An atmospheric dust recorder

An apparatus is described for recording general atmospheric dust. The full-scale range of the present model of approximately 120 × 10⁶ particles per cubic foot of air may be increased or decreased as desired. The dust concentrations measured are far below smoke concentrations. The method is to impinge dust on a slowly moving strip of transparent film, and to measure the deposit by a comparison of two beams of light, one passing through the dusty film, the other through clean film. The decrease in transmitted light due to the dust is balanced automatically by a motor-driven optical wedge in the unobstructed beam. The position of this wedge is recorded on a chart. Dusty air is sampled continuously for long periods. Rapid fluctuations of a few minutes in length are registered. In this, and in the fact that it is direct-reading, without tedious laboratory quantitation, the recorder offers distinct advantages over the present dust determinators, almost all of which take momentary samples. A different calibration is needed for different dusts. The machine may be adapted to laboratory or field use. In factories, auxiliary blowers may be operated through relays, when the dustiness exceeds a specified level.     

In Defense of “Mass Communication” and Other Stuff

A consistent news frame that deligitmizes and depicts most social protests as "police vs. protesters" has been identified in studies of news coverage of social movements. This study used an experimental design to examine the extent to which photographs and prior attitudes toward protests and protesters in general contribute to previously identified framing effects of protest news. Results indicated that for the protest issue of interest evaluations of the protest and protesters were more negative when photos depicting higher levels of conflict were shown. The amount of conflict shown in the photos did not affect evaluations of the protest and protesters when the issue was of less interest to participants. Additionally, participants who had more positive prior attitudes toward protesting in general were more likely to identify with the protesters in the stimulus story and to perceive that the protest was more effective than were those with more negative prior attitudes. Findings suggest the need to address possible nuances associated with the visuals alone and to incorporate prior attitudes when examining effects of news coverage of protests.     

General Mass Communications

Jerry Robinson's The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art (New York: Putnam, 1974—$15.00)

A History of the Comic Strip [Crown, 1968—$3.95, paper]

Perry and Aldridge's The Penguin Book of Comics [Penguin, 1967—$4.95, paper]

Reitberger and Fuchs' Comics: Anatomy of a Mass Medium Little, Brown, 1972— 6.95, paper—this last is discussed in 4:6:4 ; of which the latter appears the best competition to this new volume)

Arthur Asa Berger's The Comic-Stripped American (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1974—$2.95, paper)

Eli M. Oboler's The Fear of the Word: Censorship and Sex (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1974—$10.00)

The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (3937 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104—$4.00/3.00 per issue)

Ted Klein and Fred Danzig's How to Be Heard: Making the Media Work for You (New York: Macmillan, 1974—$9.95)

Douglas R. Berdie and John F. Anderson's Questionnaires: Design and Use (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1974—$7.50)

S.H. Steinberg's Five Hundred Years of Printing (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1974— $3.25, paper)     

International trends in health science librarianship: part 1 - the English speaking world

This is the second in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship in the first decade of the 21st century. The invited authors were asked to reflect on developments in their country - viz. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Future issues will track trends in Northern Europe, the Nordic countries, Southern Europe and Latin America. JM.     

Learning Outcome Testing Program: Standardized Classroom Testing in West Virginia Through Item Banking, Test Generation, and Curricular Management Software

What conditions stimulated the Learning Outcome Testing Program and what approaches were adopted? What issues need to be addressed in the selection of computer software? What steps should be taken to train teachers to develop item banks and use testing software?     

Mental toughness in education: exploring relationships with attainment,attendance, behaviour and peer relationships

Mental toughness has frequently been associated with successful performance in sport; however, recent research suggests that it may also be related to academic performance in Higher Education. In a series of three exploratory studies, we examined the relationship between mental toughness and different aspects of educational performance in adolescents aged 11–16, focusing on academic attainment, school attendance, classroom behaviour and peer relationships. Study 1 revealed significant associations between several aspects of mental toughness (but particularly control of life) and academic attainment and attendance. Study 2 revealed significant associations between several aspects of mental toughness (but again particularly control of life) and counterproductive classroom behaviour. Finally, Study 3 demonstrated significant associations between aspects of mental toughness (confidence in abilities and interpersonal confidence) and peer relationships. The results are discussed in terms of the potential value of mental toughness as a useful concept in education.     

Conceptualising teachers’ assessment literacies in an era of curriculum and assessment reform

Teacher assessment literacy is a phrase that is often used but rarely defined. Yet understanding teacher assessment literacy is important in an international curriculum and assessment reform context that continues to challenge teachers’ assessment practices. In this article situated examples of classroom assessment literacies are analysed using Bernstein’s (Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research and critique, Taylor and Francis, London, 1996; Br J Sociol Educ 20(2):157–173, 1999) theoretical tools of vertical and horizontal discourses, classification and framing. Drawing on a sociocultural view of learning, the authors define teacher assessment literacies as dynamic social practices which are context dependent and which involve teachers in articulating and negotiating classroom and cultural knowledges with one another and with learners, in the initiation, development and practice of assessment to achieve the learning goals of students. This conceptualisation of assessment literacy aims to make explicit some underpinning theoretical constructs of assessment literacy to inform dialogue and decision making for policy and practice to benefit student learning and achievement.