TRAINING OLDER ADULTS TO USE THE COMPUTER: ISSUES RELATED TO THE WORKPLACE,ATTITUDES, AND TRAINING

The number of computer‐illiterate older adults in the workplace in expected to increase as the number in that age group grows, creating a need for computer training. Negative stereotypes of the incompetent older adult have not been supported by research. Older adults’ attitudes toward the computer do improve with positive experiences with the computer. Also, training studies show that older adults can learn how to use the computer, but need approximately twice as long to complete training as young adults. Factors that are important for computer training in this population are discussed.     

Be Careful What You Ask For: Structuration Theory and Work/Life Accommodation

An analysis of 96 employee requests for accommodation revealed the rules and resources that govern the negotiation of work/life issues in organizations. Using Giddens' structuration theory, the authors identified six rules and three resources commonly employed in seeking assistance in achieving work/life balance and identified ways that these rules and resources reproduce and challenge the system. Implications for managers, employees, and researchers are discussed.     

“Yes,We Have an Anti-bullying Policy,But … :” HR Professionals' Understandings and Experiences with Workplace Bullying Policy

Although human resource (HR) professionals have extensive involvement in workplace bullying situations, research is not reflective of their perspective. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the use of anti-bullying policy in organizations. Interviews with 36 HR professionals and analysis of 18 organizational policies revealed many HR professionals believed their organizations had policies that addressed bullying, but the policies did not use the term “bullying.” Others did not believe their organizations had policies that could address bullying or did not know if their organization had a policy. What the HR professionals felt the policies communicated and what the policies actually detailed proved to be divergent. Implications of these findings, limitations, and future research are discussed.     

Evaluation of a randomized intervention to delay sexual initiation among fifth-graders followed through the sixth grade

US adolescents initiate sex at increasingly younger ages, yet few pregnancy prevention interventions for children as young as 10–12 years old have been evaluated. Sixteen Washington, DC schools were randomly assigned to intervention versus control conditions. Beginning in 2001/02 with fifth-grade students and continuing during the sixth grade, students completed pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys each school year. Each year, the intervention included 10–13 classroom sessions related to delaying sexual initiation. Linear hierarchical models compared outcome changes between intervention and control groups by gender over time. Results show the intervention significantly decreased a rise over time in the anticipation of having sex in the next 12 months among intervention boys versus control boys, but it had no other outcome effects. Among girls, the intervention had no significant outcome effects. One exception is that for both genders, compared with control students, intervention students increased their pubertal knowledge. In conclusion, a school-based curriculum to delay sexual involvement among fifth-grade and sixth-grade high-risk youths had limited impact. Additional research is necessary to outline effective interventions, and more intensive, comprehensive interventions may be required to counteract adverse circumstances in students' lives and pervasive influences toward early sex.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00341471     

Broadcasting and Cable

Larry James Gianakos' Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1959-1975 (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1978—$27.50)

Albert C. Book and Norman D. Cary's The Radio and Television Commercial (Chicago: Crain Books, 1978—$6.95, paper)

Jay S. Harris's TV Guide: The First 25 Years (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978—$14.95)

Steven R. Rivkin's A New Guide to Federal Cable Television Regulations (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1978—$25.00)

Felix Chin's Cable Television: A Comprehensive Bibliography (New York: Plenum Publishing, 1978—$45.00)     

Randomizing multiple contingency components to decrease disruptive behaviors and increase student engagement in an urban second‐grade classroom

Disruptive behaviors displayed in the classroom interfere with learning by taking time away from academic instruction. This study investigated the effects of randomizing components within an interdependent group contingency for group disruptive behavior and engagement levels of 26 students in a second‐grade classroom in an urban Midwestern school. Using a multiple‐baseline‐across‐settings design, baseline levels of group disruptive behavior and engagement were compared to intervention levels across three different class periods. Results suggest that the intervention decreased levels of disruptive behavior and increased levels of student engagement. Benefits of randomizing components within an interdependent group contingency are discussed as well as limitations to this study and suggested areas of future research. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

First‐year Pre‐service Teachers in Taiwan—Do they enter the teacher program with satisfactory scientific literacy and attitudes toward science?

