English proficiency,course patterns,and academic achievements of limited-English-proficient community college students

Over the past decade minority students' access to and achievements in higher education have been of substantial interest to educators and researchers. Students who are of limited English proficiency (LEP) may also be considered disadvantaged, although few studies focus on them as a minority group. This research was conducted at a community college to examine the independent and interactive effects of several key demographic and academic variables on academic achievements (persistence, credits earned, and GPA). The primary independent variable, labeled GROUP, combined students' placement test results (English as a second language, regular remedial English, or no test results) and course-taking patterns (registered or did not register for ESL courses). Logit and other multivariate statistical techniques were employed. Results indicate some differences in achievement by GROUP category in concert with age, sex, or ethnicity, but no consistent pattern was found. LEP students did not differ significantly in academic achievement from the total student population. It is suggested that LEP students comprise an eclectic population with diverse educational goals and competencies, who use the community college for a variety of reasons. As institutions struggle to balance access and open enrollment, placement testing and registration requirements, and available resources, the efficacy of treating all LEP students alike must be examined.     

Examining the Process and Outcome of Career Counseling for Different Types of Career Counseling Clients

Using cluster analysis, we identified two types of career counseling clients: (a) Clients with moderate levels of career-related distress, discomfort, and uncertainty and (b) clients with high levels of career concerns, personal distress, and stigma about career counseling. The more distressed group expressed lower evaluations of a career counseling session and perceived their counselors as providing fewer action-oriented counseling skills than the less distressed group. No differences emerged in terms of client's perceptions of the therapeutic relationship. The practical implications and limitations of these results are discussed.     

“Keeping it real:” Identity management strategies used by teens in conversation

This paper explores the alignment of individual and organizational identity management. Two videotaped conversations between adolescents and teachers were analyzed in order to discover the extent to which individuals enact particular strategies to manage both individual and institutional identities. These episodes demonstrate little support for Pratt & Foreman's (2000) identity management strategies of deletion, integration or aggregation. Compartmentatlization, or the separation between conflicting identities, was the most prevalent strategy employed in both conversations. These findings raise questions about individual's positions within organizations and their abilities to enact various strategies and identities. The authors conclude by urging a reconsideration of the term, “identity management.”     

The kinetics of rugby union scrummaging

Two rugby union forward packs of differing ability levels were examined during scrummaging against an instrumented scrum machine. By systematically moving the front‐row of the scrum along the scrum machine, kinetic data on each front‐row forward could be obtained under all test conditions. Each forward pack was tested under the following scrummaging combinations: front‐row only; front‐row plus second‐row; full scrum minus side‐row, and full scrum. Data obtained from each scrum included the three orthogonal components of force at engagement and the sustained force applied by each front‐row player. An estimate of sub‐unit contributions was made by subtracting the total forward force on all three front‐row players from the total for the complete scrum. Results indicated the primary role of the second‐row appeared to be application of forward force. The back‐row ('number eight') forward did not substantially contribute any additional forward force, and added only slightly to the lateral and vertical shear force experienced by the front‐row. The side‐row contributed an additional 20–27% to the forward force, but at the expense of increased vertical forces on all front‐row forwards. Results of this investigation are discussed in relation to rule modification, rule interpretation and coaching.     

Tertiary teachers and student evaluations: never the twain shall meet?

Internationally, centralised systems of student evaluation have become normative practice in higher education institutions, providing data for monitoring teaching quality and for teacher professional development. While extensive research has been done on student evaluations, there is less research-based evidence about teachers’ perceptions of and engagement with student evaluations, the focus of the research reported in this paper. An interpretive approach framed the study in which data were gathered through questionnaire and interview responses from teaching staff at three New Zealand tertiary institutions. Results highlighted the general acceptance of the notion of student evaluations, recurring ideas about the limitations of evaluations and significant gaps in the way academics engage with student evaluation feedback. Recommendations for enhancing teacher engagement with student evaluation are made to optimise the potential for student evaluations to inform teaching development and to improve students’ learning experiences.     

The kinetics of rugby union scrummaging

Two rugby union forward packs of differing ability levels were examined during scrummaging against an instrumented scrum machine. By systematically moving the front-row of the scrum along the scrum machine, kinetic data on each front-row forward could be obtained under all test conditions. Each forward pack was tested under the following scrummaging combinations: front-row only; front-row plus second-row; full scrum minus side-row, and full scrum. Data obtained from each scrum included the three orthogonal components of force at engagement and the sustained force applied by each front-row player. An estimate of sub-unit contributions was made by subtracting the total forward force on all three front-row players from the total for the complete scrum. Results indicated the primary role of the second-row appeared to be application of forward force. The back-row ('number eight') forward did not substantially contribute any additional forward force, and added only slightly to the lateral and vertical shear force experienced by the front-row. The side-row contributed an additional 20-27% to the forward force, but at the expense of increased vertical forces on all front-row forwards. Results of this investigation are discussed in relation to rule modification, rule interpretation and coaching.