Reviewing the English Teacher and the English Department: A Method of Individual and Departmental Assessment

This article reviews the evidence on the way that schools and school systems find, share and use research in their work, with a particular focus on the role of school and district leaders in increasing the prominence and value of research in their work. It reviews the evidence on the ways in which practitioners in education find and use research and the role of organisation factors in promoting the use of research. The article concludes with a discussion of steps that school and district leaders could take to increase the profile of research in their organisations.     

Facebook use in the learning environment: do students want this?

The Net Generation (those born in or after 1980) rely heavily on ICTs for social and professional interactions, and it has been suggested that they have the expectation that technology will be an integral part of their education. At the same time, it is argued that Facebook has educational potential, and that today's learners should be encouraged and supported to use Web 2.0 technologies for learning in formal education. However, there is growing evidence that the value of Facebook in the educational context does not relate to formal learning at all, but to the ‘social networking’ elements of the site. This Viewpoint article discusses the results of a study to explore students' views towards the use of Facebook in the university setting, especially with regard to learning and integration into university life. The findings suggest support for informal rather than formal learning use of Facebook within the university setting.     

Communication,Relationships, and Religious Difference in the Northern Ireland Workplace: A Study of Private and Public Sector Organizations

Four large organizations, two each from the private and public sectors of the Northern Ireland economy, were selected for this study which, first, explored the effects of religion-based workforce difference on intergroup relationships, second, investigated the contribution of organizational sector to communicative differences, and third, gauged the effects of group-based negativity on the flow and distribution of functional information within the organization. Little evidence of intergroup conflict was found although employees expressed a desire for greater quantity and quality of outgroup contact. Significant differences between the private and public bodies emerged in this respect. Contrasts were consistent with general organizational differences typifying the sectors. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity management and the characteristics of organizational sectors.     

Catalog Users “In the Wild”: The Potential of an Ethnographic Approach to Studies of Library Catalogs and Their Users

An increasing number of library user studies are employing ethnographic techniques as an alternative to more traditional qualitative methods such as surveys. Such techniques, however, are only beginning to see significant application to catalog user studies. Beginning with a discussion of the applied ethnographic method and its current usage within the field of Library and Information Science research, this article will assess methods that have traditionally been applied to studies of catalog users and present the case for the potential of an ethnographic approach for future catalog evaluation and design.     

Online News Media and Advanced Learning: A Test of Cognitive Flexibility Theory

This study looks at how audiences of online news media could benefit from an application of cognitive flexibility theory (CFT), a constructivist theory from the field of education psychology. CFT posits that when case examples from a complex, “ill-structured” knowledge area are interwoven with conceptual perspectives, individuals can better apply learning across diverse settings. Researchers propose that news stories on complex issues lend themselves to CFT. Results suggest that the CFT format offers greater efficiency and some advantages for more knowledgeable and involved audiences, and for frequent Web users.     

Broadcasting and Cable

Sydney W. Head's Broadcasts in America: A Survey of Television and Radio (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1976--- price not given but about $16.00)

Barcus, two studies of children's television program content

Stuart Hood's The Professions: Radio and Television (North Pomfret, Vt.: David and Charles, 1975---$9.95)

Televisions (Washington Community Video Center, P.O. Box 21068, Washington D.C. 20009---bimonthly/510 for individuals, $15 for institutions)

Cable Television: Promise versus Regulatory Performance (Washington: House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Submommittee on Communications, Committee Print, January 1976---free on request to the Committee Clerk)

“Developing Legal Issues in Cable Communications,” The Catholic University of America Law Review 24:675-898 (Summer 1975)     

User satisfaction with the library service among part‐time students

In higher education levels of resource provision are becoming increasingly important. Within this context academic libraries are required to evaluate their services and ensure that they meet the needs of users. Sensitivity to customer requirements must be extended to include different categories of customer and in light of the changing composition of the student population, serving the needs of part time students should be a priority for academic librarians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of satisfaction with library facilities among part time students in the University of Ulster at Jordanstown (UUJ). A postal questionnaire was administered to two hundred part time students within the Faculty of Business and Management obtaining a response rate of 45%. Factor analysis was used to identify factors underpinning user satisfaction. These reflected two general dimensions of staff and facilities. A clear trend emerged suggesting that part time students rated satisfaction with staff more highly than satisfaction with facilities. Significance testing concluded that there were no differences in levels of satisfaction between regular and irregular users of the library. Clearly further research is needed in the area but this study indicates that efforts at improvement should be directed primarily in the direction of facilities to raise part time students’ satisfaction.     

Evidence based library and information practice: what's in it for you?

With its roots in evidence‐based medicine, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice emerged 15 years ago and, with health librarians leading the way, has since been adopted by librarians and libraries in all sectors. EBLIP is an iterative process that may see you undertaking your own research although most likely, it will see you integrate your experience as a library and information professionals with research evidence generated both within and without the library science sector. As a library and information worker, you can use the Evidence Based Library and Information Practice process to help inform your decision‐making, streamline services and identify ways forward to fit your personal context.     

Surviving Survivor: A Content Analysis of Antisocial Behavior and Its Context in a Popular Reality Television Show

The scope and nature of reality television has changed since researchers last conducted a content analysis of the antisocial behavior for this type of programming. This study examines the content of seven seasons of Survivor, one of America's longest running reality television programs, to determine the types, frequency, and context of antisocial behavior presented in the series as well as the possible effects of the program on longtime viewers using social learning and cultivation theories. In the 76.4 hours of programming analyzed for this study, 4,207 antisocial acts were documented in the coding database. Indirect aggression and verbal aggression were found to be the most frequently occurring types of antisocial behavior. The number (4,207) and the rate (45.7 acts per hour) of antisocial acts in the seven seasons of Survivor analyzed in this study is higher than the findings of a previous study of antisocial behavior in reality-based television conducted in 1997. This study clearly demonstrates that longtime viewers of Survivor get a higher dose of antisocial behavior than did regular viewers of news programming and other reality-based programs that aired slightly more than 10 years ago.     

Opening the black box of field experiences: How cooperating teachers' beliefs and practices shape student teachers' beliefs and practices

This study employed ethnographic methods to describe and explain changes to beginning science teachers' (n = 6) practices and beliefs during a year long internship. Teaching practices were strongly influenced by the cooperating teachers. Initially, all six interns attempted to re-enact lessons they witnessed their cooperating teachers teach, including following lesson structures and borrowing representations, anecdotes, and jokes. Later, they independently implemented instruction that emphasized similar strategies as their mentors, regardless of whether or not they were experiencing success. Interns who were successful also shifted their beliefs to match their mentors.