Ethnocentric perception of childrearing practices in protective services

The protective services system in the United States may be committing a form of institutional abuse of minority families if the professionals who work in that system are not sufficiently well versed in the unique childrearing practices of each culture in the communities the system represents. It is easy for misunderstandings to occur from an ethnocentric perspective, and these misunderstandings are unlikely to be in the minority group's favor. Although there is wide agreement that this represents a problem, there is not enough information readily available to allow protective service professionals to adopt a cross-cultural perspective in conducting their work. To discover some of the possible misunderstandings by the dominant American culture of subculture childrearing practices, this study was conducted through in-person interviews with members of six minority groups, Mexican-, Japanese-, Vietnamese-, Filipino- and Samoan-Americans and Blackfeet Indians, in three communities in conjunction with an evaluation of child abuse prevention demonstration projects. The themes of delegating responsibility to children and issues of dominance and submission emerged as areas for awareness and sensitivity on the part of child protective services.     

Interlocutor Informative Speech

Objective: To provide students with a collaborative experience at informing others, featuring the skills involved in facilitation and making credibility claims for others

Courses: College or high school level Introduction to Oral Communication, Public Speaking, or Advanced Public Speaking     

Physical Activity Correlates for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Middle School Physical Education

Bat/ball contact produces visual (the ball leaving the bat), auditory ( the “crack” of the bat), and tactile (bat vibration) feedback about the success of the swing. We used a batting simulation to investigate how college baseball players use visual, tactile, and auditory feedback. In Experiment 1, swing accuracy (i.e., the lateral separation between the point of contact and “sweet spot”) was compared for no feedback (N), visual alone, auditory alone, and tactile alone. Swings were more accurate for all single-modality combinations as compared to no feedback, and visual produced the greatest accuracy. In Experiment 2, the congruency between visual, tactile, and auditory was varied so that in some trials, the different modalities indicated that the simulated ball contacted the bat at different points. Results indicated that batters combined information but gave more weight to visual. Batting training manuals, which typically only discuss visual cues, should emphasize the importance of auditory and tactile feedback in baseball batting.     

Optimal Test Characteristics for Maximal Anaerobic Work on the Bicycle Ergometer

Abstract

Two separate experiments were conducted to ascertain the optimum protocol for a maximum anaerobic work output test on the bicycle ergometer. Data from 58 subjects indicated that the test duration needs to be approximately 40 sec and the optimal frictional resistance, 5.0 to 6.0 kp (30 to 36 kpm/rev). The desirability of using performance tests to represent biophysiologic data is discussed.     

Learning Research Methods by Doing Research

Abstract

Multiculturalism on the March Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus By Dinesh D 'Souza. Reviewed by Catherine T. C. Spaeth.

Traditionalism Well Spoken Begin Here: The Forgotten Conditions of Teaching and Learning Jacques Barzun Chicago. Reviewed by William Casement.

Big Brains and Balancing Acts Open to Question: The Art of Teaching and Learning by Inquiry Walter L. Bateman. Reviewed by Roy Starling.

The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom By Steuhen D. Brookfield. Reviewed by Roy Starling.