General Communications

MASSCOM: MODULES IN MASS COMMUNICATION, (Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1984—series of seven booklets, price not given, paper)

COMPARATIVE BROADCASTING SYSTEMS, by Richard C. Burke (43 pp.)

MASS MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE, by Kathleen J. Turner (38 pp.)

MASS MEDIA HISTORY, by Don Pember (57 pp.)

MASS MEDIA AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES, by Loy Singleton (43 pp.)

MASS MEDIA LAW, by William L. Rivers (43 pp.)

MASS MEDIA CAREERS, by Joseph Turow (60 pp.)

WRITING TELEVISION CRITICISM, by Bruce E. Gronbeck (44 pp.)

FUNDAMENTALS OF COPY AND LAYOUT, by Albert C. Book and C. Dennis Schick (Chicago: Crain Books, 1984—$14.95)

THE BENEVOLENT DICTATORS: INTERVIEWS WITH ADVERTISING GREATS, by Bart Cummings (Chicago: Crain Books, 1984—$24.95)     

Removal of Gay‐Themed Materials from Public Libraries: Public Opinion Trends, 1973–2006

Gay images have slowly become integrated into mainstream cultural venues over the last forty years, including publishing. Studies show that gay‐themed materials in libraries are targets of censorship attempts. Are these attempts reflections of the opinions of the majority of the population or of a vocal minority? The information in this study contributes over thirty years of trend data on the general public's views of the censorship of gay‐themed materials in libraries. This information can be useful to library policy makers and those faced with materials challenges.     

The Four Year Reliability of a Test of Learning Problems

Learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and unclassified male students (N = 123) originally tested with the Elizur Test of Psycho-Organicity (ETPO) when they were 6 to 11 years of age by Brooks (1) and Jackson (7), were followed-up and reassessed four years later. The test-retest reliability of the total ETPO score was .70, and subtest reliabilities ranged from .47 to .62. The pattern of subtest intercorrelations also remained stable over the four year interval. It was concluded that the ETPO is sufficiently stable for use with school-aged boys, though individual subtest scores should be used with caution.     

Causal Modeling and Research on Teacher Education

Causal modeling was applied to data collected in a naturalistic setting in an attempt to validate a conceputal model of teaching. These data, collected on 44 student teachers, included supervisory ratings of the variables: specifying performance objectives, diagnosing learners, selecting instructional strategies, and interacting with learners. Additionally, the mean number of objectives achieved by the classes of each of the student teachers was used as a measure of the fifth variable in the model, evaluating the effectiveness of instruction. A recursive causal model which described the relationship of these variables was developed and analyzed, using four linear equations. Examination of the path coefficients from these equations revealed that the variables, specification of performance objectives, and diagnosing learners account for over one-half the variance in selecting instructional strategies. Other results indicated there were low to moderate amounts of variance shared by the variables in the model. This study illustrates the application of causal modeling techniques in testing theoretical models in education using data collected in naturalistic, nonexperimental settings.