Assessing and Promoting Cultural Relativism in Students of Counseling

Multicultural counseling is often promoted as a core element in counselor development. As such, educational efforts aim to increase counselors’ cultural relativism, or their ability to recognize their own enculturation and to appreciate the value of other cultural norms. This mixed qualitative-quantitative study explored the relationship between counselor and human service professional trainees’ moral development levels and their cultural assumptions after they had experienced a course in cultural diversity. Four themes were noted: (i) reflexivity about culture, (ii) orientation toward activism and advocacy, (iii) differences in attitudes toward sexual orientation and religion, and (iv) increased alertness to culture. Implications for culturally alert practice are discussed.     

Evaluating the quality of interaction in asynchronous discussion forums in fully online courses

Fully online courses are becoming progressively more popular because of their “anytime anywhere” learning flexibility. One of the ways students interact with each other and with the instructors within fully online learning environments is via asynchronous discussion forums. However, student engagement in online discussion forums does not always take place automatically and there is a lack of clarity about the ideal role of the instructors in them. In this article, we report on our research on the quality of discussion in fully online courses through analysis of discussion forum activities. We have conducted our research on two large fully online subjects for computing students over two consecutive semesters and used a grounded theoretic approach for data analysis. Our results reveal what students and instructors consider as quality interaction in fully online courses. We also propose two frameworks based on our findings that can be used to ensure effective online interaction.     

Project-based learning as a contributing factor to graduates’ work readiness

This paper explores what work readiness means for two cohorts of graduate engineers, one from a traditional curriculum, the second from a largely project-based curriculum. Professional bodies and employers have defined a set of attributes for engineering graduates so that graduates will be ‘work ready’. Problem-based learning (PBL) is claimed to be a suitable approach to develop such skills. The graduates were interviewed some months after starting work, along with their managers. All the graduates recognised the benefits of taking PBL subjects as well as vacation work, with success in communication attributed more to PBL. Both cohorts had similar learning outcomes, high skill levels in project management, problem solving, communication skills, research and sustainability. A skills gap in ethics was identified for both cohorts of graduates and their managers. Further work is planned to link skill development with undergraduate learning experience.     

Dialectical Tensions Underpinning Family Farm Succession Planning

Though succession planning is vital if a farm is to survive, many farm families fail to take necessary succession planning actions. Semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 members of nine small-farm families in Pennsylvania revealed that dialectical tensions surrounding a farm transfer influence succession planning readiness and action. This report identifies five indigenous dialectical tensions that influence succession planning and describes five praxis patterns families use to manage them. Practical applications are outlined for agriculture estate planning professionals and others involved in family inheritance communication services to provide effective assistance to farm families in their succession planning efforts.     

A binding tie: Supportive communication of family kinkeepers

Families are an important source of social support and little scholarship exists regarding how family members stay in touch and provide support for one another. Kinkeepers are said to provide support and keep family members informed about one another, yet there has been little research on who family kinkeepers are and how they communicate and enact this role. Two studies were undertaken. The first study used surveys to provide demographic data on kinkeepers and to ascertain information on their activities. The second study used diaries and interviews to document the activities of a set of kinkeepers and to describe outcomes of kinkeeping communication. These studies revealed that kinkeepers are mostly females between the ages of 40–59, who use the telephone and personal visits predominantly. Five outcomes of kinkeeping communication were identified: providing information, facilitating rituals, providing assistance, maintaining family relationships, and continuing a previous kinkeeper's work.     

The 2013 Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge

The 2013 Acquisitions Institute at the beautiful and historic Timberline Lodge in Oregon had absorbing presentations encouraging attendees to apply their values to inclusive collections that serve diverse communities, maximize the use of technology in services, and discern value in the products used and collections built. Updates from publishers, stories from collaborative collecting and sharing efforts, and citation analysis showed attendees a bigger, nuanced picture of resources and their use. The inaccessibility of electronic resources for patrons with disabilities was a sobering surprise for attendees. Materials allocation plans and valuing collections in new ways from various perspectives sparked provocative discussion throughout the conference.     

Interpersonal communication motives in everyday interactions

Everyday conversations are pivotal to unfolding human relationships. These routine conversations provide evidence of the structure and function of talk within relationships. Interpersonal communication motives were considered antecedents to climate and outcome variables as defined by the Iowa Communication Record. Participants completed three diary records for substantial interactions they engaged in over the course of one week. Analysis established communication for enjoyment to be associated with quality and positive change outcomes. Inclusion motivation was associated with high conversational value and positive social change. Results support a functional view of communication.     

Changes on creativity scales following continuing education courses

Some educational courses for adults are concerned with developing general cognitive skills and flexibility, rather than specific concepts and competencies. Examples of such courses are those involving the encouragement of creativity, flexible and clear thinking, and efficient reading. These cognitive development courses are difficult to evaluate; for it is not immediately clear whether adult students learn anything from the novel activities experienced in them. It is necessary to examine learning of this kind using appropriate psychological tests, so as to assess student's thinking in terms of its creativity and complexity. A study was undertaken of six adult education courses, including in particular four creativity‐training courses, with two other university groups serving as controls. With the adult education groups, several significant improvements in test results were gained following the six‐week courses, involving the student's production of ideas, preference for complex stimuli, and creative independence. Consequently, creativity‐training and similar courses for general cognitive development are recommended for inclusion in both professional and lay adult‐education courses.