Journal Current

Margaret Jorgensen
Educational Testing Service
Atlanta, Georgia

Martha-Anne McDevitt
Educational Testing Service
Atlanta, Georgia

Trudy Hensley
Educational Testing Service
Atlanta, Georgia

Sandra Wolfe
Polk County Public Schools
Winter Haven, Florida

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to share both the process and products of an innovative development project in reading comprehension assessment. This applied research project addressed the need for a valid and reliable measure that would capture credible and systematic evidence of reading comprehension abilities that teachers believed had been achieved by their students but were not being measured by traditional, standardized, norm-referenced multiple-choice tests. A notable challenge in this project was to develop an assessment with an engaging format and structure and to do so in a familiar context for reading that reflected sound instructional strategies.

Citation: Jorgensen, M., McDevitt, M., Hensley, T., & Wolfe, S. (1998). New forms of assessment in reading: capturing the gist of student performance. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 38(1), 1-12.

Download:  Jorgensen.381.pdf (1054 downloads )

Peg Nugent
National-Louis University

Nell Faucette
University of South Florida

Jeffrey Kromrey
University of South Florida

Abstract: This study compared the demographics of male and female preservice educators college-wide and PE majors and Non-PE majors by gender in a large urban southeast college of education. In addition, female and male PE and Non-PE majors’ experiences in the college as well as their attitudes toward interacting with students different from themselves in terms of gender or race were explored. Late spring, early fall 1993, 491 undergraduates across the college completed a 150 item survey. For this analysis, data were collected through 62 items involving demographics, “problems students may be encountering,” and students’ willingness to interact with other students different from themselves by gender and/or race at varying levels of social closeness. According to the results, females in the college continue to congregate in stereotypical domains such as elementary and special education while males continue to dominate specializations such as physical education and secondary education – domains that can serve as feeder systems to administrative and higher paying positions. PE majors were younger and less heterogeneous in age than other majors in the college. They also had lower high school GPAs than Non-PE majors. However, at the university, PE majors’ GP As were similar to Non-majors. Both groups were predominantly Caucasian. Overall, problems identified were scored relatively low with those related to educational expenses, financial assistance, and advising emerging among the highest for both PE and Non-PE majors although PE majors reported fewer problems. In addition, unlike the male pre service educators in both groups, females identified school-related stress as somewhat problematic for them. Regarding social distance, both male and female students were quite willing to interact closely with others different from themselves both in terms of gender or racial/ethnic origin. Overall, the male PE majors were the least willing to socialize with others different from themselves.

Citation: Nugent, P., Faucette, N., & Kromrey, J. (1998). Physical educators’ and other majors’ experiences in a college of education and their attitudes toward interacting across gender and race. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 38(1), 49-64.

Download:  Nugent.381.pdf (1007 downloads )

Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie
Valdosta State University

Qun G. Jiao
Baruch College
The City University of New York

Abstract: Library anxiety has been found to be a multidimensional phenomenon which can debilitate performance among graduate students. Yet, only recently has empirical research been undertaken in this area. However, it appears that library anxiety often occurs when goals are not met. Since hope is a cognitive set which consists of level of goal-directed determination (agency) and the propensity to plan ways to achieve goals (pathways), the purpose of this study was to investigate whether hope is related to library anxiety. Participants were 109 graduate students enrolled in several sections of an educational research course. A canonical correlation analysis indicated that students who have the poorest sense of successful determination in relation to their goals, and who have the least positive appraisals of their ability to generate ways to overcome goal-related obstacles and to reach their goals, tend to have the highest level of library anxiety associated with comfort with the library and knowledge of the library. Also, students with the poorest sense of successful goal-related determination tend to have the highest level of library anxiety associated with barriers with staff, affective barriers, comfort with the library, knowledge of the library, and mechanical barriers. Based on these findings, it is recommended that researchers investigate whether interventions aimed at agency and pathways help to reduce levels of library anxiety.

Citation: Onwuegbusie, A. J., & Jiao, Q. G. (1998). I hope that I am not anxious about using the library: the relationship between hope and library anxiety among graduate students. Florida School of Educational Research, 38(1), 13-26.

Download:  Onwuegbuzie.381.pdf (1029 downloads )