EMPLOYING SERVICE-LEARNING TO TEACH RESEARCH METHODS TO GERONTOLOGY STUDENTS

Undergraduate student interest in aging was examined in relation to age, gender, and contact with older adults. Interest in aging is conceived of along a continuum, ranging from initial interest-taking an aging course-to substantial interest as evidenced by academic and career interest. Undergraduate students who have taken an aging course (n = 189) and a stratified random comparison group (n = 261) self-assessed their interest in aging. Background information, including the frequency and duration of contact with older family and non-family individuals, was reported. Being female (p < 001) and having frequent contact with older family members (p < .01) significantly explains initial interest in aging. Initial interest in aging (i.e., taking an aging course) significantly contributes to substantial interest in aging (p < .0001) i.e., taking more aging courses, majoring in gerontology, working or planning to work with older adults. Contact with older adults positively affects undergraduate interest in aging. Interest in aging proceeds along a continuum, from preceding factors to initial interest in aging and then to substantial interest in aging. Aging courses and opportunities for interaction with older adults should be offered at the undergraduate level.     

Ensuring Communication Research Makes a Difference

Rephrasing the forum question to “How can we ensure communication research has a positive effect on communication practice?” focuses on the present, points to a specific purpose for communication research, emphasizes the scope and type of difference to be made, and places accountability and responsibility on researchers. In general, the public has not found the expertise of communication scholars. The essay addresses ways to overcome this research to practice dilemma: establishing a common framework, complementing the top-down research approach with a practice-driven, bottom-up approach, and adjusting research and practice assumptions.     

FCP and Mediation Styles: Factors Associated With Parents' Intentions to Let Their Children Watch Violent,Sexual and Family-Oriented Television Content

An online survey of 457 parents identifies factors associated with parents' intentions to allow their children to watch 18 common television scenes. Results of an exploratory factor analysis indicated that, with some exceptions, parents identified the scenes as 3 distinct factors representing violence, nudity and sexuality-related, and family-oriented content. Further, results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that mediation style explained a greater portion of the variance in parents' likelihood to let their children watch this content than either family communication patterns (FCP) or relevant demographic characteristics.     

Immigrant students' experience of schooling: a narrative inquiry theoretical framework

We explore immigrant students' experience of schooling focusing on Yang Yang and his family. We present insights into immigrant Chinese educational experience in Canada and bring forward a narrative‐inquiry framework for the study of student experience. We find that—contrary to some of the expectations of Chinese immigrants—family relations, student learning, and school policies are complicated, with families finding it difficult to translate Chinese educational values in the Canadian context and their children facing serious learning and social difficulties.     

A selected, annotated list of materials that support the development of policies designed to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.

Research documents the existence of racial and ethnic health disparities. As a result, policy makers are seeking to address these disparities. This list is a starting point for building or updating a collection that supports this policy development process. It is written for health policy librarians and researchers and includes annotated recommendations for books, periodicals, government publications, and Websites. Entries for print publications are primarily from 1998 to 2003.     

The Impact of an Interest-Major Fit Signal on College Major Certainty

Research in Higher Education - Students’ choice of college major is related to their interests (Porter and Umbach in Res High Educ 47:429–449, 2006), and students whose major is...     

Preschool inclusion in the United States: a review of research from an ecological systems perspective

Using an ecological systems conceptual framework proposed by Bronfenbrenner, research on the inclusion of preschool children with disabilities in programs with typically developing children was reviewed. Drawing mainly from studies conducted in the United States, research on child characteristics (biosystem), classroom practices (microsystem), family perspectives (mesosystem), social policy (exosystem), culture (macrosystem), and changes in variables across time (chronosystem) is described. Positive developmental and behavioral outcomes occur for children with and without disabilities in inclusive settings, although as a group, children with disabilities are not as socially integrated as their typically developing peers. Parent attitudes are generally positive although they voice some concerns about inclusion. Several social policy issues within the U.S. system (e.g., enforcement of standards, fiscal issues) serve as barriers to and facilitators of implementation of preschool inclusion, and cultural variables shape the nature of inclusive classrooms as well as family access to inclusive settings.     

The organised chaos of English adolescent rugby union: Influence of weekly match frequency on the variability of match and training loads

The aims of this study were to determine the variability of weekly match and training loads in adolescent rugby union players across a competitive season, and to investigate the effect of match frequency on load distribution across different activities. Internal match and training load data (i.e. session-rating of perceived exertion (sRPE)) were collected daily from 20 players from a regional academy across a 14-week season. Data were analysed using a mixed-effects linear model, and variability was reported as a coefficient of variation (CV). Differences between 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-match weeks were assessed using Cohen’s d effect sizes and magnitude-based inferences. Mean weekly total match and training sRPE load was 1425?±?545 arbitrary units (AU), with a between-player CV of 10?±?6% and within-player CV of 37?±?3%. Mean week-to-week change in total sRPE load was 497?±?423?AU (35%), and 40% of weekly observations were outside the suggested acute:chronic workload ratio ‘safe zone’. Total weekly sRPE loads increased substantially with match frequency (1210?±?571, 1511?±?489, and 1692?±?517?AU, for 0-, 1-, and 2-match weeks, respectively), except for 3-match weeks (1520?±?442?AU). Weekly match and training loads were highly variable for adolescent rugby players during the competitive season, and match frequency has a substantial effect on the distribution of loads. Therefore, match and training loads should be coordinated, monitored, and managed on an individual basis to protect players from negative training consequences, and to promote long-term athlete development.