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Training Sociologists: Professional Socialization And The Emergence Of Career Aspirations, Bruce Keith, Helen A. Moore

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The individual and departmental factors affecting graduate students' professional socialization were studied by employing data from 309 PhD students in 16 graduate programs in sociology. Using Rosenbaum's tournament model of opportunity structures and aspects of Tinto's model of social psychological integration, this study examines students' access to initial funding, resources in the department, indicators of prior ability, current professional activities, mentoring processes, and social psychological factors for their effects on socialization into the academic profession. Access to initial funding and to mentoring have substantial effects on PhD students' professional socialization, but prove to be less than rational processes in the …

Agricultural Research Division 109th Annual Report 1995

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

It is a pleasure to provide the 109th Annual Report of the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division (ARD). This report contains lists of current faculty, visiting scientists, and research associates; active research projects; refereed journal articles, books, and book chapters published; theses and dissertations written; germplasm/cultivars released; and awards received by faculty and graduate students. Also included are brief descriptions of accomplishments from selected research projects, information about the programmatic distribution of resources, and the financial report for the period July 1, 1994, to June 30, 1995. This report was compiled in compliance with the intent of the law …

Instrumentalist Policymaking: Policy Criteria In A Transactional Context, F. Gregory Hayden

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

As an extension of my recent policymaking chapter, Institutionalist Policymaking [Hayden 1993, 283-331], this paper deals with policy criteria in an instrumentalist or pragmatist framework. The works of Charles Peirce and Thorstein Veblen emphasized criteria-Peirce with explicit discussion of their character and Veblen with active application in his evaluations of various economies and institutions. Few scholars have continued in their tradition; Seymour Melman [1983], with his excellent Veblenian application of criteria in industrial policy studies, is a notable exception. Interest in the subject of criteria, except by individualist philosophers, has been scarce in the twentieth century until recently. Thirty years …

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments 1994-95, Bruce Johnson

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports

Agricultural land values in Nebraska rose an average of 2.8 percent during the year ending February I, I995. While this represented the eighth straight year of value advances, it was the smallest annual percentage change of that period. Relative stability in agricultural real estate values during I994 was prevalent across the state with only, slight percentage changes in either direction recorded across the various types of land and location.

Despite a poor livestock economy, non tillable grazing land had the largest percentage gain during the I2-month period (4.9 percent). In contrast, gravity irrigated cropland rose only I percent for the …

Pathways Through Adolescence: An Overview, Lisa J. Crockett, Ann C. Crouter

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Given the connection between adolescent behavior and future well-being, it is important to understand the choices that adolescents make and how patterns of behavior evolve and are maintained during this period. The premise of this volume is that we can describe the behavior patterns young people develop in adolescence, and piece together the decisions that shape their paths through adolescence and into adulthood. Moreover, we can begin to identify the dynamic processes that affect adolescents7 life choices, the emergence of behavior patterns, and the development of lifestyles. This volume seeks to address three questions. How can developmental pathways in adolescence …

"Preface" To Pathways Through Adolescence: Individual Development In Relation To Social Contexts, Lisa J. Crockett, Ann C. Crouter

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The choices that adolescents make about peer relations, risky behavior, investment in school, and income-producing activities set the stage for subsequent development in later adolescence and into adulthood. Moreover, at the aggregate level, these choices have tremendous implications for the quality of life in such key social contexts as families, schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Thus, the pathways that young people follow through adolescence and beyond affect us all. Adolescents' choices, however, are not made in a vacuum; these social contexts provide opportunities--or obstacles--that influence the probability that adolescents will choose certain pathways and not others. Therefore, understanding these critical choices, …

Developmental Paths In Adolescence: Commentary, Lisa J. Crockett

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Much remains to be done to illuminate the processes shaping adolescents' developmental paths. Influences affecting adolescents' day-to-day behavior, as well as their decisions at specific turning points, need to be elucidated. The reciprocal influences operating between adolescent and environment, and the fact that selection processes (both passive and active) are likely to increase the correlation between individual and environmental characteristics, further complicate the task of disentangling causal processes. Furthermore, understanding adolescents' developmental pathways requires more than identifying the dynamic processes in operation at key turning points and in the settings the person enters subsequently. It requires examining the chain of …

The Similarities Between Mikahil Bulgakov's The Master And Margarita And Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, Radha Balasubramanian

Russian Language and Literature Papers

After more than a year of silence and hiding since the publication of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie spoke out in a 1990 article appearing in Newsweek "The Master and Margarita and its author were persecuted by Soviet totalitarianism. It is extraordinary to find my novel's life echoing that of one of its greatest models." In this surprising claim, Rushdie not only links his novel with Bulgakov's masterpiece, but also joins his fate with that of the Russian author. For Rushdie, there is a clear parallel between Bulgakov's suffering under Stalinism and his own situation vis-a-vis the Muslim world.

