Examination of peer-group contextual effects on aggression during early adolescence

Peer group contextual effects of aggressive behavior among middle school students (6th-8th graders) were examined using a short-term longitudinal design. More specifically, the homophily hypothesis that peer group membership influences individual-level bullying and fighting was evaluated with multilevel sex-specific models of individual- and peer-level aggression scores. Peer groups were identified via social network analysis. Intraclass correlation coefficients yielded through hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated substantial within-group similarity on self-reported bullying and fighting, suggesting that students affiliate with individuals who bully and fight at the same frequency. Peer group bullying and fighting was associated with individual-level behavior, even after controlling individual baseline levels for males and females. However, peer contextual effects explained more variance in individual bullying than individual fighting. This differential impact of peer group membership suggests that future studies consider peer relations across subtypes of aggression.     

Attitudes Toward Services of State Departments of Education,

The structure of attitudes toward services rendered by state departments was studied in six southeaste states with a 70-item scale. Development procedures are described. The scale was administered to randoml chosen samples of superintendents (N = 671), central office personnel (N = 404), principals (N = 627) teacher, (N = 3, 684), and other local personnel (N = 373). Data from each group were factored and studied for dimensic ality. The two factors common to all groups consisted, respectively, of positively and negatively worded item despite the fact that the instrument was developed in a way intended to minimize response set factors. A thire factor dealt with university-state relationships.     

Validity of anthropometric estimations of body composition in high school wrestlers

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of 23 anthropometric equations for estimating body composition and minimal wrestling weight in high school wrestlers. A total of 409 high school wrestlers (M age +/- SD = 16.42 +/- 1.03 yrs) volunteered for this study. Twenty-three anthropometric measures including eight skinfolds, nine circumferences, and six diameters were obtained from each subject. The mean body density, determined from underwater weighing, was 1.0748 +/- 0.0100 g.cm-3. The crossvalidation analyses indicated that the quadratic skinfold equation of Lohman resulted in the most accurate estimation of body density. The total error, constant error, standard error of estimate, and r for this equation were 0.0077 g.cm-3, -0.0003 g.cm-3, 0.0076 g.cm-3 and .65, respectively. Furthermore, the results of this investigation indicated that the minimal wrestling weight equations of Tcheng and Tipton resulted in total error values (5.54 to 6.06 kg) which were too large to be of practical use for high school wrestlers.     

A historical reflection on literacy,gender and opportunity: implications for the teaching of literacy in early childhood education

This paper presents a historical reflection on gender and literacy, with a view to informing the present teaching of literacy in early childhood. The relationship between gender, literacy and opportunity in the labour market is examined, given that despite girls’ achievement in literacy, in comparison with boys’, women continue to earn substantially less than men. In order to understand this relationship, this paper reflects on literacy as a socio-historical construct as well as examining the ways in which the past is constitutive in forming enduring notions of gender that penetrate all elements of society, including the literacy classroom. This critical analysis of what is learned about and through the medium of literacy in the early childhood classroom has major implications for the teaching of literacy today. It is argued that in order to address this issue, early childhood educators need to value and nurture children’s digital literacies as well as create learning environments that allow all children genuine opportunities to question, challenge and explore dominant discourses that are embedded in text.     

Reflecting on the Use of Writing to Promote Mathematical Learning: An Examination of Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives

We examine preservice mathematics teachers' conceptions of writing as a tool for learning mathematics before and after participation in and reflection on writing tasks. We describe the use of two targeted activities incorporated into a secondary methods course: writing to learn mathematics (WTLM) and reflection on that writing. Prior to participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed reluctance toward the use of writing in mathematics and uncertainty as to how writing could be useful in mathematics, while accepting that some possible benefits might exist for students' procedural learning. Following participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed a willingness to accept writing as a useful tool for supporting an expanded view of teaching and learning mathematics. Specifically, the preservice teachers considered writing as a way to build connections between mathematics and other subjects, a means to assess student understanding of mathematics, and a beneficial support for student conceptual learning.     

On Becoming Allies: A Qualitative Study of Lesbian‐, Gay‐, and Bisexual‐Affirmative Counselor Training

The authors present a qualitative analysis of a process by which a research team of counselors‐in‐training confronted their heterosexist biases while investigating heterosexual attitudes toward sexual minorities. Members of the research team discovered that it was essential to reflect on and evaluate their attitudes, assumptions, and biases before they could conduct scientific research about affirmative attitudes toward lesbian, gay male, and bisexual male and female individuals. Self‐reflective narratives written by each research team member were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methodology. Results yielded 10 general categories or themes. Implications for counseling theory, training, and future research are discussed.