Foundations of children’s self-concepts about everyday activities: Identities and comparative contexts

Children’s motivations to engage in everyday activities draw on their experiences in thinking of oneself and the activities. In theory, these personal and social realities provide the complex foundations of self-concepts. The aim of this project was to define the foundations of children’s self-concepts about everyday activities; to focus on everyday activities of literacy and numeracy. Participants were 8- to 12-year-old girls and boys, in a pilot study (N?=?16), correlational models of identities (N?=?297) and comparative contexts (N?=?42), and experimental evidence (N?=?82). The pilot study validated materials, and Study 1 confirmed a perceptual base for self-concepts. Results of Study 2 highlighted a range of comparative contexts, and Study 3 confirmed personal and social bases of children’s self-concepts. In this situation, foundations of self-concepts cover identities (as a sense of individuality and belonging) and self-categorizations, in thinking about stability of skills and abilities over time, and in relation to children the same age. These ideas are readily applied to identities and arrays of self-categorizations in other situations. In conclusion, a personal and social theory of self-concepts extends contemporary Motivational Spiral Models that relate self-concepts to task strategies, skills, feelings and participation. Outcomes suggest foundations for differential interventions motivating children to participate in everyday activities.     

FreeForAll: Free Articles to Those in Need

FreeForAll is an international collaboration of libraries whose mission is to provide underserved nations with health science journal articles for free and to foster lending between nations through the creation of a database of international libraries’ (non–North American) holdings.     

Further evidence that Norway rats do not socially transmit learned aversions to toxic baits

Three experiments were undertaken to examine the effects of interactions with demonstrator rats made ill by injection of lithium chloride (LiCl) on the later food choices of their observers. We found that (1) observer rats that had been taught an aversion to an unfamiliar diet exhibited a substantial reduction of that aversion after interacting with poisoned demonstrators that had eaten the diet to which the observers had learned an aversion, (2) exposure of an observer rat to poisoned demonstrator rats that had eaten a diet interfered with later acquisition by the observer of an aversion to the diet that the poisoned demonstrators had eaten, and (3) after interacting with poisoned demonstrators that had eaten one of two diets, observers that ate both diets and were then made ill formed an aversion to whichever diet their respective, poisoned demonstrators had not eaten. The present experiments, like previous studies both in our laboratory and elsewhere, failed to provide any evidence that naive observer rats will learn to avoid a food as a result of interacting with demonstrator rats that had eaten the food and exhibit symptoms of toxicosis. To the contrary, observer rats in the present experiments exhibited an enhanced preference for foods eaten by sick demonstrators.     

Educational placements of students with emotional and behavioral disorders served by probation,mental health,public health,and social services

This study examined child and family risk factors and behavioral indices of youths with emotional and behavioral disorders to determine critical factors that predicted the restrictiveness of their educational placements. Placements were defined on a broad continuum which ranged from general education classrooms to residential treatment and incarceration facilities. Results indicated that a discriminant function model which incorporated age, Caucasian identification, juvenile justice involvement, CAFAS score, family history of mental illness, substance use and school attendance indices correctly classified the placement of 53% of the students. Variables of student behavior, severity of behavior, and risk factors such as abuse and out-of-home care were not reliable predictors of placement. These findings are discussed in the context of system of care efforts to reform service system response to youths with special education and mental health needs and their families. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Decoupling Policy and Practice: How Life Scientists Respond to Ethics Education

Many graduate programmes in science now require courses in ethics. However, little is known about their reception or use. Using websites and interviews, this essay examines ethics requirements in the field of biosciences in three countries (the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Italy) between 2000 and 2005. Evidence suggests that current policies may be ineffective, and that scientists who take ethical issues seriously are seen as exceptional.

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4Ps: A purposeful introduction

The 4Ps activity provides a unique approach to first-day class introductions and creates a positive classroom climate that encourages student engagement. The assignment generates initial self-disclosure that facilitates interpersonal and group communication throughout the semester. Additionally, the activity can be used as a unit activity with a follow-up assignment that introduces foundational public speaking concepts.

Courses: Public Speaking, Interpersonal, and other communication courses.

Objectives:

• To promote connectedness within the class from the first meeting forward

• To extend the usual “icebreaker” in a meaningful way by incorporating a public-speaking assignment

• To provide a basis for discussion of key communication concepts such as self-disclosure, relational development, and stereotyping.

  Materials: 4×6 note cards

     

OPACs,Users, and Readers’ Advisory: Exploring the Implications of User-Generated Content for Readers’ Advisory in Canadian Public Libraries

This article examines the contribution of social discovery platforms and user-generated content (UGC) on readers’ advisory (RA) services in Canadian public libraries. Grounded Theory was used to conduct a content analysis of library-assigned subject headings and UGC of 22 adult fiction titles in 43 Canadian public libraries that use BiblioCommons, SirsiDynix, and Encore social discovery platforms. Findings indicate that UGC complements the MARC bibliographic record as it provides insight into the subject of a work, its protagonists, and the effect the book has on readers. User-generated reviews provide a rich data set that clearly connects to known RA access points.     

The librarian as a member of the education department team: using web 2.0 technologies to improve access to education materials and information

The part-time solo librarian at St. James Healthcare in Butte, Montana, serves physicians, staff, patients, and other health care professionals in the area. The library is part of the Education Department within the hospital's organizational structure. Recent developments have expanded the requirements of the Education Department, creating new challenges. The librarian is a member of the team developing solutions to the many ways that continuing education needs have to be met for the staff and physicians. A free website that houses education information and material is one of the projects that has been created and is maintained by the librarian.