Video-feedback in psychotherapy

This article examines three aspects of the application of video in a therapeutic-didactic setting: (1) the specific psychological effects of video on a client as compared to other means of obtaining therapeutic-didactic feedback; some positive and negative effects, their eventual causes and handling; (2) the implicit demands (methodological and otherwise) imposed by the medium (video) on the therapist-teacher. Their implications for professional video training and (3) some therapies and their possibilities for video-feedback are discussed.Qualified in cognitive and social psychology (University of Amsterdam) and as a Gestalt therapist (Belgian Association for Gestalt Therapy).     

Empowering discourse: discourse analysis as method and practice in the sociology classroom

Collaborative learning and critical pedagogy are widely recognized as ‘empowering’ pedagogies for higher education. Yet, the practical implementation of both has a mixed record. The question, then, is: How could collaborative and critical pedagogies be empowered themselves? This paper makes a primarily theoretical case for discourse analysis (DA) as a form of classroom practice that provides a structured framework for collaborative and critical pedagogies in higher education, with a special reference to sociology classroom practice. I develop a tripartite scheme for building a framework for sociological imagination that is, first, sensitive to the discursive aspects of social reality (learning about DA). Second, I illustrate the use of DA as pedagogical tool and classroom practice (learning with DA). Third, I discuss how discourse analytical ideas can be used in evaluating classroom interaction and how these reflexive insights can be used to enhance student empowerment (learning through DA).     

The promise and performance of low power television

This article reports a survey on the extent to which low power television (LPTV) stations have achieved their intended results of increased local programming, minority ownership, service to narrow audiences, and economic viability. The authors conclude that such stations produce some local programming but rely heavily on programming produced elsewhere, and that they are targeting underserved audiences. Ownerships of LPTV stations by minorities is low, according to the researchers, and economic viability of the stations has not yet been established.     

Stocking one's mental larder

Themes, Theories, and Theraphy: The Teaching of Writing in College. Albert R. Kitzhaber. (New York: McGraw‐Hill, 1963. Pp. 175. $4.95.)

The Nongraded Elementary School, Revised Edition. John I. Goodlad and Robert H. Anderson. (New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1963. Pp. 248. $1.95, paper.)

Human Learning in the School. John P. DeCecco. (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1963. Pp. 636. $4.75.)

Health Instruction for Today's Schools. Dorothy Marguerite La Salle and Gladys Greer. (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice‐Hall, 1963. Pp. 368. $6.75.)

Lovejoy's Prep School Guide. Clarence E. Lovejoy. (New York: Harper and Row, 1963. Pp. 136. $5.95.)

Health Teaching in the Schools, fourth edition. Ruth E. Grout. (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders and Company, 1963. Pp. 415. $6.75.)     

Students' thoughts during problem-based small-group discussions

Small-group discussions are a cornerstone of problem-based learning. Usually, when one student speaks, the others are silent. Silent students may think about various topics. The question is how far these thoughts are pertinent to the subjects under discussion. This covert behavior is directly tapped by means of the thought-sampling method (using a beeper to signal the students to report). The reproduced thoughts were classified and the percentage of relevant thoughts calculated. At the end of the last group session the students completed a questionnaire. Approximately three-quarters of the thoughts reported were task-relevant. Students showed proper self-knowledge about their own level of attention.     

Characteristics of youths with hearing loss admitted to substance abuse treatment

The purpose of this study is to provide a profile of youths with hearing loss admitted to substance abuse treatment facilities. Intake data on 4,167 youths (28% female; 3% reporting a hearing loss) collected via the Global Appraisal of Individual Need-I assessment was used for the analyses. Information on demographics, environmental characteristics, substance use behaviors, and symptoms of co-occurring psychological problems for youths with and without a hearing loss was analyzed via Pearson chi-square tests and effect sizes. The groups reported similar backgrounds and comparable rates of marijuana and alcohol use. However, youths in the hearing loss group reported substance use behaviors indicative of a more severe level of involvement. Across all measures of co-occurring symptoms, youths with hearing loss reported greater levels of distress and were more often victims of abuse. Results of this study will help inform treatment needs of youths with hearing loss and define a baseline for future research.     

An Examination of the Influence of Institutional Context on Student Persistence at 4-Year Colleges and Universities: A Multilevel Approach

Using constructs from Bean's (1990) [In: D. Hossler and J. P. Bean (Eds.), The strategic management of college enrollments. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass] student attrition model and the Berger and Milem (2000) [In: J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. XV, pp. 268–338). New York: Agathon Press] college impact model, national survey data, and multilevel modeling techniques, this study examines the extent to which persistence is influenced by the institutional context. The analytic sample is limited to first-time, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates attending 4-year colleges and universities nationwide. This study finds that selectivity, as measured by the average student academic ability at an institution, has a contextual effect on college student persistence that reflects a positive increment to the chance of persistence that accrues to a student beyond student-level predictors of persistence. Although the implications of the findings are mainly for theory and methods, policy implications are discussed.