Reactions to College Withdrawal,

Problems in validly determining reasons for withdrawal from college are reviewed. This study examines the reasons given by several different subgroups of withdrawals, hopefully circumventing some of these problems. Questionnaires were sent to 1135 students (and to their parents) who had withdrawn from three liberal-arts colleges. Different subgroups of withdrawals reported quite different reasons for leaving. Academic dismissals reported more severe problems (both academic and personal) than did voluntary withdrawals (who ranked second) and transfers (who had fewest problems). Students who withdrew during a semester did so for very different reasons than did end-of-the-year withdrawals. Few differences were associated with class standing (i.e., freshman, sophomore, etc.) at the time of withdrawal. Implications of the results are briefly discussed.     

Kid's stuff: the nature and impact of peer and sibling violence on younger and older children

OBJECTIVE: It is widely presumed that when children are hit by peers or siblings, it is not as serious as similar acts between adults or older youth, which would be termed, "assaults" and "violent crimes". The goal of this study was to compare the violent peer and sibling episodes of younger children to those of older youth in terms of their seriousness and association with symptoms that might indicate traumatic effects. METHOD: The study collected reports of past year's violent victimizations and childhood symptoms in a national probability telephone sample of 2030 children and youth ages 2-17. The experiences of 10-17-year olds were obtained via self-reports and those of the 2-9-year olds from caregivers. RESULTS: The younger children's peer and sibling victimizations were not less serious than the older youth on the dimensions of injury, being hit with an object that could cause injury or being victimized on multiple occasions. Younger children and older youth also had similar trauma symptom levels associated with both peer and sibling victimization. CONCLUSION: There was no basis in this study for presuming peer and sibling victimizations to be more benign when they involve younger children. The findings provide justification for being concerned about such peer and sibling violence in schools and families and for counting such victimizations in victimization inventories and clinical assessments.     

Curriculum integration = course disintegration: What does this mean for anatomy?

Many basic scientists including anatomists are currently involved in decisions related to revisions of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Integration is a common theme in many of these decisions. As described by Harden, integration can occur along a multistep continuum from independent, discipline‐based courses to a completely interdisciplinary curriculum. For anatomy, each derivative of curricular integration can be shown to involve progressive disruptions of the temporal and topographical relationship between organ systems in a body region, of the temporal relationship with other courses in a harmonized curriculum, and of the relationships between components of organ systems when integration is implemented in thematic curricula. Drawing from our experience teaching in various types of integrated medical curricula, we encourage readers to proceed cautiously with their curricular decisions because each one can have gains and losses that may impact learning in the new format. Anat Sci Educ. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

The “new” economics of education: Towards a “unified” macro/micro-educational planning policy

What has become the classical theory of the economics of education, first systematically laid down in the 1960s, is based on analysis of measurable variables. The concept of investment in human capital supposes that higher funding for education will increase productivity and income. Estimates of cost-effectiveness and returns to investment based on notional income foregone, have been features of this approach. Now, with a growing realization of the failure of the classical theory to deal with realities in the education market and to offer effective policy recommendations, other ideologies have again become more visible. The lack of attention given to the labor demand side of the education-earnings equation, and the inability of theoretical models to capture all complex variables in all sectors of the labor market, have been criticized. Also, it has again been recognized that education has a socialization role. The phenomena of undereducation and over-education have been investigated, and attention has been given to the implications of social conflicts and structural changes in the labor market. If human competences are to be developed, it is necessary to look beyond the classical model of the economics of education to microeconomic analysis and to economic and social conditions which will act as incentives.