Scientific literacy and attitudes toward science play an important role in human daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether first‐year pre‐service teachers in colleges in Taiwan have a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. The domains of scientific literacy selected in this study include: (1) science content; (2) the interaction between science, technology and society (STS); (3) the nature of science; and (4) attitudes toward science. In this study, the instruments used were Chinese translations of the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) and the Test of Science‐related Attitudes. Elementary education majors (n = 141) and science education majors (n = 138) from four teachers’ colleges responded to these instruments. The statistical results from the tests revealed that, in general, the basic scientific literacy of first‐year pre‐service teachers was at a satisfactory level. Of the six scales covered in this study, the pre‐service teachers displayed the highest literacy in health science, STS, and life science. Literacy in the areas of the nature of science and earth science was rated lowest. The results also showed that science education majors scored significantly higher in physical science, life science, nature of science, science content, and the TBSL than elementary science majors. Males performed better than females in earth science, life science, science content, and the TBSL. Next, elementary education majors responded with more “don’t know” responses than science education majors. In general, the pre‐service teachers were moderately positive in terms of attitudes toward science while science education majors had more positive attitudes toward science. There was no significant difference in attitudes between genders. Previous experience in science indicated more positive attitudes toward science. The results from stepwise regression revealed that STS, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science could explain 50.6% and 60.2% variance in science content in elementary education and science education majors, respectively. For science education majors, the first three scales—the nature of science, health science and physical science—determined basic scientific literacy. However, for elementary education majors, the top three factors were physical science, life science and the nature of science. Based on these results, several strategies for developing the professional abilities of science teachers have been recommended for inclusion in pre‐service programs.     

Using Concept Cartoons in Formative Assessment: Scaffolding students’ argumentation

The purpose of this study was to investigate how concept cartoons, together with other diagnostic and scaffolding tools, could be used in formative assessment, to stimulate talk and argumentation among students in small groups, as part of peer‐assessment and self‐assessment; and to provide diagnostic feedback about students’ misconceptions to the teacher for teaching towards conceptual change. Two classes of Primary 5 and 6 students worked in small groups to discuss the opposing viewpoints posed by the cartoon characters, using scaffolding tools to guide their discussions and to evaluate, challenge, and document each others’ ideas. Students also used drawings to depict their ideas. The conversation from one group was audio‐taped. These tools provided a record of students’ thinking in a form that was accessible to the teacher for monitoring and feedback purposes. Findings showed dialogic talk and interactive argumentation among students where they made their reasoning visible. Students’ assertions and questions had formative potential as they encouraged exploratory and reflective discourse by drawing upon each others’ ideas. The teacher’s discursive practices, as well as her role in designing scaffolding structures for supporting ‘assessment conversations’ when using concept cartoons and in devising strategies that take into account students’ conceptual and epistemic thinking, are emphasised.     

Developing the capacity of teacher‐librarians to meet the diverse needs of all schoolchildren: Project ENABLE

US school libraries are required to ensure that schoolchildren and school staff with disabilities have equal opportunity to use and benefit from library facilities and information services under federal law. However, evidence indicates teacher‐librarians (TLs) often lack the training, knowledge and skills to provide programmes and services that meet the needs of students with disabilities. Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access by Librarians Everywhere) was created to respond to this shortfall by designing, implementing and evaluating a professional development programme in New York State. The project applies a social model of disability to help 100 TLs, special educators and general educators further develop their skills and resources by teaming together to create an inclusive environment for all students. This is achieved through the use of universal design principles, appropriate assistive and other technologies, an emphasis on person‐first language and sensitivity simulations, a focus on inclusive lesson planning, and by developing collaboration capacity among participant teams. Curriculum development, data collection and analyses are presented. The effect of the Project ENABLE trainings was significant in terms of higher levels of skill and knowledge reported by participants for creating accessible library programmes, advancing inclusive education and building effective collaborations. Drawing from their workshop learning and resources, participant teams developed action plans to implement during the 2011–2012 school year. This project underscores the importance of TLs in the education of all students, including those with disabilities. Higher education and local professional development programmes must place greater emphasis on preparing TLs to perform this role effectively and confidently.     

Evaluating a bedside tool for neuroanatomical localization with extended‐matching questions

Neuroanatomical localization (NL) is a key skill in neurology, but learners often have difficulty with it. This study aims to evaluate a concise NL tool (NLT) developed to help teach and learn NL. To evaluate the NLT, an extended‐matching questions (EMQ) test to assess NL was designed and validated. The EMQ was validated with fourth‐year medical students and internal medicine and neurology residents. The NLT's usability was evaluated with third‐ and fourth‐year students, and the effectiveness was evaluated with an experimental study of second‐year students, using the EMQ as the outcome measure. Students were taught how to use both the NLT and textbook algorithms (control) to perform NL, then randomized into either group, and only allowed to use their assigned tool to complete the EMQ. Primary outcome was the difference in mean EMQ scores expressed as a percentage of total score. For EMQ validation, students (n = 56) scored lower than residents (n = 50) (76.7% ± 1.7 vs. 83.0% ± 1.6; mean ± standard error of mean, P < 0.009). The EMQ demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's α 0.85) and generalizability (G‐coefficient 0.85). Third‐ (n = 77) and fourth‐year (n = 42) students found the NLT user‐friendly and helpful in their learning of NL. In the experimental study, scores were significantly higher for NLT group (n = 94) than for controls (n = 101) (42.5 vs. 37.0%, P = 0.014); the effect size (Cohen's d) was 0.36. The EMQ is validated to reliably assess NL and is generalizable, feasible, practical, and of low cost. The concise and user‐friendly NLT for NL was effective in aiding medical student performance of NL. Anat Sci Educ 11: 262–269. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.