Incorporating Measurement Nonequivalence in a Cross-Study Latent Growth Curve Analysis

A large literature emphasizes the importance of testing for measurement equivalence in scales that may be used as observed variables in structural equation modeling applications. When the same construct is measured across more than one developmental period, as in a longitudinal study, it can be especially critical to establish measurement equivalence, or invariance, across the developmental periods. Similarly, when data from more than one study are combined into a single analysis, it is again important to assess measurement equivalence across the data sources. Yet, how to incorporate nonequivalence when it is discovered is not well described for applied researchers. Here, we present an item response theory approach that can be used to create scale scores from measures while explicitly accounting for nonequivalence. We demonstrate these methods in the context of a latent curve analysis in which data from two separate studies are combined to estimate a single longitudinal model spanning several developmental periods.     

The Development of Prospective Secondary Biology Teachers PCK

In order to understand how prospective teachers develop knowledge for teaching, researchers must identify the types of knowledge that are integral to effective science teaching. This case study investigated how 4 prospective secondary biology teachers’ science teaching orientations, knowledge of science learners, and knowledge of instructional sequence, developed during a post-baccalaureate teacher education program. Data sources included a lesson planning task and two interview-observation cycles during the participants’ year-long internship. Over the course of a year, the participants’ science teaching orientations were based primarily on their K-16 learning experiences, and were robust and highly resistant to change. The prospective teachers became more aware of student learning difficulties, and therefore, developed more elaborated knowledge of the requirements of learning. They consistently sequenced instruction in ways that gave priority to transmitting information to students. Prospective teachers’ development of knowledge of student understanding of science and instructional sequence were congruent with their science teaching orientations. Implications are given for teacher education and future research.     

Standardized Teacher Testing Fails Excellence and Validity Tests

This paper presents and critically analyzes data from a project that sought teacher candidates' responses to the process and content of the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test (OTQT), a mandatory, standardized, pencil and paper initial teacher qualification test. The aim of the project, guided by a critical democratic perspective, was to critically assess the success of the OTQT in achieving the government's stated objectives of greater competency and accountability. More specifically, the paper focuses on findings relating to teacher competency, with particular reference to criterion, ecolological and consequential validity, and alternative assessment strategies. The teacher candidates' responses raise serious issues about the content and format of the test since they believe that it neither achieves accountability nor does it secure excellence in teaching. These concerns echo the major concerns found in the literature.     

Criminal justice education in relation to law school expectation: A failure of confidence

This paper discusses the findings from a survey of admissions officers at law schools in the United States. Deans of Admission (N=119) were asked a variety of questions pertaining to how the undergraduate criminal justice major is perceived in relation to the adequacy of the academic preparation it provides for individuals applying and/or currently attending law school. The findings suggest that the criminal justice major is not perceived as adequate preparation for law school education by the Deans of Admission. Results are discussed within the context of the criminal justice curricula standards recommended by the academic review committee of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.     

GENDER DIFFERENCES AND THE ONLINE CLASSROOM: MALE AND FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS EVALUATE THEIR EXPERIENCES

There has been considerable scholarly interest in issues related to gender and the online classroom. Some evidence suggests that male and female college students experience the online environment differently. The study reported here was designed to gather information regarding this matter. The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC) included two open-ended questions on their CT s standard course evaluation form for the fall 2000 semester. These questions invited students to comment on their experiences as learners in the online classroom in as much length and detail as they wished. This report is based on an analysis of the 195 responses to these two questions. Significant differences were found between the way male and female students identified the strengths and weaknesses of the online environment on a range of questions regarding flexibility, face-to-face interaction, shy and quiet students, self-discipline, and self-motivation. The data provide compelling evidence that online courses are of great value to nontraditional students, particularly female adult learners with children or family responsibilities. Because this is a primary demographic profile for community colleges, these data should be of special interest to community faculty and administrators.     

Implementation of Ethical Higher Education Marketing

With consumerism changing students to customers and teachers to service providers, ever more vulnerable and naïve students enrol and, instead of collaboration between institutions, there is competition. There has been a call in the literature to face these challenges through ethical leadership in universities. Specifically, concern has been expressed over higher education marketing practices. In response, we attempt to construct a virtuous model of marketing ethics within higher education institutions’ values. We attempt to defend interconnectivity between the virtues of integrity, trust, fairness, and empathy under the direction of phronesis and seek to inform those responsible for making marketing higher education. We envision higher education’s marketing relationships as having the potential to endure, where universities ethically lead rather than reflect ethical norms, and where academics are encouraged to speak out. We discuss how it might be implemented.     

Not just workshops any more: The role of faculty development in reframing academic priorities

Abstract

At most US colleges and universities, faculty development programmes have assumed a passive role waiting for interested faculty to come to them. For the most part, their activities have been limited to facilitating instructional workshops, managing faculty study leaves and sabbaticals, and providing remedial support for faculty who experience problems in their teaching. As higher education in the US faces political, social and technological challenges, faculty developers must play a more active role in institutional transformation. After providing an historical overview of faculty development in the US and describing the current situation in US higher education, this paper outlines four activities that faculty developers can undertake as change agents to help institutions accomplish the objective of institutional transformation and to foster a stronger academic culture.     

Tools for reflection on the academic identities of doctoral students

In this paper, we explore the usefulness of three different approaches to facilitating reflexivity and a critical awareness of emerging academic identities for doctoral students. This paper stems from a longitudinal research project entitled The Next Generation of Social Scientists, which was conducted across three research-intensive British universities and based at the University of Oxford. The research examined how doctoral students in a range of social science disciplines develop (or do not develop) notions of ‘academic’ identity as they move along the doctoral trajectory and into academic positions. In what follows we describe how three different data collection tools – weekly logs, interviews and a card-sorting activity – were used to encourage doctoral students to consider the process of constructing academic identities more actively and self-reflectively. We then consider how the use of these tools at two workshops further revealed how they can be utilised by academic developers to explore the needs of doctoral students and improve the support in place for this student group.     

The effectiveness of nurture groups: a systematic review

Children with emotional difficulties often experience problems at school in terms of academic progress and within peer relationships. They are also more likely to continue to experience emotional problems in their adult lives. Nurture groups (NGs) were developed in the 1960s by the educational psychologist Majorie Boxall and their aim is to improve the emotional well-being of children who are struggling, through providing them with reparative attachment experiences. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of NGs. Eleven papers examining the effectiveness of NGs were included, as well as two papers which explore the particular communication styles adopted by NG teachers. There was evidence that NGs are effective in improving the emotional well-being of children, but there is a need for higher quality and longitudinal research. There is a paucity of research into secondary school NGs. The review highlighted the NG teachers’ use of more positive verbal and non-verbal behaviour. Implications for future research are discussed.