Research Resources

Carolyn J. Mullins' A Guide to Writing and Publishing in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (New York: Wiley- Interscience, 1977—$18.95)

Kirk Polking and Leonard S. Meranus, eds. Law and the Writer (Cincinnatti, Ohio: Writer's Books, 1978—$9.95)

Mary-Claire van Leunen's A Handbook for Scholars (New York: Knopf, 1978—$12.95)

Paul Wasserman and Jacqueline Bernero, eds. Statistics Sources: A Subject Guide to Data on Industrial, Business, Social, Educational, Financial, and other Topics for the United States and Internationally (Detroit: Gale Research Cbmpany, 1977 [5th ed.]—$58.00)

Bibliocom 1976: Biblioqraphie Internationale de la Documentation en Lanque Francaise sur la Communication (Institut International de is Communication, Yniversite de Montreal, C.P. 6128 Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada—$18.95, paper)

June D. Buteau's Nonprint Materials on Communication: An Annotated Directory of Select Films, Videotapes, Videocassettes, Simulations and Games (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1976—$16.00)

Sarojini Balachandran's Technical Writing: A Bibliography (Urbana, Ill.: American Business Communication Association, l977—price not given, paper)     

The depiction of stuttering in contemporary juvenile fiction: Implications for clinical practice

We reviewed 29 contemporary juvenile fiction books featuring characters who stutter to assess the presentation of stuttering‐related content. Although plots varied widely, most characters displayed attributes or accomplishments that offset their communication impairment. Many characters improved social and/or communicative functioning during the stories, though rarely in conjunction with professionally administered intervention. Most books depicted listener responses to stuttering, including impatience, teasing, ridicule, and bullying. Some books contained incorrect or distorted information, which could convey the mistaken impression that stuttering is simply a symptom of emotional distress. Nonetheless, most portrayals of stuttering seemed sufficient for the books to be considered for use as an instructional tool in certain education and intervention activities. Potential applications of the books in these contexts are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Online anatomy and physiology: piloting the use of an anatomy and physiology e-book-VLE hybrid in pre-registration and post-qualifying nursing programmes at the University of Salford

BACKGROUND: Anatomy and physiology (A&P) teaching and learning in nursing curricula poses problems for educators because of the often varying levels of students' background knowledge. This study reports on a pilot project that attempted to normalize these differentials by delivering A&P teaching using an online interactive e-book-virtual learning environment (VLE) hybrid. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the effectiveness of using an online interactive resource to deliver A&P teaching. METHODS: Data were collected from pre-registration and post-qualifying students by questionnaire and observation, and from lecturers by structured interviews. Scale-up issues were identified and documented as part of support for the ongoing pilot. RESULTS: The pre-registration group encountered problems accessing the resource and yielded evidence to suggest that inexperienced learners require a high level of direction to use the resource effectively. The post-qualifying group benefited from the resource's interactive elements and 24/7 availability. There was clear evidence that the group were able to relate knowledge gained from the resource to practice. CONCLUSIONS: This hybrid has great potential to add value to A&P learning on nursing programmes at post-qualifying level. The resource could replace its printed equivalent; however, negotiations need to take place between institutions and publishers in order to resolve scale-up issues.     

Discerning Pedagogical Quality in Preschool

A well‐developed and researched conceptual framework exists for identifying undergraduate students' conceptions of learning. In addition, research has been reported on teachers' conceptions of teaching as they relate to their conceptions of learning. The research reported in this paper takes the existing framework into a new area, postgraduate supervisors' conceptions of “research”. It is hypothesized that the development of a conceptual framework that identifies postgraduate students' conceptions of “research”, and how these articulate with the conceptions of research held by their research supervisors, will enable support mechanisms to be developed and used to assist students early in their candidature. In addition, supervisory practice will benefit from being aware of, and sensitive to, the variety and potential effect of these conceptions. While it is recognized that there are strong cultural influences on conceptions of research, this project has focused initially on the conceptions of research generally adopted by Western academic institutions. However, the students involved in the study were not necessarily of a Western educational background. This paper outlines the results of research undertaken to date in identifying supervisors' conceptions. In addition, it discusses supervisors' views on: the purpose of research and what characterizes “good” research and good researchers. Various strategies reported by supervisors to assist their students to develop more comprehensive and sophisticated conceptions of research are also discussed.     

The role of the inspirational practitioner in ensuring creativity in the national training for new professionals in the children's workforce

This paper is based on the experience of working alongside new practitioners with the role of learning mentor as they engage in a national training programme. It considers the issues raised by evaluation at a range of times within and beyond the training. The main factors that emerge from the data focus on the role of inspiration, creativity, active learning and modelling in engendering the maximum impact of in-post education. This is a significant message for those currently engaged in planning programmes that seek to ensure that the children's workforce of the future is well-qualified and committed to the children and young people they represent.     

Evaluating a Psychology Graduate Student Peer Mentoring Program

Research on mentoring outcomes and characteristics of various types of mentoring programs in different settings is limited. The present study sampled 39 graduate students at a small Midwestern university to evaluate peer mentoring in a graduate school setting. Mentoring function and outcome relationships as well as program characteristics were explored. As expected, mentoring functions were highly correlated with various outcomes. Results indicated psychosocial assistance, networking help, and relational outcomes were reported most among participants. Interestingly, pair compatibility and mentor preparation were not found to be essential program characteristics. Program recommendations and future research are discussed.