Coverage Of Subject Matter Research Articles

Content Analysis of Agriculture News Published in English Daily (Business Line)

Content analysis can be used with various data sources, including textual data, visual stimuli (e.g., photographs/videos), and audio data. An English daily newspaper (Business Line) was purposively selected for content analysis study. From June 2020 to May 2021, the daily newspapers were surveyed to study the subject matter coverage and monthly frequency. The study shows that the news published was highly about government policies/plans/reforms, weather & climate, commodities sales & trends, and exports and imports. From the selected year, it was found that highly frequent coverage of the agricultural news was observed during October, followed by June and May months. Readability analysis was done by randomly selecting five percent of the articles from the total news items identified. From the analysis, it can be viewed that the level of difficulty in reading the articles ranged from standard to very difficult. The average score was found as 46.9, which is “Difficult” to read. It is concluded that the newspaper had good coverage of agriculture articles and it has been suggested to reduce the difficulty level of the contents of the articles.

Provisions for Agricultural Extension Services in the Implementation Manuals of the World Bank Assisted Fadama Development Projects in Nigeria: Gaps and Lessons

The study examined the provisions for agricultural extension services in the National Fadama Development Projects in Nigeria. Provisions for extension services were made by the project in the areas of, input support, local development plans and technical assistance. However, certain critical gaps were observed in the provisions for extension services in the projects’ operational manuals. The observed gaps were in the areas of the improper selection criteria for facilitators and service providers in terms of educational qualification, limited subject matter coverage, poor format for preparing local development plans and lack of incorporation of more innovative extension approaches in project execution, and misuse and application of the concept of advisory services as an alternative to extension services. In spite of the observed gaps, some positive lessons namely; the matching grant arrangement and user fee approach which ensured the sustainability of the project, diversified menu for extension services which was based on the needs of farmers were learnt. Detailed criteria for measuring the quality of extension services rendered to farmers should be developed and included in future implementation manuals.
 Keywords: Provision of agricultural extension services, fadama implementation manuals.

COGNITIVE AND STYLE PREDICTORS OF THE STUDENTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

The article analyses the psychological well-being and basic beliefs of students from the point of view of various variables, but the particular attention is payed to cognitive style, which is studied as the way of information assessment, determining person’s intellectual activity as well as own life activity in general. Theoretical and multivariate regression (stepwise method) analyses allowed us to define the models of psychological well-being and basic beliefs predictors at the significance levels from p≤0.000 to p≤0.043. The number of the students’ basic beliefs and psychological well-being style models is 17 of hypothetical 18 models; this result reflects a high (94.4 percent) study subject matter coverage. The following groups of the models were pointed out in a process of categorization: “harmonic” (these cognitive styles are highly efficient and prove that the style criteria correlate with the basic beliefs and psychological well-being ones); “tending to harmonize” (characterized by the cognitive styles inclusiveness dominating, leading to activity efficiency, but including individual style pole-correctors); “ambivalent” (cognitive style poles inclusiveness dominates, while other poles domination decreases). The following conclusions are made on the basis of statistically significant results: the level and peculiarities of the style poles and students’ psychological well-being and basic beliefs regression equations correlation is the determinant, defining the success of these poles and beliefs directly or indirectly. The results of the research enlarge scientific facts about cognitive styles being predictors of students’ psychological well-being and basic beliefs and make their metacognitive regulation and evaluation possible.

