New Conceptualizations of Intelligence: An Interview with Robert Sternberg

Robert J. Sternberg, IBM Professor of Psychology and Education, Yale University\u27s Psychology Department has developed the triarchic theory of intelligence, which he discussed in this interview. A graduate of Yale and Stanford Universities, his research has dealt with theories of intelligence, individual differences in cognition, thinking and reasoning, problem solving, and multi, variate data analysis with latent variables and observable variables. He is a productive writer, having authored approximately 30 books, and authored or coauthored more than 300 articles and book chapters. His most recent book is Metaphors of the Mind (1990), published by Cambridge University Press

Review: \u27Women in Catholic Higher Education: Border Work, Living Experiences, and Social Justice\u27

Twelve writers challenge the structures and priorities of traditional Catholic colleges and universities: contemporary “reality TV” for anyone who values social justice in Catholic education. Throughout the book the writers confront the status quo of Catholic universities, questioning even those who have embraced feminist theology. The editors divided the book into three parts with subheadings that overstate their contents: “Feminist Border Work: Tensions and Contradictions” (3 chapters), “Living Experiences: Identity, Empowerment, and Action” (4 chapters), and “Social Justice: The Ideal, the Reality, and the Quest” (3 chapters). Like bookends, the editors have constructed two additional chapters: one at the beginning to set the stage and one at the end to draw conclusions

Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum

Rejecting the artificial dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative research strategies in the social and behavioral sciences, the authors argue that the two approaches are neither mutually exclusive nor interchangeable; rather, the actual relationship between the two paradigms is one of isolated events on a continuum of scientific inquiry

Administrators\u27 Understanding of the Federal Special Education Mandate: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

With the passage of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) in 1975, the United States Congress sought to provide educational opportunity to all children. In 1990, with added amendments, the law was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Turnbull reported in 1993 that Congress had found approximately one-half of the nation\u27s eight million children with disabilities were not receiving an appropriate education and about one million were receiving no education at all. Clearly, in the past two decades since the passage of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act school administrators have, on a daily basis, made decisions that either uphold or violate the rights of students With disabilities as they are set forth in the IDEA. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of administrators\u27 understanding of this important federal mandate, specifically administrators-in-training at three universities. The critical role of the school administrator in the lives of children with special needs was the impetus of this investigation. How well are they prepared for decision-making? How well do they understand the mandates they are required to fulfill

Factors Underlying Effective College Teaching: What Students Tell Us

The researchers analyzed 28,000 student evaluations of faculty across 46 departments for one academic term. A 27-item instrument on which students rated faculty was used. One global item assessing overall instructor effectiveness was predicted most strongly by three items: namely, students\u27 perception that the instructor was prepared, presented subject matter clearly, and was interesting. The predictors of students, perceiving that they learned a lot were the ratings on three items: the instructor was interesting, the course met the objectives, and the instructor was well-prepared. Being prepared and being interesting seem to be critical characteristics for university faculty in the classroom

Frequency of Principal Turnover in Ohio’s Elementary Schools

One remedy for Ohio schools that fail to meet the state’s test score criteria for “effectiveness” is to force a change in the principalship. Concerns have been raised that such a remedy may simultaneously undermine the organizational stability of the school. The researchers in this study examined the frequency with which elementary building principals in 109 southwest Ohio schools changed during the 7-year period of 1996-1997 (FY 1997) through 2002-2003 (FY 2003). The researchers found that urban and rural schools had a significantly higher turnover frequency than did suburban schools. Ways to counter frequent principal turnover while, at the same time, generating improved principal leadership, pose great challenges for those at the helm of many Ohio districts

Meanings Underlying Student Ratings of Faculty

The purpose of this study was to examine how undergraduate students interpret the items on a faculty evaluation instrument. Most research on faculty evaluation is quantitative (Marsh and Bailey 1993). Our first study was also quantitative. After we produced a profile of quantitative ratings of faculty by students across all departments in our university in an earlier study, we wanted to go beneath the numbers to their meaning. We designed the present qualitative study to investigate what the items on that form meant to students

Status of Women in Higher Education: A Metanalysis of Institutional Reports

The authors examined twenty-one institutional reports on the status of women on American college and university campuses. The analysis revealed a dominant discourse of women positioned as dependent on men. Among the five emergent themes included, first, the reality that women were marginalized on these campuses and second, overrepresented in lower power positions. Third, evidence suggested an unequal distribution of salary and perquisites by gender. Fourth, adopting policies toward equity can lessen gender discrimination; however, not with a lack of a strong public and visible commitment to equity by campus leadership, the fifth theme. Additional findings include explanation of three recurring institutional barriers to gender equity and discussion of effective strategies to dismantle gender inequities

The Sacred and the Secular: Aligning a Marianist Mission with Professional Standards of Practice in an Educational Leadership Doctorial Program

This inquiry was conducted to explore how the characteristics of our university’s religious mission are interwoven into our educational leadership doctoral program and are manifest in the structure and learning experiences that our students encounter. We examined how these characteristics might correspond to or relate to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards that resulted from national reform initiatives in educational leadership in the mid 1990s. We concluded that the foundations of the PhD program are built solidly on the distinctive characteristics and identity of our founders and are aligned with these professional standards as well. Implications for universities include our conclusion that when the distinctive mission of a university aligns with the professional standards of a field, more effective leadership preparation will result