Professional outcomes,pedagogical tools,and challenges of international counselor instruction

This study presents thematic findings from a qualitative investigation with 10 university professors who instructed in multiple international settings. Perceived challenges, outcomes, and effective pedagogical tools of international instruction are presented. Principle instructional challenges included cultural influences in the classroom, communication, and the expected professorial role. Participants cited professional outcomes as an expanded awareness and understanding of complex global and cultural issues and a broadened repertoire of client scenarios, healing strategies, and cultural perceptions of illness. Included are four pedagogical tools cited as effective in international instruction.     

Why Do Achievement Measures Underpredict Female Academic Performance?

In the context of college admissions, the current study examined whether differential prediction of first‐year grade point average (FYGPA) by gender could be explained by an omitted variable problem—namely, academic discipline, or the amount of effort a student puts into schoolwork and the degree to which a student sees him/herself as hardworking and conscientious. Based on nearly 10,000 college students, the current study found that differences in intercepts by gender were reduced by 45% with the inclusion of academic discipline in a model that already included high school grade point average (HSGPA) and ACT Composite score. Moreover, academic discipline resulted in an additional 4% of variance accounted for in FYGPA. Gender differences in slopes were not statistically significant (p > .001) regardless if academic discipline was included in the model. The findings highlight the utility of taking a more holistic approach when making college admission decisions. Namely, the inclusion of noncognitive measures has benefits that are twofold: increased predictive validity and reduced differential prediction.     

Thoughts on a Multidimensional Middle School Index of College Readiness

The findings of the Gaertner and McClarty article (2015) raised awareness on two extremely important topics related to college readiness: First, to effect change, we must measure students' progression towards college readiness throughout their K‐12 career rather than just at the culmination of high school. Second, college readiness encompasses more than academic preparation, and indices can be designed to weight additional factors according to their prediction of readiness. The reply by Lazowski, Barron, Kosovich, and Hulleman (this issue) added to the conversation by raising important issues around the measurement of motivation. In this reply, we provide our own thoughts on college and career readiness and offer ideas for additional work to further the development of college and career readiness indices.     

Beginning secondary science teacher induction: A two‐year mixed methods study

Those who study secondary science teachers are often concerned with preservice or in‐service teacher development. Science teacher educators have acknowledged that this focus is limited, as the induction years of beginning teachers are an important component of teacher development. This mixed methods study focuses on the induction years of beginning content specialists, with the intention of adding to the literature in this underexamined area. The secondary science teachers in this study were followed during their first and second year of teaching in order to understand the changes in their beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and practices as a group, and as they participated in different induction programs. Analysis by induction program revealed that first year teachers who participated in science specific induction programs strengthened their beliefs, PCK, and practices. By the end of the second year, regardless of program, most of the teachers shared similar beliefs and PCK. However, the teachers in the science specific induction programs continued to enact more interactive learning environments that had more investigations and laboratories than did their peers in the other induction programs. For those who work with beginning science teachers, this study suggests that the induction of science specialists is an important area of work. It also explores the complex process of induction, and calls for more research into how beginning secondary science teachers learn and what types of induction experiences can best support beginning science teachers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 1199–1224, 2011     

Reader and text factors in reading comprehension processes

The effects of epistemic beliefs and text structure on cognitive processes during comprehension of scientific texts were investigated. On‐line processes were measured using think‐aloud (Experiment 1) and reading time (Experiment 2) methodologies. Measures of off‐line comprehension, prior knowledge and epistemic beliefs were obtained. Results indicated that readers adjust their processing as a function of the interaction between epistemic beliefs and text structure. Readers with misconceptions and more sophisticated epistemic beliefs engage in conceptual change processes, but only when reading refutation texts. Results also showed that memory for text is not affected by differences in epistemic beliefs or text structure. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relations among factors associated with text comprehension and have implications for theories of conceptual change.     

Instructional approaches: differences between kindergarten and primary school teachers

The article discusses kindergarten and primary school teachers’ preferences for instructional approaches and teaching practices. One hundred and thirty‐three teachers from Estonia completed questionnaires. The results showed that the promotion of students’ comprehension and independence, enhancing practical application and individualisation of instruction are highlighted by kindergarten as well as primary school teachers. The major difference between kindergarten and primary school teachers is in the usage of rote learning practices. Using a person‐oriented approach to data analysis, kindergarten teachers’ instructional patterns were shown to be similar to constructivist approaches, and primary school teachers’ patterns similar to traditional and constructivist approaches.     

Effects of text structure,reading goals and epistemic beliefs on conceptual change

We investigated the online and offline effects of learner and instructional characteristics on conceptual change of a robust misconception in science. Fifty‐nine undergraduate university students with misconceptions about evolution were identified as espousing evaluativist or non‐evaluativist epistemic beliefs in science. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a traditional or refutational text that discussed a misconception in evolution and a general comprehension or elaborative interrogation reading goal. Participants' cognitive and metacognitive processes while reading were measured using a think‐aloud protocol. Postreading, participants' correct and incorrect conceptual knowledge were separately assessed with a transference essay. Results showed that text structure and reading goals affected cognitive conflict, coherence‐building and elaborative processing while reading and promoted correct conceptual knowledge included in essays but failed to affect the inclusion of misconceptions. Further, participants with evaluativist epistemic beliefs engaged in fewer comprehension monitoring processes and were more likely to adapt their coherence‐building processes according to reading goals than their non‐evaluativist counterparts, but epistemic belief groups did not differ in the content of the posttest essay. Theoretical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.     

Factors Predicting the Importance of Libraries and Research Activities for Undergraduates

While prior research has established linkages between undergraduate students' library use, research participation, and success, researchers know little about the importance undergraduates place upon libraries and research activities. Utilizing data from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey, the purpose of this paper was to examine factors associated with the importance of libraries and research among undergraduates at nine large, public research universities. The results of this study suggest a variety of factors are positively associated with the importance of libraries and research for students, including participation in research activities, interest in medical or research careers, academic engagement, faculty interactions, library satisfaction, and development of library skills, among others.     

Save the Time of the Avatar: Canadian Academic Libraries Using Chat Reference in Multi-User Virtual Environments

Hundreds of librarians from around the world are exploring and volunteering their time in Second Life, evaluating the possibilities of offering a reference service in this environment. This article places virtual world reference service within the reference continuum and explores how a reference service could be offered by an academic institution in a virtual world, what additional skills are required for such a service, and whether there is a need for a virtual reference service.     

Visualizing oral histories: A lab model using multimedia DH to incorporate ACRL framework standards into liberal arts education

ABSTRACT

Visualizing Oral Histories: Comics and Graphic Novels/Digital Humanities Lab, is a new model for digital humanities scholarship that other librarians can follow to create and teach similar DH labs attached to humanities courses at other institutions. The model includes a preliminary syllabus and preliminary assignment rubrics designed to integrate the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education” (ACRL Framework) into course assignments. Incorporation of a DH lab into a humanities course curriculum reimagines librarian roles and creates a pedagogical strategy that explicitly incorporates information literacy standards into the undergraduate course curriculum.