Engaging faculty in service-learning: opportunities and barriers to promoting our public mission

Tertiary Education and Management - Community engagement has been defined as a collaborative enterprise between higher education institutes and external communities where stakeholders can...     

Teacher–Child Interactions and the Development of Executive Function in Preschool-Age Children Attending Head Start

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the potential contribution of teacher–child interactions to residualized Inhibitory Control (IC) gains over approximately a six-month period for preschoolers from predominantly low-income households. The study also explored whether the association between quality of teacher–child interactions and IC gains depends on children’s IC skills upon classroom entry and their household income-to-needs ratio. The study included 169 preschoolers from 51 classrooms in a Head Start program run by an agency in a large city in Oklahoma. Children’s IC skills were assessed in fall (time 1) and spring (time 2), and teacher–child interaction quality was observed at fall (i.e., September through November). Results from Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) did not show significant effects of high-quality teacher–child interactions on residualized IC gains over six months. However, results showed that children who initially presented poor IC skills displayed higher gains in their IC skills at spring when they were in classrooms practicing high-quality teacher–child interactions, as defined by emotional support and classroom organization. Practice or Policy: Emotionally supportive and well-organized classrooms in Head Start programs may benefit early IC development, especially for children presenting poor IC skills at classroom entry.     

Toward a More Effective Mentoring Model: An Innovative Program of Collaboration

Mentoring is a powerful and often effective tool in supporting the work of new and experienced teachers. It can also be a means of attracting and retaining talented teachers in schools which face challenges in staffing and turnover. In this article we describe and analyze the first 2 years of a mentoring program designed to support teacher retention and growth. The program, planned between a Jewish education agency and university faculty, was implemented in several Orthodox Jewish day schools. Mentoring was provided by university faculty and the relationship between the mentor and teacher was non-evaluative and fully collaborative. Data collected from mentors, teachers, and principals are analyzed and presented, and implications for Jewish day schools are discussed.     

Beyond Information: Ritual,Relationship, and Re‐encounter through Mobile Connectivity

Abstract This paper examines mobile development and the social aspects of connectivity as they relate to public experience. The author argues that mobile development is something more than the information‐distribution platform for which it is most commonly used within the museum community. Nine stories, in this article, relate the stunningly diverse inventive possibilities of the medium. Mobile is often used to deliver additional content within museum exhibitions, but this paper encourages institutions to consider designing beyond this known paradigm and to see mobile as a means for institutions to build and sustain new relationships with visitors.     

Rites of passage： A comparison of US,Malaysian and Brazilian adolescents

This study compares the life events perceived as ＂rites of passage＂ from adolescence to adulthood by respondents between the ages of 14 and 23 in 3 countries and discusses the possible influences of culture and globalization on these perceptions. Participants include： （1） 250 adolescents from the US （125 males and 125 females）; （2） 191 adolescents from southeastern Brazil （70 males and 121 females）; and （3） 163 adolescents from Malaysia （76 males and 87 females）. These adolescents ranked a variety of life events which may be perceived as indicative of adult status by completing a questionnaire about perceived rites of passage. Although there were similarities among the 3 groups, several differences also emerged. The most commonly noted indicator of adult status for Malaysian youth was physical maturity, followed by completing one＇s education. Participants from the US cited financial independence as the major indicator of adult status, while those from Brazil cited the ability to make important decisions independently from family and to take responsibility for others, such as children, aging parents or a spouse. Brazilian youth were significantly more likely to cite a love affair and voting in major elections as rites of passage than were participants from the other 2 countries. Participants from the US were significantly more likely to cite military service, and Malaysian youth were significantly more likely to consider completion of education and achieving physical maturity as rites of passage. Gender and age differences within groups were evident on some items, but these were not consistent across groups. Possible explanations for the differences between countries and implications for educators working with adolescents in rapidly changing societies are discussed.     