Concretely, …

Learning Lessons From Sunk Costs, Brian H. Bornstein, Gretchin B. Chapman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Study participants rated the quality of several arguments for continuing an original plan in sunk cost situations in order to (a) avoid wasting resources, (b) learn to make better decisions, (c) punish poor decision making, and (d) appear consistent. The lesson-learning argument was perceived as most appropriate when adult teachers taught lessons to others, the original decision was carelessly made, or if it consumed comparatively more resources. Ratings of the lesson-learning argument were higher for teacher-learner than for adult-alone situations, regardless of whether the learner was a child or an adult. The implications for improving decision making and judging whether …

From Marx To Markets: Reform Of The University Economics Curriculum In Russia, Stanley L. Brue, Craig Macphee

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

In June 1992, we taught a three-week seminar at Moscow State University that coincided with the beginning of a historic curriculum reform in Russia. The reform had two parts: (I) the replacement of the Marxist-Leninist three-year sequence of courses in political economy with a sequence on market economics and (2) substantial revision of other course requirements for the economics degree. br>
The occasion of our Russian visit was an invitation from Moscow State University to present a seminar on the principles of market economics. The seminar demonstrated the typical content and teaching techniques used in the American micro-macro principles course. …

Being An I-Witness—My Life As A Lesbian Teacher, Barbara Dibernard

Department of English: Faculty Publications

Afterword: It has been four years since I first wrote this essay. I came out as a lesbian to a sophomore-level class for the first time the semester after I wrote it, in circumstances much like those detailed here, while we were discussing Zami. The very next semester, I came out to all my classes in a letter at the beginning of the semester. Initially, being out from the start was a real liberation for me; in addition, I felt that having my lesbianism as a given affected the classes positively in ways I couldn't begin to know about …

A Comparison Of Attitudes Held By Wildlife Damage Managers And Animal Rights Activists, James B. Armstrong, Melissa E. Hutchins

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

We designed an instrument to measure attitudes about a variety of animal use issues, collect information on animal-related activities, and determine demographic characteristics of the sample. We administered the instrument to 151 Animal Rights Information and Education Service (ARIES) and 150 National Animal Damage Control Association (N ADC A) members. Based on analysis of the data, we concluded that these 2 groups differ greatly on their attitudes about human use of animals. In addition, they differ greatly in background and types of activities in which they participate. Thus, attempts to bring these groups together for discussion must start with the …

Plastic Visual Barriers Were Ineffective At Reducing Recolonization Rates Of Prairie Dogs, Scott E. Hygnstrom

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Two plastic visual barriers were ineffective in controlling expansion of 7 active black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and recolonization of 7 toxicant-treated sections of colonies. Barriers constructed with Sno-Strap, a 15.2- cm wide band of high-tensile polyethylene plastic, were destroyed by wind action within 3 weeks. Barriers constructed with Tensar® snowfence cost $2.10/m and retained their structural integrity for 3 years with occasional maintenance. Recommendations are provided to increase effectiveness of visual barriers.

A Model For The Evaluation And Reward Of Teaching In Agricultural Education, Leverne A. Barrett, Elizabeth Banset, Osmund Gilbertson

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

In 1986, the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, issued its first call for innovative approaches to solve the problem of reward for teaching in American universities. The FIPSE Board of Directors and staff recognized that the greatest disparity in the postsecondary reward system occurred in research-oriented universities where research garnered more rewards than teaching. They concluded that if teaching in American universities was going to improve, the reward structures in higher education needed to change. This article describes a plan designed to evaluate and reward teaching in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, …

Creating Bicultural Identities: The Role Of School-Based Bilingual Paraprofessionals In Ontemporary Immigrant Accommodation (Two Kansas Case Studies), Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study locates the professional and informal practices of school-based bilingual paraprofessionals (paras) in the context of the larger social phenomenon of acculturation, cultural brokerage, and identity construction. It demonstrates how the paras in two Kansas communities transform an assimilationist mandate into something quite different, the promotion of bicultural identities, as part of a process called “additive biculturalism.” Additive biculturalism incorporates Weiss’s characterization of paras as cultural brokers (1994), but expands upon it significantly. As the first part of additive biculturalism, bilingual paras model and promote bicultural identities among the English-Learner students and parents they work with. As the second …

