A case example of one state's efforts to measure and address the critical shortage of school psychologists

Despite persistent calls for school psychologists to provide comprehensive and integrated services, school psychologists may have difficulty providing these services because of critical shortages in the profession. This practical action research study involved surveying district supervisors of school psychologists and training program directors in the state to identify the current and projected shortages in Florida. This multimethod, multi‐informant case example also focused on facilitators of and barriers to addressing the critical shortage. How the data have been used to inform recruitment, retention, and advocacy efforts to identify school psychology as a critical shortage legislatively are provided as well as recommendations for future research.     

How pre-service teachers internalize the link between research literacy and pedagogy

Enabling pre-service teachers to develop a critical view of their practice and to acquire the higher order inquiry skills necessary for pedagogic research has been and continues to be a challenge. The present study presents a unique intervention in the training of pre-service teachers in research literacy (RL) skills using a Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach. The intervention is implemented in two different Learning Communities (LC), one online and the other blended. Both immediate and long-term effects of PBL are investigated as are the effects of social and direct scaffolding within the LCs. The study focuses on transmitting the following RL skills: identifying and defining a problem, formulating a research question, and designing a research method. The findings indicate an immediate effect upon all RL skills in both LCs. The long-term effect appears only in the online LC and only for two RL skills: identifying and defining problems. Additionally, there is greater use of social scaffolding in formulating and designing a research study in the online LC than in the blended learning community. Those findings are then interpreted in terms of retention capacity and scaffolding in blended and online LCs.     

Differential response to structure of advance organizers in science instruction

In an experiment designed to investigate individual differences in learning from written materials preceded by advance organizers, 89 fourth-grade subjects were randomly assigned to treatment conditions in which programmed material on insects was preceded by one of three introductory passages containing: (1) higher level generalizations and specific examples; (2) higher level generalizations without examples; or (3) a control passage. Membership in treatment groups was determined by random assignment. Criterion performances were immediate and delayed posttest performance and errors during instruction. Analysis of variance results of treatment effects showed that the three treatments were about equally effective in terms of promoting retention and program errors. Simple regression analysis of Aptitude × Treatment interactions disclosed that Otis-Lennon IQ scores interacted significantly with instructional treatments for program errors showing a negative relationship between IQ scores and the degree of structure provided by the advance organizers.     

An appropriate curriculum for 4–5‐year‐old children in Northern Ireland: comparing play‐based and formal approaches

This paper reports on an investigation into the quality of the learning experiences for 4–5‐year‐old children in Northern Ireland schools in the context of the debate about play‐based and formal approaches to learning and teaching. Detailed observations were carried out in 70 Year 1 classes: 38 in traditional Year 1 classes where the Northern Ireland National Curriculum is being delivered, and 32 in Enriched Curriculum classes, where a more developmentally appropriate, play‐based and child‐centred curriculum is being piloted. The quality of the learning experience in each class was assessed using a structured observation schedule, i.e. Walsh and Gardner's Quality learning instrument. Overall the Enriched Curriculum appears to be providing 4–5‐year‐old children in Northern Ireland with a higher‐quality learning experience. The children are given more opportunities to act independently, are engaged in more challenging activities and are more learning disposed, and they show higher levels of emotional, social and physical well‐being. The findings are discussed in terms of what constitutes an appropriate curriculum for this age group.     

Some problems in interpreting criterion-referenced test results in a program evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to delineate several problems which arise when criterion-referenced test results are used to evaluate the effects of a specific educational treatment. Specifically, the paper deals with: (1) alternative methods of aggregating individual student and group data on objectives, (2) the sensitivity of the instrument to program outcomes, and (3) the comparisons of criterion-referenced test data and standardized (norm-referenced) achievement test data.     

Meeting basic needs: Health and safety practices in feeding and diapering infants

Summary Diapering and feeding are two vitally important routines in meeting basic needs of infants. Such routine times provide opportunities for enhancing infants' development through interaction with others. Feeding and diapering times are ideal for one-to-one interaction with infants. Caregivers are encouraged to speak directly with children, asking questions and responding to infant vocalizations with verbal and nonverbal (e.g., smile, head nod) communications. Adults can also label infant body parts as well as the items used in the process of feeding and diapering. Singing simple songs and reciting rhymes can also be incorporated into routine times. Early childhood professionals educating and caring for infants are encouraged to review the procedures used in diapering and feeding. Assessing whether procedures assure safe and healthy conditions for infants is an important component of quality care.     

The Effects of Systemic Family Violence on Children's Mental Health

This study examines the link between different forms of family aggression and children's symptoms of psychopathology. The goal of the study was to understand what forms children's problems might take in violent homes and whether close ties within the family (to the mother or a sibling) buffered children. Interviews with 365 mothers and 1 of their children between the ages of 6 and 12 about abuse in the home, support and closeness within the nuclear family, and mother's and children's mental health formed the basis of this study. Families were recruited from battered women's shelters and the community. We found that different forms of abuse in the home were highly interrelated and that children of battered women were at risk for child abuse. Domestic violence predicted children's general psychopathology, but we uncovered little evidence for the presence of specific sorts of disorders as a result of family dysfunction. Although mothers experiencing conjugal violence were more likely to have mental health problems, their mental health did not mediate the children's response to family conflict. Finally, there was less sibling and parental warmth in families marked by aggression, although when it was present, family social support failed to buffer children. Although the general pattern of results was consistent across respondents (mother and child), there was low agreement on symptoms of child psychopathology.     

Internet Survey of Nutrition Claim Knowledge

ABSTRACT: Consumer interest in healthy foods has spurred approval of several health claims for foods and dietary supplements. Although undergraduate and graduate food science curricula address food laws and regulations, nutrition claims may not be fully addressed. We posted a survey on the Internet for 2 mo for food industry professionals and others interested in taking the survey to assess their understanding of laws and regulations pertaining to nutrition labeling for foods and dietary supplements. The purpose of this survey was to measure knowledge in this area so that our university and others could reevaluate their curricula to provide student and lifelong learners with appropriate information about this important topic. Respondents were asked to indicate whether displayed claims were health claims, structure-function claims, or not approved for use on food labels. Respondents ( N = 136) indicated that they gained information about nutrition claims from many sources. Although respondents correctly identified approved health claims and claims that are not approved for foods, some confusion about nutrition claims may exist because not all respondents correctly identified claims in the appropriate category. Issues in educating food scientists include keeping food labeling information current and defining complex topics such as structure-function claims. The findings of this pilot study have been used to incorporate lectures about health claims in courses in addition to the food law class at the Univ. of Maine.