The Development of an Environmental Science Degree Program in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The authors report a study that is based on the premise that, although it continues to be desirable to chart public attitudes toward the natural environment, the widely used 12-item New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, published by R. E. Dunlap and K. D. van Liere in 1978, is in need of revision if it is to measure the public's more recent and sophisticated understanding of complex environmental issues. A quantitative and qualitative 2-stage international survey was conducted via the Internet in which respondents not only completed the NEP scale but also commented critically and in depth on the scale items. The authors determined that the NEP scale is limited with respect both to the anachronistic wording of items and its inability to capture people's increasingly thorough understanding of the nature, severity, and scope of environmental problems over the last 2 to 3 decades. Several suggestions are offered for updating the NEP scale if it is to continue to be a useful research tool.     

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS AND FACULTY OPINIONS OF TECH PREP

According to D. Hull and D. Parnell (1991), technical preparation, commonly referred to as Tech Prep, is essentially an innovative approach to vocational education. It is designed to integrate academic subjects (i.e., mathematics and science) with vocational-technical education subjects (i.e., engineering technology, applied science) and mechanical, industrial, or vocational subjects (i.e., agriculture, health, and business). This study focused on community college presidents' knowledge of attitudes toward Tech Prep in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). Four research questions were addressed in the research that are essential to the success of Tech Prep initiatives in the NCCCS. These questions were (1) to what extent are the 58 community colleges in North Carolina actively engaged in Tech Prep programs?; (2) how many of the colleges have been actively involved in Tech Prep programs for four or more years?; (3) to what extent do senior administrators, faculty, and administrative support staff differ in their opinions of Tech Prep programs in their respective colleges?; and (4) what are the differences in opinions of Tech Prep among community college presidents, faculty, and administrative support staff on issues such as recruiting better-prepared students, retention, and graduation rates?     

Season of birth distribution of elite tennis players

In many competitive sports, the use of a cut-off date for junior competition has been associated with a skewed birth date distribution in junior and senior players. The International Tennis Federation uses a junior competition year that commences on 1 January. The purpose of the current investigation was to describe the birth date distribution of 448 elite senior tennis players and 476 elite junior tennis players. There was a significant season of birth bias among elite senior players (P <?0.001), with 58.9% being born in the first 6 months of the year. There was also a significant season of birth bias among elite junior players (P <?0.001), with 59.5% being born in the first 6 months of the year. This pattern was observed in both male and female players as well as in players from different regions. The results provide evidence that it is the cut-off date for the junior competition year that is responsible for the skewed birth date distribution in tennis rather than regional or climatic factors.     

Microbial technology: Some social and intercultural implications in development

This contribution deals with the interrelationships of microbial technology, culture, and society especially since such technology is expected to contribute to national and global development in the coming decades. In harnessing the beneficial activities of microbes for national development, a number of factors, some social, others cultural, are encountered in either the acceptance or rejection of such technology by different peoples. Specific examples are cited, particularly with the development of technologies for the developing world in the food and energy sectors. Attention is also given to the role of women and to the use of resources that are acceptable to some communities and unacceptable to others due to prevailing sociocultural traits. Recognition of the different aids and barriers in development involves an understanding of the existing social and intercultural factors and their implications.