Advancing the construct validity of the Early Communication Indicator (ECI) for infants and toddlers: Equivalence of growth trajectories across two early head start samples

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a measure for universal screening, intervention decision-making, progress monitoring for infants and toddlers needing higher levels of support, and program accountability. In the context of the ECI's long-term wide-scale use for these purposes, we examined the invariance of ECI measurement in two samples of the same Early Head Start (EHS) population differing in the years data were collected. Invariance or equivalence across samples is an important step in measurement validation because making inferences assumes that the measurements are factorially invariant. A number of time-covarying factors (e.g., assessors, children, etc.) can be hypothesized as threats to measurement invariance. Results of latent growth curve analyses indicated similarity in the functional forms (velocity and shape) of the ECIs four key skill trajectories between groups of children and ECI vocalizations, single, and multiple words trajectories met strong factorial and structural invariance. Gestures met only weak factorial invariance. ECI total communications, a weighted composite of the four scales, also met both strong factorial and structural invariance. With one exception, results indicated that the ECI produced comparable growth estimates over different conditions of programs, assessors, and children over time, strengthening the construct validity of the ECI. Implications are discussed.     

Culturally responsive pedagogy for African American students: promising programs and practices for enhanced academic performance

The academic outcomes for African American students continue to lag behind their White, Latino, and Asian American counterparts. Culturally responsive pedagogy has been purported to be an intervention that may help to reverse the persistent under performance for African American students. This article highlights findings from a three-year study of an intervention program designed to increase college going rates for African American students. The authors document the manner in which overall student outcomes, graduation rates, and college going rates increased when culturally responsive pedagogical practices were used. Finally, this work calls for academic rigor to be a more germane characteristic of the culturally responsive pedagogical framework.     

REDUCING DISTANCE THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING: THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERSHIP DOCTORAL PROGRAM AT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Creating a virtual community among learners in a course or program can increase student retention and satisfaction. Although community colleges are increasingly turning to on-line learning experiences for students, doctoral programs in community college leadership (CCL) can model the blending of different learning modalities. Using face-to-face experiences, two-way compressed video, on-line information posting, and synchronous and asynchronous on-line discussions, the CCL program at Colorado State University creates community among its doctoral students. A vignette is presented to illustrate the life of one of these doctoral distance students and to detail the uses of the various learning modalities. The article concludes with a discussion the three main types of support necessary for empowering students and keeping them connected in their community: multiple communities support, multiple meeting spaces support, and multiple systems support. The serendipitous result of this experience has been seeing doctoral students return to their respective community college campuses and use this blending of on-line modalities to serve their own students.     

AN ATTITUDE STUDY OF STUDENTS IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE,A STATE UNIVERSITY,AND A TECHNICAL INSTITUTE

The purpose of this study in college student culture was to determine whether students entering different types of postsecondary institutions have value systems and/or personality characteristics which differ according to the type of institution they select An assessment of the attitudes and traits students bring with them to college was made at a comprehensive state university, a technical institute, and a community college.

The 16 Personality Factors Test of the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing (16 PF of the IPAT) was administered to 269 students in selected freshman level mathematics classes at the three schools. Individual factor scores were used to compute group means for each type of school on the 16 personality factors. The t test applied to differences in group means revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) among groups on several factors. The results support the hypothesis that student personality factors are related to the type of college selected.

If further research as recommended by the authors reinforces these findings, there are implications for many areas of the educational experience; e.g., college selection, programming activities, choosing instructional methods, counseling.     

Clinical Professors for Teacher Education

It is not unusual to find elaborate schemes for compelling and assessing class participation. Although participation can take many forms, in practice it is most synonymous with discussion, which, at its core, is about student engagement. But with what should the students be engaged? When we make class participation a requirement and assess it, students must then produce evidence. But of what? The author examines the intentions behind class participation, considers the means and associated meanings of its implementation, and suggests new ways for professors to think about and justify it, with our productive learning outcomes in mind.     

Significant Others and Professionalized Sport Attitudes

Abstract

Using an extension of Webb's concept of professionalized sport attitudes, it was explored whether the type of significant other and degree of parental psychological support were related to professionalized sport attitudes (win/skill orientation) or to nonprofessionalized sport attitudes (fair play/total participation orientation). Comparisons were made between 1236 economically disadvantaged boys and 1096 economically disadvantaged girls enrolled in the summer portion of the National Youth Sports Program, resulting in the following findings. Males demonstrated a more professionalized sport attitude than did females. Males perceived their father/male guardian as the most important significant other whereas females perceived their mother/female guardian as the most important significant other. No relationship was found between the type of significant other (mother/female guardian, father/male guardian, teacher/coach, or friend) and professionalized sport attitudes for both boys and girls. However, parental psychological support factors were found to be related to professionalized sport attitudes for males but not for females. Explanations for the demonstrated relationship between parental psychological factors and professionalized sport attitudes were discussed which included support for the growing concern that parents may be in part responsible for developing “winning” and “skill” values in youth sport participants. This adult intervention, however, presently may only be significant for male youth sport participants.     

Sports Betting and Other Gambling in Athletes,Fans, and Other College Students

Gambling on college and professional sports and the influence of attending colleges with differing levels of “sports interest” were examined among athletes, sports fans, and other students (N = 10,559) at 119 colleges in the United States using multilevel statistical analysis. Athletes and fans reported more sports gambling compared to other students, with no differences between athletes and fans. Male students were more likely to gamble than female students, but gender did not moderate the relationship between athletic participation and sports gambling. Students attending schools with a greater “sports interest” were more likely to gamble on college sports after adjusting for individual characteristics. Athletes, sports fans, and students attending schools with high “sports interest” are appropriate targets for prevention efforts.