High-redshift galaxies and low-mass stars

The sensitivity available to near-infrared surveys has recently allowed us to probe the galaxy population at z ≈ 7 and beyond. The existing Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) Infrared Camera (VIRCam) instruments allow deep surveys to be undertaken well beyond 1 μm – a capability that will be further extended with the launch and commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). As new regions of parameter space in both colour and depth are probed, new challenges for distant galaxy surveys are identified. In this paper, we present an analysis of the colours of L- and T-dwarf stars in widely used photometric systems. We also consider the implications of the newly identified Y-dwarf population – stars that are still cooler and less massive than T-dwarfs for both the photometric selection and spectroscopic follow-up of faint and distant galaxies. We highlight the dangers of working in the low-signal-to-noise regime, and the potential contamination of existing and future samples. We find that Hubble/WFC3 and VISTA/VIRCam Y-drop selections targeting galaxies at z ∼ 7.5 are vulnerable to contamination from T- and Y-class stars. Future observations using JWST, targeting the z ∼ 7 galaxy population, are also likely to prove difficult without deep medium-band observations. We demonstrate that single emission line detections in typical low-signal-to-noise spectroscopic observations may also be suspect, due to the unusual spectral characteristics of the cool dwarf star population

A Comparative Study of Critical Thinking Skills, Dogmatism and American College Testing Program Scores of Seventh-day Adventist College Freshmen Graduated from Church Related and Public Secondary Schools

Problem. Development of critical thinking skills is commonly accepted as a desirable outcome of secondary education. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has also accepted this as one of the goals for its educational system. It was the purpose of the present study to compare critical thinking skills developed in Seventh-day Adventist young people in Seventh-day Adventist boarding academies, Seventh-day Adventist day academies, and public high schools. Since earlier studies have shown critical thinking to be negatively correlated with dogmatism and positively correlated with intelligence, both dogmatism and intelligence were included as variables in the study. Method. Three hundred and twelve subjects were chosen by a stratified random method from among all Seventh-day Adventist college freshmen in attendance at any of three Seventh-day Adventist institutions of higher learning during the fall of 1977. In order to qualify for the study, subjects had to have attended one type of secondary school for at least three years and have graduated from secondary school in 1977. Each subject was asked to fill in the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and to take the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. American College Testing Program scores were gleaned from school records to serve as an indication of intelligence. Sixty-six percent (207) of the stratified random sample selected for the study actually completed both instruments. Two statistical methods were used in analyzing the data. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test hypotheses dealing with differences between subject groups. The Kendall rank correlation coefficient (tau) was used to test hypotheses dealing with relationships between variables. Results. None of the between-group comparisons of critical thinking, dogmatism, or American College Testing Program scores were statistically significant. Analysis of relationships between critical thinking scores an dogmatism scores yielded statistically significant negative correlations for two of the three groups tested: Seventh-day Adventist graduates of public high schools (tau = - .19, significant at the .01 level) and Seventh-day Adventist graduates of Seventh-day Adventist day academies (tau = -.17, significant at the .05 level). The correlation (tau) for Seventh-day Adventist graduates of Seventh-day Adventist boarding academies was -.01, with an associated probability of .44. Correlations between critical thinking scores and American College Testing Program scores for all three groups yielded positive results, significant at the .001 level. Correlations range from .52 for Seventh-day Adventist graduates of Seventh-day Adventist boarding academies to .61 for Seventh-day Adventist graduates of public high schools. Conclusions. The findings of this study do not suggest that Seventh-day Adventist graduates of any of the three types of secondary school studied are either more or less skilled in critical thinking than their counterparts from the other types of schools. Similarly, the study does not provide support for any conclusions that graduates of one type of secondary school are either more or less dogmatic or score higher or lower on the American College Testing Program tests than do graduates of wither of the other two types of secondary schools studied

What do Women Want? Men, Women, and Job Satisfaction in the Public Service

Research in organizational behavior and public administration has long considered differences between men and women at work. Research indicates that men and women often communicate differently, prefer different approaches to organizational structure and design, and view rewards through different lenses. As women become better represented in public organizations, and at higher levels, it becomes even more important to explore sex-based differences. This paper seeks to uncover differences between men and women when it comes to determinants of job satisfaction. We use the existing literature to develop a series of hypotheses about the different factors that predict job satisfaction for the sexes. We test these hypotheses using data from a survey of health and human services managers, finding that there are more commonalities than differences when it comes to what satisfies men and women at work. Working Paper 06-3

Weaving Pathways: The Role of High School Family and Consumer Sciences Courses in Cultivating a Teacher Pipeline Across the Midwest

High School Family and Consumer Science classrooms hold the potential for university and high school partnerships for teacher education pipelines. This study uses a comparative policy analysis to provide a regional resource for laws, policies, and programs within the Midwest regarding FCS classrooms and courses that are offered. Utilizing a comparative policy analysis approach, the aim is to create an opportunity for guiding current high school students toward becoming future candidates in teacher education programs by doing intentional outreach. This analysis will provide an outline of how university Teacher Education programs can partner intentionally to recruit and mentor incoming first-year college students while they are learning educational pedagogy in their high school FCS classrooms. This analysis provides a foundation for how high school FCS classrooms and university teacher education classrooms can foster cohesive and supportive mutually beneficial partnerships in the states surrounding Illinois and Indiana. Data were gathered by accessing regional education department websites and illustrating the potential opportunities for high school coursework to connect with established teacher education university programs and align pedagogically. Key findings include multiple opportunities in the Midwest for partnerships that are mutually beneficial and are easily accessible if intentional connections are made between faculty