Using a readiness scale for reintegrating pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties from a Nurture Group into their mainstream classroom — a pilot study

The development of a Nurture Group can help a whole school to become 'a more inclusive, nurturing establishment', according to Rebecca Doyle. In this article she describes the evolution of a detailed Reintegration Readiness Scale, building on Nurture Group principles and practices. Two case studies illustrate the kinds of progress that can be made by individual pupils. This article goes on to note the benefits that nurturing approaches can bring to the whole school community and to indicate further developments for the future. Rebecca Doyle runs the Nurture Group at Canterbury Infant School in Thetford and used a DfEE-funded Best Practice Research Scholarship to develop the approaches she details in this practical and thought-provoking report.     

'I Hate You. Please Help Me': A Case Study From A Classic Boxall Nurture Group

This article is a case study of a five year old boy, Peter, and his entry and development within a classic Boxall Nurture Group. The author explores nurture groups in general as well as describing Peter's assessment, his challenging behaviour, the support he received and the final outcomes of the work.     

Distance No Object: Developing DARE,the Digital Art Resource for Education

This paper outlines the development of DARE, the Digital Art Resource for Education, detailing its specific aims and sketching the broad context in which the resource has been developed. It then examines a case study where the resource was piloted within a North London secondary school, highlighting some of the issues arising from this such as the need for educators and their pupils to engage critically with the Internet as a distance learning tool, and the importance of an equally critical practice in using new technologies to support art and design.     

Staff development planning in an academic health sciences library.

OBJECTIVE: A staff development committee (SDC) was convened to implement staff development opportunities for an academic health sciences library system comprised of three separate facilities. The charge for the SDC was to: (1) develop programs to enhance workplace skills and personal growth, (2) communicate the availability of existing programs at the university and medical center, and (3) encourage the staff to participate in these opportunities. PROGRAM: The committee created goals and objectives and developed a survey designed to give staff the opportunity to provide input for this initiative. With an 80% response rate, the survey results were used to plan 15 events based on staff needs and preferences. First-year attendance for SDC-sponsored events was 459. Committee members served as liaisons for each event. Two forms were developed to facilitate event planning. A monthly announcement sheet, email reminders, and the library's local area network are used to communicate upcoming SDC events and encourage attendance. CONCLUSION: This approach can serve as a useful model for similar program planning in any organization.     

Factors influencing undergraduate use of e-books: A mixed methods study

Academic libraries invest millions of dollars to make electronic resources such as e-books available to students for free. However, free access might not necessarily result in students' sustained interest in and use of e-books. This interdisciplinary, mixed methods research investigates the factors influencing the intention of 279 undergraduate students to use e-books at a land-grant university in the southern US. Structural equation modeling of the survey responses suggests that organizational environment for information technology, external locus of control, subjective norm, perceived enjoyment (i.e., joyfulness), and information technology features play a significant role in influencing the intention of students to use e-books. Based on a combination of quantitative results and qualitative findings, this study identifies eight activities that libraries need to undertake in order to increase the use of e-books by undergraduate students.     

The effect of scheduling format on long-term retention

This study examines the relationship between course intensity and long-term retention on graduate level counseling students enrolled in a research and statistics course. It confirms earlier findings of time and learning studies, which have primarily dealt with end-of-course outcomes, that there is no effect due to scheduling format. In this study, older students performed significantly higher on a six-month follow-up test than younger students. Students who had previous, related course work scored significantly higher in final course grades than students with no prior course work, however, differences were moderated and no longer significant at the time of follow-up. Implications from these findings are discussed.Rebecca LaFountain is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Shippenburg University of Pennsylvania. She earned an Ed.D in Counseling from the College of William and Mary, an M.S. in Counseling from Iowa State University, and a B.A. in French from Grand Valley State University. She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Her primary professional interests include the teaching of research and statistics so that it is not threatening; Adlerian psychology; and, Solution-Focused counseling.