The use of Wechsler Scales in the assessment of Native Americans of the Columbia River Basin

Native American secondary students from the Columbia Basin were found to have significant Verbal-Performance discrepancies on the WISC-R and WAIS. Mean Verbal scores were significantly below the normative mean, while Performance scores were at, or above, the normative means. These findings substantiated research with other Native American groups. Also, the Verbal and Performance scales correlated so low as to preclude the Full Scale from being an accurate representation of the “g” factor of intelligence. Further, the predictive validity of the WISC-R and the WAIS for reading and math achievement was found to be at variance with the standardization group.     

Associations of accelerometer-determined physical activity and sedentary behavior with sarcopenia and incident falls over 12 months in community-dwelling Swedish older adults

PurposeThis study was aimed to determine associations of accelerometer-determined time and bouts of sedentary behavior, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) with sarcopenia and incident falls over 12 months.MethodsA total of 3334 Swedish 70-year-olds were assessed for sarcopenia, as defined by the revised definition of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Assessments were based on low scores for appendicular lean mass (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), hand grip strength, and the Timed Up and Go test. For 7 days after baseline, total time and total number of bouts (≥10 min of continuous activity at a given intensity) of activity performed at sedentary, LPA, and MVPA intensities were assessed by accelerometer. Incident falls were self-reported 6 months and 12 months after baseline.ResultsOnly 1.8% of participants had probable or confirmed sarcopenia. After multivariable adjustment for other levels of activity, only greater MVPA time was associated with a decreased likelihood of having low appendicular lean mass, low hand grip strength, and slow Timed Up and Go time as defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria (all p < 0.05), and only MVPA time was associated with lower likelihood of probable or confirmed sarcopenia (odds ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval: 0.71–0.91 h/week). Similar associations were identified for total number of bouts, with no evidence of threshold effects for longer duration of bouts of MVPA. A total of 14% of participants reported ≥1 fall, but neither total time nor bouts of activity was associated with incident falls (all p > 0.05).ConclusionHigher amounts of accelerometer-determined MVPA are consistently associated with a decreased likelihood of sarcopenia and its components, regardless of the length of bouts or amounts of sedentary behavior.     

Inside Out,Outside In: Power and Culture in a Learning Community

In this article the authors report on a university learning community that they designed and team taught on learning, culture, and power. The authors use it as a case to investigate the question: Can the unequal power dynamic of the university classroom be productively transformed to create a democratic learning experience that fosters learning and agency? The authors analyze student engagement, stimulated by Sleeter's interactive e-book, Culture Difference & Power and participatory action research projects that led to power shifts and agency. Within a theoretical context, they examine the tensions that underlie power, democracy, and agency in the classroom and highlight approaches for reconstituting roles, discourse, and action.     

ASEP in the classroom—some issues for research

Conclusion It seems to me that science education in this nation will reflect the influence of ASEP for some considerable time. It may be that the Project's influence will be felt in many other subjects in the secondary school as well. Whatever the case there is an urgent need for research into the learning that occurs in ASEP classrooms. We need hard evidence to support the widely held view of science teachers that ASEP materials and the ASEP view of science education represent a large step forward in secondary science education.     

The universities and the research councils in Britain

The British government supports five semi-independent research councils covering agriculture, medicine, science, social science and the environment. These councils do not follow the same procedure but are an important element in the support of research in universities and in the maintenance of postgraduate students. It is possible that some of these research councils may be brought to an end and this would mean that universities would have to deal directly with the government departments concerned. Their budgets have not expanded at the same rate as the universities; if the same proportion of undergraduates stays on to undertake research and if this increasing number continues to be maintained from council funds, the expenditure on research will decline.

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Résumé Le gouvernement brittannique entretient cing conseils de recherche, relativement autonomes, qui couvrent l'agriculture, la médicine, la science, les sciences sociales et l'environnement. Ces conseils n'utilisent pas les mêmes procédures, mais ils aident puissament la recherche dans les universités ainsi que l'entretien des étudiants de troisième cycle. On envisage de mettre fin à l'existence de certains de ces conseils de recherche et, en ce cas, les universités auraient directement affaire aux départements gouvernementaux qui les concernent. Leurs budgets ne se sont pas étendus au même degré que les universités; si la même proportion d'étudiants reste à l'université pour faire de la recherche et si l'on continue à entretenir sur les fonds des conseils une population croissante, il est évident que les dépenses de recherche iront en diminuant.

     

Crisis intervention: Facilitating parental acceptance of a child's handicap

School psychologists consult with parents on many issues. One frequent task involves informing parents that their child is handicapped. The diagnosis of a handicap can bring on a situational life crisis for parents. This paper discusses various adjustment reactions displayed by some parents in the process of crisis resolution. Implications for the school psychologist's role with parents of exceptional children are presented within a crisis intervention framework.