Valid and Reliable Science Content Assessments for Science Teachers

Science teachers’ content knowledge is an important influence on student learning, highlighting an ongoing need for programs, and assessments of those programs, designed to support teacher learning of science. Valid and reliable assessments of teacher science knowledge are needed for direct measurement of this crucial variable. This paper describes multiple sources of validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha greater than 0.8) evidence for physical, life, and earth/space science assessments—part of the Diagnostic Teacher Assessments of Mathematics and Science (DTAMS) project. Validity was strengthened by systematic synthesis of relevant documents, extensive use of external reviewers, and field tests with 900 teachers during assessment development process. Subsequent results from 4,400 teachers, analyzed with Rasch IRT modeling techniques, offer construct and concurrent validity evidence.     

The end of the life span: Determinants of communication apprehension

While communication researchers have expressed an interest in communication development, an area still relatively untouched by the field is the study of communication with the terminally ill. This study was designed to examine this capstone of human development and to provide a framework for future research in an area which affects so many. It was hypothesized that having knowledge of the effects of the illnesses in terms of psychological status and familiarity with the dying individual would affect the level of communication apprehension experienced by a person. A research question also investigated the relationships between fear of death and levels of situational communication apprehension. Results indicated that having knowledge of the psychological status did not significantly affect an individual's level of CA. However, familiarity with the terminally ill individual was found to increase the level of CA experienced by a healthy person. Given these findings, the general premise that uncertainty is negative is brought into question.     

Investigation of secondary science teachers' beliefs and practices after authentic inquiry‐based experiences

This study continues research previously conducted by a nine‐university collaborative, the Salish I Research Project, by exploring science teachers' beliefs and practices with regard to inquiry‐oriented instruction. In this study, we analyzed the relationship among secondary science teachers' preparation, their beliefs, and their classroom practices after completion of a course designed to provide authentic inquiry experiences. From Teacher Pedagogical Philosophy Interview data and Secondary Science Teacher Analysis Matrix observational data, we analyzed links between the teachers' conveyed beliefs and observed practice regarding the teachers' actions (TA) and students' actions (SA). Also presented is a listing of teachers' perceived influences from university preparation course work. Results indicated that 7 of the 8 teachers professed a belief in teacher‐centered or conceptual style with regard to TA and SA. The observational results indicated that 7 of the 8 teachers displayed a teacher‐centered or conceptual style with regard to TA and SA. Inconsistencies between interview and observational data were unexpected, as half of the teachers professed slightly greater teacher‐centered styles with regard to TA than what they actually practiced in their classrooms. All teachers reported that an inquiry‐based science course was valuable. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 938–962, 2006     

Providing consumer health information via health professionals

The Health Education Center in Pittsburgh, a community-based health promotion agency which provides library services to health professionals, students, and the lay public, received a resource grant in 1981 from the National Library of Medicine to study professionals' awareness of consumer health information (CHI) materials for their patients and clients. A survey of telephone patrons and on-site library patrons provided details on health professionals' use of the CHI resource center: their areas of interest, the material formats they preferred, and the intended use of the materials. Health professionals' demand for information about consumer-oriented materials and their satisfaction with the HEC library suggest that such a resource can be a valuable asset to a community.     

Critical Thinking in Criminal Justice Ethics: Using the Affective Domain to Discover Gray Matters

This paper proposes that an effective way to teach critical thinking would be through a criminal justice ethics class that prioritizes learning in the affective domain to prevent persistence of a polarizing perspective. The premise is twofold: first, that us versus them dichotomies hinder higher order thinking and moral decision-making; and, secondly, that it is much more difficult to overcome dichotomous thinking exclusively through cognitive domain teaching because the tendency is for students to sift through new information and focus only on facts which support preexisting positions and, also, because students may anticipate an intellectual attack on their opinions and become defensive or resistant. For those reasons, the suggestion is to use carefully selected, empathy-evoking films as a stealthier, softer introduction to controversial issues.