The Relationship Between Homophobia, Peer Counseling Effectiveness, And Peer Counseling Self-Confidence, Marc T. Kiviniemi

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The relationships between a peer counselor's level of homophobia, their self-perceptions of counseling ability, and their effectiveness as a peer counselor were examined. Resident Assistants (RA's, N=27) completed the Index of Homophobia (Hudson & Ricketts, 1980) and the Peer Counseling Comfort Scale. Resident students (N=159) evaluated their RA's performance and ability as a peer counselor. Results from the three surveys were correlated. A significant correlation was found between Homophobia scores and self-perceptions of ability. Implications for counseling practice and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Memory Processes In Elderly Eyewitnesses: What We Know And What We Don’T Know, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Research is reviewed on the memory abilities of elderly eyewitnesses. Two major issues are addressed: First, how credible are elderly witnesses? Second, how accurate are they? Despite negative stereotypes regarding elderly eyewitnesses, they do not necessarily lack credibility at trial. In terms of their memory performance, older witnesses are as accurate as young adults in many respects, but they are particularly vulnerable to misleading information that is presented after the witnessed event. Furthermore, their performance varies depending on the type of information that is sought and the manner in which their memory is assessed. Recommendations are made for improving the …

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Variations On A Theme, Nancy Winitzky, Susan M. Sheridan, Nedra Crow, Marshall Welch, Colleen Kennedy

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Twenty years ago, Nicholas Hobbs, in The Futures of Children, advocated an interdisciplinary team-based approach to educate handicapped, disadvantaged, and delinquent children and youth (Hobbs, 1975). Hobbs emphasizes the school as a social system and the need for professional collaboration in educating children with special needs. Although the team-based approach was originally proposed as a promising model specifically for educating special needs students, there is a growing recognition that the education of all youth [emphasis added] is the shared responsibility of classroom teachers, special educators, administrators, related professionals, and parents (Welch et al., 1992, p. 1).
Several factors make this …

Analyzing Correlations Of Three Types In Selected Lines Of Drosophila Melanogaster That Have Evolved Stable Extreme Geotactic Performance, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Jerry Hirsch, Stewart H. Berlocher

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The behavior-genetic analysis of Drosophila melanogaster with geotactic performance as the phenotype is an ideal model system with which to investigate the complex relations between heredity and behavior. As part of a long-term, 38-year study, we report 4 experiments that identify and analyze trait correlations in the selected high- and low-geotaxis lines. We performed F₂ correlational analyses and backcrosses to examine 3 types of correlations: (a) genotype-genotype (alcohol dehydrogenase [Adh]-amylase [Amy]), (b) genotype-phenotype (Adh and Amy-geotaxis), and (c) phenotype-phenotype (mate preference–geotaxis). Only the Adh-geotaxis correlation survived meiosis and reappeared in the F …

7. Basic Psychometric Issues In Licensure Testing, Howard W. Stoker, James C. Impara

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

The number of people in the United States who carry some responsibility for the writing of examination questions and the construction of tests is unknown. In the Preface to The Construction and Use of Achievement Examinations, published by the American Council on Education in 1936, the authors indicated that the number probably exceeded a million. That number has certainly grown in the past 60 years. Questions are posed to students by teachers at all levels of education; the Armed Forces have people whose job it is to construct tests which are used in the promotion of personnel; over …

4. Practice Analysis: Building The Foundation For Validity, Joan E. Knapp, Lenora G. Knapp

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

A review of the literature associated with job analysis reveals two extremes of opinion as represented by the following provocative quotes:

Historically job analysis has been a relatively soporific area of industrial and organizational psychology, characterized by neither heated controversy nor prominent visibility in the research literature. (Harvey, 1991, p. 71)

Validation was once a priestly mystery, a ritual behind the scenes with the professional elite as witness and judge. Today it is a public spectacle combining the attraction of chess and mud wrestling. (Cronbach, 1988, p. 3)

Both our evaluation of practice analysis research and our professional experience …

