Technology and culture

INTERFACE CULTURE: HOW NEW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS THE WAY WE CREATE AND COMMUNICATE by Steven Johnson (San Francisco: HarperEdge, 1997‐$24.00, ISBN 0–06–251433–4, 272 pp., index)

IMMERSED IN TECHNOLOGY: ART AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS edited by Mary Anne Moser with Douglas MacLeod (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997‐$22.50, ISBN 0–262–63183–0, 368 pp., technical glossary, 64 illustrations, 18 in color)

INTERNET DREAMS: ARCHETYPES, MYTHS, AND METAPHORS by Mark Stefik (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996‐$30.00/$15.00, ISBN 0–262–19373–6 hard, 0–262–69202–3 paper, 412 pp., further reading, sources, contributors, index)

POSTMORTEM FOR A POSTMODERNIST by Arthur Asa Berger (Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press/Sage, 1997‐$36.00/17.95, ISBN 0–8039–8910–2 hard, 0–8039–8911–0 paper, 184 pp., cartoons, bibliography, index)

THE NETWORKED SOCIETY: HOW TECHNOLOGIES ARE TRANSFORMING MARKETS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: A Report of The Fifth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on Information Technology, Aspen, Colorado, August 15–18, 1996 by David Bollier and Charles M. Firestone (Washington: The Aspen Institute, 1997‐$10.00, ISBN 0–89843–213–8, 43 pp., endnotes, appendix)

THE McDONALDIZATION OF SOCIETY: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHANGING CHARACTER OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL LIFE by George Ritzer (Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1997 [2nd ed.]—$17.95, paper, ISBN 0–8039–9076–6 hard, 0–8039–9077–4 paper, 265 pp., bibliography, index)

PARCHMENT, PRINTING, AND HYPERMEDIA: COMMUNICATION IN WORLD ORDER TRANSFORMATION by Ronald J. Deibert (New York: Columbia University Press “New Directions in World Politics,”; 1997‐$49.50/$ 17.50, paper, ISBN 0–231–10712–9 hard, 0–231–10713–7 paper, 329 pp., illustrations, charts, index)

BEYOND THE HORIZON: COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE by Stephen Lax (Luton, England: John Libbey Media/University of Luton Press, 1997—price not given, ISBN 1–860–20514–3 paper, 133 pp., technical illustrations, index)

CYBERSCHOOLS: AN EDUCATION RENAISSANCE by Glenn R. Jones (Englewood, MA: Jones Digital Century, Inc., 1997—$19.95, ISBN 1–885400–60–8, 180 pp., appendices, index)

THE ORYX GUIDE TO DISTANCE LEARNING: A COMPREHENSIVE LISTING OF ELECTRONIC AND OTHER MEDIA‐ASSISTED COURSES by William E. Burgess (Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1997 [2nd ed.]—$98.50, ISBN 1–57356–073–1, 497 pp.)

THE U.S. ALL MEDIA E‐MAIL DIRECTORY: COMMUNICATE VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL WITH MAGAZINE, NEWSPAPER, TV AND RADIO MEDIA AND CONTACTS NATIONWIDE by Paul J. Krupin (Kennewick, WA: Direct Contact Publishing, 1997‐$49.00, ISBN 1–885035–03–9, 229 pp., index)

THE RISE, DECLINE, AND RENEWAL OF SILICON VALLEY'S HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY by Dan M. Khanna (New York: Garland “Garland Studies on Industrial Productivity,”; 1997‐$52.00, ISBN 0–8153–2724–2, 182 pp., tables, notes, bibliography, index)

THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWLEDGE‐BASED RESOURCES IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY by Russell W. Wright (New York: Garland “Garland Studies on Industrial Productivity,”; 1997‐$37.00, ISBN 0–8153–2785–4, 108 pp., tables, diagrams, bibliography, index)

MOTHS TO THE FLAME: THE SEDUCTIONS OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY by Gregory J. E. Rawlins (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997‐$10.00, paper, ISBN 0–262–68097–1, 184 pp., subject index)

TIME DETECTIVES: HOW SCIENTISTS USE MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO UNRAVEL THE SECRETS OF THE PAST by Brian Fagan (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 1995‐$14.00, paper, ISBN 0–684–81828–0, 288 pp., index)

COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND POLITICS IN THE INFORMATION AGE by Gerald Sussman (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997‐$56.00/$27.95, ISBN 0–8039–5139–6 hard, 0–8039–5140‐x paper, 317 pp., tables, references, subject index)

THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES by Michael M.A. Mirabito with contributions by Barbara Morgenstern (Boston, MA: Focal Press, 1997 [3rd ed.]—$32.95, paper, ISBN 0–240–80258–6, 256 pp., index)

COORDINATING THE INTERNET edited by Brian Kahin and James H. Keller (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press “Publication of the Harvard Information Infrastructure Project,”; 1997‐$25.00, paper, ISBN 0–262–11230–2 hard, 0–262–61136–8 paper, 491 pp., glossary of acronyms, tables, charts, notes, index)

THE INTERNET & WORLD WIDE WEB: THE ROUGH GUIDE by Angus J. Kennedy (London and New York: Rough Guides [distribution by Penguin Group], 1997‐$8.95, paper, ISBN 1–85828–288–8, 432 pp., illustrations, index)

TELECOMMUTING: MODELING THE EMPLOYER'S AND THE EMPLOYEE'S DECISION‐MAKING PROCESS by Adriana Bernardino (New York: Garland “Garland Studies on Industrial Productivity,”; 1996‐$46.00, ISBN 0–8153–2723–4, 169 pp., tables, charts, references survey instruments, index)     

Faculty in the Hinterlands: Cultural Anticipation and Cultural Reality

Using qualitative inquiry, this paper employs a cultural lens to explore the work life experiences of faculty who work in smaller higher education administration programs in institutions that are not high-level research universities. The research focus included understanding how participants made sense of the institutions in which they worked and the consequences of that for their lives. Implications for the field of higher education administration, faculty work, and graduate socialization are examined. Ultimately, this research suggests that a single model of faculty work life identity drawn using a research institutional prototype does little to support all faculty members, many of whom work in markedly different institutions.     