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Zusammenfassung Die zur klassischen Theorie gewordene Rentabilität des Bildungswesens, die in den 60ern zum ersten Mal systematisch festgelegt wurde, basiert auf einer Analyse der meßbaren Variablen. Im Konzept der Investition in das menschliche Kapital wird angenommen, daß eine verstärkte Bezuschussung des Bildungswesens zu erhöhter Produktivität und höherem Einkommen führe. Merkmale dieses Ansatzes waren Einschätzungen der Kostenwirksamkeit und die auf schätzungsweise entgangenem Einkommen basierenden Investitionserträge. Im Zuge der wachsenden Erkenntnis, daß die klassische Theorie weder der Realität auf dem Bildungsmarkt standhalten noch Empfehlungen für eine wirksame Politik geben konnte, rücken andere Ideologien wieder in den Blickpunkt. Kritisiert wurden der Mangel an Aufmerksamkeit für die Nachfrage nach Arbeitskräften in der Gleichung: Bildung-Einkommen und die Unfähigkeit der theoretischen Modelle, alle komplexen Variablen aller Bereiche des Arbeitsmarktes einzubeziehen. Außderdem wurde die Sozialisierungsrolle des Bildungswesens erneut anerkannt. Das Phänomen der Unter- und Überqualifikation wurde untersucht und die Auswirkungen von sozialen Konflikten und Strukturveränderungen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt behandelt. Wenn menschliche Kompetenzen entwickelt werden sollen, muß man über das klassische Modell der Rentabilität des Bildungswesens hinaus an micro-ökonomische Analysen und wirtschaftliche und soziale Bedingungen als potentielle Anreize denken.

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Résumé Ce qui est devenu la théorie classique de l'économie de l'éducation, dont les premières bases ont été jetées méthodiquement dans les années 60, se fonde sur l'analyse de variables identifiables. Le concept d'investissement en capital humain suppose que des ressources importantes allouées à l'enseignement accroissent productivité et revenus. L'estimation du rapport coût-efficacité et le rendement de l'investissement fondé sur le revenu hypothétique de départ caractérisent cette approache. Aujourd'hui, alors qu'on s'aperçoit de plus en plus de l'échec de la théorie classique à traiter des réalités du marché de l'éducation et à offrir des recommandations quant à la politique efficace à suivre, les autres idéologies sont redevenues plus visibles. On critique l'attention insuffisante accordée au membre demande d'emploi de l'équation éducation-gain, et l'incapacité des modèles théoriques à saisir toutes les variables complexes dans tous les secteurs du marché de l'emploi. Par ailleurs, on reconnaît de nouveau le rôle de socialisation de l'éducation. On a effectué des recherches sur les phénomènes de sous- et suréducation, et l'on s'est penché sur les incidences qu'ont les conflits sociaux et les changements structuraux sur le marché de l'emploi. Si l'on veut développer des compétences humaines, il paraît nécessaire de transcender le modèle classique d'économie de l'éducation pour se tourner vers une analyse micro-économique et vers des conditions économiques et sociales stimulantes.

     

Examining how parent and teacher enthusiasm influences motivation and achievement in STEM

Abstract

Parents and teachers play an important role in stimulating student motivation. The aim of this study was to examine if both parent and teacher enthusiasm could predict intrinsic motivation toward STEM activities, and if motivation would be associated with improved STEM achievement over one year in a one-year prospective examination of 288 Swedish students in their final year of a Science High School program (143 females and 145 males). Surveys of parent and teacher enthusiasm were collected at baseline, and student intrinsic motivation and GPA in STEM were assessed at baseline and at the end of the year. Baseline GPA and intrinsic motivation as well as follow-up intrinsic motivation were significantly associated with later GPA. Finally, intrinsic motivation mediated the relation between teacher and parent enthusiasm and change in GPA. Findings show the importance of parent and teacher enthusiasm for adolescent’s intrinsic motivation and achievement in STEM.     

Microbial control of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L.(Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) using bacteria (Xenorhabdus nematophila) and its metabolites from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae

Cells and cell-free solutions of the culture filtrate of the bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus nematophila taken from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in aqueous broth suspensions were lethal to larvae of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. Their application on leaves of Chinese cabbage indicated that the cells can penetrate into the insects in the absence of the nematode vector. Cell-free solutions containing metabolites were also proved as effective as bacterial cells suspension. The application of aqueous suspensions of cells of X. nematophila or solutions containing its toxic metabolites to the leaves represents a possible new strategy for controlling insect pests on foliage.     

The Influence of Student Development Level on Improving Counselor Student Empathy

This cross‐sectional study explored the influence of student development and year‐in‐program on the improvement of affective/trait‐based empathy and cognitive/skill‐based empathy. Two 2 × 2 analyses of variance between 1st‐ and 2nd‐year counseling students revealed mixed findings on the relationship between cognitive development and empathy levels. Results demonstrated clearly, however, that students' affective and cognitive empathy increased from their 1st to 2nd year in a counseling program.