The preparation of school psychologists for crisis intervention

School psychologists (N = 276, 81% return rate) were surveyed regarding the following aspects of crisis intervention: (a) university preparation, (b) continuing professional development, and (c) current involvement with school crisis plans and crisis teams. Of those receiving university training, 58% believed they were minimally prepared or not at all prepared to deal with school crises. Only 2% reported being well prepared or very well prepared. Data analyses indicated increased university training in recent years, particularly with practicum/internship experiences related to crisis intervention. Approximately 81% of school psychologists participated in local training for crisis intervention as part of continuing professional development. Although 91% of school psychologists worked in districts with crisis plans in place, only 53% participated on crisis teams. Suicide, violence, and school district crisis plans were recommended as high priority topics for future academic training. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Normative data for regional sweat sodium concentration and whole-body sweating rate in athletes

The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for regional sweat sodium concentration ([Na⁺]) and whole-body sweating rate in athletes. Data from 506 athletes (367 adults, 139 youth; 404 male, 102 female) were compiled from observational athlete testing for a retrospective analysis. The participants were skill/team-sport (including American football, baseball, basketball, soccer and tennis) and endurance (including cycling, running and triathlon) athletes exercising in cool to hot environmental conditions (15–50°C) during training or competition in the laboratory or field. A standardised regional absorbent patch technique was used to determine sweat [Na⁺] on the dorsal mid-forearm. Whole-body sweat [Na⁺] was predicted using a published regression equation (y = 0.57x+11.05). Whole-body sweating rate was calculated from pre- to post-exercise change in body mass, corrected for fluid/food intake (ad libitum) and urine output. Data are expressed as mean ± SD (range). Forearm sweat [Na⁺] and predicted whole-body sweat [Na⁺] were 43.6 ± 18.2 (12.6–104.8) mmol · L^–1 and 35.9 ± 10.4 (18.2–70.8) mmol · L^–1, respectively. Absolute and relative whole-body sweating rates were 1.21 ± 0.68 (0.26–5.73) L · h^–1 and 15.3 ± 6.8 (3.3–69.7) ml · kg^–1 · h^–1, respectively. This retrospective analysis provides normative data for athletes’ forearm and predicted whole-body sweat [Na⁺] as well as absolute and relative whole-body sweating rate across a range of sports and environmental conditions.     

Child Care Quality and Children's Engagement

The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between child care quality and children's engagement behavior. Seventy-eight toddlers from 17 child care centers were individually observed to determine the percentage of time they spent in sophisticated, unsophisticated, or differentiated engagement, or focused attention. The percentage of group engagement in classroom activities was recorded as well. Program quality ratings consisted of measures of the classroom environments, including the teachers. All the contextual quality measures but 1 were associated with unsophisticated engagement. Only global classroom quality was related to sophisticated engagement. The percentage of toddlers engaged in activities was associated with other program quality measures but not with observations of individual child engagement conducted at different times.     

Taking stock of environmental education policy in England – the what,the where and the why

Abstract

Taking England as our case study, this paper reviews secondary school environmental education from a policy perspective. By drawing on Stevenson’s typologies for environmental improvement and Lucas’ categorisation of environmental education, we analyse national policy documents, local authority and Multi-Academy Trust policies; and individual school planning documents. Our findings suggest in these areas a general absence of environment education policy, and where identified a rhetoric towards conservative reform framed as technology solutions, where learning is about the environment, rather than for the environment. We explain how the (lack of) environmental education rhetoric is a result of global economic changes and national austerity policies, and offer insights and signposting for policy makers.     

Teachers' comfort and importance ratings for interventions for preschoolers with AD/HD

The main purpose of this study was to explore preschool teachers' ratings of both the perceived importance of and their comfort levels implementing interventions for children with AD/HD. Participants included 138 teachers from licensed child care facilities. Teachers completed a questionnaire that required them to rate, on a 7‐point Likert‐type scale, the importance of 43 interventions and how comfortable they would be executing the strategy if asked to do so in the classroom. Overall, teachers concluded that the majority of the interventions were mostly important and believed they would be comfortable using the strategies. In addition, findings indicated that preschool teachers' importance and comfort ratings were highly correlated. Teacher variables (i.e., years of teaching experience, educational level, and having a student with AD/HD) were not correlated with, or discriminative of, comfort and importance ratings. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Implementation Planning to Promote Parents' Treatment Integrity of Behavioral Interventions for Children with Autism

Behavioral interventions delivered across home and school settings can promote positive outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Yet, stakeholders who deliver these interventions may struggle to implement interventions as intended. Low levels of treatment integrity can undermine potentially positive intervention outcomes. One way to promote implementers' treatment integrity is Implementation Planning, a logistical planning and barrier reduction strategy that is supported by emerging school-based research. The current study extended the research on Implementation Planning and evaluated the effectiveness of the strategy with parents implementing a behavioral intervention at home within a Conjoint Behavioral Consultation model. The behavioral intervention aimed to increase compliance and decrease aggression for two children with ASD at home. Initially, parents struggled to deliver the intervention consistently; however, after Implementation Planning, parents' treatment integrity increased and, subsequently, child outcomes improved. Implications for future research and consultation are presented.     

Establishing a STEM Pipeline: Trends in Male and Female Enrollment and Performance in Higher Level Secondary STEM Courses

The purpose of this study was to understand enrollment and performance differences between male and females in higher level secondary STEM courses. This study analyzes performance and enrollment of 355,688 secondary students in higher level STEM courses. This research also enabled an exploration of country level differences. The enrollment research questions are evaluated using chi-square tests, frequency tables, and histograms. Performance research questions are analyzed with hierarchical linear regression and ANOVA with post hocs and Cohen’s d effect size measures. Results suggest that females enroll much less frequently in higher level secondary STEM courses. Females and males perform equally well.     

Shameful interest in educational research

ABSTRACT

This article considers ontological conceptualizations of shame-interest as experienced in educational research. Shame has frequently been reported in research as a property of the autonomous individual: the shame of the participant to share with the researcher, and the shame of the researcher to reflexively eliminate. Shame-interest is re-theorized here as a generative research event, as intra-action, as one simultaneous movement in the ongoing present. We attempt an ethical shift from a reflexive stance to fluxing movements of response-ability and co-consequence in order to encourage socially responsive educational research, informed through the conceptual resources of psychologist Silvan Tomkins, and feminist philosopher and physicist Karen Barad. Theory is threaded through a series of personal research vignettes to illustrate our thinking through ways shame-interest materialized within research events. Shame is re/conceptualized as a contestable composite feeling entangled with interest that allows an alternate non-reductive and ethical approach to educational research. We amplify our researcher responsibility, and our shame, by placing ourselves as entangled with the research ‘problem’ under investigation.