Enhancing subjective well‐being in individuals with asthma

Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, is caused by a complex interaction between genetic and environmental variables. The intent of this article is to propose a theory that provides an explanation for the reduction of emotionally triggered asthma through treatments derived from positive psychology. The basic tenet of the theory is that physical health issues, such as asthma, can be promoted through systematic interventions that are designed to enhance the individual's sense of independence, intimacies or friendships, and/or feelings of competence. This theoretical approach is based largely on Bertrand Russell's definition of happiness and is consistent with positive psychology in that it focuses on variables that promote subjective well‐being, or a satisfying daily life. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 95–100, 2004.     

An Institutional Code of Ethics.- A Response to Attitude of Israeli Teachers＇ Education College Students Towards Academic Plagiarism

Academic plagiarism becomes very easy due to new opportunities provided by the Internet era （Scrinber, 2003; Underwood ＆ Sazabo, 2003; Ross, 2005）. We believe that academic dishonesty is a major issue, because it strikes at the heart of the academic and social values： honesty, trust and integrity. When dealing with education students, the future educators of children, academic dishonesty takes on added significance with much graver consequences for our society. This paper is aimed to reveal the opinions of 200 Israeli teacher education students towards different aspects of plagiarism. These responses, which were collected using likert scale questionnaire, led us to define some principles for a plan to reduce academic dishonesty, especially internet based plagiarism （Mc Murtry, 2001; Foster, 2002; Landau, Druen, ＆ Arcuri, 2002; Murray, 2002）. We suggest focusing on a plan for an institutional ethic code to reduce plagiarism and unconscious academic dishonesty.     

A Phenomenological Study of Malaysian Counsellors’ Experiences in Managing Countertransference

International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling - Processing and managing countertransference are part of the responsibilities of counsellors to fulfil their ethical obligation. The...     

Challenges of conducting systematic research in Australia's Northern Territory

This paper explores the challenges of conducting systematic research, using our experiences of conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA, an online tool for early childhood literacy instruction as the contextual framework. By discussing how the research team resolved such perennial issues as high teacher turnover, low or erratic Indigenous student attendance, difficulties with collecting reliable data on student outcomes, and the time and funding required to travel long distances, we show how rigorous research might still be conducted, to counter the usual proffering of such challenges as reasons why experimental research should not be attempted. Without minimizing the dimension of the logistical and funding challenges facing the conducting of experimental research in regional and remote settings, we end with an appeal that such work be prioritized, lest already disadvantaged education settings suffer further neglect in terms of national research priorities.     

Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Program: Examining Black Girls’ Experiences at a Predominately White School

The Urban Review - A plethora of research on voluntary school choice programs and the impact on student’s outcomes have been documented. However, lacking are the experiences of students of...     

Science partnerships under the microscope: A study of Teacher Education Partnerships at Macquarie University

Partnerships between schools and teacher education institutions are now widely promoted as an effective pathway to the preparation of pre-service students. This paper examines the ways in which one form of school/tertiary partnership has attempted, over a 25 year period, to respond to the key questions on partnership: How do university lecturers share teacher education with their colleagues in schools? When and where does this occur? What can tertiary staff learn from the “new” teacher educators? What strategies are being considered to enhance the spirit of mutual respect which must underpin successful teamwork? How well are the vital roles of adviser, counsellor, guide, support and teacher understood and shared by school and tertiary staff as they work with pre-service students? Do the partners share similar understandings of the theory and practice of the program? The authors conclude, as a result of their own experiences in the Teacher Education Program at Macquarie University in Sydney, and as a result of recent research into the formation of specific links between school teachers and tertiary lecturers, that the success of new experiments with partnership will depend, ultimately, upon the success of the human rather than the structural relationships established.     

Using case studies in business education to promote networked thinking: findings of an intervention study

Case studies are central to the way management is currently taught at universities. Among other benefits attributed to the case study method is that it promotes networked thinking by learners. Networked thinking takes account of interactions and repercussions, making it crucial to decision-making within the complex system of rules that shapes current business reality. However, there is virtually no empirical evidence of the extent to which the case study method actually delivers the advantages attributed to it. This paper aims to remedy that gap in the literature. The paper considers the extent to which the case study method promotes networked thinking on the part of students on business and management courses. The research is designed as an intervention study involving pre- and post-testing. The study finds that students who have worked on a case study correctly identify more interactions in post-testing than in pre-testing.     

Understanding number sequences leads to understanding mathematics concepts

Ninety-six first grade students in an urban school system were tested in October and May on reading, mathematics, and their understanding of sequences of letters and numbers. A time lag analysis was subsequently conducted. In such analyses, cross-correlations between the first measurement of one variable and the second measurement of another are compared. The larger of the correlations indicates the direction of the relationship; i.e., which variable is most likely to be causal. Correlations of the fall scores on the number sequences with spring scores on the mathematics concepts scale were significant, while correlations of the fall mathematics concepts scores with spring number sequence scores were negligible. This indicates that understanding such complex sequences has a directional effect on understanding mathematics concepts. Fall–spring cross-correlations for the letter sequences and reading test, although significant, did not differ, and hence provided no indication of the direction of the relationship. Potential explanations were discussed.