Self-, teachers', and mothers' perceptions of the behaviorally disordered child

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between the self-perceptions of the behaviorally disordered child and the perceptions of the child by his/her teacher and mother. A related purpose was to determine if there are specific areas (factors) with greater discrepancies. Normal and behaviorally disordered children, matched by grade and sex, were evaluated using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale. There were significantly lower scores given by the three evaluator groups for the behaviorally disordered. The teachers evaluated the behaviorally disordered children significantly lower than did the other evaluators. For the normal children, there were no significant differences between the three evaluator groups. The pattern of evaluations was the same for all factors. The only exception in each of these findings was Factor III—Physical Appearance and Attributes—in which both normal and behaviorally disordered children evaluated themselves lower than did their teachers and mothers. Implications of these findings for school personnel are discussed.     

Daily steps in midlife and older adults: relationship with demographic, self-rated health, and self-reported physical activity

The relationship between average daily step counts and age, body mass index (BMI), self-reported physical activity (PA) level, and perceived health was determined in 85 middle-aged and older adults who wore a pedometer for 7 consecutive days. Average daily steps were significantly (p < .05) correlated with BMI (r = -.26), age (r = -.44) and perceived health (r = .53) but not with self-reported PA level (r = .19). The adjusted percentage of participants classified as meeting the PA recommendation in < or = 5,000, 5,001-9,999, and > or = 10,000 steps/day categories ranged from 53 to 61%. These findings support previous evidence in younger populations suggesting that the recommended minimal level of health-related PA may be achieved despite not accumulating 10,000 steps/day.     

Science: An unreliable friend to environmental education?

This article focuses upon the uneasy relationship between science and environmental education. It argues that science probably offers the strongest justification for the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours and policies, but that the relationship between science and environmentalism is strained by conflicts over fundamental values that are apparent in interpretation of the precautionary principle. An understanding of risk and scientific uncertainty is seen as an essential element of citizenship education for a sustainable society. Curriculum design needs to respond to the challenges of living in a risk society. The article argues for changes to the curriculum which lead to a scientific action competence founded in an understanding of the limits of science and an appreciation of the fact that scientists are moral agents who face ethical dilemmas in their work.     

The Relation between Mothers' Hostile Attribution Tendencies and Children's Externalizing Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Mothers' Harsh Discipline Practices

This study examined relations among mothers' hostile attribution tendencies regarding their children's ambiguous problem behaviors, mothers' harsh discipline practices, and children's externalizing behavior problems. A community sample of 277 families (19% minority representation) living in three geographic regions of the United States was followed for over 4 years. Mothers' hostile attribution tendencies were assessed during the summer prior to children's entry into kindergarten through their responses to written vignettes. Mothers' harsh discipline practices were assessed concurrently through ratings by interviewers and reports by spouses. Children's externalizing behavior problems were assessed concurrently through written questionnaires by mothers and fathers and in the spring of kindergarten and first, second, and third grades through reports by teachers and peer sociometric nominations. Results of structural equations models demonstrated that mothers' hostile attribution tendencies predicted children's future externalizing behavior problems at school and that a large proportion of this relation was mediated by mothers' harsh discipline practices. These results remained virtually unchanged when controlling for initial levels of children's prekindergarten externalizing behavior problems at home.     

Contemporary developments in educational technology design and evaluation: Special issue part II

This special issue of the research section of ETR&D represents the second grouping of papers solicited from national leaders in educational technology research and design. The first grouping, which appeared in Volume 46, Number 4, 1998, contained papers by Rita Richey, “The Pursuit of Useable Knowledge in Instructional Technology”; Mitchel Resnick, “Digital Manipulatives: Tools for Lifelong Kindergarten”; and Ben Shneiderman and colleagues, “Emergent Patterns of Teaching/Learning in Electronic Classrooms.”     

Young children's encoding of images based on motor and verbal modes of mediation

Twenty-four kindergarten subjects were given practice producing a geometric production when given the three dimensional object. Six children were told how to draw the projections, six children drew the projections, six children drew the projections and were told how to draw the projections, and six children were told to remember the drawings. Using a two-way analysis of variance, the main effect of motor activity (drawing the projections) was significant (p < .05). It was concluded that children's learning activities should be motor based, rather than verbal.     

An evaluation of social learning procedures designed to aid students with conduct problems

A social learning based intervention program for conduct problem students in the middle grades is described and evaluated. Multiple outcome measures were used to assess treatment effects. Teachers' reports on behavior checklists and daily ratings of targeted behaviors indicated improvement with 9 of the 12 consecutively referred students. A more conservative criterion of improvement on measures from two independent sources indicated improvement with 7 students. All of the 12 students received improved scores on at least one outcome measure, and the program was well received by teachers.     

Cable Communications

Walter S. Baer's Cable Television: A Handbook for Decisionmaking

Baer's basic report (New York: Crane, Russak and Co., 1974 -- $11.00)

Cable Television: Franchising Considerations

Steven Rivkin's Cable Television: A Guide to Federal Regulations

Cable Television: Developing Community Services

The Complete Guide to Cable Marketing (Washington, D.C.: National Cable Television Association, 918 16th St., N.W., 1973 -- $4.95, or $2.95 if NCTA member, paper)

Bridger Mitchell and Robert Smiley's Cable, Cities and Copyrights (Santa Monica, Calif.: Rand Corporation, 1973 -- $3.00, paper)     

Kinematic sequence patterns in the overhead baseball pitch

ABSTRACT

Conceptually, an efficient baseball pitch demonstrates a proximal-to-distal transfer of segmental angular velocity. Such a timing pattern (or kinematic sequence) reduces stress on musculoskeletal structures of the throwing arm and maximises ball velocity. We evaluated the variability of kinematic sequences in 208 baseball pitches. 3D biomechanical pitch analyses were performed on 8–10 fastball pitches from 22 baseball pitchers (5 high school, 11 collegiate and 6 professional). The kinematic sequence patterns – time of peak angular velocity of five body segments: pelvis, trunk, arm, forearm and hand – were measured. None of the pitches analysed demonstrated an entirely proximal-to-distal kinematic sequence. Fourteen different kinematic sequence patterns were demonstrated, with the most prevalent sequence being pelvis → trunk → arm → hand → forearm. Fewer than 10% of the pitchers performed only one kinematic sequence pattern across the sampled pitches. The variability of the kinematic sequence was similar in high-school pitchers and professionals. Previous studies report that deviation from the proximal-to-distal kinematic sequence is associated with increased injury risk. As a method of evaluating the efficient transfer of energy to the hand, the kinematic sequence may provide insight to injury risk in the future. The ideal kinematic sequence and ideal variability of the sequence when throwing have yet to be determined.     

Teacher–student relationship quality and math achievement: The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy

The relation between social dyadic variables such as teacher–student relationship quality (TSRQ) and student achievement have been well-documented within prior work; however, less research has focused on how TSRQ associates with achievement. We used longitudinal structural equation modeling to investigate the extent that teacher self-efficacy mediated the relationship between TSRQ and math achievement for 881 children in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study. Teacher–student closeness had moderate to large positive effects on teacher self-efficacy, whereas teacher–student conflict had small to moderate negative effects on teacher self-efficacy, which then had small positive effects on math achievement. Closeness only had indirect effects on math achievement via teacher self-efficacy, whereas conflict had direct and indirect effects on math achievement. The results were consistent across grades, lending strength to the findings. This study provides researchers and practitioners evidence of an area that can be developed to potentially enhance student success in math.