Time‐Limited Counseling Outcome in a Nationwide College Counseling Center Sample

This study examined the dose‐effect relationship between the number of sessions and therapeutic outcome in a large, nationwide counseling center research consortium. A positive relationship was found between the outcome of counseling and the number of sessions attended. The results of this study support the effectiveness of brief psychotherapy.     

Addressing diversity in US teacher preparation programs: A survey of elementary and secondary programs’ priorities and challenges from across the United States of America

Data gathered from 142 public university elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs across the United States (representing the preparation of approximately 23,000–30,000 new teachers annually), indicated that race/ethnicity was the most emphasized diversity topic followed by special needs, language diversity, economic (social class), gender, and sexual orientation. The majority of programs addressed diversity topics across program classes. States were similar in the priority assigned to various diversity topics, with the exception of California, which placed greater emphasis upon language diversity but less upon special needs as compared to other states. In addition, there appeared to be little to no relationship between the faculty demographics (gender and race) and the priorities placed upon gender and racial diversity in programs. The project also surveyed program coordinators’ assessments of the various challenges to the inclusion of diversity topics. Finally, the data suggested that possible relationships might exist between faculty attitudes/knowledge regarding diversity topics and student attitudes.     

Ego development in women with histories of sexual abuse.

As many as a third of the women in this culture experience sexual abuse prior to reaching age 18. Recent literature and research have presented divergent views related to the impact of early abuse on ego development, with arguments supporting both ego fragmentation and ego acceleration. This preliminary study compared the level of ego development, as measured by Loevinger's Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT), of 30 women with histories of childhood sexual victimization, and 30 women with no history of abuse. Results indicated no significant difference between the ego levels of the sexually abused and nonabused groups, with a slight trend toward higher ego development in the abused group. Factors contributing to these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are suggested.     

Educational Technology Utilization in Jamaica's Secondary School System: present problems and future prospects

The rhetoric of technology from the developed world tends to mesmerize educational planners in Third World countries into thinking that the introduction of technology (ie, television, radio, computers, etc) into their educational systems will act as a panacea for whatever ills are being experienced. A study of the actual use over the past two decades of educational television (ETV) and self-instructional materials (SIM) in the Jamaican secondary school system reveals that ETV and SIM have had limited impact. Inadequate provision of infrastructural requirements, too heavy a reliance on foreign aid, and unrealistic assessment of the real costs of innovation have contributed to this.
Current trends in the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) suggest that the mistakes made in the past with ETV may well be repeated. More significantly, use of CAI in the high school and the new secondary school system in Jamaica may well lead to greater disparity in educational opportunities offered to children from different social classes—a situation that successive governments have tried to correct. The paper points out the need for Third World countries to 'demystify' technology and assume greater responsiblity for initiating educational innovations that are better suited to the economic and social realities of developing nations.     

Social Networks and Mothers' Interactions with Their Preschool Children

The relation of mothers' personal and maternal networks to the quality of their play interactions was examined. Personal networks consisted of all persons the mother deemed important in her life at the present time; her maternal network consisted of those who were important in her role as a mother. 44 mothers were $$ extensively about their social networks and kept a logdiary for 1 week of their contacts with networks members. They were also observed during a play session with their 4-year-old child. Intercorrelations among network variables supported the conceptualization of social networks as multifaceted with major distinctions between personal and maternal networks and between structure and satisfaction. Mothers who were more satisfied with their personal networks and mothers with larger maternal networks demonstrated more optimal maternal behavior: they praised their children more and they were less intrusively controlling. Mothers with less cohesive networks also demonstrated this pattern.     

Pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs and emotional states

Teachers’ efficacy beliefs play an important role in how they create quality learning environments. When pre-service teachers (also known as initial teacher trainees) develop strong efficacy beliefs, they can be confident in their abilities to be successful teachers once they enter the field. One way pre-service teachers obtain efficacy information is through their emotional states. Positive emotional experiences like joy and satisfaction may enhance a teacher’s sense of efficacy, while undesirable emotions such as fear and worry could be debilitating to efficacy beliefs. The current study investigated how feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress contributed to efficacy beliefs among a sample of 297 American pre-service teachers. Results from regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms negatively predicted teacher efficacy beliefs. However, reports of anxiety and stress did not significantly predict efficacy. Student teaching experience also did not significantly predict teacher efficacy.     

Using person response functions to investigate areas of person misfit related to item characteristics

Individual person fit analyses provide important information regarding the validity of test score inferences for an individual test taker. In this study, we use data from an undergraduate statistics test (N = 1135) to illustrate a two-step method that researchers and practitioners can use to examine individual person fit. First, person fit is examined numerically with several indices based on the Rasch model (i.e., Infit, Outfit, and Between-Subset statistics). Second, person misfit is presented graphically with person response functions, and these person response functions are interpreted using a heuristic. Individual person fit analysis holds promise for improving score interpretation in that it may detect potential threats to validity of score inferences for some test takers. Individual person fit analysis may also highlight particular subsets of items (on which a test taker performs unexpectedly) that can be used to further contextualize her or his test performance.     

Preparation of the youth for the world of work: The effectiveness of programmes linking education with production in the commonwealth Caribbean

In the wake of rising youth unemployment, Third World countries have been urged to diversify their schools' curricula by introducing programmes that link education with production (EWP) in an effort to prepare the youth more effectively for the working world. This study presents a typology of EWP programmes in the Commonwealth Caribbean and examines the extent to which they have achieved their stated objectives. Although programmes in the nonformal education system appear more effective in achieving economic objectives, the author advises against a rejection of EWP programmes in the formal system and draws attention to the plight of vast numbers of youths who do not have access to such programmes.     

Learning to label: socialisation,gender, and the hidden curriculum of high‐stakes testing

Although high‐stakes tests play an increasing role in students’ schooling experiences, scholars have not examined these tests as sites for socialisation. Drawing on qualitative data collected at an American urban primary school, this study explores what educators teach students about motivation and effort through high‐stakes testing, how students interpret and internalise these messages, and how student hierarchies develop as a result. I found that teachers located boys’ failure in their poor behavior and attitudes, while arguing that girls simply needed more self‐esteem to pass the test. Most boys accepted their teachers’ diagnosis of the problem. However, the boys who felt that they were already ‘doing their best’ and ‘working hard’ began to doubt that educational success is a function of merit and effort. I conclude that students learn about much more than the three Rs through their experiences with high‐stakes testing, and argue that future research should attend to the social dimensions of these experiences.     

The Effect of Teacher–Child Race/Ethnicity Matching and Classroom Diversity on Children's Socioemotional and Academic Skills

Mounting evidence suggests teacher–child race/ethnicity matching and classroom diversity benefit Black and Latinx children's academic and socioemotional development. However, less is known about whether the effects of teacher–child matching differ across levels of classroom diversity. This study examined effects of matching on teacher-reported child outcomes in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of teachers and children, and classroom diversity moderation using multilevel models. Data were drawn from a professional learning study involving 224 teachers (M_age = 41.5) and 5,200 children (M_age = 7.7) in 36 New York City elementary schools. Teacher–child race/ethnicity matching was associated with higher child engagement in learning, motivation, social skills, and fewer absences. Classroom diversity moderated matching such that teacher–child mismatch was related to lower engagement, motivation, social skills, math and reading scores in low-diversity classrooms, but not in high-diversity classrooms. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.