Intermedia Agenda Setting in Television,Advertising, and Blogs During the 2004 Election

This study examined whether the candidate-controlled public relations tools of political ads and candidate blogs were successful in influencing the issue and news agenda of the major television news networks during the 2004 presidential election. Data showed strong correlations between blogs and the media agenda. Advertisements did not correlate with the media agenda. Cross-lag analyses showed that the media set the candidates' agenda. The authors suggest intermedia agenda setting occurred as the media transferred their agenda to campaign blogs.     

Hot Diggity Blog: A Cluster Analysis Examining Motivations and Other Factors for Why People Judge Different Types of Blogs as Credible

Using two-step cluster analysis this study identifies four groups of users who deem seven types of blogs (general information, media/journalism, war, military, political, corporate, and personal blogs) as highly credible. The four groups are each motivated to turn to blogs for many of the same reasons; however, some differences emerged among the groups. In addition, the four user clusters differ on demographic and political characteristics.     

The Pedagogical Value of an Integrated Approach to Legal Research Instruction: Overcoming Student Resistance to the Use of Print Sources and Striking a Balance That Instills an Appreciation of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Both Print and Online Sources

The ABA Legal Technology Survey Reports from 2006 to 2012 reported that, on average, 51% of attorneys “regularly” used print materials. Given the propensity of law students to default to online research, this article describes the results of a three-year longitudinal study of an integrated approach to teaching first-year legal research. This approach required students conduct legal research tasks both online and in print sources, and to evaluate their experience. The objective of this approach was to transform the legal research experience from a “treasure hunt” into a much higher level of engagement based on Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning.     

Health Sciences Librarians' Research on Medical Students' Use of Information for Their Studies at The Medical School,University of Queensland,Australia

This study reports the findings of research undertaken by health sciences librarians at the University of Queensland Library into how medical students use information for their studies, particularly resources and services provided by the Library. The methods utilized were an online survey and focus groups. Results indicated that students favor print resources over electronic, value accessing resources on a one-stop basis, and prefer training to be delivered flexibly. The implication of these results for future resource selection, service provision, and instructional design and delivery is discussed.     

Learning from warthogs and oxpeckers: promoting mutualism in school and university research partnerships

In this article it is argued that metaphors can be useful in explaining the ways academics and teachers can work inter-dependently, using action research, to achieve different, but mutually beneficial outcomes. The authors explore several metaphors used by other writers to capture some of the essential characteristics of research partnerships, while playfully advancing their own biological metaphor of mutualism to emphasise the importance of inter-dependence and reciprocity in collaborative partnerships. They then draw on their experiences working in several major Australian projects, which employed collaborative action research as a reform mechanism. They discuss – with separate school and university (voices) – three issues that have emerged from their participation in these projects; the difficulties of establishing mutually beneficial partnerships, the different cultures of universities and schools, and using action research as a school reform process. The authors' reason for highlighting these issues is to demonstrate that participants' perceptions of project events and processes differ, and that perspective taking – being able to ‘see’ others' points of view – is a key component of collaborative work.     

Reviews

FREEDOM SPENT. By Richard Harris. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1976; pp. 460. $12.95.

MALE/FEMALE LANGUAGE, WITH A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY. By Mary Ritchie Key. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1975; pp. vii + 200; $7.95.

CONTEMPORARY SPEECH: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO COMMUNICATION. Compiled by Mary Frances Hopkins and Beverly Whitaker. Edited by Bernard Brommel. Skokie, IL: National Textbook Company, 1976; pp. ix + 316. $11.

COMMUNICATING. By Anita Taylor, Teresa Rosegrant, Authur Meyer, and B. Thomas Samples. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‐Hall, Inc., pp. xiii + 466. $9.95.

MASTERING CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION: WHAT INTERACTION ANALYSIS TELLS THE TEACHER. By Dorothy Grant Hennings. Pacific Palisades, California: Goodyear Publishing Company, 1975; pp. xiii + 193. $5.95.

THE RHETORIC OF WESTERN THOUGHT. By James L. Golden, Goodwin F. Berquist, and William E. Coleman. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1976; pp. 272. Paper $9.95.     

THE LEARNING AND RETENTION OF TEACHING SKILLS BY OLDER ADULTS: A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

Comparative analysis of time series data (T1 = preprogram; T2 = postpro‐gram; T3 = 6‐month followup) collected for the first year class of an older adult teacher training program (N = 35; mean age = 69.1 years) documents that the elderly learn and retain materials learned at different rates. Variables such as age, sex, teaching experience, education, and race/ethnicity all potentially play a role in differentiating the learning process. Evaluation results further confirm that the initial acquisition of leadership skills by older adults is no guarantee that those skills will be maintained successfully over time. There may also be a false sense of confidence in some older learners that is gained simply by their having successfully completed an organized course of training. Study findings lead to recommendations emphasizing the importance of promoting resilient skills capacity in the teaching domain by older adults by means of a variety of skills‐preservation program techniques inlcuding the provision of educational seminars, “retooling” sessions, and reunion programs subsequent to the offering of the initial teacher training program.