The assessment of teaching in higher education: A critical retrospect and a proposal

The first part of this paper (published in Higher Education, Vol. 4, No. 3) summarized fundamental defects in three contemporary approaches to the evaluation of teaching in higher education: assessment of learning outcomes, analysis of teacher characteristics and analysis of pedagogical behavior. The absence of a cumulative coherent theoretical framework for analysis obviated use of data from these sources in support of professional development or productive personnel decisions. A normative conception of teaching was argued as a necessity to justifiable evaluation. In this second essay, the required conception is developed in a context of development of a capacity for critical norm-oriented human action as a central goal of higher education. In developing this conception, teaching is distinguished from other activities frequently incorporating the same techniques: conditioning, indoctrinating, brainwashing, training, informing and instructing. Intent is stipulated as the key factor. The stipulated intent is not to produce learning, but to “bring about” a specified sequence of intervening activities necessary to intellectual development required for attainment of desired general educational goals. A “gnometectonic” sequence integrates pedagogical and student activities which are the foundation of the intended intellectual development. The gnometectonic sequence and a model of intellectual development constitute the essential structure of a potential theory of teaching and the basis for a Teacher Assessment Program. This structure is realized in the construction of student and instructor report forms as a first step in the development of such a program. Data derived from these forms are based on minimal assumptions beyond those implied by the normative teaching model. Preliminary results from trial use of forms-in-development indicate the effectiveness of the model in discriminating teachers in terms of intent, course arrangements in support of that intent and student perceptions of consequences of these arrangements as related to instructor expectations. In addition, reports about relevant pedagogical aspects of a course are differentiated from preference-related reports of course “atmosphere”.     

Parent Support for Children’s Physical Activity: A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers and Strategies

Purpose: Parents play an important role in supporting children’s physical activity (PA) behavior. Parent PA support is a behavior unto itself that has been examined within the framework of an adapted theory of planned behavior (TPB). The primary purpose of this research was to identify key barriers to parent PA support to understand perceptions of control in relation to parent PA support. The second purpose of this research was to identify potential strategies to enhance parent PA support via enhanced perceived behavioral control. Method: Focus groups were conducted with parents (N = 21) of children aged 5 to 11 years old. A deductive content analysis was employed to analyze the data guided by an adapted TPB. Results: Themes related to barriers included parents’ motivation, affective experiences in providing PA support, and control factors (e.g., cost, time, safety concerns, screen). Themes related to potential strategies included opportunities for participation and improved affective experiences for parents, community parenting, and self-regulatory strategies. Conclusion: The identification of specific barriers to parent PA support can guide the development of interventions to facilitate parent PA support. Informational, programming, and self-regulatory training interventions may be useful in enhancing parent support.     

Ethnicity as a moderator of the theory of planned behavior and physical activity in college students

Most college students do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines, and ethnic disparities exist. The present study examined the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining PA intentions and behavior in black and white college students and whether any TPB relationships were moderated by ethnicity. Black (n=170) and white (n=180) students completed a baseline TPB questionnaire and PA assessment 2 weeks later Hierarchical latent variable regression analyses showed that affective attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were significant predictors of intention for both ethnic groups, whereas the PBC-intention relationship was significantly stronger for white students. Intention significantly predicted PA for both ethnic groups. Furthermore, common and ethnic-specific beliefs were identified.     

The Nature and Consequences of Essentialist Beliefs About Race in Early Childhood

It is widely believed that race divides the world into biologically distinct kinds of people—an essentialist belief inconsistent with reality. Essentialist views of race have been described as early emerging, but this study found that young children (n = 203, M_age = 5.45) hold only the more limited belief that the physical feature of skin color is inherited and stable. Overall, children rejected the causal essentialist view that behavioral and psychological characteristics are constrained by an inherited racial essence. Although average levels of children's causal essentialist beliefs about race were low, variation in these beliefs was related to children's own group membership, exposure to diversity, as well as children's own social attitudes.     

Other Books on Broadcasting

Howard Poteet's Published Radio a Television, and Film Scripts:A BibLioqraphy (Troy, N.Y.: Whiston Publishing Co., 1975—$15.00)

Richard Adler (ed.) Television as a Cultural Force (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1976—$15.00/4.95, with single pbk copies available from the Aspen Communications program office in Palo Alto (see order form enclosed))

Jethro K. Lieberman and Neil S. Rhodes' The Complete CB_Handbook (New York: Avon Books 29553, 1976—$1.75, paper)

Fredric Stuart's The Effects of Television on the Motion Picture and Radio Industries (New York: Arno Press, 1976—$23.00)

Ben Armstrong and LaVay Sheldon (eds.) Directory of Religious Broadcasting : 1976 (National Religious Broadcasters, Box 2254R, Morristown, N.J. 07960—$15.00, paper)

MARC Newsletter (Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center, 191 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, Calif. 91016)

Spectrum (Billy Graham Program in Communications, Graduate School, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. 60187)

WACC Journal (Eckart-Verlag, D-4800 Bielefeld 1, Postfach 2520, Federal Republic of Germany)

Action (World Association for Christian Communication, 7 St. James St., London SW 1, England)

Interfilm Reports (Bulletin of Interfilm, the International Interchurch Film Centre, P.O. Box 515, Hilversum, Netherlands)

Pastor A.W. Allworthy's Petition Lansman-Milam Petition (Christ the Light Works, Box 19641, Dallas, Texas 75219– $8.45, paper, including postage)     

Road damage and the vehicle

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness of a relationship between road damage and high axle-loads. The heavy-vehicle operator constantly seeks new legislation permitting the use of larger vehicles to achieve economies of scale while the controller of the highway network resists such pressure to contain maintenance and protect the environment. This article examines the factors that influence the amount of road damage inflicted by a vehicle and identifies the options that exist to minimize it.