Proportionality and Judicial Review: A UK Historical Perspective

Academic legal study is perforce temporally grounded. We most naturally consider the here and now. We may take a fleeting backward glimpse, most commonly to confirm our desired impression of the status quo, and add substance to our prognostications, hesitant or not as they may be, about the future. Legal history is commonly left to legal historians in this age of increased specialization. Their expertise is invaluable, but the historical terrain is vast, the numbers of specialist legal historians are limited and the subject matter coverage uneven. There are perforce large gaps, as exemplified by the historical landscape of administrative law. Relatively little is known about legal development in this area, and the regulatory environment from which it grew, as attested to by the nostrum that the UK had no regime of administrative law until the mid-twentieth century, which is as erroneous as it is oft-repeated. We are of course not formally bound by anything that historical legal inquiry reveals. The academic has tools that bear analogy to the judicial. We can distinguish, praying in aid changed social circumstance, altered normative values and shifting policy preferences. Yet this academic ‘power’, like all other forms thereof, comes with responsibility. The argument must withstand scrutiny in the academic market place, and must also be grounded in some knowledge of what preceded the here and now. Insofar as this knowledge is exiguous it thereby diminishes the value of the academic judgment.This chapter is designed to cast historical light on the role played by the concept of proportionality in UK law. This very sentence may provoke skepticism, given the dominant view that it was an import from continental Europe, the integration of which into UK law has been driven by membership of the ECHR and EU. There is no doubt that the classic three or four part proportionality inquiry has continental foundations, particularly Germanic, although it is noteworthy that the German eighteenth century formulation of the principle was embryonic, with the fully-fledged test developing later. Integration of proportionality into UK law has been furthered by ECHR and EU jurisprudence. There is, however, also no doubt that the UK had a concept akin to that of proportionality, from the late sixteenth century onwards. The precise appellation varied, with terms such as proportionability, proportionable, and disproportionate found in the legislation and case law. It was not a formal three-part test of the modern kind, but the older UK concept shared a common theme with its more modern offspring, which is the proscription of excessive regulatory burdens and the need to ensure that the burden was objectively justified. The story begins with four general misconceptions about UK Administrative law, which sets the backdrop for the ensuing discussion. This is followed by four historical manifestations of proportionability. It will be seen that the concept was very commonly used as a criterion in regulatory legislation from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, with the expectation that the courts would interpret and apply it to the particular regulatory regime, which is exactly what occurred. It was also used in the absence of express statutory mention, as a principle of legal interpretation, such that the courts would interpret regulatory legislation whenever possible so as not to impose excessive burdens on individuals. Proportionability was in addition deployed as a free-standing principle of judicial review, and also on some occasions as a condition for the legality of regulatory intervention. The magic number four frames the discourse in the final section of the chapter, where the focus shifts to the normative. There is discussion of the relationship between proportionality and proportionability, followed by reflections on the connection between the judicial and legislative use of proportionability. The final parts of this section consider the relevance of this material for modern doctrine, the determination of which is predicated on understanding that proportionability was judicially applied with sensitivity to regulatory purpose and appreciation of the limits to judicial oversight of the administration.

Open & Distance Learning (ODL) and Agricultural Extension Workers’ Social Competence in Indonesia

Social competence is essential for agricultural extension worker since it is directly related to their duties to interact with farmers. This article discusses the extension to which Open and Distance Learning (ODL) can improve the social competence and its aspects, the dominant factors affecting social competence, and strategy for the development of social competence of extension workers. Designed as an explanatory research, the entire population of agricultural extension workers (n=111) who were graduated from ODL in four different locations (Serang, Karawang, Cirebon, and Tanggamus areas) were used as respondents. A survey technique was implemented among them. In depth interview was also conducted to elaborate the findings. Data was analyzed by using descriptive and regression analysis. The findings indicated that: (1) agricultural extension workers had a moderate level in their social competence. Their knowledge on social concept was relatively good but still having problems in implementing it; (2) learning facilities, training, and subject matter coverage were factors significantly affecting social competence. The most dominant factor was held by the subject matter coverage; and (4) strategies that can be formulated to improve social competence were improving their level of knowledge and skills in terms of social matters. These can be focused on improving the learning quality, mainly on subject matter development. From the findings, it can be concluded that ODL as an educational institution can be addressed by agricultural extension workers to improve their social competence. As an implication, ODL institution need to support the students by giving a better subject matter coverage, while Agricultural Department need to support the learning quality of agricultural extension workers by giving learning motivation and learning facilities.

Territorial Implications of High-Speed Rail—A Spanish Perspective

Territorial Implications of High-Speed Rail—A Spanish Perspective

Value of a Ludic Simulation in Training First Responders to Manage Blast Incidents

The ludic, or gamelike, potential of simulations used in training is explored in this project, in which a prototype game was developed that had the mandate to train first responders to manage explosive blast incidents using an entertaining and engaging learning experience. One hypothesis and one question were postulated. The hypothesis was that the ludic component would make the game engaging, and therefore enhance learning, and the question was, “how will this type of game work within a curriculum instead of as traditional standalone training?” To test the hypothesis, surrogate end-users (N=42) participated in a formative evaluation study of the prototype, in which their feedback was solicited about all aspects of the game, including ease of use, coverage of subject matter, perceived usefulness, accuracy, realism, and immersion (i.e., extent to which they were engaged). To answer the question, the study team observed the students and instructors during the formative evaluation and collected impressions and feedback about the learning dynamic during testing. Results of the study supported the hypothesis, and led to some important realizations about the educational contexts that may work best for this type of training, i.e., that this type of game works well as a lab component of a course. After the game was modified based on the evaluation results, the game was used in live training, and subsequently reported to meet the needs of end users while achieving an appropriate blend of instructional and game design.

