Designing SQL Database Modules Using Correlation Coefficients and Linear Regression: A Content‐Centered Approach

Information systems educators are increasingly incorporating business intelligence and analytics topics into information systems training. Educators often create modules independently, which can be difficult to effectively design given most information systems trainers have no formal training in instructional design. This article incorporates a content‐centered design model, pebble‐in‐the‐pond (Merrill, 2002 ), and provides an example of the design process using the topic of predictive analytics that information systems educators can follow to create instructional modules using sound instructional design considerations.     

The role of allocentrism on perceptions and reactions to congruity

We investigated how allocentrism, or the tendency to emphasize in-group attributes was related to the amount and the kind (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) of congruity perceived between own and in-group goals. School teachers (N=114) rated the importance of own and coworkers’ intrinsic and extrinsic goals and completed measures of allocentrism and coworker satisfaction. As predicted, allocentrism was positively correlated with extrinsic goal congruity. In general, increasing congruity on intrinsic goals was related to higher coworker satisfaction. However, there were individual differences in reactions to congruity: high allocentrics who perceived congruity on both, intrinsic and extrinsic goals were more satisfied than those who perceived high congruity only on extrinsic goals.     

Effects of Parental Depressive Symptoms on Child Adjustment Moderated by Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Activity: Within‐ and Between‐Family Risk

Child hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) activity was investigated as a moderator of parental depressive symptom effects on child behavior in an adoption sample (n = 210 families). Adoptive parents' depressive symptoms and child internalizing and externalizing were assessed at 18, 27, and 54 months, and child morning and evening HPA activity measured through salivary cortisol at 54 months. Children's daily cortisol levels and day‐to‐day variability were tested as moderators of longitudinal associations between parent and child symptoms at within‐ and between‐family levels. Mothers' symptoms related directly to child internalizing, but child evening cortisol moderated effects of fathers' symptoms on internalizing, and of both parents' symptoms on externalizing. Different paths of within‐family risk dynamics versus between‐family risk synergy were found for internalizing versus externalizing outcomes.     

Health education and reading skills of lower SES students

Conclusions Students exposed to the SHCP did not achieve significantly different (p=.01) reading comprehension mean scores than students not exposed to the program. However, the gains measured in this research covered only a nine week period, and if the reading comprehension mean score gains were projected over the academic year, the difference would be significant.The experimental students achieved significantly higher posttest vocabulary mean scores than students receiving their regular health instruction. Since there was no difference in mean scores by sex, it was concluded that the special prototype health-education curriculum in combination with the process used by the teachers appeared to have some impact on the experimental students' vocabulary mean scores.Since the total sample used in this study was small, there is a need for further studies with larger samples to further investigate the effects of the SHCP, as well as other prototype programs on the basic skill development of lower SES students.     

Sustaining professional learning communities: Case studies

The purpose is to document the ongoing development of two schools in becoming professional learning communities and the effects of meaningful collaboration on teacher learning. The question that guides this research is: How does a school become a sustainable professional learning community? The theoretical framework is based on the work of Senge, Hord, Fullan, Hargreaves and Fink, and Stoll, McMahon and Thomas and includes the areas of professional learning community, change and sustainability. Finally, the study addresses the relationship between professional learning community and school culture. The methodology involves a qualitative case study approach designed to gain information regarding two emerging schools in their journeys toward developing learning community cultures. Findings reveal the stories of each school as they evolved as PLCs and the similarities and differences that emerged. Knowing that sustaining the culture of a PLC is complex, and not to be achieved without determination and growth, we look ahead at challenges to be addressed and further research to be conducted. Finally, we offer some concluding statements and attempt to relate findings to the literature on PLCs. The intent is to identify some of the intricacies in building cultures of learning for adults and students. As we have learned through these two stories, many things happen simultaneously, to greater or lesser degrees, at varying points in time over a period of years that seem to influence the development of a PLC. Such development seems so complex that to be able to describe discrete steps or stages is unlikely. Still we are beginning to see that some categories of activities and issues must be developed before others can emerge.