Exploring the Influences of a Partner-Based Teacher Credential Program on Candidates’ Performance Outcomes

The study compared candidates in a 4-year undergraduate program for secondary mathematics and science teaching, based on the UTeach model, with candidates in a 1-year postbaccalaureate program at the same institution. Candidates in the undergraduate program participated in a partnership of university mathematics, science, and education departments and intensive field-based experiences in high-needs schools. We conjectured that this approach would better prepare prospective teachers to develop beginning teacher competencies. Analysis of the Performance Assessment for California Teachers Teaching Event identified few differences between candidates in both groups. Surveys revealed significant differences between candidates’ perceptions of their preparation for teaching. These findings suggest that different program models can offer differential support to prospective teachers but how the program features are enacted influences the impact that these programs have on teacher preparation.     

Literature Searching in Medical Education: Online Tutorial Development from Idea to Creation

The medical education literature is growing, and the result is not only greater knowledge, but an increasing complexity in locating quality evidence-based information. In 2008, eight librarians partnered with the Association of American Medical Colleges to research, conceptualize, and build an online module to develop medical educators’ search skills. Developing an online instructional module is a time-consuming, multi-stage process requiring the expertise of content, technical, and design specialists working in concert. Many lessons were learned, including the power of collaborative tools; the benefits of including specialists, such as graphic designers; the benefit of thoroughly surveying existing resources; and the importance of choosing technology wisely.     

3. INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Susan Krieger Hip Capitalism (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1979—$15.00/ 7 .95)

Richard P. Adler, ed. All in the Family: A Critical Appraisal (New York: Praeger Publishers (for the coth edition)/Cambria Press, 360 Bryant St., Palo Alto, Calif. 94302 (for paperback orders), 1979—$22.00/6.95)

Lauren R. Sass, ed. Television: The American Medium in Crisis (Facts on File, 119 West 57th St., New York 10019—price not given)

Encyclomedia: 1979 Television Edition (Encyclomedia, 342 Madison Ave. New York, N.Y. 10017—$57.00, paper)     

Bromo-oxidation reaction in enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow microfibers

In this article, the authors present the fabrication of an enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fiber using a microfluidic device. Further use of enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fibers as a biocatalytic microchemical reactor for chemical synthesis is also deliberated in this article. To ensure that there is no enzyme leaching from the fiber, fiber surfaces were coated with chitosan. To confine the mobility of reactants and products within the porous hollow fibers the entire fibers were embedded into a transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix which also works as a support matrix. A vanadium-containing bromoperoxidase enzyme isolated from Corallina confusa was used as a model enzyme to demonstrate the use of these alginate hollow-fiber reactors in bromo-oxidation of phenol red to bromophenol blue at different dye flow rates. Stability of the entrapped enzyme at different temperatures and the effect of the chitosan coating on the reaction conversion were also studied. It was observed that molecules as big as 27 kDa can be retained in the matrix after coating with chitosan while molecules with molecular-weight of around 378 Da can still diffuse in and out of the matrix. The kinetic conversion rate in this microfluidic bioreactor was more than 41-fold faster when compared with the standard test-tube procedure.     

News You Can Use or News That Moves?

This study investigates how journalists covering international humanitarian crises make decisions regarding what types of information to include in stories. Specifically, the inclusion/exclusion of solutions-oriented information is addressed, since crises represent a key time during which the potential for international engagement is discussed in the mainstream media. Interviews with journalists covering hunger crises in Africa reveal an internal tension between maintaining a neutral, unbiased position and writing in a way that supports engagement and action. Ironically, perhaps, journalists find that including solutions-oriented information amounts to unethical and biased coverage, despite the fact that inclusion of solutions to social problems is an accepted and institutionalized aspect of the US news media’s mandate to the public. Reasons for this seeming contradiction are discussed, and I argue that solutions-oriented information not only can be included without demonstrating bias, but that it ought to be included to support ethical coverage that properly informs citizens about potential paths for political engagement.     

Transitioning in higher education: an exploration of psychological and contextual factors affecting student satisfaction

In view of recent changes in the higher education sector, such as increased tuition fees, a greater focus has been placed on widening participation initiatives and monitoring student satisfaction. The aims of the current study were twofold: (1) to explore whether pre-entry programmes foster successful transition to higher education, and (2) to examine longitudinally the factors associated with course satisfaction. Eighty-eight first-year psychology students completed a questionnaire measuring academic self-efficacy, social identity and student satisfaction at the start (Time 1, November 2015) and end (Time 2, March 2016) of the academic year. Findings indicated that students who participated in a pre-entry programme reported higher academic self-efficacy and satisfaction compared to typical route students. Moreover, academic self-efficacy predicted student satisfaction at the start of the academic year, whereas in-group affect (a facet of social identity) predicted this at the end of the academic year. The current findings indicate that pre-entry programmes may have a positive impact on students’ sense of academic self-efficacy. On a more general level, the findings also suggest that academic self-efficacy and social identity may be key indicators of student satisfaction. This highlights the complexities of the concept of ‘student satisfaction’, and demonstrates the utility of examining multiple factors relating to student satisfaction across different time points.     

Impact of age on haematological markers pre- and post-marathon running

This study investigated whether haematological markers differ between young and masters marathon participants, running at similar performance levels. Nine young (31.89 ± 4.96 years) and eight masters (63.13 ± 4.61 years) runners participated. At five time points (pre-race through 54 h post-race), a complete blood cell count, basic metabolic panel and creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme panel were assessed. Race performance was standardised using the World Masters Association Age Grading Performance Tables. Total CK levels were elevated for all participants at all time points post-race (P < 0.001). The CK-isoenzyme MB% was elevated across groups at 6, 30 and 54 h post-race (P < 0.01, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05), with masters runners having a higher CK-MB% at 30 and 54 h (P < 0.05, P < 0.05). Total white blood cell and neutrophil counts were elevated through 6 h post-race (P < 0.001), with higher levels found in younger runners (P < 0.001). When considering all blood work, masters runners had a higher number of abnormal values at 6, 30 and 54 h post-race (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). In conclusion, masters runners demonstrated sustained CK-MB elevation, which may suggest greater cardiac stress. However, future studies using additional cardiac markers should be completed to confirm these findings. In addition, masters runners showed an increased number of laboratory values outside normal range, indicating the body’s reduced capacity to respond to marathon running.