Foreign students in American colleges: Time for change in policy and practice

Institutional characteristics for the total population of more than 2,300 American colleges and universities are related to the proportionate foreign student enrollment in each institution through stepwise multiple-regression analysis. Large proportionate numbers of foreign students are enrolled in American private colleges, in colleges located in the West, and in institutions of high quality (as determined by institutional revenue and average achievement test scores of enrolled students). It is proposed that American institutions of higher education, particularly those which are found to enroll proportionately few foreign students, undertake efforts to increase their ratio of foreign to domestic students. A broad discussion is also presented with respect to the educational experience of foreign nationals in the United States and the institutional and national policies which affect foreign students. Given the greater balance in the supply-demand situation of highly trained American manpower in the 1970s, and the availability of many unfilled student positions in American institutions, the implementation of such policies and programs may allow a greater inflow of foreign students to domestic colleges.This research was supported in part by Grant GI-34394 from the RANN program of the National Science Foundation. I am indebted to Jeffrey E. Dutton for his assistance in the computer processing phases of this project and to Richard A. Humphrey for a number of comments and suggestions for revision.     

State and trait goals of achievement and well-being: structure,validity, and stability

Both school achievement goals (mastery, performance approach, performance avoidance goals) and well-being goals (work avoidance, affiliation goals) are important predictors of learning and achievement related outcomes. However, disagreement exists regarding the definition of goals as relatively stable traits versus situational states that react sensitive to contexts. This paper presents the development of an inventory for the assessment of students’ multiple state and trait goals. In Study 1, students (N?=?196) answered the trait items. The results of an exploratory factor analysis indicated the construct validity of the goals. In Study 2, students completed trait and state scales in different weeks (N?=?542) and repeatedly after 12 weeks each. Confirmatory factor analyses as well as correlations with state and trait reference constructs confirmed the convergent and differential validity of both the trait and the state goal factors. The instrument offers a brief, reliable, and valid measure of multiple state and trait goals. Latent state trait analyses revealed that some state goals are surprisingly robust against situational influences and equally stable across time as corresponding trait goals, whereas other goals are more dependent on the learning situation.     

Health-related quality of life and classroom participation of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in general schools

A group of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students at mainstream schools (N = 212) was investigated in a questionnaire-based survey using the Inventory of Life Quality of Children and Youth (ILC) and the Classroom Participation Questionnaire. The ILC data for the D/HH sample are for the most part comparable with the data from a normative hearing sample. Item-total correlations showed that the domains of school and social activities with peers were more important for the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of the D/HH students than for that of the hearing students. The results also reveal differences in the HRQoL levels of the two samples, with the D/HH sample having higher scores for school experiences, physical and mental health, and overall HRQoL, though the effect sizes for the differences are small to moderate. Specific characteristics of the D/HH sample may be responsible for this result. There are also relationships between quality of life and perceived classroom participation in certain domains: Students who perceive classroom participation as satisfying have higher scores for quality of life in school, social contact with peers, and mental health. This also applied to the scores for global assessment and a summarized quality of life indicator.     

Mechanismen der Elitebildung im deutschen Bildungssystem

The German education system is currently experiencing two contrasting trends: On the one hand, social opening, e.g. through the introduction of a partially-integrated secondary school system, compensatory all-day-schooling. On the other hand, an increasing vertical hierarchy in certain educational phases, e.g. through the explicitly encouraged introduction of private kindergartens and primary schools and the establishment of prime (academic track) Gymnasien and elite universities. In line with these structural changes, next to equality, the principle of excellence is gaining an increasing significance as a justification argument. This contribution will present the situation from an education-policy perspective, discuss theoretical discourses, and the national and international state of research on the topic of elitism and education. It will close with future research challenges.     

Strategic Assistance in Toddler Disputes: II. Sequences and Patterns of Teachers' Message Strategies

Adopting the view that peer conflict is a zone of proximal development in which adults may provide strategic assistance in negotiating interactional opposition, this study analyzed message strategies used by 13 teachers in the course of intervening in 135 toddler disputes. Spontaneous oppositional episodes precipitating teacher intervention were transcribed and analyzed with lag sequential techniques. The teachers used one of three message strategies to begin processing the toddlers' disputes: (a) summon disputants' attention (CALL); (b) physical restraint or removal of objects (STOP); or (c) ask the disputing toddlers to identify the problem (ASK). Each strategy was associated with certain act-to-act sequences suggesting unique patterns for terminating peer opposition. The predominant pattern began with STOP, in which teachers exercised high control over the intervention and adjudicated its outcome. Dispute negotiation failed to develop, however, from the CALL entry strategy. The process of negotiating peer opposition was more information-based and child-involving when teachers intervened with an ASK strategy, but this strategy was used in only 10.4% of the episodes. Findings are considered relative to evaluating day-to- day teacher practices and refining curriculum models for dealing with toddler disputes in the classroom.     

Conflicting values and their impact on learning

Based on Inglehart’s (1997) idea that the importance of modern values is challenged by a growing importance of postmodern values in postindustrialised sociaties, we analyse the consequences of students’ attempts to integrate (modern) achievement values and (postmodern) well-being values. Since opportunities for value integration are limited, students should frequently experience conflicts, whether to work for school or to engage in free time activities. In a questionnaire study, students (n=184) showed mostly high scores in both, achievement and well-being values. Value conflict — measured by a specific conflict formula — was related to the frequency of action conflicts as well as to the reported difficulty to decide which action to pursue. Values predicted the students’ school-related decisions. Furthermore, students with high achievement values reported better performance in school-related tasks than students with high well-being values. Finally, values were systematically related to time investment and grades.     

Sense of coherence: a relevant resource in the coping process of mothers of deaf and hard-of-hearing children?

This study examined the importance of reported sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987) in mothers of children with hearing impairment. Sense of coherence was explored as a factor in relation to the experience of stress and subjective life satisfaction and in the context of other relevant variables in coping (e.g., social support, additional handicaps of the child, child's hearing status, means of communication). Two hundred thirty-five mothers completed a questionnaire, and path analysis corroborated a theoretical model in which sense of coherence was delineated as a factor contributing directly to stress perception. Both sense of coherence and the experience of social support were identified as resources that reduced reported stress and improved quality of life, with sense of coherence especially important in reducing stress. Child variables, including additional handicaps and extent of hearing impairment, intensified reported stress for the mothers, but mode of communication with the deaf child did not affect stress experience. The findings are discussed within the context of socialization theory. Recommendations for further research (e.g., longitudinal data, control designs, socio-economic status, applicability to fathers) are made.