A Prescription for Global Education in Health and Human Services

Study abroad might be associated primarily with humanities or business majors, but San Diego State University has mandated an international experience for all its health and human services students. Here's why.     

The influence of role-specific self-concept and sex-role identity on career choices in science

Despite much effort on the part of educators the number of females who choose science careers remains low. This research focuses on two factors which may be influencing females in their choice of careers. These factors are role-specific self-concept in science and self perception in terms of stereotypical masculine and feminine characteristics. In addition logical ability and mathematics and science courses were also examined as factors in career choice. Females preferring science related careers and females preferring nontraditional careers such as police, military and trades were found to have a positive role-specific self-concept and a masculine perception of themselves. Females preferring traditional careers such as teacher or hairdresser had a poor role-specific self-concept and a more feminine perception of themselves. Males as a group were found to have a more positive role-specific self-concept than females. Logical ability was also related to a science career preference for both males and females. Males expected to take more higher level math courses than females, while females preferring science careers expected to take the most higher level science courses.     

Comparative education research framed by neo-institutional theory: a review of diverse approaches and conflicting assumptions

The rise in globalisation studies in comparative education places neo-institutional theory at the centre of many debates among comparative education researchers. However, uncertainty about how to interpret neo-institutional theory still persists among educational comparativists. With this uncertainty comes misinterpretation of its principles, variations and explanatory power. Two problematic misconceptions prevail: (1) the belief that the ‘world culture’ strand is the only version of neo-institutional theory applicable to comparative education research; and (2) the assumption that the global homogenisation of society, culture and schooling is a goal of researchers applying neo-institutional theory to comparative education phenomena. This article addresses these misconceptions, elucidating neo-institutional theory and its applicability to comparative education research. Our findings suggest that neo-institutional frameworks for comparative education research are useful, but that complementary approaches and methods are also necessary.     

AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION AT THE RUBICON: A PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS

Amid debates over multiculturalism and political correctness, American higher education is beginning to test the boundaries of its economic and intellectual resources. Critics agree that, at the university end of the continuum, these organizations have lost sight of their central purpose. Meanwhile, at the other end of the continuum, community colleges that spread like ivy in the last quarter of the twentieth century face a massive need to replace aging faculty and administrators. This article provides a proposal that may help both of these giants to mutually support one another at a time when they are increasingly essential to our economy. Rationally, the only organization to meet the total needs of community colleges is the comprehensive university. Developing new credentialed administrators and faculty is a complex task and must involve several different organizations at the national, state, and local levels. With the American Association of Community Colleges at the helm, the federal and state governtments, the major associations at One Dupont Circle, the accreditation associations, and major foundations should contribute to the planning processes. The author attempts to analyze the human resource problem through three frames of reference, developed by the politicalanalyst Graham Allison (1971) to analyze major national crises such as the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. These frames are the Rational Actor, the Organizational Process, and Bureaucratic Politics. Using these as organizational frameworks, the author predicts how the organizations will behave and discusses how bureaucratic politics could be harnessed and focused at the national level to resolve the problems.     

Profile of Australian preschool children with speech sound disorders at risk for literacy difficulties

Abstract

Speech sound disorders are a common communication difficulty in preschool children. Teachers indicate difficulty identifying and supporting these children. The aim of this research was to describe speech and language characteristics of children identified by their parents and/or teachers as having possible communication concerns. 275 Australian 4- to 5-year-old children from 45 preschools whose parents and teachers were concerned about their talking participated in speech-language pathology assessments to examine speech, language, literacy, non-verbal intelligence, oromotor skills and hearing. The majority (71.3%) of children demonstrated lower consonant accuracy than expected for their age, 63.9% did not pass the language-screening task, 65.5% had not been assessed and 72.4% had not received intervention from a speech-language pathologist. The 132 children who were identified with speech sound disorder (phonological impairment) were more likely to be male (62.9%) who were unintelligible to unfamiliar listeners, and had poor emergent literacy and phonological processing skills, despite having typical hearing, oral structures, and intelligence. Children identified by parents and teachers with concerns may have a range of speech, language and communication needs requiring professional support.