Indexing consistency in MEDLINE

The quality of indexing of periodicals in a bibliographic data base cannot be measured directly, as there is no one "correct" way to index an item. However, consistency can be used to measure the reliability of indexing. To measure consistency in MEDLINE, 760 twice-indexed articles from 42 periodical issues were identified in the data base, and their indexing compared. Consistency, expressed as a percentage, was measured using Hooper's equation. Overall, checktags had the highest consistency. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and subheadings were applied more consistently to central concepts than to peripheral points. When subheadings were added to a main heading, consistency was lowered. "Floating" subheadings were more consistent than were attached subheadings. Indexing consistency was not affected by journal indexing priority, language, or length of the article. Terms from MeSH Tree Structure categories A, B, and D appeared more often than expected in the high-consistency articles; whereas terms from categories E, F, H, and N appeared more often than expected in the low-consistency articles. MEDLINE, with its excellent controlled vocabulary, exemplary quality control, and highly trained indexers, probably represents the state of the art in manually indexed data bases.     

Understanding the Information Needs of Academic Scholars in Agricultural and Biological Sciences

This study investigates the information needs of faculty and graduate students in agricultural and biological sciences. Qualitative research methods, interviews and focus groups, were used to examine what types of information these scholars need for their research, teaching and learning, how they seek that information, and perceptions. The implications for library service are discussed.     

A Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Research on Mathematics Word Problem-Solving Interventions for English Learners with Learning Disabilities and Mathematics Difficulties

This single-case meta-analysis is the first to provide a quantitative synthesis of the published literature on mathematics word problem-solving intervention studies for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. A total of ten single-subject studies were included for analysis. The current study investigated the magnitude of the effect of mathematics interventions targeting the improvement of students’ mathematics word problem-solving performance, and analyzed variables that moderated this effect. Results indicate a moderate overall effect size of 0.81 (95% CI [0.71, 0.90]) on word problem-solving performance for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. Moderator variables such as the implementer of the interventions, instructional focus, and word problem-solving content significantly moderated the mathematics intervention effects.     

Writing Characteristics of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: A Meta‐Analysis

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) frequently experience significant difficulty mastering basic academic skills. This meta‐analysis focuses on one specific potential area of learning difficulties for these students: namely, writing. To identify the extent and depth of the potential writing challenges faced by students with ADHD, we conducted a meta‐analysis comparing the writing performance of grade 1 to 12 students with ADHD to their normally achieving peers. We located 44 papers, yielding 45 studies with 87 effect sizes. The average weighted effect sizes showed that students with ADHD obtained lower scores than their normally achieving peers for writing quality (–0.78), output (–0.64), number of genre elements (–0.69), vocabulary (–0.76), spelling (–0.80), and handwriting (–0.62). Contrary to expectations, moderator analyses found that neither study quality nor the source from which ADHD students were drawn (i.e., school/community vs. clinic/hospital) accounted for variability above sampling error alone.     

Assessing Undergraduate Education from Graduating Seniors’ Perspective: Peer Institutions Provide the Context

This paper presents a comparative research study as a model for assessing undergraduate education. This evaluation model used Factor Analysis to create scales, tested the reliability of these scales, and used Analysis of Variance to compare the primary institution with five types of comparable institutions. The value of this statistical/methodological evaluation model was shown. Results are based on Class of l998survey responses from 244 graduating seniors at the primary institution and 1481 students at 39peer institutions. Comparative analyses identified business courses, faculty, career preparation and impact on students’ technological skill as strengths and students’ knowledge of arts and foreign languages and campus social life as areas for improvement at the primary institution. Recommendations advocated publicising students’ superior satisfaction with courses, faculty and career preparation; using these results as baseline data for future curriculum evaluation; and continuing efforts to enhance campus social life. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

How can only 18 black teachers working in Liverpool represent a diverse teaching workforce? A critical narrative

This paper follows on from the authors’ previous research into minimal Black teacher representation in Liverpool schools [Boyle, B., and M. Charles. 2010. “Tightening the Shackles: The Continued Invisibility of Liverpool's British African Caribbean Teachers.” Journal of Black Studies 42 (3): 427–435]. It is based on a re-examination of their findings of Liverpool's Black teachers’ historic institutionalised invisibility [Swann Report. 1985. Education for All. Report of the Committee of the Enquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.] and an interrogation of the situation as revealed by the 2015 data. The article uses as its evidence base, questionnaire responses and data from a sample of interviews with the current 18 Black teachers. Despite the voices of Black teachers being marginalised and even less likely to be heard, it is vital that the pedagogies of Black teachers contribute to a ‘dismantling of binaries and hierarchies that privilege Eurocentric paradigms of teaching’ [Escayg, K. 2010. “Diverse Classrooms, Diverse Teachers: Representing Cultural Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Implications for Pre-Service Admissions.” Canadian Journal for new Scholars in Education 3 (2): 1–8, 4].