An investigation of the college and career counseling needs of economically disadvantaged,minority gifted students

This study is an investigation of the college and career counseling needs of economically disadvantaged, academically gifted minority students. Two groups of students were studied and compared ‐ one group of 50 low‐income students, predominantly minority, who were chosen for a special college counseling program, and a second group of 42 middle to high income students, predominantly Asian and Caucasian, who were participating in a summer academic program. Students were compared on college plans and preparations, aspirations and expectations about higher education, support from others, motivation, values, and career interests and maturity. Results showed that the gifted disadvantaged students had lower educational aspirations, felt somewhat less prepared for college and less confident about being admitted, had unrealistic ideas about how to finance college, and perceived that college life would be more frightening and lonely compared to nondisadvantaged students. Student groups were similar in motivation to attend college, support from significant others and values. Disadvantaged students had better skills related to selecting a career but expressed less confidence in making a career decision. The results suggest a need for differentiated college counseling programs for disadvantaged minority students.     

An exploration of issues surrounding teaching the nature of science to pre-service primary school teachers

This article considers the impact of the New Public Management culture on Irish education and calls for a debate in relation to the prevailing bureaucratic model of accountability. The influence of the Lisbon Agenda (2000) on education planning is identified and the 2005/7 Education Strategy Statement is analysed using the relevant OECD framework. This analysis reveals the preponderance of macro policy objectives over individual learning objectives. The implications of this finding are considered in the case of two of the five goals of this Strategy Statement, those dealing with the personal and social goals of education and education quality. The paper calls for alternative indicators that will achieve balance between process and product, between responsive and contractual accountability and between individual and system outcomes. Some hopeful developments are identified.     

TEACHING ABOUT THE LIFE COURSE PERSPECTIVE: A CLASS PROJECT

The life course perspective is a dynamic framework that attends to individual and family lives within historical, geographical, and cultural contexts. Students of the life course are increasingly interested in how such a perspective can be used to understand family lives. Opportunities for students to examine the utility of the life course perspective to family gerontology may enhance their understanding of the perspective's content and application with older family relationships. Students in a graduate course with a focus on life course and family gerontology completed a project in which they identified life course concepts and developed a model that could be used to explain relationship interactions between immigrant mothers and their adult daughters. Student feedback indicated that the assignment sharpened their knowledge of life course concepts, made the concepts more "real," and increased their understanding of the connections between life course concepts. Suggestions for incorporating this project in another graduate course and using a similar project in an undergraduate course are provided.     

Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Compassionate Love for Close Others and Humanity Scale among Older People

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Compassionate Love for Close Others and for Strangers and Humanity Scale (Sprecher & Fehr, 2005 Sprecher , S. , & Fehr , B. ( 2005 ). Compassionate love for close others and humanity . Journal of Social and Personal Relationships , 22 , 629 – 651 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) among older people. The psychometric properties of the two versions of the scale were analyzed by means of factor analysis, internal consistency, and criterion-related validity methods. The exploratory factor analysis supported a one-dimensional structure of the scale. The Compassionate Love for Close Others and for Strangers and Humanity Scale presented good psychometric properties, with satisfactory levels of internal consistency. The criterion-related validity of the scale was established by correlating compassionate love for others and for humanity with forgiveness, gratitude, and religiosity. Those who experience high levels of compassionate love for close others and strangers/humanity were more likely to report unconditional forgiveness, gratitude, and religiosity. The Portuguese version of the Compassionate Love for Close Others and for Strangers and Humanity Scale seems to be reliable and valid. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.     

