New media environments’ comparative effects upon intercultural sensitivity: A five-dimensional analysis

An experimental 2 (channel) × 2 (gender) × 3 (time) mixed factorial design (N = 159) was applied to test and compare how individual dimensions of intercultural sensitivity might be affected by two channels: a virtual environment (i.e., Second Life^®) versus a Web environment. Using a modified version of Chen and Starosta's Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS), the study sought to identify which of the five ISS dimensions played the most influential role in intercultural sensitivity outcomes: interaction enjoyment, interaction engagement, interaction confidence, interaction attentiveness, or respect for cultural differences. Results showed that one's willingness and effort toward understanding an intercultural interaction – interaction attentiveness – played the greatest and most statistically significant role in intercultural sensitivity outcomes, and that this effect was greatest within the virtual environment channel. Gender effects were also found, in which men experienced greater enjoyment but women expressed more attentiveness.     

ROUSSEAU'S IMAGINARY FRIEND: CHILDHOOD,PLAY, AND SUSPICION OF THE IMAGINATION IN EMILE

In this essay Amy Shuffelton considers Jean‐Jacques Rousseau's suspicion of imagination, which is, paradoxically, offered in the context of an imaginative construction of a child's upbringing. First, Shuffelton articulates Rousseau's reasons for opposing children's development of imagination and their engagement in the sort of imaginative play that is nowadays considered a hallmark of early and middle childhood. Second, she weighs the merits of Rousseau's opposition, which runs against the consensus of contemporary social science research on childhood imaginative play. Ultimately, Shuffelton argues that Rousseau's work offers an important cautionary note to enthusiasts of children's imaginative play, due to the potentially disruptive influence of consumer capitalism, though she also notes that imagination may play a more redemptive role than Rousseau granted it.     

PRESERVICE TEACHER APPLICATION OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Successfully implementing the practice of inclusion by differentiating instruction depends on both the skills and attitudes of general education teachers. New general education teachers who are entering the field are particularly vulnerable to the demands and stress of the profession, and teacher education programs must prepare preservice teachers to meet the needs of all students by teaching the skills needed to make appropriate lesson adaptations, accommodations, and modifications. This study investigates the manifestation of differentiation for special education students in work sample lesson plans written by preservice teachers working toward an elementary school credential. The research examined the nature, characteristics, and types of instructional adaptations included in the work samples prepared by a sample of preservice teachers resulting in six distinct themes and recommendations for teacher education programs.     

Early Literacy Measures for Improving Student Reading Achievement: Translating Research Into Practice

The importance of early literacy instruction and its role in later reading proficiency is well established; however, measures and procedures to screen and monitor proficiency in the area of early literacy are less well researched. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the technical adequacy and validity of early curriculum-based literacy measures, Letter–Sound Correspondence, Onset Phoneme Identification, and Phoneme Segmentation, developed for use within the problem-solving model in the Minneapolis Public Schools and (b) describe the district-wide implementation of these measures. In general, these measures were found to have adequate reliability and validity, have moderate to moderately high correlations with criterion measures (oral reading, report cards), and be sensitive to growth across the school year. A case study of how these measures are used for screening and progress monitoring to improve reading achievement within 1 school is included. Limitations and future directions are also presented.     

Quality control in distance education: The role of regional accreditation

Abstract

Presidents wanting their institutions to maintain traditional educational primacy despite necessary changes occasioned by offerings made possible through technological innovations can rely upon the quality assurance mechanisms of their regional accrediting association. This article discusses how, by augmenting traditional standards as well as the process for their application, the associations address such areas as: the admission, promotion, and graduation of students; the availability of out‐of‐class services, including information resources; the integration of distance education programming into the institution as a whole; and public communication of the expectations, process, and results of distance education programming at an accredited institution.     

宣传画《毛主席万岁!》创作追忆

1959年,我正在市委党校为上海市历史纪念馆(筹)创作历史画<中国共产党第七次党代表大会>.上海人民美术出版社来了一位编辑向我组稿,要我为建国十周年大庆创作一幅重点作品,我欣然接受.     

彭家珍舍命炸良弼

彭家珍舍命炸良弼京城茶座轰……,一声巨响,打破了老北京城饱含凄凉的静寂,对于久惯于沉寂的人们来说,无异于突响的炸雷。刹那间,街面上一阵混乱,只见光明殿胡同里奔出一行人,抬着一个鲜血淋淋的人向医院匆匆而去,还有几个吹着警笛的巡警向这里跑来……这天是公元...