Pygmalion revisited,revisited: On a loud and careless call for caution

As a critical document Grieger's paper is seriously deficient. There are grave errors of scholarship and misunderstandings of fundamental principles of statistical analysis and experimental methods. As a review of the literature on teacher expectancy effects it omits over three-fourths of the relevant studies conducted. The present paper attempts to correct some of the shortcomings described, provisionally summarizes the results of over 200 studies of interpersonal expectation, and suggests the type of research programs now needed most in our efforts to understand the social psychology of interpersonal expectations.

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Résumé En tant que critique, l'étude de Grieger comporte des lacunes graves. On y relève en effet de grosses erreurs de documentation et une sérieuse incompréhension des principes de base de l'analyse statistique et des méthodes expérimentales. En tant que revue des publications traitant de l'effet que provoque l'espoir entretenu par un professeur à l'égard de son élève, cette analyse ignore plus de trois-quarts des études valables consacrées à ce problème. L'auteur de la présente communication tente de corriger quelquesuns des défauts décrits ci-dessus; il donne un résumé provisoire de quelque 200 études sur l'espoir réciproque entre l'élève et le maître; il propose enfin le type de programmes de recherches dont nous avons le plus besoin à l'heure actuelle dans notre effort de compréhension de la psychologie sociale des espoirs réciproques.

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This paper was written in response to the invitation of the editor and its preparation was supported by a research grant from the Division of Social Sciences of the National Science Foundation. I want to thank Dane Archer and Pierce Barker for their helpful suggestions.     

Research Methods

ESSENTIALS OF BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH by Robert Rosenthal and Ralph Rosnow (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984—price not given)

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH by Jerome Kirk and Marc L. Miller (Beverly Hills: Sage, 1986—$10.95/6.00)

QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS by Matthew B. Miles and A. Michael Hubermann (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1984—price not given)

HOW TO CONDUCT SURVEYS by Arline Fink and Jacqueline Kosecoff (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985—$12.00, paper)     

Quality of Care at School-Aged Child-Care Programs: Regulatable Features, Observed Experiences, Child Perspectives, and Parent Perspectives

This study investigates children's experiences at 30 school-aged child-care (SACC) programs. Regulatable features such as total enrollment, child-staff ratio, and staff education were assessed via director report. Observers recorded positive/neutral and negative staff-child interactions, and rated programs in terms of flexibility and age appropriateness. Negative staff-child interactions were more frequent when child-staff ratios were larger and when staff had less formal education. The presence of a greater number of different types of program activities was associated with staff having more frequent positive interactions with children and with observers rating programs as flexible and age appropriate. These regulatable and observed features were examined in relation to children's ( N = 180) and parents' ( N = 152) perceptions of program psychosocial climate. Children's reports of overall climate, emotional support from staff, and autonomy/privacy provisions were predicted by program features. Children reported poorer program climate when programs had larger enrollments and when observers recorded more frequent negative staff-child interactions. Children had more positive program perceptions when programs offered a greater variety of activities. Children's reports of program climate in addition to observed child-staff ratios were associated with parental perceptions of the programs. Parents had more positive perceptions when child-adult ratios were smaller and when their children reported more positive climates. This study suggests a convergence between observer, child, and parent about factors contributing to quality of after-school programs.     

International student use of university health and counselling services

A large sample of international students attending an Australian metropolitan university provided data concerning use of university health and counselling services—their perceived need for help, resultant help-seeking, satisfaction with help given, explanations for not seeking help when in need, and variables that predicted help-seeking. Using as criterion the individual’s perceived need for help, we found students were under-utilizing both health and counselling services. Those who did seek help evaluated their experiences positively. The gap between need and action is a concern. Students explained failure to act in terms of insufficient seriousness of problems, lack of information about services and, to a lesser extent, doubts and discomfort about the services. Contrary to views commonly expressed in the literature, student perceptions and responses showed few differences based on cultural background. Within-person variables played a stronger role than culture in accounting for students’ help-seeking decisions.     

Theory and practice: Science for undergraduates of limited English proficiency

Between 1980 and 1990, the total number of Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, and foreign undergraduates increased by more than 50% at public and private, four-year and two-year colleges. Many of these students may be of limited English proficiency, suggesting that the traditional science lecture/lab format may need modification to incorporate the theory of second language acquisition as it pertains to the practice of content instruction. Various methods exist to improve science instruction for limited English proficient undergraduates. These included the adjunct and tutorial models, sheltered or bridge science instruction, faculty development, and science instruction in the students' native language. Any plan for science education reform at the collegiate level or for increasing minority participation in science must address the needs of the growing population of undergraduates who speak English as a second language.     

The international student experience: three styles of adaptation

The subjective well-being of a sample of 979 international students attending a large metropolitan university in Melbourne, Australia, was investigated. A person-focussed approach was used to determine whether different ways of adapting, based on patterns of well-being, could be discerned. Cluster analysis of responses on 21 measures identified three different patterns: positive and connected (58.8% of students), unconnected and stressed (34.4%), and distressed and risk-taking (6.7%). Tests of the concurrent validity of the typology were significant. Demographic factors were not particularly helpful in distinguishing among the three patterns of well-being. The results provide universities with knowledge pertinent to provision of appropriate international student support.