Psychometric defensibility of the Intervention Selection Profile‐Social Skills (ISP‐SS) with students at risk for behavioral concerns

The purpose of the current study was to examine the validity and diagnostic accuracy of the Intervention Selection Profile—Social Skills (ISP‐SS), a brief social skills assessment tool intended for use with students in need of Tier 2 intervention. Participants included 160 elementary and middle school students who had been identified through universal screening as at risk for behavioral concerns. Teacher participants ( n = 71) rated each of these students using both the ISP‐SS and the Social Skills Improvement System—Rating Scales (SSiS‐RS), with the latter measure serving as the criterion within validity and diagnostic accuracy analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis supported ISP‐SS structural validity, indicating ISP‐SS items broadly conformed to a single “Social Skills” factor. Follow‐up analyses suggested ISP‐SS broad scale scores demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability, with hierarchical omega coefficient equal to 0.86. Correlational analyses supported the concurrent validity of ISP‐SS items, finding each ISP‐SS item to be moderately or highly related to its corresponding SSiS‐RS subscale. Finally, analyses indicated three of the seven ISP‐SS items that demonstrated sufficient diagnostic accuracy; however, findings suggest additional revisions are needed if the ISP‐SS is to be appropriate for use in schools. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Examining Predictors of Counselor‐in‐Training Intentional Nondisclosure

This study explored factors that best predict intentional nondisclosure by counselors‐in‐training (CITs) during onsite supervision, including social judgment about one’s supervisor, the supervisory working alliance (SWA), and supervisee attachment styles. Stepwise regression in a sample of 146 CITs revealed that the SWA and supervisee attachment avoidance predicted 60% of the variance in intentional nondisclosure.     

Resource allocation to government documents departments in academic libraries

Resource allocation to documents departments in academic libraries is not a purely rational process. This lack of rationality leads to wide variation in the local levels of support upon which the GPO depository system depends. This article demonstrates these variations and suggests how documents librarians may change the levels of support their departments receive from sources within and beyond their libraries.     

It takes a village: Managing conflict in the K-12 classroom

This project examines the classroom conflict management challenges K–12 teachers experience. The U.S. Department of Education released a January 2014 bulletin outlining their classroom conflict management position, providing teachers recommendations without providing tools and conflict management knowledge to effectively implement the recommended programs. Understanding the nature and components of conflict better enables conflict managers (i.e., teachers) to effectively manage and resolve conflict. Understanding the challenges teachers face when managing conflict enables practitioners to create practical recommendations for conflict resolution education. This project analyzed data from four focus groups of K–12 teachers (n = 21) from the northern Midwest. Teachers identified structural challenges (i.e., lack of parental or administrative support) to managing conflict. Findings indicate that comprehensive conflict management training and productive communication between all levels of the system are necessary to effectively manage conflict in the classroom.     

Anonymity and Interaction in an Online Breast Cancer Social Support Group

Despite the benefits of using online social support groups, prior research does not provide a solid understanding of the online factors related to an individual’s supportive interaction. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how various aspects of anonymity predict different levels of social support engagement. The current study uncovers that visually identifiable group members are more likely to get supportive responses than are visually anonymous members. Also, when support group members are visually and discursively identifiable, they are more likely to get supportive messages than those who are visually and discursively anonymous. Additionally, the more identifiable support group members are, the more they receive positive messages. Practical implications for the role of social support group members’ anonymity/identifiability on the overall social support process are presented.     

Starting where we can: using action research to develop inclusive practice

This paper details how one city in the north‐east of England set out to explore the concept of ­inclusion and to develop more inclusive early years and childcare services through the use of an action research/reflective practice approach with practitioners. It describes a local project, the ­Inclusive Practice Pilot Project (IPP), designed to develop more inclusive services for young children and children using out‐of‐school clubs. The paper outlines the progress of the project which used action research as a mechanism for developing thinking and understanding linked to practice change. It highlights both the catalysts for, and barriers to, the development of more inclusive practice. It concludes by suggesting that if early years and childcare services are to become more inclusive, then alongside technical and organizational change there needs to be more emphasis on supporting changes in attitudes, understandings and ways of thinking about practice.

Cet article expose en détail comment une ville dans le nord‐est de l’Angleterre a entrepris deexplorer le concept de l’inclusion et de développer avec les praticiens un service pré‐escolaire etd’ assistance à l’enfance plus inclusif à travers de l’utilisation d’une pratique qui utilise la recherche d’action/ recherche reflective. Un projet local est décrit, le Pilote Projet de Pratique Inclusive (IPP), conçu pour développer des services plus inclusives pour les enfants plus petits et les enfants qui utilisent dehors des clubs d’activités dehors de l’école. Cet essai décrit le progrès du projet qui a employé la recherche active comme mécanisme pour développer la pensée et la compréhension liées au changement de pratique. Il accentue non seulement les catalyseurs mais aussi les barrières au développement d’une pratique plus inclusive. On conclut en suggérant que si les services de la première enfance et d’ assistance à l’enfance doivent devenir plus inclusifs alors qu’à côté du changement technique et organisationnel il faut mettre plus d’emphase en faveur du changement des attitudes, des ententes et des manières de penser autour la pratique.

Este ensayo detalla cómo una ciudad en el nordeste de Inglaterra se propuso a explorar el concepto de la inclusión y a desarrollar junto a los profesionales servicios más inclusivos para el cuidado de niños y de pre‐escolar a través del uso de una práctica basada sobre el método “investigación‐acción/ práctica reflexiva”. Describe un proyecto local, el Proyecto Piloto de la Práctica Inclusiva (IPP), diseñado para desarrollar servicios más inclusivos para los niños en general y los niños pequeños que usan clubs de actividades extraescolares. El papel perfila el progreso del proyecto en el que fue utilizada la investigación‐acción como mecanismo para desarrollar el pensamiento y el entendimiento ­relacionados al cambio de práctica. Destaca tanto los catalizadores como las barreras al desarrollo de una práctica más inclusiva. Concluye sugiriendo que para que los servicios pre‐escolares y de cuidado de niños lleguen a ser más inclusivos, entonces junto al cambio técnico y de organización se necesita poner más énfasis en el apoyo al cambio en las actitudes, el entendimiento y la manera de pensar sobre la práctica.     

Sustainability in open access publishing: The ecancer case study

• Innovative business models to complement or replace traditional models of funding academic publishing are currently proliferating.
• Not relying solely on one source of funding is a key factor in sustainability.
• Pay what you can afford (PWYCA) is a new model for article processing charges (APCs) providing both a revenue stream and an opportunity to raise awareness of the cost of publishing amongst authors.
• Treating a journal as part of an overall enterprise rather than as a stand‐alone business contributes significantly to its sustainability.