Is a go-getter better off?

In this article we first try to answer the question posed in the title in the context of a real life situation. We suggest sequential methods of selecting a member from a given set of individuals. We show that these methods indeed assign ‘equal chance’ of being selected to all individuals.     

On‐screen print: the role of captions as a supplemental literacy tool

Children living in poverty are 1.3 times as likely as non‐poor children to experience reading difficulties and lack key oral experiences that contribute to early literacy development. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of viewing commercially available educational television with closed captions. Seventy second‐ and third‐grade economically disadvantaged children living in urban locations participated in this experimental research design. Children were randomly assigned to view videos with or without closed captions. Captions helped children recognise and read more words, identify the meaning of those words, generate inferences regarding programme content and transfer these skills to a normative code‐related skill task. Risk status moderated word recognition performance: those at risk benefited from captions while those who were not at risk recognised more words when captions were absent.     

EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES,NEEDS, AND INTERESTS OF OLDER ADULTS WITH MENTAL RETARDATION

This article presents baseline information on the educational experiences, needs, and interests of a statewide sample of older adults with mental retardation. Data were collected through an interview with the older person with mental retardation and through a questionnaire sent to a knowledgeable other who was matched to each older adult. Findings are presented on previous educational experiences, current educational opportunities, and educational needs and interests. Results indicate that this group of older persons strongly desires continued opportunity for learning, particularly in academic and independent living areas. Two subgroups within this sample were least likely to have access to instructional opportunities: persons 55 years or older and persons living in community residences with less than 24‐hour care. Access to this instruction would improve the independence and quality of life of both these groups, as it would for the entire sample. Implications of the findings for educators in gerontology, mental retardation, and adult education are discussed.     

USING FOCUS GROUPS AS AN EDUCATIONAL METHODOLOGY: DECONSTRUCTING STEREOTYPES AND SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE MISCONCEPTIONS CONCERNING AGING AND OLDER ADULTS

During the coming years the number of older adults will increase dramatically, which will require a corresponding increase in the number of social workers who have accurate knowledge of this population. This article reports the impact focus groups with older adults and with service providers who work with older adults and their families have on baccalaureate social work (BSW) students. We find that BSW students exposed to focus groups have their negative attitudes about older adults and service providers deconstructed and replaced with more positive and accurate information about older adults. When students' misconceptions about older adults are confronted, they become more interested in choosing geriatric social work as a career option.     

Piaget and the Mende of Sierra Leone

Piaget’s (4) principle of conservation of quantity has been demonstrated by many researchers to apply to American, European, and West African children. This investigation set out to determine the relevance of Piaget’s ideas to a particular ethnic group in Sierra Leone. Mende pupils (N=231) of three age groups in sixteen schools located in towns or villages in four districts were interviewed on three tasks. The results showed that pupils in the 7 to 8 year age group received significantly higher (p <. 01) scores than those younger than 7. It was concluded that conservation of quantity varies with chronological age and task and that there are individual differences.