Prediction of the science inquiry skill of seventeen-year-olds: A test of the model of educational productivity

The study was designed to investigate the influence of student characteristics and classroom characteristics on students' inquiry skill. The sample consisted of a national stratified random sample of 1955 17-year-olds who were assessed as part of the 1981-1982 national assessment in science. The dependent variable was a 17-item measure of students' inquiry skill. The independent variables were selected from the available data using the Model of Educational Productivity as a guide in the selection of the variables. The first purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of the Model of Educational Productivity for predicting the inquiry skill of 17-year-olds. The results of this study indicate that this model was capable of accounting for between 24 and 32% of the variance in inquiry skill for the general population of 17-year-olds. More specifically, students' reporting of their general ability alone accounted for between 17 and 22% of the variance. The second question posed by this study asked whether the prediction of inquiry skill differed for males and females. While there was some difference in the contribution of the minor predictors, there was very little difference in the prediction of inquiry skill for males and females using the Model of Education Productivity. The third question posed by this study asked whether the prediction of inquiry skill differed for white and nonwhite students. For nonwhite students, the Model of Educational Productivity accounted for only 18% of the variance in science inquiry skill. Thus, it would appear that there is a great deal that is not known about the factors that contribute to the science inquiry skill of nonwhite students.     

Comparing preservice,elementary, and junior high teachers' perceptions of school psychologists: Two decades later

One hundred eighty-one experienced teachers (elementary and junior high), and 189 preservice teachers were surveyed regarding their perceptions of school psychologists. The survey instrument used essentially the same categories as Styles in 1965, including: (a) level of training, (b) effectiveness, (c) qualifications for tasks, and (d) usefulness in specific duties. Analysis of the survey data showed there were significant differences between preservice and experienced teachers' effectiveness ratings of school psychologists on eight tasks typically performed by school psychologists. Significant differences also were found between preservice and experienced teachers on their ratings of school psychologists' qualifications to undertake specific tasks, although almost half of the experienced teachers were unable to rate the effectiveness of school psychologists. There was a small, but significant, negative relationship between the amount of contact with the school psychologist and the perceived effectiveness. Limitations inherent in survey methodology and the need to foster greater teacher awareness of the school psychologist's role are discussed.     

Incidence and situational factors surrounding sexual assault against delinquent youths

This study reports the results of extensive interviews with an intact sample of moderately delinquent adolescents concerning their sexual assault histories. Findings indicate a surprisingly high incidence of victimization among the females interviewed which, the authors suggest, may characterize the larger population of delinquent females. The behavioral-situational contexts of reported victimization experiences are examined for salient commonalities and the following composite rape scenerio can be cast from the data: An unsupervised, 14-year-old female, who has been consuming alcohol or marijuana, is sexually assaulted, following threat and/or force, to the point of penile-vaginal penetration, by an older male friend or acquaintance (who has also consumed alcohol or marijuana) in his home or vehicle or other place where she is inherently unprotected. Some comments are offered concerning the requirements of an effective technology of child rape prevention.     

Lipschitz-Nikolskii Constants of the Baskakov Operators

In this paper,we obtain Lipschitz-Nikolskii constants for the Baskakov operators V_n(f,x)。     

Associations among Adult Attachment Representations, Maternal Sensitivity, and Infant-Mother Attachment in a Sample of Adolescent Mothers

Associations among adolescent attachment organization, maternal sensitivity, and infant attachment organization were examined prospectively in 74 teenaged mother-infant dyads. Pregnant teenagers' attachment organizations predicted both sensitivity and infant-mother attachments. Mothers classified autonomous (F) in the prenatal period showed higher levels of sensitivity at both 3 and 9 months than mothers classified dismissing (Ds), preoccupied (E), or unresolved (U). Correspondence between maternal attachment (F vs. Ds/E/U) and infant attachment (secure [B] vs. avoidant [A]/resistant [C]/ disorganized [D]) was observed in 58 of 74 (78%) dyads. Exact 4-group (Ds/E/F/U and A/B/C/D) agreement was observed in 50 of 74 (68%) families. In contrast, associations between maternal sensitivity and infant attachment were not significant, leading to questions about the processes that link attachment representations, maternal behavior, and infant attachment in adolescent mothers.     

The Role of Mathematics in Modern Engineering: AEMC 94

The Australian Engineering Mathematics Conference is now a biennial event. In 1994, this took place in Melbourne, sponsored principally by Swinburne University of Technology. It attracted considerable international interest with many delegates coming from Europe. The paper summarises the proceedings.     

Predictive validity of the K-ABC for exceptional preschoolers

This 5-year follow-up study examined the predictive validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 39 children identified during preschool as exhibiting language impairment (n = 10), behavior control deficits (n = 13), or normal language and behavioral development (n = 16). Mean age at follow-up was 9.75 years. The results generally supported the predictive validity of the K-ABC (p<.001). However, analyses by group indicated that the relationship between baseline K-ABC and follow-up K-ABC, language, and achievement measures for the language-impaired subjects was weak (p>.05). Although these results must be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size, they suggest that for young children likely to be referred as at risk for future learning problems, the K-ABC may not be useful for prediction of later cognitive skills. Implications for practitioners are discussed.