Gifted Students From Low-Education Backgrounds

Gifted children from low-education backgrounds often experience barriers to educational and career success. This article reviews the growing body of literature regarding gifted students from low-education backgrounds and the related literature on the challenges and characteristics of first-generation college students. A mother and daughter interview provides a contextual example of the issues identified in the literature review. Implications for educators and practitioners are suggested, including ways in which elementary and middle schools can proactively address the issues facing low-education background students in gifted programs.     

E Pluribus Unum: Mohawk Indian Students’ Views Regarding the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance

This study examined 191 high school students’ willingness to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, their reasons for participating or not participating in saying the Pledge, and their thoughts about the Pledge during this daily school ritual. The study was conducted in a rural town next to the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation. The majority of the students chose not to recite the Pledge, and Mohawk students were less likely to recite the Pledge than their classmates.     

A quantitative analysis of the science research council's policy of “selectivity and concentration”

This paper presents an analysis of the peer-adjudicated grants awarded by the Science Research Council (SRC) between 1964–1975. During this period, some 12,000 grants were awarded via de peer-adjudication process representing some £120 million. Expenditures on ‘big science’ have not been included in the analysis.The aim of the analysis is to compare the intentions of SRC policy with the outcome of the decisions of the peer-review system. The conclusions pertain to two policy areas: (i) priorities, (ii) selectivity and concentration. With regard to the former, it is noted that as a proportion of total SRC commitments, the Nuclear Physics Board commitments have grown over the decade; the proportion of the Science Board's commitments have declined, especially in Chemistry, and there is no empirical evidence for increased priority for engineering. With regard to the latter, resources showed no changes in concentration index over the decade whether the data was analysed in terms of grants, scientists, departments or universities.Although in each case the outcome appears to be at variance with the policy intention, there is no evidence to suggest that either the SRC, or the scientists who constitute the peer-review system should have behaved differently. Rather, the intention has been to furnish reliable data on which future policy discussion might draw.     

The recalcitrant invention of X-ray images

This article extends new materialist theorizing on the constructive role played by the physical stuff of the world. Specifically, it draws on Kenneth Burke’s writings on recalcitrance to theorize the materialities of rhetorical invention. It takes X-rays as a case study in recalcitrance-driven invention, focusing on two particular applications, traditional medical X-rays, a pervasive category of contemporary technical communication, and backscatter X-ray airport security scans, a controversial and short-lived one. Its analysis shows how recalcitrance (1) is harnessed as means of technical invention and (2) is key to invention’s bidirectionality, by which our material interventions, in turn, work upon us.     

Using Narrative Therapy to Assist College‐Age Latino Immigrants

Latinos represent a large percentage of the immigrant population currently entering the United States. These immigrants may face mental health issues related to their immigration and acculturation experiences, leading to a need for counseling. The authors introduce narrative therapy as an appropriate treatment modality for college‐age Latino students.     

The impact of an experiential education program on the self-perceptions and perceived social regard of physical education students

This study investigated the effectiveness of an 8-month Team Building through Physical Challenges (TBPC; Glover & Midura, 1992) program on the self-perceptions and perceived social regard of middle school physical education students (N = 1802). Data were analyzed using multilevel analyses where midpoint and final evaluations were conducted separately. Results revealed that at the midpoint evaluation, students in the experimental and control conditions were not different on any of the subscales assessed. At the end of the program, students in the experimental condition, compared with those in the control condition, showed significantly higher scores on 6 of the 10 subscales assessed and the effect sizes were medium to very large. The findings support the effectiveness of the TBPC program in creating positive psychological outcomes for students in a field-based setting.     

Supply and demand of doctorates in economics

Little is known about the changes in supply and demand for economists. American universities and colleges report the awarding of 12,513 doctoral degrees in economics between 1969 and 1984, with the number randomly varying by over 500 per year. New job listings give an indication that market demand for economists between 1975 and 1984 led the supply and was far more volatile than the number of doctoral degrees awarded. Although the graduate economic specialties over the last 16 years have been relatively stable and the specialties ranked by employers have remained relatively constant, they show no comparative agreement. Graduate students may not be choosing fields of specialization that reflect the market, and institutions may not be responding to market changes.     

Investigating the Circle of Friends Approach: Adaptations and Implications for Practice

Circle of Friends is a recent intervention used to tackle social isolation in childhood. Its aim is to promote social inclusion by establishing a friendship group for an isolated child. Although there is some literature relating to the development and implementation of this approach, there is relatively little evidence regarding its effectiveness. Two evaluation studies of the Circle of Friends approach are discussed in this paper. Both studies involve adaptations of the traditional model. Consideration of these models and an evaluation of their relative effectiveness in promoting social inclusion is made. Implications for educational psychology practice are explored.