Participation in International Large-Scale Assessments from a US Perspective

International large-scale assessments (ILSAs) play a distinct role in the United States' decentralized federal education system. Separate from national and state assessments, they offer an external, objective measure for the United States to assess student performance comparatively with other countries and over time. The US engagement in ILSAs derives from both a legal mandate and a history of international collaboration among governments and among researchers. From a US perspective, ILSAs function primarily for benchmarking and related purposes. The assessments in which the United States participates vary in terms of their focus, countries participating, subject-matter coverage, cycles and samples. Each offers unique measures on how well US students are performing relative to their counterparts internationally. The ILSAs serve as a small but significant complement to the US federal government's investment in its national assessments. Current federal support for state benchmarking to international assessments brings an added dimension to the portfolio of US participation. Additional efforts could also expand the usage of ILSAs and their potential impact.

Meyer, P., DeViliers, J & Ebnet, E. (2010). Guitar Skills for Music Therapists and Music Educators. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona. 143 pages. ISBN: 978-1-891278-56-3 (paper) $32.00

Meyer, P., DeVillers, J & Ebnet, E. (2010). Guitar Skills for Music Therapists and Music Educators. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona. 143 pages. ISBN: 978-1-891278-56-3 (paper) $32.00A cursory search by the author for available functional music (voice, piano, guitar, percussion) resources for music therapy students yielded minimal results. For this reason, Cuitar Skills for Music Therapists and Music Educators by Meyer, DeVillers and Ebnet is a welcome and essential addition to the music therapy literature. Although the text is not written solely for use in a basic college or university guitar class, this writer will review its usefulness in preparing music therapy students to utilize the guitar as an accompaniment instrument.Lead Author Peter Meyer, an accomplished musician, clinician, and educator, has facilitated numerous guitar skills workshops with standing room only attendance and repeat customers, substantiating the need for this type of instruction. With a text that is readily accessible and a DVD that provides further clarification of the written instruction, the authors succeed in providing the reader with a comprehensive educational experience.It is clear Meyer knows his trade. What's more, the authors' first- and second-person, conversational style of writing engages readers in feeling as though an instructor is present with them and puts them at ease. In addition, the DVD is useful in lieu of live instruction. It provides an ample substitute with capable demonstration by the authors. The only thing missing is immediate feedback and reinforcement of proper learning and redirection of mistakes, which can only happen in the presence of an instructor.Guitar Skills for Music Therapists and Music Educators is thorough. The few available guitar instruction books that are geared toward music therapy students and professionals tend to cover a smaller range of topics and spend more time going into depth in each area. In contrast, Meyer, DeVillers and Ebnet have chosen to focus on a breadth of coverage of subject matter while still maintaining an adequate depth for each of their topic choices. Thus, readers get the sense they are receiving a rich learning experience. It bears mentioning, however, that there is a complete lack of attention to note and tablature reading and playing, which could be considered a deficit for student learning.Divided into eleven well-conceived chapters preceded by an introduction, Guitar Skills for Music Therapists and Music Educators covers interesting chord progressions (not typical I- IV -V -I here!), many different musical styles, and greater than typical varieties of strum patterns and embellishments. It also delivers excellent instruction on barre and power chords and delves into modes and improvisation as well as the different tunings possible. It is left to the reader to determine what songs will fit with the chord progressions supplied in the exercises although hints and allusions are provided. It would have been helpful to include a list of the potential songs that the authors might have had in mind as being applicable to the chord progressions they presented.For visual learners, the diagrams and pictures are very effective and helpful, and the spiral binding is a nice touch. One frustration is with the setup of the book. Often the introduction to a song or instructions on playing a chord progression or strum pattern are at the bottom of one page, and the diagram or music notation for that instruction is at the top of the next page, which means the reader has to flip the pages back and forth to make sure they understand the concept.The overall organization of the book flows well from one topic to another. Beginning with an introduction, which covers some basic music theory, Chapter 1 addresses chord progressions in the keys of G, D, C, A and E along with varied strum patterns. Chapter 2 moves the focus to creating interest in accompaniments and provides instructions on more advanced strumming techniques, such as embellishments, chucking, palm muting, and staccato playing. …

