Anna C. McFadden

A Study of Race and Gender Bias in the Punishment of Handicapped School Children.

There is scant research concerned about punishment of handicapped, minority students in public schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate race and gender, types of rules violations, types of punishments, referral rates, referral frequencies, and follow-up activities to determine differences in treatment by race, sex, and handicapping condition. The sample consisted of 4,391 discipline files representing records from 9 schools in a district (K-12). All data were analyzed using the Chi Square statistic. It was demonstrated that racial bias existed in the administration of punishment, and that Black, male handicapped students were punished more severely than others for commission of the same offenses.

Telehealth cognitive behavior therapy for co-occurring insomnia and depression symptoms in older adults.

OBJECTIVE Telehealth has proven effective with a wide range of disorders, but there is a paucity of data on the use of telehealth using cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) with late-life insomnia and depression. This pilot study was designed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of using telehealth to treat older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression living in rural Alabama. METHOD Five patients received 10 sessions of CBT for insomnia and depression. Patients were engaged in treatment via Skype from their primary care physicians office. Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 2-month follow-up. RESULTS Patients exhibited clinically significant improvement in both insomnia (sleep diaries and Insomnia Severity Index) and depression (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) at posttreatment, and these gains were well maintained at 2-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary data suggest that telehealth may be an effective means of providing treatment to older adults, including underserved populations.

Computer testing in education: emerging trends

Summary The rapid growth of the Internet and intranets supports the infrastructure necessary for computer-based testing (CBT). The parallel growth of sophisticated computer programming and powerful computers offers new possibilities in testing, such as Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), where the responses of the subject dictate the nature of the test items to be presented. This article considers research about the comparability of computerized tests to conventional tests, local uses of computerized testing, tests available in online delivery programs, public domain software, authoring languages, and commercial and shareware options. The article concludes with a discussion of formative assessment and how computerized tests may be used to meet daily instructional needs.

PDAs in higher education: Tips for instructors and students

SummaryPDAs are personal productivity tools as well as useful instructional tools (McFadden, 2001). As the range of PDA software offers more features, instructional uses will continue to expand. Currently, PDAs provide many options for communicating, facilitating, and enhancing learning. In our teaching experience, we have found that PDAs increase motivational levels of students and enhance the learning atmosphere in many courses by giving students a greater sense of connection to the class and the course content.We encourage instructors to experiment with PDAs and to explore the many instructional possibilities they offer. An examination of various PDAs and PDA software will assist instructors in determining how these devices can best assist them in achieving their instructional goals. As instructors integrate technologies with course content, students will become more sophisticated users of technology able to apply tools to their continuing education and work experiences.

Effects of integrated telehealth-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression and insomnia in rural older adults.

We examined the effects of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression and insomnia (CBT-D + CBT-I, respectively) delivered via videoconference in rural middle-aged and older adults. Forty patients with depressive and insomnia symptoms were randomized to receive either 10 sessions of CBT-D + CBT-I or usual care (UC). Patients in the integrated CBT condition were engaged in telehealth treatment through Skype at their primary care clinic. Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. CBT-D + CBT-I participants had significantly greater improvements in sleep at posttreatment and 3-month follow-up as compared with the UC participants. The Time × Group interaction for depression was not significant; participants in both the CBT-D + CBT-I and UC conditions showed a decrease in depressive symptoms over time. Although integrated CBT benefits both depression and insomnia symptoms, its effects on depression are more equivocal. Further research should consider expanding the depression treatment component of integrated CBT to enhance effectiveness. Efectos de la Terapia Cognitivo-Conductual Integrada, Telesalud Entregada para la Depresión y el Insomnio en Adultos Rurales, Medianos y Mayores Examinamos los efectos de la terapia cognitiva-conductual integrada para la depresión y el insomnio (CBT-D _ CBT-I, respectivamente) administrados por videoconferencia en adultos de mediana edad y adultos de zonas rurales. Cuarenta pacientes con síntomas depresivos e insomnio fueron aleatorizados para recibir 10 sesiones de CBT-D _ CBT-I o atención habitual (UC). Los pacientes en la condición CBT integrada se dedicaron al tratamiento de telesalud a través de Skype en su clínica de atención primaria. Las evaluaciones se realizaron al inicio, después del tratamiento y a los 3 meses de seguimiento. Los participantes CBT-D _ CBT-I tuvieron mejoras significativamente mayores en el sueño en el post-tratamiento y en el seguimiento de 3 meses en comparación con los participantes con CU. La interacción Time _ Group para la depresión no fue significativa; los participantes en las condiciones CBT-D _ CBT-I y UC mostraron una disminución en los síntomas depresivos a lo largo del tiempo. Aunque la terapia cognitiva-conductualintegrada beneficia tanto a la depresión como a los síntomas del insomnio, sus efectos sobre la depresión son más equívocos. La investigación adicional debería considerar expandir el componente de tratamiento de la depresión de la terapia cognitiva-conductualintegrada para mejorar la efectividad.

Literacy Skills of Welfare Recipients.

Illiteracy is considered to be a significant barrier to employment. Programs are being established to require literacy education and work programs of welfare recipients. The purpose of this study was to determine the literacy skills of a random sample of welfare recipients. One-hundred and six welfare subjects were administered theWoodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery and a comprehensive interview form. Using common criteria to separate the sample into the literate and functionally illiterate, the groups were found to differ significantly on intellectual capabilities. It was concluded that illiteracy is associated with subaverage intellectual functioning among persons on welfare. A number of recommendations were made pertaining to policy.

Training Teachers to Use Technology: The Alabama Plan.

Teaching teachers to use technology , Teaching teachers to use technology , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز