The circulation of expertise in teachers’ professional communities

This study qualitatively explores expertise as a critical resource on which quality teaching depends. The study sample is comprised of six South African schools from the poorest poverty quintiles achieving relatively higher and lower academic outcomes. From interview data gathered over three years with teachers and other school staff, findings reveal significant differences between schools in the kinds of expertise that circulate in teacher communities. Remediation strategies that support student learning at specific levels of complexity stand out as a significant form of expertise. In schools performing above demographic expectations, teachers have more opportunities to access knowledge as an instructional resource, enabled by the recognition of differences in expertise. The study offers insight into what kinds of pedagogic strategies might disrupt educational inequalities and support the quality of teaching and learning within a system of scarce resources.     

Topping the Classroom Charts: Teaching Criminological Theory Using Popular Music

Today’s students are entering college having been immersed in media to an extent that has not been seen previously. The media-driven influence on college students has led many educators to use non-traditional mediums to engage their classes in meaningful learning experiences. Many educators advocate for the use of music and/or musical lyrics as a non-traditional teaching tool, specifically to illustrate the basic concepts of criminological theory. While many types of songs and lyrics could be used to teach criminological theory to undergraduate college students, the emphasis of this particular paper is on the use of popular music. Included is a discussion of using non-traditional instruction in the college classroom, student examples of theory application to popular music, and suggestions for implementing popular music in the classroom.     

The persuasive effects of statistical evidence in the presence of exemplars

This paper explores the impact of statistical evidence by varying it while pairing it with a constant set of exemplars. The resulting design includes a condition in which the statistical information and the exemplars advocate the same position (consistent condition), one in which statistical information and the exemplars advocate different positions (inconsistent condition), and a third condition in which only exemplars are presented (control condition). The data indicate that statistical evidence has a substantial effect on judgments, and that the impact of statistical evidence on attitudes is indirect. Specifically, it is mediated by judgments.     

Weight Bias and Social Justice: Implications for Education and Practice

Weight bias is a widespread and persistent form of oppression that adversely impacts the lives of individuals with obesity in many areas of society. In this paper, we discuss the implications of weight bias as a social justice issue for counsellor education and practice. We provide recommendations for professional education, including the need to examine social location, knowledge, assumptions, and biases about weight and individuals with obesity. We also provide recommendations related to advocacy for individuals with obesity in practice.     

The Universal and the unique in dyslexia: A cross-linguistic investigation of reading and reading fluency in Hebrew-and English-speaking children with reading disorders

Cross-linguistic studies provide a unique tool for the identification of universal processes in oral and written language, both in development and in breakdown (Annual Review of psychology, 52, 369–396). Examining the differential strengths and weaknesses of children with dyslexia in contrasting orthographies can help illumine both the more universal aspects of reading disabilities, as well as their individual language-specific attributes. The aim of this study, was to investigate the shared and distinctive characteristics of readers with dyslexia on reading and reading fluency across Hebrew and English orthographies. Differences between 60 Hebrew and English-speaking children with dyslexia on a battery of cognitive, linguistic, and reading measures will be discussed along with theoretical implications.     

Homeless families: A treatment outcome study

In response to the needs of the growing numbers of homeless families, different program approaches need to be considered to interrupt the incidence of homelessness. This specific program reflects a life-skills learning model, using an "action plan" format and self-evaluation to develop an internal locus of control among its participants.     

GIFTED ADOLESCENTS: AT RISK FOR SUICIDE

The high rate of suicide among adolescents is an ever present concern to those who work with troubled youth. It has commonly been thought that adolescents of high intellectual ability are sheltered from the everyday stresses that lead their peers to commit suicide. However, researchers are discovering that giftedness carries with it special stresses that may make the gifted adolescent vulnerable to emotional distress, leading to suicidal behaviour. This paper will investigate the exceptional vulnerabilities of the gifted adolescent, and show how the practitioner may recognize the warning signs in this population. In addition, recommendations will be made regarding prevention and intervention strategies.

     

Two types of voluntary undergraduate attrition: Application of Tinto's model

Tinto's model of institutional attrition was tested by comparing undergraduate students who had dropped out from Washington State University (WSU) one year prior to the study with a control sample of students who continued at WSU. Tinto's constructs of individual attributes, past educational experience, goal commitment, institutional commitment, social integration, and academic integration were operationalized using variables obtained from precollege records, academic records at the university, and a post-withdrawal survey. Setwise discriminant function analysis was used to discriminate between the attrition sample and the control sample using Tinto's constructs. Variables measuring individual attributes, past educational experience, institutional commitment, and academic integration all contributed significantly to the discriminant function when all other variables were controlled for. Tinto's model was also able to explain the differences between those attrition students who transferred to another institution and those who dropped out of higher education. Those that dropped out had a significantly lower academic ability, lower academic integration, lower goal commitment, and lower social integration.