and career aspirations, which they rated as more stressful. Pressure to perform was rated as stressful, but actually being labeled gifted was rated as a relatively low stressful event.     

Construct validity of the K-ABC for gifted children

Fifty-four elementary-age gifted students were administered the K-ABC. To determine construct validity of the test for this population, the factor structure was obtained for mental processing and achievement subtests and then compared to the factor structure obtained for children from the standardization sample via a procedure that determines factor structure similiarity between groups. Except for minor variations, the factor structure for the gifted children was very similar to that for nongifted children in the standardization sample. However, the most parsimonious structure accounted for slightly less than 40% of the shared test variance, which leads to questions about the advisability of educational program planning based on obtained scores.     

Promoting female achievement in the sciences: Research & implications

It is anticipated that by the year 2000 Canadian women will make up approximately 50% of the Canadian labour force. Despite this seemingly positive trend toward equitable gender-based participation in the labour force, females are extremely under represented in the scientific and technological fields (Statistics Canada, 1993). Females who are excluded or exclude themselves from the study of mathematics and science, limit career options and advancement opportunities in areas that drive and dominate social and economic trends. The underutilization of females in careers dependent upon science and mathematics expertise extends beyond the issue of individual actualization of potential, and has important consequences for society; significantly, as a threat to the economic prosperity of the nation. The key questions associated with this problem are: What are the factors which delimit and enhance female participation and achievement in the sciences? What can counsellors, educators and parents do to change this trend? Previous research has explored several dimensions, however, the greatest emphasis has been given to the particular barriers girls and women face. Relatively limited work has been given to factors associated with female success in the sciences. This paper reviews our current understanding of the problem, and describes a current research study that attempts to address some of the problems associated with previous theory and research in this area.     

Multimedia Science Kits: A Museum Project on Women Scientists and Their Research

The University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM) is creating multimedia outreach kits on the research of women scientists. The collaborative effort has included Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, curricula developers, biographers, graphic designers, and evaluators. The goal of the project is to increase the number of girls interested in pursuing careers in science, and to this end, women scientists are presented as role models. Wonderwise kits target students in grades four through six through student-centered, inquiry-based activities, specimens and tools, videos of the scientists working in the field, resource-based CD-ROMs, and short biographies of the scientists. This project presents a model of how museums can collaborate with schools to improve science education on a statewide basis.     

Sex Differences in Science Museums: A Review

Girls as a group have far fewer science- and math-related experiences than boys. This article reviews what is known about how these differences carry over into science museums. Behavioral studies indicate that girls generally engage in more cooperative behavior at museum exhibits, and boys explore exhibits more actively on their own. However, there are large differences between institutions and even discrepancies between similar studies at the same institution. Museums may be able to minimize gender differences by anticipating them in the design of exhibits and programs.     

The provision of higher education in regional areas: an integrative review of the literature

There is a great deal of literature surrounding the needs of regional Australia. This integrative review of the literature focuses on the experience of nursing academics teaching on a satellite campus, many of which are located in regional Australia. Four themes were identified: (1) challenges specific to regional satellite campuses, (2) student characteristics, (3) student experiences and (4) the academics’ experiences. These themes identified not only significant benefits but also considerable challenges to the provision of higher education on regional university campuses. The experience of nursing academics and indeed their students is remarkably different from the experience of their metropolitan counterparts, and therefore the local context needs to be considered in regional education provision. Australian regional nursing academics need to be multi-skilled to address the workload and social inequity in support service provision.