Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding 2 to 4 weeks following discharge from a large, urban, academic medical center striving for baby-friendly designation

Substantial evidence documents the superiority of breastfeeding for mothers and breastmilk for babies. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Healthy People 2010 initiative promote breastfeeding, current breastfeeding rates often fall short of recommendations. This study determined factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding 2 to 4 weeks following discharge from a large, urban, academic medical center striving for Baby-Friendly designation. Results indicated that mothers who breastfed within the first hour of birth (61%) were significantly more likely to be exclusively breastfeeding 2 to 4 weeks after discharge. Incorporating care practices that include a number of the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," as recommended by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, may increase the duration of exclusive breastfeeding after discharge.     

The changing landscape of grading systems in US higher education

The following study explores the landscape of grading systems utilised in higher education, focusing on the frequency of different types of assessment scales (including Straight Letter, Plus/Minus, and other alternative policies). Although numerous studies have explored the relationship between university grading system and student behaviour, motivation, and overall perception of education experience, little research has been done to quantitatively analyse the number of colleges and universities that employ a specific grading policy. The present study addresses this gap in scholarship, using a sample of 620 schools from 12 states (and the District of Columbia) in the Northeast region of the USA. Results of the study find significant patterns of difference in the grading procedures across universities.     

Overview of feminist perspectives on the ideology of science

As a body of feminist scholarship from the past 2 decades has persuasively shown, we can interpret science as being gendered as a masculine domain in many ways. The purpose of this essay is to show, using historical and contemporary examples, that many of these feminist analyses fit together into a compelling perspective on the ideology of science. The essay addresses how ideology affects who pursues careers in science. The implications of the gendering of science for science practice are also discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 837–844, 1998.     

Beyond Commercialization: Science, Higher Education and the Culture of Neoliberalism

Since the 1980s, scholars and others have been engaged in a lively debate about the virtues and dangers of mingling commerce with university science. In this paper, we contend that the commercialization of academic science, and higher education more broadly, are best understood as pieces of a larger story. We use two cases of institutional change at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to shed light on the implications of neoliberalism for public research universities in the United States. We conclude that instead of neoliberalization being a timely strategy for the specific fiscal and other problems facing public universities today, it has become an omnibus solution available to be employed when any opportunity arises and, in fact, helps to define the “problems” of the university in the first place.     

Olympism,Sport, and Education

The aims and values of Olympism are briefly examined. Sport is then described as an inherently worthwhile practice, concemed with its own goals, standards, and traditions. The place of sport in relation to education and the curriculum is discussed, and the role of the teacher of sport as “educator” is clarified by reference to four points: (a) the teacher as an initiator into and as a guardian of the practice view of sport; (b) the teacher as an enlightened leader of discussion; (c) the teacher as a provider of individual pastoral care; and (d) the teacher as exemplar of the values to which a commitment has been made. The final section is concemed with the relationship between Olympism and sport as a form of education.