5. Systematic Item Writing And Test Construction, Anthony Laduca, Steven M. Downing, Thomas R. Henzel

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Standardized objective testing remains the most popular mode of licensure testing. Even where other types of tests are incorporated, it is often the case that they are provided as complimentary to standardized, multiple-choice (MC) tests. Moreover, scoring theories and standard-setting procedures have been developed over the years in the context of standardized MC testing. At the same time, critics have pointed to limitations of contemporary MC testing practices, including lack of fidelity to real-life challenges and emphasis on recall of factual minutiae. In our view, testing professionals should make conscientious attempts to modify test development procedures so as to address …

3. Policy Issues With Psychometric Implications, Michael Rosenfeld, Richard F. J. Tannenbaum, Scott Wesley

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Testing candidates with disabilities, testing repeaters, and coaching involve issues of fairness, the validity of the inferences made from test scores, and protection of the public. Licensing boards must develop policies to deal with each of these issues. It is interesting to note that although all three are of concern to licensing agencies, little of the research on these topics has been conducted in licensure settings. This chapter discusses the results of research conducted on each topic, considers the psychometric implications for policy of each, and suggests steps licensing boards can take when formulating policy.

TESTING CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES IN …

8. Item Banking, Betty A. Bergstrom, Richard C. Gershon

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Item banks developed by licensure agencies range from a collection of items stored on index cards to highly sophisticated electronic databases. Regardless of the storage mechanism, most banks contain items that have been organized and referenced according to procedures established by the licensure agency. This chapter outlines useful practices for building and maintaining a computerized item bank. We address storage of item text, graphics, and statistical history. We deal with the creation of paper-and-pencil and computerized tests from an item bank and the use of Item Response Theory (lRT) to calibrate and equate item banks. New directions in item banking …

12. Computerized Testing In Licensure, C. David Vale

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Computerized testing has come out of the laboratory and into the field. By rough estimates, over a million licensure and certification examinations are currently given by computer each year, and the number is rising. Computerized testing is not appropriate for every application, however. Computerized tests always result in significantly greater direct costs than paper-and-pencil tests. To justify their use, a computerized test must result in a net dollar saving. This means that something in the process of computerization must offer a cost reduction that more than offsets the direct cost of computerization. The purpose of this chapter is to identify …

9. Differential Item Functioning In Licensure Tests, Barbara S. Plake

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

When test scores are used to make important decisions, as is typically the case with licensure tests, the validity of test score interpretations is extremely critical. The validity of the decision (e.g., pass or fail the licensure examination) relies heavily on the validity of the test score that is used in making the licensure decision. So, although validity is always a critical component in test score interpretation, it has increased importance when the score is used in high-stakes decision situations such as licensure testing.

Issues in validity for licensure tests have been addressed in Chapter 4 of this volume. The …

13. Future Psychometric Practices In Licensure Testing, Steven S. Nettles

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

New technologies continue to emerge each year, and influence testing practices. In particular, in the last 10 years the personal computer has evolved from a curious and minimally useful tool to an indispensable partner in many certification and licensure testing programs. It is involved in every aspect- including candidate scheduling, test assembly, test administration, test scoring and analysis, and score reporting. Initially, it is used to determine the content to be included in the job analysis instrument, and later, to analyze the returned surveys. After the job analysis is completed and test specifications prepared, it can be used to bank …

11. Equating, Judy A. Shea, John J. Norcini

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

INTRODUCTION

Testing programs nearly always need examinations that measure the same thing, but are composed of different questions (i .e., alternate forms of the same test). When different questions are used, however, there is no assurance that scores on the forms are equivalent; different sets of items might be easier or harder and, therefore, produce higher or lower scores. Equating is used to overcome this problem. Simply stated, it is the design and statistical procedure that permits scores on one form of a test to be comparable to scores on an alternate form.

A hypothetical example will help explain why …

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, And Practices [Complete Work], James C. Impara, Linda L. Murphy

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices

Licensure Testing: Purposes, Procedures, and Practices (374 pages)

Copyright © 1995 by Buros Institute of Mental Measurements All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, retrieval system, or any other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Buros Institute of Mental Measurements 135 Bancroft Hall University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-0348

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

Unl Women's Studies 1995 Spring Semester Newsletter, Barbara Dibernard

Women's and Gender Studies Program: Information and Materials

Spring Semester 1995 will be an exciting semester for the Women's Studies Program, as two distinguished speakers are scheduled to present lectures and meet with UNL students.

Jean Fagan Yellin, Distinguished Professor from Pace University will lecture at UNL on Thursday, March 9 at 7:30p.m. at the Nebraska Union.