“Happier Than Ever to be Exactly What He Was”: Reflections on Shrek,Fiona and the Magic Mirrors of Commodity Culture

This article compares the models of subjectivity and identity in William Steig’s 1990 picture book Shrek! and in DreamWorks’ Shrek films. Steig presented his ogre hero as a model of the crises of subjectivity all children must face, and then reassured readers by showing how even a hideous figure such as Shrek can find resolution and be “happier than ever to be exactly what he was.” DreamWorks’ Shrek films, on the other hand, offer up models of identity based on consumption and rooted in commodity culture, tales which seek to transform their viewers into consumers and even into commodities themselves. As texts of commodity culture, the films must create, not resolve, anxiety and self-doubt. Has DreamWorks’ adaptation of Steig’s book merely replaced a self-confident ogre with an anxiety-ridden consumer? Or, can the films’ humor and absurdity, their parody of familiar commodities and corporate landscapes, and their introduction of boundary-crossing characters such as Fiona offer an alternative critique of commodity culture? This article demonstrates how the films work to uphold and reinforce commodity culture, but also examines how they might also provide moments of potential subversion and critique.     

Current control of journal literature in economics in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The National Library of Australia and the state libraries of New South Wales and Victoria each maintain separate collections of printed ephemera. The role of these collections and the policies used in the acquisition and selection of items for them are described, analysed and compared. The role of the public library local studies collections in helping to create a cooperative, nationwide approach to the acquisition of this material in Australia is discussed in relation to this national and state activity. The value of an understanding of the Australian situation is related to a research project to develop guidelines for collection policies for printed ephemera at the national and local levels in Wales.     

SPACES FOR LEARNERS AND LEARNING: EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY-RICH LEARNING SPACES

This article discusses the utility of evaluating technology-rich learning spaces, exploring approaches and tools from a practitioner perspective. It provides a brief introduction to the concept of ‘technology-rich learning spaces’ and explores approaches to evaluation, suggesting a framework with specific case studies to illustrate the varying approaches to evaluating innovative space design in higher education institutions. The role of learners in the evaluation methodology, and the importance of institutional context, will be explored to highlight whether impact can effectively be assessed. The authors conclude that rigorous evaluation studies must be underpinned by sound theoretical frameworks in order to understand the complexities of the student experience in blended learning environments.     

Facets of Pavlovian temperament as correlates of communication apprehension

Recently, communication scholars have become interested in relationships between communication apprehension and the underlying biological predispositions for behavior called temperament. The resulting communibiological paradigm is said to account for individual differences in communicative behavior and adaptation to speaking situations. Because temperament is conceived as a multidimensional construct, the precise biologically determined predispositions influencing temperamental expression are yet to be discovered. In this research, Strelau's Pavlovian temperament theory is applied to this problem. Facets of the Pavlovian Temperament Survey were related to McCroskey's (1978) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension. Results suggest a moderate level of interdependence between communication apprehension and several facets of Pavlovian temperament.     

Testing Expert-Based Versus Student-Based Cognitive Models for a Grade 3 Diagnostic Mathematics Assessment

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of three cognitive models, one developed by content experts and two generated from student verbal reports for explaining examinee performance on a grade 3 diagnostic mathematics test. For this study, the items were developed to directly measure the attributes in the cognitive model. The performance of each cognitive model was evaluated by examining its fit to different data samples: verbal report, total, high-, moderate-, and low ability using the Hierarchy Consistency Index (Cui & Leighton, 2009), a model-data fit index. This study utilized cognitive diagnostic assessments developed under the framework of construct-centered test design and analyzed using the Attribute Hierarchy Method (Gierl, Wang, & Zhou, 2008; Leighton, Gierl, & Hunka, 2004). Both the expert-based and the student-based cognitive models provided excellent fit to the verbal report and high ability samples, but moderate to poor fit to the total, moderate and low ability samples. Implications for cognitive model development for cognitive diagnostic assessment are discussed.     

Reasons for giving reasons: an expert‐expert clinical analysis of science teaching for non‐academic students 1

This paper concerns the importance of providing reasons and evidence when making claims as a teacher. Two teaching contexts are explored: a nonacademic science classroom and a clinical supervision setting. An expert teacher is seen at work in a nonacademic science classroom. This is an especially significant context in which to find “task‐reasons” and “science‐reasons” since students rarely appear to have access to reasons for what they do or say in such classrooms. The teacher and a colleague, both experts at clinical analysis of teaching, are observed examining and analysing the teaching. This is the setting for developing “interpretation‐reasons” regarding the conduct and events of teaching. The expert‐expert clinical supervision situation is seen as sharpening the requirement for sound, credible interpretation‐reasons beyond that of the more common expert‐novice interaction.

     

Problem-Attack Behavior and Sex,Prior Teaching Experience,and College Preparation of Elementary School Principals

A modified form of Judgment Analysis (JAN) was used as a vehicle for capturing a group or collective teacher effectiveness policy of selected students at the University of Northern Colorado. Regardless of the grouping of students (grade level of students, reasons for taking the course, school or college in which the students were enrolled) one policy emerged. This policy can be described as a student concern for the personal characteristics of the instructor (instructor’s interest and enthusiasm, interpersonal relationships, ability to communicate the subject, ability to interest and motivate students). The instructor’s classroom management characteristics and his professional qualities (attitude, knowledge, and preparation) did not make a significant unique contribution to this policy.     

RESILIENCY PROFILES OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND THEIR TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PEERS

Intellectual disability (ID) is associated with a range of risk factors that make children more vulnerable to adverse developmental outcomes, including mental health problems. Nevertheless, some children with ID do much better than others, presumably because of the presence of protective factors that increase their resilience. The current study compared resiliency profiles of children with ID (n = 115; mean age, 11.9 years) and their typically developing peers (n = 106; mean age, 11.8 years) using the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents and the Healthy Kids Resilience Assessment. In many respects, children with ID and their typically developing peers reported similar levels of the protective factors that are associated with resilience. However, the children with ID reported higher levels of emotional sensitivity and lower tolerance, as well as fewer future goals. Compared with typically developing children, those with ID reported more support at school and less support within their communities. These findings have important implications for interventions that aim to promote positive developmental outcomes and to prevent the adverse sequelae that have been associated with low intelligence.     

Multilevel correlates of behavioral resilience among children in child welfare

Resilience, defined as positive adaptation and functioning following exposure to significant adversity, is an important topic of investigation in child welfare. The current study used data from the Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) project to estimate the prevalence of behavioral resilience (i.e., lower frequency of conduct and emotional problems, higher frequency of prosocial behavior) in 531 5–9 year olds living in out-of-home care, and to determine how behaviorally-resilient children are functioning in other domains (i.e., peer relationships and academic performance). Furthermore, hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the contribution of four levels of analysis (i.e., child, family, child welfare worker, and child welfare agency) on behaviors and to identify the contribution of predictor variables within each of these levels. Findings indicated that 50–70% of children exhibited resilience on one behavioral outcome while approximately 30% showed resilience on at least two of the outcomes. Also, 8.4–9.6% exhibited resilience on one of the behavioral outcomes in addition to peer relationships and academic performance. The child level accounted for the highest proportion of total explained variance in behavioral outcomes, followed by the family-, child welfare worker-, and child welfare agency-levels. A number of child and foster family variables predicted behavioral functioning. Findings indicate that it is important to inquire about children's functioning across multiple domains to obtain a comprehensive developmental assessment. Also, child and foster family characteristics appear to play considerable roles in the promotion of behavioral resilience.