Mindfulness and Counseling Self‐Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy

This study examined the predictive relationship between mindfulness and counseling self‐efficacy and the potential mediating effects of attention and empathy. Master's‐level counseling interns and doctoral counseling students (N = 179) were surveyed to determine levels of mindfulness, attention, empathy, and counseling self‐efficacy. Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficients revealed significant pairwise relationships between the 4 variables of interest. A multiple‐mediator path analysis supported the hypotheses that mindfulness is a significant predictor of counseling self‐efficacy and that attention is a mediator of that relationship. Results suggest that mindfulness may be an important variable in the development of key counselor preparation outcomes.     

The Use of the Regression Discontinuity Design in Tiered Intervention Research: A Pilot Study Exploring Vocabulary Instruction for At‐Risk Kindergarteners

The purpose of this article was twofold: (1) to explore the feasibility of the regression discontinuity design (RDD) in response‐to‐intervention implementation research and (2) to expand upon the limited research on vocabulary instruction for kindergarten students who are at risk for reading failure due to limited vocabularies. This pilot study employed an abbreviated, prototypical tiered instructional model to deliver vocabulary instruction to both at‐risk kindergarten students and students not at risk for reading failure. The study was designed using RDD and the data were analyzed using a regression‐based analytic model. The pros and cons of this research design, specifically in regards to learning disabilities research, is examined.     

The learning of modern culture

In October, 1976, a survey was conducted among 1,621 sixth grade pupils located in 30 rural and 30 urban randomly selected East Javanese elementary schools. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of pupil background characteristics, the home learning environment, school and classroom organizational characteristics, the physical environment of the classroom and the school, teacher characteristics, the classroom learning environment and rural-urban factors upon the acquisition of modern orientations among Indonesian elementary schoolchildren. The study was also designed to develop reliable and valid measures of the key variables used in the conceptual model. The results indicated that reliable and valid instruments could be generated from survey data; specifically, satisfactory scales were developed for the measurement of the following concepts: the home learning environment, the school physical environment, the classroom physical environment, teacher pedagogy, teacher quality, individual modernity, and fifteen characteristics of the classroom learning environment. Correlational and multiple regression analyses showed that individual modernity, the learning outcome, was influenced by both social and educational learning determinants. The most powerful predictors of modernity in the positive direction were class size, the home learning environment, the personal development and relationship dimensions of the classroom learning environment, and the school physical environment. Pupil age and teacher pedagogy (innovativeness) were negatively associated with the criterion. The results also show that modernizing forces are disproportionately concentrated in the urban area. In the multiple regression, the learning determinants accounted for a large enough portion of the variance in the learning outcome (R² = .262) to be statistically significant from zero at the .001 level. The study shows that the learning of modern culture is a complex phenomenon which is influenced by a wide variety of factors.     

Intellectual interest mediates gene × socioeconomic status interaction on adolescent academic achievement

Recent studies have demonstrated that genetic influences on cognitive ability and academic achievement are larger for children raised in higher socioeconomic status (SES) homes. However, little work has been done to document the psychosocial processes that underlie this Gene × Environment interaction. One process may involve the conversion of intellectual interest into academic achievement. Analyses of data from 777 pairs of 17-year-old twins indicated that Gene × SES effects on achievement scores can be accounted for by stronger influences of genes for intellectual interest on achievement at higher levels of SES. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that higher SES affords greater opportunity for children to seek out and benefit from learning experiences that are congruent with their genetically influenced intellectual interests.     

Speaking Ill of the Dead: Anonymity and Communication About Suicide on MyDeathSpace.com

From birth to death, many individuals chronicle their lives online through blogs, pictures, games, Web sites, and social networks. Online spaces, created by the living about the dead, provide a glimpse into often invisible or silent grieving practices. To investigate the role computer-mediated communication (CMC) plays in influencing communication surrounding the often private and taboo topic of suicide, we analyzed the comments sections of MyDeathSpace.com. Our results suggest both a breaking down of social taboos (speaking ill of the dead) and a reaffirming of strict social norms (enforcing a narrow range of acceptable presentation of identity and purpose in life), highlighting how anonymity as a characteristic of CMC can influence our online communication about death.     

The consequences of framing digital humanities tools as easy to use

Abstract

This article examines the recurring ways in which some of the most popular DH tools are presented as easy to use. It argues that attempts to couch powerful tools in what is often false familiarity, directly undermines the goal of encouraging scholarly innovation and risk taking. The consequences of framing digital tools as either easy or more difficult shapes the relationship between librarians and the students and faculty whose research they support, and, more broadly, the role and viability of libraries as spaces devoted to skill acquisition.     

Preparing BSW Students for Service-Learning: Enhancing Epistemological Reflection

This article includes a review of the literature on personal epistemology and the reflective judgment model and applies these theoretical concepts to undergraduate students who engage in service-learning projects. The application will provide instructors with greater understanding of students’ abilities and limitations in their service-learning experiences. Included are traditional, modern, and expressive teaching activities that were designed, with literature support, to enhance students’ epistemological reflection and aid them in preparing for and completing service-learning projects.     

Microfluidic device for trapping and monitoring three dimensional multicell spheroids using electrical impedance spectroscopy

In this paper, we report the design, fabrication, and testing of a lab-on-a-chip based microfluidic device for application of trapping and measuring the dielectric properties of microtumors over time using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) techniques were used to embed opposing electrodes onto the top and bottom surfaces of a microfluidic channel fabricated using Pyrex substrate, chrome gold, SU-8, and polydimethylsiloxane. Differing concentrations of cell culture medium, differing sized polystyrene beads, and MCF-7 microtumor spheroids were used to validate the designs ability to detect background conductivity changes and dielectric particle diameter changes between electrodes. The observed changes in cell medium concentrations demonstrated a linear relation to extracted solution resistance (Rs), while polystyrene beads and multicell spheroids induced changes in magnitude consistent with diameter increase. This design permits optical correlation between electrical measurements and EIS spectra.     

Practitioners' beliefs and children's experiences of literacy in four early years settings

This paper considers practitioners' beliefs about the literacy curriculum in four early years settings in England and the impact on the literacy experiences of the children in these settings. All four settings were working with the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (QCA/DfEE, 2000 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority/Department for Education and Employment 2000 Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage (London, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority/Department for Education and Employment)  [Google Scholar]) and represent the range of provision in England. One week was spent in each setting and narrative observations were undertaken on 20 target children. Key adults were interviewed about their early years practice, their views of the Foundation Stage guidance, their perceived role as practitioners, parental involvement and their general beliefs about literacy learning and teaching. The practice was studied using child observations and a literacy checklist. Interviews were analyzed and related to the literacy curriculum and literacy practices and provision. The findings have been related to current policy issues in the early years.