The Experiences of Low-Income Latina/o Families in an Urban Voucher,Parochial School

Catholic schools have become a popular choice for many low income families Latino/a families. Families enrollment in these schools are often faced with the mandate to participate. However, regardless of the mandate, some schools often experience low parental participation. The purpose of this study is to document the experiences of low income, Latino/a families around parental involvement in hopes of understanding the reasoning for participating (or not) in their child’s school. The researchers conclude that families do not participate for a number of reasons including lack of opportunities, and an unwelcoming environment. The implications for Latina/o urban education are discussed.     

Can squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) plan for the future? Studies of temporal myopia in food choice

In seven experiments, 2 squirrel monkeys were given choices between arrays of food that varied in the quantity offered. In Experiments 1-5, the monkeys were offered choices between quantities of the same food that varied in a 2:1 ratio. The squirrel monkeys failed to show the temporal myopia effect or a decrease in preference for the larger quantity as the absolute number of food items offered increased. Even when given choices of 8 versus 16 peanuts and 10 versus 20 peanuts, both monkeys significantly preferred the larger quantity. An examination of the monkeys' rates of consumption indicated that 20 peanuts were consumed over a 1- to 2-h period, with eating bouts separated by periods of nonconsumption. In Experiments 6A, 6B, and 7, food was either pilfered or replenished 15 min after an initial choice, so that choice of the smaller quantity led to more total food in the long run. These manipulations caused both monkeys to reduce choice of the larger quantity, relative to baseline choice. The results suggest that squirrel monkeys anticipated the future consequences of their choices.     

Advice to doctoral guidance committees from alumni at two universities

This investigation provided a comparative analysis of results of follow-up studies of graduates of doctoral programs at Ohio State and Michigan State universities. The same questionnaire survey and similar sampling procedures were used in both settings. The survey considered alumni perceptions of guidance committee activities, course work, comprehensive examinations, and dissertations. Most findings were consistent across both institutions (e.g., about one-fifth of the graduates from both universities wish they had taken more course work in research methodology). However, some striking contrasts were also found (e.g., the proportion of graduates who published articles based on their dissertations was 40% at one university and 23% at the other). The report offers recommendations for doctoral guidance committees suggested by the findings.     

The reading–science learning–writing connection: Breakthroughs,barriers, and promises

This article establishes a broad framework from which to interpret and evaluate the reading–science learning–writing connection. The presentation of breakthroughs, barriers, and promises is intended to outline the established links between, to identify current bottlenecks in thinking about, and to highlight productive inquiries into, print-based languages and scientific understanding. The ideas presented come from various disciplines connected to science education. The ideas are meant to be informative, provocative, integrative, supportive, and without hidden agenda.     

Discriminated avoidance vs classical conditioning: A two-phase model analysis

The acquisition of discriminated avoidance and classically conditioned leg flexions in dogs and of discriminated avoidance leg flexion in cats was examined via a two-phase model of conditioning. Classically conditioned Ss uniformly required two operators during Phase 2, with the limit of the CR operator being greater than that of the CR operator. Not all avoidance-trained Ss required two operators during Phase 2, but those who did also had a higher CR than CR operator limit. The CR operator limit was higher for avoidance than for classical training, while the change rate was greater for classical training. The avoidance behavior of cats paralleled that of the dogs. It was concluded that the data generally conformed to views of Hilgard and Marquis and, more recently, of Bolles, but were contrary to what would be expected from two-factor theory.