African American Students in Private, Independent Schools: Parents and School Influences on Racial Identity Development

Although much research has focused on the public school experiences of African American students, few studies exist that explore their race-related experiences within an independent, private school context. Studies have suggested that, while private, independent schools may elevate the quality of African American students’ education, many of these students experience social isolation from their peers. Using a qualitative methodology, the current study explores the experiences of African American students attending a private, independent school. Moreover, this investigation explores how schools as well as parental contexts contribute to racial identity development. Results indicated the importance of parents, schools and other significant institutions as racial socialization agents as well as their influence on specific identity-related processes. Educational implications for findings are also discussed.     

The influence of emotional intelligence on academic progress and achievement in UK university students

Previous research has found relationships between higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and academic success in both adolescents and adults. This study examines the relationship between overall EI and specific EI competencies in 135 undergraduate psychology students in the UK. EI was measured at the start of a psychology degree course using the Emotional Competence Inventory-University Edition (ECI-U II). Performance was assessed using retention statistics and students’ final average percentage mark (APM) at the end of their degree course. Results showed that there were no differences in overall EI or specific EI competencies in those students who graduated compared to those who failed to graduate. Whilst global EI did not significantly predict final APM, specific EI competencies (conscientiousness, adaptability, empathy, organisational awareness, and building bonds) significantly predicted APM after controlling for gender. Recommendations for the implementation of EI training in higher education institutions are considered.     

Is Inclusion an Illusion? An Examination of National and State Trends Toward the Education of Students with Learning Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

The inclusion of students with learning disabilities (LD) remains one of the more controversial issues in special education. Although research evidence seems to reveal that students with LD should spend most of the school day in the general education classroom, little data are available regarding the extent to which states are moving toward educating these students in less restrictive settings. This investigation was conducted to examine national and state data related to changes that occurred during the 1990s in educating students with LD in less restrictive settings. The results revealed that little change occurred across the United States as a whole, and that only 15 states moved toward educating students with LD in less restrictive settings during this time. The findings of this investigation further revealed that much of the apparent movement toward educating students with LD in general education classrooms is largely an illusion, explained primarily by the increasing identification rate for students with LD. The implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.     

Childhood Aggression and Peer Relations in the Context of Family and Neighborhood Factors

4 models (risk, protective, potentiator, and person-environment fit) comparing the associations among ethnicity, income, and structural characteristics of families and neighborhoods on childhood aggression and peer relations were explored. The 1,271 second- through fifth-grade ( M = 9.9 years) children were assigned to 1 of 8 family types based on ethnicity, income, and household composition, and their addresses were used to define low- or middle-SES neighborhoods using neighborhood census data. Middle-SES neighborhoods operated as a protective factor for reducing aggression among children from high-risk families, interacted with family type to produce poor person-environment fit resulting in a greater likelihood of being rejected by one's peers, and potentiated the development of home play companions for children from low-risk families. Developmental and gender differences were also explored. Results are discussed in terms of the need for broader contextual factors to be considered in studying children's social and behavioral development.     

Apparent hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic conditioned responses with exogenous insulin as the unconditioned stimulus

Rats were injected with either insulin or saline and placed in one of two distinctive environments for 25 min on each of several days. On test trials for conditioning, the animals were injected with saline in both environments and blood glucose levels were measured. Apparent conditioned changes were obtained, but the direction of the conditioned response depended upon the environment in which the animals were placed. A conditioned hyperglycemic response occurred in one environment, and a conditioned hypoglycemic response occurred in the other environment. This pattern occurred in both within-subject and between-subjects designs and was not influenced by route of insulin injection (ip or sc). The hypoglycemic, but not the hyperglycemic, response was blocked by methyl atropine. The occurrence of both CR patterns with the same low insulin dose is contrary to previous speculation that the different CR patterns are due to different dose levels of insulin.     

Building a Bridge: Counselor Educator–School Counselor Collaboration

Despite calls for collaboration between counselor educators and school counselors, little is known about how collaboratives develop and what, if any, benefits are derived by the participants. In this article, the authors describe an 8‐year collaboration between a group of university‐based counselor educators and school counselors in 1 partnership community. Interviews with selected members of the collaborative were conducted to assess the participants' perceptions of the impact of this collaborative on their professional lives. A qualitative analysis of interviews revealed that renewal, professional development, and community are central to the experience of participants. Implications for future collaborations and research are discussed.     

Task motivation: Learner selection of intrinsic versus extrinsic orientations

The choice behavior of 24 college-age subjects within a computer problem-solving task was investigated as they controlled and selected problem difficulty levels which either maximized intrinsic interest or extrinsic reward. While playing a computerized version of the game Mastermind, subjects selected and attempted problems from a variety of difficulty levels during 18 15-minute sessions. Within selected periods of extrinsic reward availability, subjects were shown to select problems which were most efficiently solved, thus maximizing extrinsic reward; however, repeated task exposure produced selections that increased the task's challenge levels and its subsequent intrinsic interest. Following the removal of the extrinsic rewards, subjects immediately returned to their pre-reward intervention levels of difficulty.