Excellence in doctoral supervision: an examination of authoritative sources across four countries in search of performance higher than competence

Supervision is generally recognised as playing a crucial role in the quality of a research student’s doctoral experience and their academic outcomes and, in common with most areas of higher education, there is an oft-stated desire to pursue excellence in this important area. Excellence in research degree supervision is, however, an elusive concept and on close scrutiny most of the discussions of high-quality supervision, even those that purport to be identifying excellence, refer to competence rather than excellence. This paper examines two potentially national authoritative perspectives from which excellence in research degree supervision might be explicated (codes of practice and learning and teaching awards) from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom but concludes that the complex nature of the activity and the complexity of the concept itself mean that rather than identifying excellence in supervision we can only respond to claims for excellence.     

Order and duration of stimuli are important determinants of reactivation

Prior cuing treatments intended to alleviate the forgetting of a conditioned avexsion-to an odor were tested with 18-day-old rats. Previous experiments had shown that when such pups were conditioned with the use of a CS?/CS+ procedure, pretest presentation of the CS? or US, but not the CS+, alleviated the forgetting otherwise seen after a 3-h retention interval. In Experiment 1, it was determined that the forgetting was not alleviated if the GS? was either preceded or followed by presentation of the CS+, despite the fact that the CS?/CS+ ordering mimicked that of original conditioning. Experiment 2 was an examination of the balance of extinction and reactivation effects caused by presenting the CS+ for varying durations following the 3-h retention interval. The forgetting over this interval was alleviated if the CS+ was presented for 5 or 15 sec, but not 30 sec. With an increase in duration of exposure from 15 to 30 sec, the consequences of the CS+ as a prior cuing treatment apparently shifted from reactivation to extinction. Experiment 3 was a test of the interaction between the consequences of different lengths of CS+ exposure and the effectiveness of adding CS? to the CS+ as a reactivation treatment. The varied effectiveness of reactivation treatments is discussed interms of a change in stimulus conditions from training to reactivation.     

Relational‐Cultural Theory–Based Interventions With LGBTQ College Students

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community members can encounter daily challenges living in a heterosexist society, including the college milieu. The authors apply the tenets of relational‐cultural theory (RCT) to LGBTQ college students. Furthermore, a case study is included to highlight ways counselors can infuse RCT strategies when working with this population.     

School-Based Consultation to Improve Concussion Recognition and Response

Many students who have sustained concussions return to school requiring academic adjustments while their brains heal. However, school personnel often are not trained to accommodate these students. This exploratory project examined the usefulness of school-based training paired with ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of information to improve both concussion recognition and response among school personnel. A case study design was employed in which a school district received training that was followed by ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of concussion resources. This study highlights the importance of involving school psychologists in concussion management programs.     

STEM Integration in Middle School Life Science: Student Learning and Attitudes

In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts (e.g., patterns, scale) and increase understanding of disciplinary core ideas (e.g., physical science, earth science). Engineering practices and engineering design are essential elements of this new vision of science teaching and learning. This paper presents a research study that evaluates the effects of an engineering design-based science curriculum on student learning and attitudes. Three middle school life science teachers and 275 seventh grade students participated in the study. Content assessments and attitude surveys were administered before and after the implementation of the curriculum unit. Statewide mathematics test proficiency scores were included in the data analysis as well. Results provide evidence of the positive effects of implementing the engineering design-based science unit on student attitudes and learning.     

Assessing the Development of Young Children in Child Care: A Survey of Formal Assessment Practices in One State

With the current emphasis on program accountability and appreciation of the importance of early learning and timely identification of delays, early childhood developmental assessment in child care centers is crucial. In Florida, a state that supports local control of child assessment decisions, counties were surveyed to determine the specific tools and formal assessment procedures for children birth to 5 in subsidized child care. Sixty-one counties responded for a 91% return rate. Survey results were examined according to experts’ recommendations for best practices in child assessment. Most counties used multiple tools to assess multiple domains of child development with age-appropriate instruments. Many did not involve parents in the assessment process or use tools connected to the child care curriculum. The survey results underscore the complexity of implementing assessment systems for young children in child care.     

Developing pre-requisites for empathy: increasing awareness of self,the body and the perspectives of others

Empathy is an important affective attribute for graduates entering future practice with diverse populations. Self- and bodily awareness and the ability to take others’ perspectives are essential for developing, maintaining and encouraging the cognitive, affective and motivational elements of empathy. This paper presents a thematic analysis of students’ summative reflections on body-focused wellness activity participation, which indicates increased self- and bodily awareness and developing ability to take on the perspectives of others. Prolonged engagement with authentic activities that focus attention on shared bodily aspects of life and encourage self-direction appears to be central for developing awareness and the ability to take on others’ perspectives. For some students, perspective-taking may produce recognition of disempowerment and the need for power reciprocity in future professional relationships, an essential element of practising empathy.