Curriculum Study and the Freedom of the Teacher‐‐IV: Comments on the address given by Mr. D. H. Morrell

Letter grades in marking have to be converted to a numerical scale before they can be added or averaged, and the conversion may introduce error in the final total. The use of the stanine scale to control some (but not all) of these sources of error, is described, together with a simple graphical conversion procedure.     

Exploring just sustainability across the disciplines at one university

Abstract

We examined The University of Vermont’s new sustainability requirement for undergraduates through the lens of just sustainability. We found that sustainability courses are proposed in diverse disciplines. Regardless of discipline, most proposed courses address all three pillars of sustainability (social, ecological, and economic). Discussions of environmental justice are less widespread; only 17% of proposed courses in science, technology, and math departments addressed environmental justice. Our results provide examples for others interested in integrating sustainability across diverse disciplines and in emphasizing environmental justice. We also call attention to the fact that institutions of higher education may need explicit reminders or requirements to adequately include considerations of environmental justice in sustainability studies.     

What influences a pet dog’s first impression of a stranger?

Dogs live in the dynamic human social networks full of strangers, yet they form strong and selective bonds with familiar caretakers. Little is known about how a bond is initially formed between a dog and a complete stranger. The first-impression hypothesis suggests that interacting with strangers can present an opportunity to form a mutualistic partnership. It predicts that dogs should respond positively toward a complete stranger to facilitate bonding (Prediction 1) and adjust their preferences in response to the perceived risk and benefit of interacting with strangers (Prediction 2). We examine the social preferences of pet dogs toward a complete stranger whom they have never met before and several other potential partners – the owner with whom subjects have had a positive, long-term bond (Experiment 1), and an exposed stranger with whom they have had a positive short-term interaction (Experiment 2) or a negative one (Experiment 3). In support of Prediction 1, subjects were exceptionally trusting across contexts. Mixed results were found with regard to Prediction 2. Subjects preferred their owner over a stranger when following social cues and (to a lesser degree) when approaching and feeding in close proximity. However, relative to a complete stranger, subjects did not consistently prefer the positively exposed stranger or avoid the negatively exposed one. The lack of clear selectivity might be due to pet dogs’ high baseline level of trust of complete strangers or reflect the strength of their existing bonds that negated the need for another positive bond with a new human partner.     

Determinants of foster care placement for the maltreated child

This study examined the records of the North Carolina Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect to determine which social, family, and child characteristics were most influential in the decision to place a child in foster care. These records contained all theoretically relevant factors as well as demographic data. Analysis included the computation of odds ratios for foster care for each of 250 variables. A maximum likelihood logistic regression model was constructed to obtain the independent and cumulative contribution of each factor. Some expected variables such as parental stress factors (substance abuse) and types of abuse (burns and scalds) placed a child at a significant risk for placement in foster care (p < 0.01). However, less obvious factors such as referral source (law enforcement agencies) or geographic area also placed children at risk. Overall, the model explained little of the variance of these decisions (R² = 0.168) and poorly predicted placement (sensitivity 66.3 per cent, specificity 74.6 per cent). Using existing data. we were unable to adequately describe the decision process in selecting foster care.     

Shorter Version of the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE): A Sample from Turkish Counselor Candidates (COSE-TR)

Counseling self-efficacy is defined as a counselor’s beliefs regarding their ability to counsel a client effectively. Larson et al. (1992) developed the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) to determine counselors’ self-efficacy in the dimensions of microskills, counseling process, difficult client behavior, cultural competence, and awareness of values. The COSE has been used widely in the United States as well as being adapted to other cultures. The purpose of the present study was to obtain validity and reliability evidence for the COSE in a Turkish sample towards the creation of a Turkish version (COSE-TR). Analyses regarding internal consistency and construct validity were undertaken via CFA and EFA, and divergent and convergent validity assessments were performed. The devised COSE-TR obtained a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .92. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor model with 53.82% of the total variance explained, which the CFA also supported. The COSE-TR correlated negatively with trait anxiety as measured on the ‘State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale’ (involving only Trait anxiety STAI-T; Spielberger 1983), but positively with generalized self-efficacy as measured via the ‘General Self-Efficacy Scale’ (GSE; Schwarzer and Jerusalem 1995). As for language equivalence, there was no difference between the means of total scores obtained from the original COSE and the created Turkish shorter version. Results revealed that the shortened COSE-TR can be regarded as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring counseling self-efficacy with Turkish counselors. Implications for counseling psychology, counselor education and supervision in developing nations and the transculturality of counseling self-efficacy are discussed.     

How Parent Perceptions Relate to Elementary Children’s Portable Technology Use by Gender and Grade Level

This study examined how parents' reports of children’s technology use in the home varies by a child’s gender or grade level. Framed by technology adoption models, this mixed-method study gathered parent reports of their elementary child’s use of portable technology for entertainment and learning in the home, collected from 120 surveys and 13 individual interviews with survey respondents. Results across the four 2×2 ANOVAs yielded three significant main effects: gender and entertainment devices, gender and entertainment apps, grade level and learning apps. No significant effects were found among any of the interaction variables or within the ANOVA summary for learning devices. Interview data revealed girls are interested in reading with Kindle, whereas parents are reluctant to provide boys with portable technology because of their preference to play games. Strategies are provided for teachers, support specialists, and parents to improve how children use technology. Implications for app developers are suggested.     

When and How Do Students Benefit From Ethnic Diversity in Middle School?

The effects of school‐based ethnic diversity on student well‐being and race‐related views were examined during the first year in middle school. To capture the dynamic nature of ethnic exposure, diversity was assessed both at the school‐level (n = 26) and based on academic course enrollments of African American, Asian, Latino, and White students (n = 4,302; M = 11.33 years). Across all four pan‐ethnic groups, school‐level ethnic diversity was associated with lower sense of vulnerability (i.e., feeling safer, less victimized, and less lonely) as well as perceptions of teachers’ fair and equal treatment of ethnic groups and lower out‐group distance. Underscoring the role of individual experiences, exposure to diversity in academic classes moderated the association between school‐level diversity and the two aforementioned race‐related views.