Explaining Helping Behavior in a Cooperative Learning Classroom Setting Using Attribution Theory

This recently completed study examined whether attribution theory can explain helping behavior in an interdependent classroom environment that utilized a cooperative-learning model. The study focused on student participants enrolled in 6 community college communication classes taught by the same instructor. Three levels of cooperative-learning were employed. Survey data were collected from student participants presented with situations describing a group member who was not participating in the cooperative-learning process. Simulated scenarios, as well as “actual” experiences, were included for the purpose of analysis. Participant's emotional and behavioral responses were analyzed using independent–samples t tests, paired-samples t tests, and analysis of variance. Findings indicate that a student's willingness to help was influenced more positively when “uncontrollable” rather than “controllable” causes for nonparticipation were determined. Student in-class response to “actual” experiences differed from those reported in the simulated scenarios. The emotional and behavioral responses of students did not vary by age, gender, ethnicity, or level of cooperative learning employed in the class. Overall findings support attribution theory as a useful conceptual framework for explaining student responses regarding helping behavior in simulated situations. However, research results pose additional questions regarding the application of theory to practice and the implication for educators employing effective cooperative-learning activities in a classroom setting.     

Physical activity and school recess time: Differences between the sexes and the relationship between children's playground physical activity and habitual physical activity

The aims of this study were: (1) to observe participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school recess periods; (2) to determine the relative importance of physical activity during recesses to overall daily physical activity; and (3) to examine differences in physical activity between the sexes during unstructured recess periods. The participants were 22 school children (10 boys, 12 girls) aged 8?–?10 years (mean = 8.9, s = 0.7) in the third and fourth grades. Daily totals for the physical activity variables were calculated by summing the values for each hour of 14?h of physical activity measurements (08:00 to 22:00?h). Recess times (minutes) were as follows: morning 10:30 to 11:00?h and afternoon 15:30 to 16:00?h. We did not differences between boys and girls in daily total accelerometer counts or the overall time spent in MVPA. However, girls were significantly (P <?0.05) more involved (38%) in MVPA during recess time than boys (31%). Participation in MVPA during recess contributes significantly more (P <?0.05) for girls (19%) than boys (15%) to the total amount of physical activity suggested by international health-related physical activity guidelines, while the percentage of time engaged in MVPA during recess time at school accounts for a small amount of the daily MVPA (6% for boys and 8% for girls). The results of this study suggest that school recess time is an important setting to promote MVPA and contributes to daily physical activity in young children, especially in girls.     

Effects of replica running shoes upon external forces and muscle activity during running

Abstract

Twelve participants ran (9 km · h^?1) to test two types of running shoes: replica and original shoes. Ground reaction force, plantar pressure and electromyographic activity were recorded. The shoes were tested randomly and on different days. Comparisons between the two experimental conditions were made by analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (P ≤ 0.05). The time to first peak, loading rate of the first peak and impulse of the first 75 ms of stance were significantly different between the shoes (P ≤ 0.05), revealing an increase of impact forces for the replica shoes. The peak plantar pressure values were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) when wearing replica shoes. During running, the contact area was significantly smaller (P ≤ 0.05) for the replica shoe. The electromyographic activity of the analysed muscles did not show changes between the two shoes in running. These findings suggest that the use of replica running shoes can increase the external load applied to the human body, but may not change the muscle activity pattern during locomotion. This new mechanical situation may increase the risk of injuries in these movements.     

Centralised or Decentralised? Strategic Implications of Resource Allocation Models

This paper examines the strategic implications of resource allocation models (RAMs). Four interrelated aspects of resource allocation are discussed: degree of centralisation, locus of strategic direction, cross-subsidy, and locus of control. The paper begins with a theoretical overview of these concepts, locating the study in the contexts of both strategic management literature and the university. The concepts are then examined empirically, drawing upon a longitudinal study of three UK universities, Warwick, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Oxford Brookes. Findings suggest that RAMs are historically and culturally situated within the context of each university and this is associated with different patterns of strategic direction and forms of strategic control. As such, the RAM in use may be less a matter of best practice than one of internal fit. The paper concludes with some implications for theory and practice by discussing the potential trajectories of each type of RAM.     

Does public support make a difference,and for whom?

The paper discusses the impact of gender on the income level and public support of artists in Finland. The empirical data is based on a research project carried out in the Arts Council of Finland. The data discussed in this paper indicated that the average income level of women artists is lower than their male colleagues. There was, however, no significant evidence of a gender bias in the distribution of public support for artists. The variation in the economic situation of artists seems to be notably stronger according to art form than according to gender.Based on a paper presented at the 9th international conference of the Association for Cultural Economics, held in Boston, May 8–11, 1996.