Factors affecting university teaching team effectiveness in detached working environments

This paper presents the outcomes of a study of the factors that contribute to teaching team effectiveness in situations where team members rarely meet face to face. Academic faculty within a university Business School were asked to report the degrees to which they believed that the module teaching teams to which they belonged contained members who (1) were satisfied and committed, and (2) regarded their teams as cohesive and as engaging in reliable and useful internal communications. All the teams covered by the study operated in ‘detached’ manners. Team members’ perceptions of the presence within their teams of trust, shared understanding, disparate educational orientations among participants and certain leadership styles were also examined. A model of the determinants of detached team effectiveness was constructed and tested. The respondents’ opinions vis-à-vis levels of satisfaction, commitment, cohesion and the value of internal team communications were then compared with metrics concerning student satisfaction and rates of progression on specific modules. Trust, shared understanding, differences in educational orientation among team members, conflict and the frequency of (though not the length of time spent on) communications emerged as major influences on perceptions of team effectiveness. Teams that were regarded as operating effectively appeared to be associated with higher student satisfaction and progression ratings.     

Sharing information books with kindergartners: The role of parents’ extra-textual talk and socioeconomic status

The purpose of the study was to explore how features of parent–child extra-textual talk during information book-sharing might vary across different socioeconomic backgrounds, and to determine if certain interactional patterns might mediate their effects on children's receptive and expressive vocabulary development. Sixty parents and their 5-year-old children were audio-recorded reading an unfamiliar information book in their home. Holistic coding on six parent and two child engagement scales, examining low to high cognitive demanding talk was conducted. Results indicated that lexical richness and contingent responsiveness positively predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary. Further, contingent responsiveness appeared to mediate the influence of socioeconomic status on children's receptive and expressive vocabulary, suggesting that positive environmental contexts and supportive parent–child interactions can have a powerful influence on children's development.     

Mass Communication Law

CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL FREE SPEECH: FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION OF EXPRESSION IN BUSINESS by Edwin P. Rome and William H. Roberts (Westport, CT: Quorum Books/Greenwood Press, 1985—$39.95)

DESK GUIDE TO THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE by Louis F. Cooper and Robert E. Emeritz (Pike &; Fischer, 4550 Montgomery Ave., Suite 433N, Bethesda, Md. 20814—$23.50)

LIBEL AND PRIVACT: THE PREVENTION AND DEFENSE OF LITIGATION by Bruce V. Sanford (New York: Law &; Business/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985—$70.00)

HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF CENSORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES by Leon Hurwitz (Uestport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985—$55.00)

VIDEO CASSETTES: PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND PROGRAMMING FOR THE VCR MARKETPLACE (Practising Law Institute, 810 Seventh Ave., New York 10019—$40.00, paper)

LAW OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS: FREEDOM AND CONTROL OF PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA by Harold Nelson and Dwight L. Teeter, Jr. (Mineola, NY: Foundation Press, 1986—$26.00)

THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: THREE CASE STUDIES by Craig R. Smith (Freedom of Expression Foundation, 414 South Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003—apparently free on request to educators and educational institutions)     

Educational Media

Dean Jamison, et al. The Effectiveness of Alternative Instructional Media: A Survey (March 1973, 72 pp.)

Dean Jamison with Steven Klecs, The Cost of Instructional Radio and Television for Developing Countries (March 1973, 57 pp.)

Emile G. McAnany, Radio's Role in Development: Five Strategies of Use (September 1973 with a 1976 afterword, Info. Bulletin No. 4, 29 pp.)

Henry T. Ingle, Communication Media and Technology: A Look at Their Role in Non-Formal Education Programs (August 1974, Info. Bulletin No. 5, 62 pp.)

Lois Joy Lester, A Directory of Sources of Assistance on Educational Technology for Development (November 1975, Info. Bulletin No. 6, 90 pp.)

A Sourcebook on Radio's Role in Development: (October 1976, Info. Bulletin No. 7, 85 pp.)

Therese Silverman, Tele-Niger: Adapting an Electronic Medium to a Rural African Context (undated, but late 1976, Info. Bulletin No. 8, 45 pp.)

Development Communication Report (an apparently irregular newsletter)

Keith W. Mielke and James W. Swinehart's Evaluation of the Feeling Good Television Series (Children's Television Workshop, One Lincoln Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10023—$10.00, paper)     

Film Biography

Gary Carey, All the Stars in Heaven: Louis B. Mayer's M-G-M (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1981 -- $18.50 hardcover).

Wyn Wachhorst, Thomas Alva Edison: An American Myth (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1981 -- $15.00).

Alexander Walker, Garbo: A Portrait (New York: Macmillan, 1980 -- $19.95 cloth).

Henry C. Rogers, Walking the Tightrope: The Private Confessions of a Public Relations Man (New York: William Morrow, 1980 -- $10.95 hardcover).

Scott Palmer, A Who's Who of British Film Actors (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1981 -- no price given).

Tony Thomas, The Films of Ronald Reagan (Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1980 -- $16.95).

Jim Connor, Ann Miller: Tops in Taps, An Authorized Pictorial History (New York: Franklin Watts, 1981 -- $10.95 paper).

Raymond Strait and Terry Robinson in Lanza: His Tragic Life (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 1981 -- $10.00 hardcover)

Irene Adler in I Remember Jimmy: The Life and Times of Jimmy Durante (New York: Arlington House, 1981 -- $8.95 paper)

Jack Oakie, Jack Oakie's Double Takes (San Francisco: Strawberry Hill Press, 1980 -- $10.95 paper).

Marilyn Henry and Ron De Sourdis, The Films of Alan Ladd (Secaucus, N.J.: The Citadel Press, 1981 -- $16.95).     

Foreign Media

Meheroo Jussawalla, and D.M. Lamberton COMMUNICATION ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT (Elms ford , New York : Pergamon Press, L982—$30.00)

Gunnar Andren and Hans Strand MASS COMMUNICATIONS AND CULTURE (Centre for Mass Communication Research, University of Stockholm S-10691, Stockholm, Sweden—price not given, paper)

Itzhak Galnoor STEERING THE POLITY: COMMUNICATION AND POLITICS IN ISRAEL (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1982—$25.O0)

Henry Mayer COMMUNICATIONS (Thompson Publications, Australia, 47 Chippen Street, Chippendale NSW 2008—prices vary: apply to publisher for further information/monthly)

BC ANNUAL REPORT AND HANDBOOK 1982 (London : British Broadcasting Corporation, 1981-1E3.50 or about $7.00, paper).

SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE INFORMATION ECONOMY, by Iris Fitzpatrick-Martin (Paper #5, April 1979—$6.00, paper):

PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF THE NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: THE ROLE OF ATTITUDES, by W. Lambert (Scot) Gardiner (Paper #9, April 1980— $6.00, paper)

INDUSTRIAL STATEGY AND THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: TOWARDS A GAME PLAN FOR CANADA, by Kimon Valaskakis and Peter S. Sindell (Paper #10, April 1980— $12.00, paper)     

Bodies at Home and at School: Toward a Theory of Embodied Social Class Status

Sociology has long recognized the centrality of the body in the reciprocal construction of individuals and society, and recent research has explored the influence of a variety of social institutions on the body. Significant research has established the influence of social class, child‐rearing practices, and variable language forms in families and children. Less well understood is the influence of children's social class status on their gestures, comportment, and other bodily techniques. In this essay Sue Ellen Henry brings these two areas of study together to explore how working‐class children's bodies are shaped by the child‐rearing practices associated with their social class status, and the potential effects these bodily techniques have on their experience in schools.     

The fear factor: students’ experiences of test anxiety when taking A-level examinations

This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that explored students’ experiences of test anxiety when taking A-level examinations. Four focus groups were convened with a sample of 19 participants in the south of England to explore the triggers of test anxiety and the perceived need for interventions to assist high test-anxious students cope with the examination process. The findings suggested that the participants experienced two types of anxiety: ‘pre-exam anxiety’ (relating to, for example, revision and mock examinations) and ‘exam-day anxiety’ (relating to practical concerns, such as school policy on the arrival of students and the time available to complete the examination). Only three participants reported feeling that their examination performance was significantly impaired by test anxiety; most reported that a degree of anxiety aided their performance. With test anxiety perceived by most participants as motivational and useful, there was little support for any interventions from examination boards, parents or teachers to help reduce or manage test anxiety. However, based on participants’ experiences of the pre-examination period, it is suggested that test anxiety may impede students’ ability to prepare for their examinations, and that interventions during this stage may be useful. The findings also imply that there are some practical steps that could be taken by the educational community to help reduce students’ test anxiety.     

Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: An Organizational Approach to Identifying and Addressing Practices and Learning Needs of Family Physicians

ABSTRACT

Caring for patients with dementia is complex and demanding. Since family physicians (FPs) provide much of this care, we examined their practices, learning needs, and barriers to care concerning Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. We surveyed 392 (approximately 50%) Nova Scotia FPs and conducted focus groups and interviews with: FPs; staff of long-term care facilities; health professionals in home care; patients and their caregivers; FPs with advanced geriatric training; geriatricians; and psychiatrists. Results suggest that many FPs do not perform assessment and management practices as frequently as they ideally should. However, systemic factors, not only inadequate knowledge, affect care.