Faculty research productivity 1972–1988: Development and application of constant units of measure

The economic concept ofreal orconstant units of measure is utilized to assess the rate of inflation/deflation of opportunity for publication between 1972 and 1988 for the disciplines of biology, psychology, and English. Data for the study came from (1)Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory; (2)Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature; (3)American Universities and Colleges; (4) 570 journal issues across the three disciplines; and (5) national surveys of faculty conducted in 1972, 1980, and 1988. Based on changes over time in the amount of space in which faculty can publish their research and the number of individuals competing for that space, indexes are developed that convert 1988 publication counts into 1972 equivalents. Results indicate inflation rates of 103, 85, and -45 percent for biology, psychology, and English, respectively, between 1972 and 1988. Due to these rates, faculty had to produce 14.65, 5.05, and 1.18 articles, respectively, in the two years prior to 1988 to have been as productive inreal articles as they were in the two years prior to 1972.     

Classroom Attrition in Computer Science

Students drop out of university courses for a multitude of reasons. Whatever the cause, the costs of an unsuccessful attempt to complete a course are significant to student and university alike. This paper examines student attrition in computer science classes with the hope of identifying common causes and ultimately reducing the number of students dropping computer science courses. Survey data were analyzed to determine if reasons for dropping differed for various groupings of students including undergraduate/graduate, male/female, computer science major/non‐major, and service/non‐service courses.     

Simulations: Using experiential learning to add relevancy and meaning to introductory courses

Over the past two years the authors have provided experiential learning in the form of a simulation exercise to help 240 college students relate personally to the foundations of education. Introductory courses, with a preponderance of facts and breadth of content, can easily overwhelm students. The simulation not only energized the students but also personalized an in-depth understanding of educational issues. This theoretical knowledge was applied practically, a link which may often be missing in many introductory courses.Kathleen K. Montgomery holds a D. Ed. from The Pennsylvania State University. She is Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Curriculum and Instruction for Elementary Education. Professor Montgomery's research interests include the design of experiential learning and assessment methods used to evaluate such learning. She is currently working on a book about authentic assessment methods useful for elementary teachers. Susan C. Brown holds an Ed.D. from the University of Central Florida. She is the Assistant Director/Assistant Professor of Education at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Instructional Strategies, and Multicultural Education. Professor Brown has recently published articles on multicultural education for perservice teachers in theJournal of Curriculum and Supervision andCurriculum, a British Journal of educators. She is on the Editorial Board of the Educational Forum. Cathleen M. Deery holds the M.S. degree for Syracuse University. She is lecturer at Elmira College, where she teaches Introduction to Education, Educational Psychology, and Inclusionary Education. Professor Deery has designed numerous experiential learning components for her classes, and she is currently working on a book with Kathleen Montgomery about authentic assessment methods.     

University faculty and administrator responses to job strains

This study reports the relationships between job strain and several quality of life (QOL) indicators for a group of university faculty and administrators. The QOL indicators were in the domain of job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and health. Variables presumed to moderate the relationship between job strain and QOL were tested for their ability to buffer the strain effects. Analyses were carried out on faculty's and administrators' responses. The strong correlations obtained have both theoretical and practical consequences. Intervention strategies are discussed.     

Investigation of preservice elementary teachers' thinking about science

It is not uncommon to find media reports on the failures of science education, nor uncommon to hear prestigious scientists publicly lament the rise of antiscience attitudes. Given the position elementary teachers have in influencing children, antiscience sentiment among them would be a significant concern. Hence, this article reports on an investigation in which preservice elementary teachers responded to the Thinking about Science survey instrument. This newly developed instrument addresses the broadrelationship of science to nine important areas of society and culture and is intended to reveal the extent of views being consistent with or disagreeing with a commonly held worldview of science portrayed in the media and in popular science and science education literature. Results indicate that elementary teachers discriminate with respect to different aspects of culture and science but they are not antiscience. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 1016–1031, 2002