USE OF THE FACTS ON AGING QUIZ IN NEW ZEALAND: VALIDATION OF QUESTIONS,PERFORMANCE OF A STUDENT SAMPLE,AND EFFECTS OF A DON'T KNOW OPTION

Palmore's (1977) first Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ1) was modified for use in New Zealand. Validation of FAQ1 questions involved background research to establish the appropriateness of the questions in the New Zealand context. Of the 25 questions in the quiz, 16 were chosen for validation on the grounds of possible cross-cultural differences. Of these, 15 were judged to be valid for the New Zealand context; the remaining question was changed substantially. Undergraduate students at a large tertiary institution (N = 218 ) were administered the modified FAQ1, in either the original True-False format, or with a "Don't Know" option added. Performance was similar to that of comparable student samples in the U.S. and Australia, in terms of overall score and relative frequency of particular misconceptions. Addition of a "Don't Know" option reduced guessing and increased internal consistency, as predicted. Limitations of the question validation process, as well as its benefits for instructors, are discussed.     

Education for Older Adults with Early-Stage Dementia: Health Promotion for the Mind,Body, and Spirit

Later life learning (LLL) has a profound beneficial effect on older adults; therefore, it is important to assess older adults' learning needs. A representative random sample of 1,867 soon-to-be older adults (between 45 and 59 years of age) were assessed for their interest in formal learning after their retirement or when they become 60 years old. We examined their preferences for courses and identified the socioeconomic and health-related characteristics related to their planned participation in formal LLL. About 38% of these respondents expressed an interest in formal learning after retirement; the most popular three content courses included computers, interest classes, and physical exercise. Those who did not plan to commit themselves to formal LLL indicated "no interest" and "lack of time" as the most frequently reported reasons for not wanting to participate in LLL. Moreover, we found that LLL was positively related to socioeconomic indicators including education, income, and retirement protection; whereas those who received financial support from adult children or from the government (in the form of welfare) were less likely to express interest in formal LLL.     

Inquiry-Based Lessons That Integrate Technology: Their Development and Evaluation in Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education

Technology-enhanced mathematics tasks were introduced to elementary pre-service candidates (n = 84) and in-service teachers (n = 38), who then, either in partners or small groups, created and taught inquiry-based lessons incorporating technology, with individual reflections. The lessons were coded using the following criteria: (a) The students themselves used the technology for inquiry learning, (b) technology was integral to the learning task, (c) the lesson focused on mathematics concepts—not the technology, and (d) the task would have been more difficult to accomplish without the technology. The lesson analysis revealed that, after instruction on inquiry learning and technology integration, each group achieved a high level of proficiency using these criteria. Further, the analysis assisted the instructors in identifying issues and concerns regarding implementation of technology in elementary mathematics instruction.     

Playful Postmodernism: Building with Diversity in the Postmodern Classroom

The authors surveyed program directors at all bachelor of social work and master of social work programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education using an online tool that assessed whether and how their respective social work programs are covering content related to HIV/AIDS. Of the 650 program directors, 153 (24%) participated in the survey. Programs reported coverage of HIV/AIDS content in various foundation content areas, including human behavior in the social environment, populations at risk, and social work practice. The authors also surveyed use of various pedagogical methods, and respondents reported the most use of guest speakers, lectures, and readings in delivering HIV/AIDS content. More than 70% of bachelor and master of social work programs reported having at least 1 field placement specific to HIV/AIDS. In addition, the authors evaluated social work textbooks for specific content on social work with HIV/AIDS, and recommendations are made for inclusion of more HIV/AIDS specific content.     

A navy video teletraining project: Lessons learned

Abstract

This paper discusses two modifications to the conduct of computer‐conference‐based master's degree courses: a maximum length for conference messages was suggested and, more importantly, conference moderators, or topic leaders, were appointed from among the student cohort. Drawing on previous work on conference moderation, it is argued that the differing power relationships between student and student and between instructor and student result in a context in which instructor and student moderators can perform complementary functions to ensure a more productive conferencing environment.     

Bilingual precocious readers of English

Giftedness develops in varied forms from diverse roots. This phenomenon is illustrated by 12 children from bilingual homes who, before beginning first grade, demonstrated advanced ability to comprehend written English. The home and school experiences of these children and their reading and oral English skills are described. The results demonstrate that some gifted children learn well even when they appear to be weak in relevant skills, and that lack of fluency in oral English should not exclude children from advanced instruction in reading.     

Alternative Assessment Portfolios for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Case Study

Abstract

Twenty‐eight classroom teachers identified students in their rooms who were low achievers, at‐risk learners; low achievers, not at risk; average achievers; and special education students. We videotaped these students during reading lessons conducted by their teachers. Using a stimulated recall procedure, we interviewed teachers and asked them to report their thought processes during instruction, especially those that pertained to the target children. We found that teachers reported significantly more negative thoughts about at‐risk learners' than about average achievers' attending behavior and ability‐performance. Furthermore, at‐risk learners received a greater number of comments focused on the need to monitor their performance. Special education students received significantly more positive and negative comments about attending than did average achievers. In addition, they received more miscellaneous positive comments than did low, not at‐risk, and average achievers. Finally, teachers reported making more classroom modifications for this group than for average students. Implications for prereferral classroom interventions are discussed.     

The soaps: What's on and who cares?

This two‐pronged study analyzed soap opera content, centering on demographics, problems, conversations and sex behaviors, and surveyed soap viewers to determine viewing motives, involvement, and possible effects of soap viewing.