Jack A. Cummings

A Dozen Recommendations for Placing the Student at the Center of Web-Based Learning

Abstract During the past year, 14 learner‐centred principles from the American Psychological Association (1993, 1997) were used to design, implement, and refine Web‐based educational psychology courses and laboratory experiences offered to pre‐service teachers at Indiana University. In this article, we reflect on our various experiences as well as the perspectives our students shared with us in their formative and summative evaluations of our Web courses. These impressions form the basis for a dozen learner‐centred recommendations for Web‐based instruction. The topics addressed in our recommendations relate to: (1) establishing a safe learning community; (2) fostering student engagement; (3) giving students choice; (4) facilitating learning; (5) offering public and private feedback; (6) apprenticing student learning; (7) employing recursive assignments; (8) utilizing electronic writing and reflection activities; (9) building on student Web link suggestions; (10) providing clear expectations and prompt tas...

Twenty-First Century College Syllabi: Options for Online Communication and Interactivity.

In this study, the World Lecture Hall provided an entry point to examine Web-based syllabi of current college courses offered in schools of education. An initial overview of the course syllabi in the World Lecture Hall, in conjunction with a review of professional literature on the instructional uses of the Internet, led to the creation of a 33 matrix for categorizing the forms of communication and interactivity facilitated by Web-based syllabi. Three participant levels—instructor, students, and practitioners/experts—were crossed with each other to form the matrix. In general, the analysis of the current Web-based syllabi could be characterized by the unidirectional flow of information from instructors to students. A minority of instructors incorporated innovative components that facilitated Web-based learning and interaction outside the conventional classroom. The discussion addresses ways instructors can post more interactive Web syllabi, share course resources, and infuse additional resources into their courses. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: Profiles of Juvenile Offenders.

An exploratory study of resiliency profiles of male and female juvenile offenders committed to a juvenile correctional facility was conducted. The goal of the present study was to examine juvenile offenders’ positive characteristics (e.g., adaptability, optimism, self-efficacy, tolerance of differences). To assess positive characteristics and vulnerabilities, 215 male and female juvenile offenders completed The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents . K-means cluster analysis identified four resiliency profiles among the sample of juvenile offenders. The clusters were analyzed using ANOVA to determine how they differed on the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents, as well as demographic factors (e.g., age, age when incarcerated, number of months incarcerated prior to survey completion, number of educational credits obtained) and behavioral indicators (number of major infractions and visits to segregation 30 days before survey completion). Differences in the four resiliency profiles are discussed in respect to these factors. Discussion of the four resiliency profiles illuminates the importance of identifying areas of strength to help mitigate against risk factors for juvenile offending and to prevent recidivism.

Concurrent Validity of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability with the WISC-R: EMR Children.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) were administered in a counterbalanced order to 30 children referred for a three-year reevaluation. All children were currently placed in an educable mentally retarded (EMR) program. The children ranged in age from 8-0 to 12-5 years, with a mean of 10-6. The correlation coefficient between the WISC-R and WJTCA was observed to be .72. Significant mean differences were found between the WISC-R and WJTCA full scale standard scores. The implications of the findings are discussed relative to the placement of children in classes for the mentally retarded. Explanations for the mean differences between the WJTCA and WISC-R also are explored.

The 2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology: Implications for Consultation, Intervention, and Prevention Services.

In November 2002, the multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology was sponsored by major professional associations of school psychologists. Conference goals included achieving consensus on current and future demands for school, conceptualizing the practice of school psychology in the face of diminishing numbers and increasing demand for services, and developing an agenda to use school psychology resources to maximize the benefits to the children and schools. Consultation, intervention, and prevention were major themes in all conference activities. The present article provides an overview of the conference and a summary of issues and outcomes from the conference that relate to educational and psychological consultation services.

A Descriptive Study of Psychological Service Delivery in Selected Rural School Settings

This investigation utilized qualitative methods to provide in-depth information regarding the nature and scope of problems faced by rural school psychologists in a diverse array of settings. Interviews were conducted with a total of fifty psychologists who practiced at ten sites in five states to determine problem areas and procedures used to deal with these problems. The results indicate that difficulties exist in particular settings in overcoming resistance to change and suspicion from school staff and parents; traveling to widely scattered schools or over hazardous terrain; working with the constraint of insufficient resources; and working with children from low SES, educationally deprived backgrounds. Specific approaches used to overcome these problems are suggested. In sum, if psychological service delivery is to be efficiently, effectively achieved, the role of the school psychologist must be adapted to fit the unique ecology of a given rural setting.

COMPARISON OF SCORES OF HEARING-IMPAIRED CHILDREN ON THE VINELAND ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SCALES AND THE VINELAND SOCIAL MATURITY SCALE

A study comparing the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales with the original Vineland Social Maturity Scale was conducted with a sample of 37 hearing-impaired children. A brief discussion of the literature showed a current lack of instrumentation for assessing adaptive behavior of such children. Correlations of scores on the two scales were significant and positive. Comparisons of mean standard scores indicated that the Social Maturity Scale yielded significantly higher standard scores than the Adaptive Behavior Scales.

Follow-Up to the 2002 Futures Conference: Collaborating to Serve All Children, Families, and Schools.

Recommendations of the Thayer, Spring Hill, and Olympia conferences are examined as they relate to ways we can support and make positive contributions to students, families, and schools. In the current issue of the Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, Hatzichristou and Lampropoulou (this issue), Meyers, Meyers, and Grogg (this issue), Nastasi (this issue), and Wizda (this issue) share important insights that can guide efforts to implement ideas discussed at the recent 2002 Futures Conference. Their ideas, along with literature on the public health model, are discussed. Points are made about the move to evidence-based interventions, as well as the use of Internet technology to facilitate collaboration and follow-up to the 2002 conference.

Interpreting Functioning Levels: Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery

The verbal classification schema for the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery was investigated to determine what meaning should be ascribed to the various labels, i.e., Below Average, Moderate Deficit, Severe Deficit, etc. It was noted that the relative meaning of the labels changes, depending on the examinees chronological age or grade placement. This contrasts with Wechslers classifications which are invariant with respect to the examinees age. Although the Woodcock-Johnson and Wechsler labels are semantically similar, it was cautioned that they are not conceptually similar.

A Matrix Sampling Study of the Children's Adaptive Behavior Scale

A multiple matrix sampling procedure was used to obtain local norms on the Childrens Adaptive Behavior Scale (CABS). Matrix sampling is briefly explained and then exemplified in the method section. A sample of 158 children was drawn from a population of 784 fourth graders in a local Midwestern school system. The estimates based on the local sample were compared with the standardization data from the preliminary national sample. Of the five CABS subtests, two were significantly different. Differences between variances of the local and national samples were also observed. The standard deviations of the lo cal sample were more restricted. The implications of the findings are discussed as they relate to the assessment of childrens adaptive behavior functioning.