Work/training programs for international health science librarians in American medical school libraries

World understanding is more than a desirable goal today: it may be crucial to our survival. Many universities realize this and have in the past decade spent a great deal of time and money to ensure a steady flow of faculty and students between the U.S. and other countries. Librarians with faculty or academic status may benefit from promoting such relationships themselves. Job exchanges and training programs offer librarians in the United States the opportunity to become acquainted with their counterparts in other countries. Such programs enable librarians of various countries to become aware of one another's special needs and common problems, and allow them to share ideas and expertise. This paper presents an overview of international training programs for foreign librarians in the United States, focusing on programs for health sciences librarians in United States medical school libraries. Information is given on the availability and types of institutionally sponsored programs, as well as on MLA's Cunningham Fellowship Program. Some of the difficulties and the benefits of such programs are discussed.     

Integrating 3D printing into an early childhood teacher preparation course: Reflections on practice

This reflection on practice describes a case study integrating 3D printing into a creativity course for preservice teachers. The theoretical rationale is discussed, and the steps for integration are outlined. Student responses and reflections on the experience provide the basis for our analysis. Examples and resources are provided, as well as a discussion of lessons learned.     

The influence of grandparents’ social class on children’s aspirations

Social class mobility from grandparent to grandchild is a relatively neglected topic. Grandparents today are often healthier and more active, and have longer relationships with their grandchildren than in previous generations. We used data from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study (n = 8570) to investigate the influence of maternal and paternal grandparents’ social class on the aspirations of children at age seven. Using path analysis and controlling for family income, mother’s and father’s education, lone motherhood, and child’s ethnicity and gender, we found very small direct effects from the paternal grandmother’s social class to the grandchild’s classed aspirations, and small, indirect effects, via parents’ class, of grandparents’ class on child’s classed aspirations. Multi-group analyses found few differences by ethnicity and gender. There was no evidence that, at this age, mixed-class parentage raises the aspirations of working-class children (the ‘sunken middle-class’ hypothesis).     

The relation between abuse and violent delinquency: the conversion of shame to blame in juvenile offenders

Objective

While the relationship between abusive parenting and violent delinquency has been well established, the cognitive and emotional processes by which this occurs remain relatively unidentified. The objective of this work is to apply a conceptual model linking abusive parenting to the conversion of shame into blaming others and therefore to violent delinquency.

Methods

A retrospective study of 112 adolescents (90 male; 22 female; ages 12-19 years; M = 15.6; SD = 1.4) who were incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility pending criminal charges, completed measures of exposure to abusive and nonabusive discipline, expressed and converted shame, and violent delinquency.

Results

Findings tend to confirm the conceptual model. Subjects who converted shame (i.e., low expressed shame, high blaming others) tended to have more exposure to abusive parenting and showed more violent delinquent behavior than their peers who showed expressed shame. Subjects who showed expressed shame (i.e., high expressed shame, low blaming others) showed less violent delinquency than those who showed converted shame.

Conclusions

Abusive parenting impacts delinquency directly and indirectly through the effects of shame that is converted. Abusive parenting leads to the conversion of shame to blaming others, which in turn leads to violent delinquent behavior.

Practice implications

For juvenile offenders, the conversion of shame into blaming others appears to contribute to pathological outcomes in relation to trauma. Translation of this work into clinical practice is recommended.     

Theo Jansen project in engineering design course and a design example

Objectives of a project-oriented mechanical engineering course, Engineering Design, were achieved through a design project, where students designed, built and demonstrated an extreme version of a basic Theo Jansen device. Through this project, junior students in the University of Louisiana fully developed the capability of applying mathematic and kinematic knowledge in the analysis and design of mechanisms. Students also developed oral and written communication skills, which would be used in design environments, through the presentation of results in both oral and written forms. An assessment of the design project indicated that effective teaching and learning spread through the semester, with the junior students acting as project managers and experiencing design practices. An example of a student-designed Theo Jansen device is presented in this paper to show the study results achieved by the students.     

Working Theory Into and Out of Design Experiments

In this response, I advocate for the value of considering theory in the design‐based research that Gersten describes in “Behind the Scenes of an Intervention Research Study.” I argue that such an emphasis: is consistent with the literature on design experiments, is integral to advancing knowledge building within domains, serves to advance the work of a field, and supports the dissemination of instructional research. I illustrate these points, drawing upon the research described in the article by Gersten.     

REMOTE INDIGENOUS STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF MEASUREMENT

It is widely accepted that mathematical learning builds upon students’ prior knowledge and understandings, and their identities. In this study, this phenomenon is explored with indigenous students in remote community schools in outback Australia. Through one-on-one task-based interviews, it was found that these students had some clear understandings of the measurement concepts involved, although these understandings were often idiosyncratic to these students in this context. The task-based one-on-one interview gave better insights into students’ knowledge than the written form of the National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy assessment. Nevertheless, the students’ conceptions provide a useful basis upon which to build subsequent knowledge, understanding and skills in the forms required by the formal mathematics curriculum.     

Using a Retrospective Pretest to Measure Learning in Professional Development Programs

Millions of dollars are spent annually on professional development, and designers of training events recognize they must demonstrate to all stakeholders the value added by these programs. The purpose of this study was to measure the learning that occurred during professional development seminars for community college academic department chairs. The research question was the following: What increases in knowledge and skills did program participants attribute to their training experience? Using Alliger and Janak's model for levels of learning as a conceptual framework, data were collected through a preliminary questionnaire on learning needs, session and overall evaluations, and a retrospective pretest addressing 35 knowledge and skill areas. Statistical analysis of retrospective pretest results for six areas identified by participants as priorities indicated that participants felt learning had occurred as a result of the seminar (significant at .0001 level). The retrospective pretest instrument was deemed an effective tool for evaluating learning in continuing education offerings, higher education professional development events, and similar settings.