Investigating the participation of business librarians in academic program reviews using corpus-based methods

Prior research into the role of business librarians in academic program reviews has relied on surveys and interviews, revealing that librarians perceive that they are marginalized in the review process. Using a collection of program review documentation produced for the reviews of nine graduate programs offered at a Canadian business school, this study employs corpus-based techniques to obtain direct measures of librarian involvement. The findings provide objective confirmation that business librarians are not well integrated into program reviews overall, and that their contribution to the reviews of professional programs is even more limited than their contribution to the reviews of research-oriented programs. Based on best practices and missed opportunities observed as part of this study, seven strategies are suggested for integrating business librarians more fully in the program review process for the benefit of all program stakeholders.     

Perceptions of studying during adolescence: student typologies and the relationship with attainment

This research explores perceptions of studying among students taking public examinations at age 16. Cluster analysis was used to classify 826 Year 11 students, in their final year of compulsory schooling, according to their study typology. Pupils were drawn from eight outer London schools and completed a self-report questionnaire to assess perceptions of studying. The analysis revealed six distinctive groups with differences in the use of metacognitive, effort-management, time-management and study strategies. The groups differed in relation to attainment and the amount of homework that students reported completing. Clusters were identified with poor students, who had become disengaged with their studies, and hard working students, who valued the task and adopted a variety of strategies. Other clusters displayed poor time management strategies, use of planning and organisational strategies. For the future, it appears important to understand characteristics that are exhibited by individual students, if all are to be assisted in achieving their potential.     

Serving Indiana's Emergent Bilingual Immigrant (EBI) Youth: A Collective Case Study of EBI Teacher Educators

ABSTRACT

Unlike states with established immigrant populations, Indiana is a new immigration gateway state that is developing its infrastructure to address immigrant needs. Indiana's English learner (EL) population between 1999 and 2018 has grown by 550% from 9,114 to 59,255 students. Of the current 59,255 ELs in K–12 schools, 24% are immigrants. Employing a collective case study, this article examines how Indiana university faculty prepare pre- and inservice teachers to address the needs of emergent bilingual immigrant (EBI) youth. While there are institutional constraints that impact how EBI youth needs are met, faculty in EL licensure programs are addressing these needs by explicitly facilitating activities that promote respect and develop empathy through perspective sharing. Despite underdeveloped social infrastructures for EBI youth and EBI teachers in Indiana schools, implications suggest that a methodical inclusion of immigration history, perspective-taking, and critical self-reflection can facilitate teacher identity development, and foster their stances of advocacy for EBIs.     

Evolution and Education: Lessons from Thomas Huxley

Thomas Huxley more than anyone else was responsible for disseminating Darwin’s theory in the western world and maintained that investigating the history of life should be regarded as a purely scientific question free of theological speculation. The content and rhetorical strategy of Huxley’s defense of evolution is analyzed. Huxley argued that the classification of humans should be determined independent of any theories of origination of species. Besides providing evidence that demonstrated the close relationship between apes and humans, he also argued that a pithecoid ancestry in no way degraded humankind. In his broader defense of evolution he drew on his agnosticism to define what science could and could not explain. Theology made empirical claims and needed to be subject to the same standards of evidence as scientific claims. He maintained that even most scientific objections to evolution were religiously based. The objections to the theory fundamentally remain the same as in the nineteenth century and much can be learned from Huxley to develop effective strategies for educating the public about evolution. Huxley’s own scientific articles as well as his popular writings provide numerous examples that could be harnessed not only for the teaching of evolution, but also for understanding science as a process.     

A review of instruments used to predict early breastfeeding attrition

Few women breastfeed for 6 months or longer, and many who stop breastfeeding do so in the early postpartum period. To increase the number of breastfeeding mothers, health-care providers need to identify women at greatest risk for early breastfeeding attrition. This integrative review describes instruments used to assess breastfeeding in the early postpartum period and reports the results of studies using these tools. The instruments are then evaluated for similarities in variables and usefulness for clinical practice.     

The Politics of Dissertation Advising: How Early Career Women Faculty Negotiate Access and Participation

Dissertation committees are complex social arenas that underscore expertise, image, and peer relationships—all of which affect professional identity and advancement. This study presents a sampling of how early career women faculty members learn about and negotiate their participation on dissertation committees. Research questions focused on participants’ concerns about the social and political aspects of participation viz à viz peer relationships and faculty rewards. We analyzed interview data using both holistic and constant comparative methods, resulting in a working model of active participation across three domains: knowledge, access, and membership. We also identified developmental trends of dissertation committee engagement across the early career.     

Auditory Frequency Resolution in Human Infancy

Frequency resolution is a fundamental capacity of the auditory system that underlies the perception of all complex sounds. The development of this capacity has not been well characterized in humans. This investigation used a nonsimultaneous pulsation threshold technique to examine the development of infant frequency resolution. Psychophysical tuning curves were obtained for 3- and 6-month-olds and for adults at either 500, 1,000, or 4,000 Hz. Both the sensation level and the sound pressure level of the stimulus were varied for adults to determine the contribution of stimulus intensity to age differences in frequency resolution. At 500 and 1,000 Hz, 3- and 6-month-olds' tuning curve widths were equivalent to adults'. At 4,000 Hz, the 3-month-olds' tuning curves were broader than those of 6-month-olds and adults, even when absolute sound pressure level was equivalent. The maturation of psychophysical frequency resolution in infants is discussed in terms of the general development of the auditory system and of nonsensory factors that might contribute to age differences in performance.     

Career education and career guidance: Strategies for implementing career development

Dedmond is Supervisor, Career Education and Career Guidance, Virginia Department of Education.     

Supporting children with Down syndrome within mainstream education settings: parental reflections

This study draws upon data gathered from five parents who have children with Down syndrome (DS), being educated in mainstream settings in England. The parental perspective of practices, both inclusive and otherwise, is explored through a qualitative lens. Findings suggest that early intervention, such as portage, is important. However, access to services varied across authorities. Additionally, some participants highlighted issues around the Education, Health Care Plan and subsequent annual reviews. Overall, this study offers examples of inclusive practice in the areas of supporting language and communication needs, parental partnership and transition between educational phases for children with DS. However, there are inconsistencies across providers and there is a need for more research into these areas in the future.