An Analysis of Degree Results in Geography by Gender

Chi‐square analysis is used to test for differences in the degree results of male and female geography graduates from 42 UK universities between 1973 and 1993. The combined results of these universities (i.e. departments at subject‐specific level) show a persistent and striking overrepresentation of males with thirds and pass degrees together with a less obvious, but statistically significant, overrepresentation of males achieving firsts. Corresponding analyses for individual departments emphasise the need for caution in deriving generalisations from aggregate data. A significant difference (at the 99% level) in the cumulative annual degree results of males and females is found in 10 of the 42 departments. The sources of these differences vary and it is suggested that a distinction is drawn between general factors responsible for the pervasive overrepresentation of males in the third/pass categories and department‐specific factors responsible for gender differences in other degree classes, especially firsts.     

Components of phonological awareness

The factorial structure underlying different types of tasks within the domain of phonological awareness was examined in two studies. Large sample sizes allowed for sensitive differentiation of constructs. In the first study, 128 preschool children without any experience of formal reading instruction were tested with a battery of tasks intended to tap various aspects of phonological awareness: rhyme recognition, syllable counting, initial-phoneme matching, initial-phoneme deletion, phoneme blending, and phoneme counting. Three basic components were extracted in a principal component analysis: a phoneme factor, a syllable factor and a rhyme factor. Cross-tabulations indicated considerable dissociation between performance on phoneme, syllable, and rhyme tasks. The structural relationships were replicated on a much larger sample (n=1509) in the second study. Subjects in this study were one year older and were attending grade 1 thus providing an opportunity to test their reading achievement. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that the phonemic factor was by far the most potent predictor. However, the rhyming factor made an independent (although small) contribution to explaining the reading variance. Among the phonemic tasks, phoneme identification proved to be the most powerful predictor.     

Minor Parenting Stresses with Young Children

The importance of major life stress and minor daily hassles associated with parenting was studied in 74 mothers and their 5-year-old children. Of interest were the relative and absolute contributions of the stress factors to indices of parental, child, and family functioning. Mothers completed questionnaires regarding stressors, aspects of parenting and individual psychological status, social support, family functioning, and child behavioral status. Mother-child pairs were also observed in interactions in a laboratory setting. Analyses indicated that life stress and parenting daily hassles significantly predicted aspects of child, parent, and family status. Hassles, however, proved to be a more powerful stress construct. Further analyses indicated that mothers' social support moderated the influence of hassles on indices of maternal behavior. The results are discussed in relation to the potential for minor parenting stresses to influence microsocial processes within parent-child relationships and contribute to dysfunction in children and families.     

Portfolio versus syllabus methods in experiential education

The portfolio method of assessing past experience for the award of academic credit is being nationally promoted by the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL). The portfolio method has evolved since 1974 and is used in a number of colleges and universities. The project-syllabus method was developed by the author in 1969 to support experiential credit for students in sponsored experiences. Beginning about 1973, the project-syllabus method was also used to support credit for past experiences in some areas. These two methods are contrasted, comparisons made to traditional classroom methods, and strengths and weaknesses analyzed.D. Keith Lupton, the Guest Editor for this issue, is the Director of the Off-Campus Term Program, University of South Florida.     

The Contribution of Educational Psychology to Intervention Research and Practice

Advances in psychological theory have made significant contributions to the considerable progress that has been achieved in intervention research and practice, especially in the past two decades. This article presents a discussion of the major conceptual and methodological issues that have arisen in intervention research, with a focus on interventions for children with learning problems, particularly reading problems. Examples from our own research are presented to illustrate how conceptual and methodological factors in intervention research can be taken into consideration in the design of intervention studies.     

Undergraduate projects in mathematics

Conclusion We have claimed that project work introduces the student to a wide range of mathematical activities: critical reading, selection of material, mathematical exposition, talking about mathematics, formulation of problems, investigation of open problems, and so forth. It also encourages an active personal involvement in mathematics. Our aim in presenting this report has been to focus attention on some of the questions facing university mathematics teachers at this time, in the hope that others may be encouraged to seek their own answers.     

Augmenting the Correlated Trait–Correlated Method Model for Multitrait–Multimethod Data

We introduce an approach for ensuring empirical identification of the correlated trait–correlated method (CT–CM) model under a variety of conditions. A set of models are referred to as augmented correlated trait–correlated method (ACT–CM) models because they are based on systematically augmenting the multitrait–multimethod matrix put forth by Campbell and Fiske (1959). We show results from a Monte Carlo simulation study in which data characteristics lead to an empirically underidentified standard CT–CM model, but a well-identified fully augmented correlated trait–correlated method (FACT–CM) model. This improved identification occurs even for a model in which equality constraints are imposed on loadings on each trait factor and loadings on each method factor—a specific case shown to lead to an empirically underidentified CT–CM model.