Person to Person in France

While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Mary Beth Jones describes her observations during her study abroad program at the American University Center of Provence in Aix-en-Provence, France

Bonjour pour le Dernier Fois!

Postcard from Mary Beth Jones, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at the American University Center of Provence in Aix-en-Provence, Franc

My Team Drinks: An Analysis of Alcohol Consumption Norms Among Adolescent Athletes

Alcohol use among adolescents results in a greater risk of lifetime alcohol abuse and dependence. Some research suggests that perceived peer norms about drinking are the strongest predicting factor of alcohol–related behaviors (ARBs) among adolescents. Previous research on whether sports participation is related to adolescent alcohol consumption has resulted in mixed findings. For this study, perceived norms were further delineated between descriptive and injunctive norms. The goal of this research was to determine whether there were differences between sport types (team vs. individual) in alcohol consumption patterns and whether sport type moderated the predictive strength of perceived norms on alcohol consumption patterns. Participants included 364 male and female athletes 14–18 years old, from schools and sports clubs in California, separated by participation in either individual or team sports. Participants completed the following measures: Athletic Identification Measurement Scale–Plus (AIMS–Plus), Sport Participation, Modified Student Alcohol Questionnaire (MSAQ), and Modified Form of Cahalan’s Drinking Questionnaire and Perceived Norms (MCDQ–PN). The results of the study confirmed that perceived norms were correlated with alcohol consumption patterns. Although team athletes had stronger injunctive norms about drinking than did individual athletes, there was not a significant difference between sport type and alcohol consumption patterns, nor did sport type moderate the relationship between perceived norms and ARBs. Implications of these findings are discussed

The effects of mini-conferencing prior to IEP meetings on parental involvement in the IEP process

This study sought to extend the literature on parent participation in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process by implementing an intervention aimed at fostering parent participation in IEP meetings and comparing its results to those obtained using one school district’s standard IEP meeting procedures. This study also sought to determine the effects of SES and disability on parent participation in IEP meetings. Specifically, a mini-conference between parent(s) and special education teachers prior to the IEP meeting informed parents of their child’s competencies and allowed for collaboration on a proposed IEP. A control group of parents was exposed to routine procedures involving no conference. The effectiveness of the mini-conference compared to no mini-conference was determined. Differences on dependent measures according to disability as well as SES were determined. Dependent measures included a researcher’s coding form designed to allow the investigator to numerically document the amount of parental input in IEP meetings and questionnaires completed by both parents and professionals at the conclusion of the IEP meeting. The questionnaires were intended to solicit parent, teacher, and administrator perceptions of parental comfort and participation in the IEP process. For parents who received the mini-conference, questionnaires were used to determine whether parents, teachers, and administrators felt the mini-conference was helpful in preparing the parents for the IEP meeting. Fifteen special educators participated in the study. The return rate of parent consents was 41.9%. No differences were found in either parent or administrator survey responses to items relating to parent comfort or satisfaction with meeting outcome between the experimental and control groups. However, differences were present for the teachers on the same survey measures. Parent education level was correlated with parent participation in the IEP meetings. Parent participation was no different depending on the percentage of the school day a student received special education services. There was no difference in parent participation by conference group, as measured by number of unsolicited parental contributions. However, parents, teachers, and administrators all responded that the mini-conference was helpful in preparing for the IEP meeting, would be beneficial before all IEP meetings, and increased parental participation

Kindergartners\u27 Oral Responses to Stories Either Told or Read to Them

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the quantity of words generated by kindergartners when retelling a story read to them from a book (read aloud) as compared to when a story was told orally, without a book (storytelling). The subjects of this study were 42 kindergarten students attending an urban school district in Western New York. The students listened to a story read aloud from a book. They then retold the story to an adult. The retellings were recorded. The same students listened to another story told orally, by an experienced storyteller. They also retold the story. The appropriate oral language level was selected as a result of the Early Prevention of School Failure screening, which was administered in September of the school year. The strengths and needs for receptive and expressive language were examined to determine relationships between the differences in the children\u27s retelling of the stories. There was a statistically significant difference favoring the retelling of a story told orally compared to a story read aloud when measured by quantity of words generated in the retelling. The results showed those children identified with below average needs in expressive and receptive language areas were better able to retell the story told orally, without a book

Kindergartner’s Oral Responses to Stories Either Told or Read to Them

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the quantity of words generated by kindergartners when retelling a story read to them from a book (read aloud) as compared to when a story was told orally, without a book (storytelling). The subjects of this study were 42 kindergarten students attending an urban school district in Western New York. The students listened to a story read aloud from a book. They then retold the story to an adult. The retellings were recorded. The same students listened to another story told orally, by an experienced storyteller. They also retold the story. The appropriate oral language level was selected as a result of the Early Prevention of school Failure screening, which was administered in September of the school year. The strengths and needs for receptive and expressive language were examined to determine relationships between the differences in the children\u27s retelling of the stories. There was a statistically significant difference favoring the retelling of a story told orally compared to a story read aloud when measured by quantity of words generated in the retelling. The results showed those children identified with below average needs in expressive and receptive language areas were better able to retell the story told orally, without a book

Exploring Diversity, Citizenship, and Gender through Jazz: A Narrative Criticism of \u3cem\u3eI Am Jazz\u3c/em\u3e

In this study, a narrative analysis of a children’s picture book was conducted to uncover how young audiences are taught about diversity and inclusion through books. The setting, characters, narrator, and target audiences of the 2014 book I Am Jazz were evaluated to decipher how readers are educated about transgenderism and diversity in greater context. Specific rhetorical qualities in the visual and written elements emphasize the importance of diversity, uniqueness, individuality, and acceptance. This particular book has created a range of support and protest since its publication, and it is an important example of the emotional and political power of a story. An awareness of the messages and images sent to young learners is a critical part of fostering inclusivity and creating global citizens. The paper upon which this poster was based was written for the Senior Seminar course in Communication Arts. The paper was competitively selected for presentation at the Northwest Communication Association Conference in April 2017

Perceived Racial Discrimination and Nonadherence to Screening Mammography

Objective. We examined whether African American women were as likely as White women to receive the results of a recent mammogram and to self-report results that matched the mammography radiology report (i.e., were adequately communicated). We also sought to determine whether the adequacy of communication was the same for normal and abnormal results. Methods. From a prospective cohort study of mammography screening, we compared self-reported mammogram results, which were collected by telephone interview, to results listed in the radiology record of 411 African American and 734 White women who underwent screening in 5 hospital-based facilities in Connecticut between October 1996 and January 1998. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified independent predictors of inadequate communication of mammography results. Results. It was significantly more common for African American women to experience inadequate communication of screening mammography results compared with White women, after adjustment for sociodemographic, access-to-care, biomedical, and psychosocial factors. Abnormal mammogram results resulted in inadequate communication for African American women but not White women (PAfrican American women may not be receiving the full benefit of screening mammograms because of inadequate communication of results, particularly when mammography results are abnormal