COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES: A SURVEY OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

The present article describes an exploratory study regarding the preferred cognitive assessment practices of current school psychologists. Three hundred and twenty‐three school psychologists participated in the survey. The results suggest that the majority of school psychologists endorsed that they base their assessment practices on an underlying theoretical framework, specifically Cattell‐Horn‐Carroll (CHC) theory. Despite this finding, the majority of those sampled continue to engage in traditional assessment practices that are not consistent with CHC theory. Furthermore, the majority of those sampled reported that they assess culturally and linguistically diverse students and modify their practices when doing so. Unfortunately, the modifications endorsed by those surveyed might be discriminatory. The implications of these findings are discussed herein.     

Hiring and Developing Quality Community College Faculty

There is a likely community college teacher shortage on the horizon. Thus, community colleges not only need to focus on hiring quality instructors who emphasize teaching excellence, but institutions need to invest time and resources developing quality faculty plans to address faculty needs and provide adequate faculty development programs. When Iowa's community college licensure law was repealed in 2003, 15 area community colleges were left with the task of developing their own quality faculty plans. The Quality Faculty Plan design and one-year implementation is assessed.     

Autonomic modulation of heart rate in paraplegic wheelchair basketball players: Linear and nonlinear analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the autonomic modulation of heart rate in sedentary paraplegics and paraplegic wheelchair basketball players with thoracic spinal cord injury below T6. Seven paraplegic wheelchair basketball players (active paraplegic group), five paraplegics who were not involved in regular exercise (sedentary paraplegic group) and 10 able-bodied participants (control group) took part in the study. The heart rate variability was evaluated by linear (low frequency and high frequency band in normalised units and low frequency/high frequency ratio) and nonlinear methods (Shannon entropy, corrected conditional entropy, and symbolic analysis).

The sedentary group presented significantly higher values for low frequency, low frequency/high frequency ratio and symbolic index with no significant variations (0V%), and also lower values for the high frequency and symbolic index with two significant unlike variation (2ULV%) compared to active paraplegic group. Shannon entropy and corrected conditional entropy analyses revealed significantly lower values in the sedentary group than in the control or active paraplegic groups. Paraplegic individuals who regularly undertake physical exercise have higher complexity of R-R interval time series, lower sympathetic modulation, and higher parasympathetic modulation than sedentary paraplegic participants.     

Emergence of Global Shape Processing Continues Through Adolescence

The developmental trajectory of perceptual organization in humans is unclear. This study investigated perceptual grouping abilities across a wide age range (8–30 years) using a classic compound letter global/local (GL) task and a more fine-grained microgenetic prime paradigm (MPP) with both few- and many-element hierarchical displays. In the GL task, contrary to adults, both children and adolescents exhibited a classic local bias. In the MPP, all 3 age groups evinced a bias to individuate the few-element displays; however, the ability to encode the global shape of the many-element displays at the short prime durations increased with age. These results indicate that the full process of garnering shape information from perceptual grouping, which is essential for the ability to do fast and efficient object recognition and identification, develops late into adolescence.     

Facilitating successful prediction problem solving in biology through application of skill theory

The purpose of this study was to identify cognitive factors associated with differences in prediction problem-solving success among high school biology students, and to determine whether guided practice facilitated successful prediction. The Group Assessment of Logical Thinking was used to evaluate subjects' cognitive operational level, written prediction worksheets and think-aloud interviews were used to measure predictive success and identify problem-solving tendencies. Treatment group subjects received 8 hr of directed prediction practice using interactive computer simulations, whereas the control group practiced prediction without focusing on specific skills, after which all subjects were retested. Predictive reasoning success showed a significant correlation (p < .01) to both formal operational development and five specific cognitive skills: (a) identifying relevant knowledge in long-term memory, (b) using a systematic problem-solving strategy, (c) applying cause-effect reasoning, (d) reviewing solutions for logical inconsistency, and (e) evaluating alternative solutions. Analysis of covariance indicated significantly increased prediction success for treatment group subjects following practice in the five identified skills (p < .01). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

From Their Perspective: A Qualitative Examination of Physical Activity and Sport Programming for Working Mothers

Research has long demonstrated the benefits of participation in sport, exercise, and physical activity, which include lower mortality and morbidity (National Heart Foundation of Australia, 2001; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). Still, research demonstrates that 60-80% of adults are not active at a level sufficient to derive health benefits (Armstrong, Bauman, & Davies, 2000; Bowles, Morrow, Leonard, Hawkins, & Couzelis, 2002; Pate et al., 1995), and working mothers may face particular challenges in pursuing physical activity and sport (Jackson & Henderson, 1995). Utilizing the exercise psychology and women's leisure literatures, this study examines not only the barriers or constraints to participation, but also the ways that working mothers negotiate these barriers and, very practically, the ways that sport managers can better structure program offerings to increase access for this group (Bauman, Smith, Maibach, & Reger-Nash, 2006; Jackson & Henderson, 1995; Shaw, 1994). Forty-four working mothers from a university in the Southwestern United States participated in focus group inquiry regarding their physical activity and sport participation, barriers to participation, ways that they negotiated those barriers, and recommendations for change. Results indicated that rigid scheduling, guilt, and narrow programming constrained activity participation, and those constraints varied by marital status and social class. Negotiations included reframing entitlement to participation, garnering social support, and combating rigid work structures. Specific programming recommendations for sport managers as well as implications for social change are also discussed.     

The relationship between organizational support, work-family conflict, and the job-life satisfaction of university coaches

This study examined the relationship between organizational support, work-family conflict, and job and life satisfaction among coaches. Data from collegiate head coaches with families (N = 253) were gathered through a mailed questionnaire. Results from a series of covariance structure models indicated that a partially mediated model was the best fitting model, chi2 = (255, N = 253) 461.20, p <. 001; root mean error of approximation = . 05; comparative fit index = .95; parsimonious normed fit index = .71. In partial support of the study hypotheses, the results supported full mediation of the direct effect from organizational support to life satisfaction. Work-family conflict partially mediated the relationship between organizational support and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction partially mediated the effect of organizational support and work-family conflict to life satisfaction.     

The turtle technique: An extended case study of self-control in the classroom

A preliminary investigation of the Turtle Technique, a procedure for helping emotionally disturbed children control their own impulsive behavior, is described. The technique consists of four components: the “turtle response,” relaxation, problem-solving, and peer support. Eleven children drawn from two classrooms were instructed in the use of the Turtle Technique for the self-control of aggression. The procedure was introduced according to a multiple-baseline design. Results revealed significant decrements in aggressive behavior in both classrooms. Implications for further research were considered.     

A Systematic Review of Whole School Improvement Models

This article presents a review of widely implemented, externally developed whole school improvement models. The models serve elementary, middle, and high schools and schools operated by education service providers. A systematic review of the research was conducted using rigorous evidence standards. Across models, the whole school improvement approach demonstrates promising results, with the majority of the evidence pertaining to elementary school models. However, there is relatively little research evidence that the majority of the models reviewed positively impact student academic achievement. For the majority of the models, most of the core components (i.e., practices or strategies) are linked to empirical evidence. An examination of the models' designs and materials revealed that model providers offer a range of services and supports for successful implementation. The use of research evidence in conjunction with other considerations is discussed.