Competent Consultation: Developing Self-Efficacy for Process and Problem Aspects of Consultation

ABSTRACT

Using samples of novice and advanced consultants in training (CITs), this study explored the development of consultation self-efficacy (CSE) for both process-oriented and problem-oriented aspects of consultation. Regardless of experience level, self-efficacy in both domains increased with training. However, significantly greater gains were made by novice CITs as compared to their advanced counterparts. In addition, feedback collected from consultees was generally favorable, and consultants received high ratings on items that reflected both process- and problem-focused skills. Implications for consultation training are discussed.     

Infant joint attention, temperament, and social competence in preschool children

Infant joint attention has been observed to be related to social-emotional outcomes in at-risk children. To address whether this relation is also evident in typically developing children, 52 children were tested at 12, 15, 24, and 30 months to examine associations between infant joint attention and social outcomes. Twelve-month initiating and responding to joint attention were related to 30-month social competence and externalizing behavior, even when accounting for 15-month temperament ratings, 24-month cognition and language, and demographic variables. These results suggest that, in addition to associations with language and cognition, infant joint attention reflects robust aspects of development that are related to individual differences in the emergence of social and behavioral competence in childhood.     

Disgust,Need for Affect,and Responses to Microbiome Research

Contributing to the literature on affective processing and attitude formation, this study investigates the effects of a discrete emotion (disgust) and an emotional disposition (need for affect [NFA]) on support for regulation in the context of microbiome research. Data from a web-based experiment (N = 1,005) showed that experienced disgust mediated the effect of disgust-eliciting information on support for regulation. This mediated relationship was moderated by NFA. More specifically, NFA moderated the path between experienced disgust and regulatory attitudes but not that between message exposure and experienced disgust. The two dimensions of NFA played different moderating roles: Emotional approach amplified the relationship between disgust and the attitudinal outcome, whereas emotional avoidance attenuated it. The study furthers understanding about how NFA influences emotional processing and contributes to research on disgust as a relatively understudied discrete emotion.     

A meta-analysis of course evaluation data and its use in the tenure decision

A meta-analysis of studies examining the criterion validity of student course evaluation data was completed. Results indicated that the overall size of effect was not only highly significant, but also very meaningful when analyzed in relation to enhancing the likelihood of making more accurate tenure decisions.     

‘Go over there and look at the pictures in the book’: an investigation of educational marginalisation,social interactions and achievement motivation in an alternative middle school setting

The middle years of school represent a time of educational turbulence, serving to marginalise some students from educational opportunities. Much research has focussed on individual cognitive factors influencing educational engagement, with less attention directed towards social interactions. Theoretically positioned within an expectancy–value model of achievement motivation, this study draws on the lived experience of a 12-year-old student within an alternative school in South Australia, Australia, to explore how social encounters may contribute to educational marginalisation. Findings from a narrative case study employing a semi-structured interview suggested that connections exist between social influences, such as interactions with teachers and peers, and subsequent achievement motivation. This study suggests that social interactions are critical determinants to an individual's educational engagement, affecting educational ability, expectancy and value beliefs.     

(Mis)Measuring Developmental Math Success: Classroom Participants’ Perspectives on Learning

ABSTRACT

Poor completion outcomes in community colleges’ developmental education programs have spurred reforms in developmental education policies and practices in order to increase students’ chances of success. In the case of developmental math, the focus of this article, such changes include revisions to testing and placement policies, amendments to the intended curriculum, and restructuring of the format and sequencing of courses. However, the measures that have highlighted the inadequacies of developmental math are, in themselves, insufficient for assessing the effectiveness of reforms to developmental math. Drawing on interview data from a classroom-level study of a community college’s pilot reform initiative in developmental math, we explore the learning goals articulated by the instructors and a sample of students across four pre-algebra classrooms. Through our analysis of their goals, as well as the extent to which students reported accomplishing those goals, our research underscores the important distinction between course completion and learning. This study highlights the need to assess the effectiveness of developmental math coursework in ways that extend beyond completion rates.     

Silent versus oral reading comprehension and efficiency

Seventy‐four students read passages from an individually administered test of reading comprehension (a subtest from the Test of Dyslexia, a test of reading and related abilities currently in development; McCallum & Bell, 2001), and then answered literal and inferential questions. Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; 39 students read the passages silently and 35 read orally, with time recorded for each passage read. Comprehension and time were dependent measures for a Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and two follow‐up Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA). After controlling for reading ability, results from the MANCOVA showed a significant combined effect ( p < .05); however, a comparison of mean reading comprehension scores showed no significant difference between silent readers and oral readers ( p > .05). On the other hand, with reading ability controlled, silent readers took significantly less time to complete passages compared to those who read orally ( p < .02). In fact, students took 30% longer to read orally than silently, on average. When test directions do not specify either oral or silent reading and error analysis is not a goal, testing will be more efficient via silent responding with no loss of comprehension. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 241–246, 2004.     

Teamwork and Entrepreneurial Behavior among K-12 Teachers in the United States

Abstract

This study attempted to identify the predictors of entrepreneurial behavior by assessing a series of variables that included teamwork skills and demographic variables, and to explore teachers’ experiences with teamwork. A sample of 367?K-12 public school teachers completed the survey. The findings indicated that teamwork predicts entrepreneurial behavior. Most participants received teamwork training through their school districts. Barriers to teamwork included time constraints, individual differences, and inability to collaborate.