EXAMINATION OF A ONE‐TRIAL BRIEF EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY READING FLUENCY INTERVENTIONS

This study sought to evaluate whether a one‐trial brief experimental analysis (OTBEA) would reliably and validly identify effective treatments to improve oral reading fluency for 6 elementary school students referred for reading problems. An OTBEA was conducted with each participant to assess the effects of skill‐ and performance‐based treatment components. Following the OTBEA, an extended analysis was conducted using an alternating treatments design to experimentally assess whether predictions generated by the OTBEA would be accurate across sessions, time, and stimulus materials. OTBEA results suggested that 3 participants required a treatment package containing both performance‐based and skill‐based instructional components and that the other 3 participants might only need performance‐based interventions. Results indicate that predictions were accurate for those participants requiring both types of intervention components, but that predictions for the remaining participants met with mixed results in the extended analysis. Results are discussed in terms of further refining brief experimental analysis methods to make them more efficient for educators while ensuring valid results.     

The Social Cognition of Gifted Adolescents

This paper reviews major research findings on social cognition in gifted adolescents. We discuss interpersonal and intrapersonal perceptions of giftedness (i.e., how gifted students view themselves, and how they perceive others’ views of them), the social coping strategies of this population (e.g., denying and hiding one's giftedness, conforming to mask giftedness, and helping others), and the gender, age, and self-concept differences shown in strategy choice when interacting with others. Results suggest that both American and Chinese gifted students employ social coping strategies to manage the visibility of their abilities in social situations, and there is a consistent link between coping strategy and self-concepts; but the findings with regard to social cognitive strategies, themselves, are conflicting. Implications of these findings and recommendations are presented.     

RECRUITMENT,RETENTION, AND RETIREMENT: COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYMENT POLICIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

Faculties are aging along with the rest of society. Low retirement rates and slow growth limit the number of new hiring opportunities in many institutions. Universities face a series of common challenges that will shape higher education in the 21st century. In order to maintain high quality faculties in the coming years, universities must develop compensation policies and employment practices that are appropriate for the new economic and demographic environment. This paper examines existing human resources (HR) policies and considers potential modifications that will enable institutions to recruit, retain, and retire faculty in the coming years. The analysis reviews the soaring cost of health insurance for active and retired faculty and how these plans are being amended. We also review the widespread adoption of phased retirement plans and the use of early retirement programs as components of HR policy. The increasing reliance on nontenure track faculty is also described. The analysis focuses on the challenges that universities face in the current economic and demographic conditions and the methods that administrators can adopt to fulfill their teaching and research missions. The paper presents the results from a national conference consisting of new research and intense discussion by scholars, administrators, policymakers, and HR consultants.     

“How different can we be?”: Using Tuesdays with Morrie and intergenerational interactions to promote positive views of older adults among college students

ABSTRACT

This article reports the results of an Adult Development course assignment. This assignment required that undergraduate students interact with an older adult on two occasions, provide written reflection on these interactions, and read and review the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. The goals of this assignment were for students to comfortably interact with older adults, to recognize the value of intergenerational interactions, and to recognize ageist or stereotyped ideas that they may have held about older adults. The analyses were primarily qualitative, but indicate that these goals were met. Student reactions to this assignment were overwhelmingly positive and insightful. While a number of students expressed initial concern about these interactions, they unanimously reported them to be positive experiences. Students also indicated that it was a learning experience for them, and sometimes for the older adults as well, and several made note of stereotypes or ageist ideas that they had held. Students completed the Fraboni Scale of Ageism after completing these assignments, and scores were significantly below neutral. While pretest, and additional post-test, measures would make the results of this study stronger, the students’ reports indicate that they perceived positive change within themselves, which suggests that this was an effective means of promoting positive attitudes about older adults.     

FACULTY ATTITUDES TOWARD THE MIXED‐AGE COLLEGE CLASSROOM

With the number of nontraditional students on college campuses continuing to increase, college educators need to become aware of issues regarding the mixed‐age classroom. Part of this awareness should be an understanding of how faculty perceive different‐aged students and their mixed‐age classroom experiences. Through telephone interviews with approximately 100 faculty, we investigate attitudes about the professor‐student relationship, views toward teaching in a mixed‐age classroom, and beliefs about both older and younger students.     

The Benefits of Learning Social Welfare: Lessons from Student Perspectives

It is widely assumed that most entering MSW students exhibit a primary interest in individual clinical practice but minimal understanding of or interest in welfare policy knowledge. However, this assumption is mostly based on attitudes before and at the beginning of encountering social welfare courses. Using a mixed-methods approach of both qualitative and quantitative methods, we studied the impact of a social welfare history and policy course on MSW students' perspectives and interests. We found that the course impacted students' understanding of and approach to their professional roles as well as to their own lives as citizens. These findings hold implications for social work education curriculum designs as well as for future research in social work teaching and education.     

Students Designing Video Games about Immunology: Insights for Science Learning

Exposing American K–12 students to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) content is a national initiative. Game Design Through Mentoring and Collaboration targets students from underserved communities and uses their interest in video games as a way to introduce science, technology, engineering, and math topics. This article describes a Game Design Through Mentoring and Collaboration summer program for 16 high school students and 3 college student mentors who collaborated with a science subject matter expert. After four weeks, most students produced 2-D video games with themes based on immunology concepts from the educational science game Immune Attack. Findings from three groups that finished their games and one group with an uncompleted game are explored.