Editorial

Ecology is far and away the most cited journal in the ecological sciences. Our articles were cited more than 38,000 times, about 13,500 more than the next most-cited journal in the ISI Journal Citation Reports of 116 ecology journals for 2007. The cited half life of more than 10 years is as long as any journal in our subject matter area (indicating that our publications stand the test of time), and our impact factor of 4.8 is fourth among journals in ecology publishing primary research articles. Ecology retains the confidence of readers and authors alike as the premier journal in the ecological sciences. The preliminary numbers for 2008 indicate that 1,564 manuscripts were submitted to Ecology/Ecological Monographs during the past year (an increase of more than 7.5% over 2007), further evidence that the scientific community regards us as the premier venue for publishing the very best work in ecology. We thank our volunteer subject-matter editors and reviewers for the dedication in reviewing this large number of submissions in their customary timely and conscientious way. The acceptance rate for Ecology is now slightly less than 25%. Our rigorous peer review does not interfere with rapid publication. Ecology benefits from the talented, conscientious, and efficient professional staff in Ithaca. Owing to quick processing, the large majority of Reports and most Articles appeared in print within one year of submission in 2008. Some authors who responded quickly to the editor's instructions for revision had Reports appearing in print within six months of submission. About three-quarters of initial editorial decisions were made within two months, and those that took longer were mostly a result of editorial judgments made in favor of authors. Our journals continue to provide authors with reviews that are among the most detailed of any journal. While the number of pages published in Ecology (nearly 3,600) has not changed in the past few years, the number of articles published and the breadth of subject matter coverage have increased owing to our policy of emphasizing shorter publications. Our rapid publication is part and parcel of a push for concision, which is being met by improved writing and judicious use of Ecological Archives on the part of authors with careful guidance from our editors and reviewers. More than half of the papers published in Ecology during 2008 had associated materials posted in Ecological Archives. All Reports are now Open Access, which means that no subscription or institutional access is required to view the full text online. This feature greatly increases the exposure and citation of such articles. Furthermore, there is no charge for color figures to authors of Reports. These polices began with the January 2008 issue and are part of the efforts led by the Special Publications Subcommittee of the ESA (chaired by Jayne Belnap) to maintain our journals at the forefront of scientific publication. Ecology's Book Reviews continue to be among the best found in science journals owing to the dedication of Janet Lanza, who serves as Editor. Her breadth and depth of selection provides about 40 reviews each year from the huge numbers of books in ecology. Her services to the Book Review section of the journal are deeply appreciated by our readership. Astute readers will notice a new style in this issue for the titles of published articles. This was not a capricious change. While our style of capitalizing the entire title served us well for 90 years, it was not well suited to the Internet Age. Our new style will make our online publications compatible with citation-management tools so that our readers can now download citations in a format that is better suited for creating Lit. Cited entries in their own papers. We also hope our readers have noticed the enhanced appearance and features that accompanied our move to a new online hosting platform in September 2008. We do not intend to rest on our laurels. During the coming year, we intend to add a feature whereby authors may opt to make accepted manuscripts available as “preprints” (complete with doi's) within a week of acceptance. Finally, we are extremely pleased to announce that Aaron Ellison has agreed to become the new Editor-in-Chief of Ecological Monographs. While we will continue to publish in Ecological Monographs the longer papers submitted to Ecology documenting complex, original observational, experimental, or theoretical studies that by their very integrated nature defy dissolution into shorter publications, we look forward to Aaron's innovations for giving Ecological Monographs an identity of its own.

Review: The Dragon & The Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reforms in China and India edited by Ashok Gulati and Shenggen Fan

Review: The Dragon & The Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reforms in China and India Ashok Gulati and Shenggen Fan (Eds.) Reviewed by Varinder Jain Centre for Development Studies, India Gulati, Ashok and Fan, Shenggen (Eds.). The Dragon & The Elephant: Agricultural and Rural Reforms in China and India. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. xxvi + 548pp. ISBN 978-0-8018- 8787-1. US$38.00, paper. The economies of China and India have gained recognition as growing Asian giants, who have made wonders in attaining not only higher levels of growth but also mitigating the plight of their masses through a variety of public programmes. A variety of reforms undertaken by these economies have engaged researchers worldwide in making detailed enquiries about these economies mainly for tracing out potential lessons for other developing nations who are yet in the preliminary stages of a voyage towards economic growth and poverty mitigation. One such sincere effort is made by ‘International Food Policy and Research Institute’ (IFPRI) who have brought researchers and practitioners from both the countries together to provide a detailed (comparative) account of rural and agricultural reforms undertaken by these Asian giants. Consequently, as many as thirty-two eminent scholars from both countries have engaged themselves in providing a comparative account of rural development and agricultural reform experiences of China and India, mainly with an interest to enquire about the nature, pattern, processes, impacts and potential lessons emanating from the rural and agricultural reforms undertaken by both economies. The subject matter of the book is quite comprehensive, informative and thought-provoking. Specifically, the twenty-two contributions address the issues of land tenure system, land institutions, land reforms, health systems, public investment and poverty reduction, anti-poverty programmes, agricultural trade, agricultural diversification, rural non-farm sector, agricultural research and technology etc. Obviously such broad coverage of subject matter, besides the comprehensiveness of each and every contribution, makes this anthology a unique volume providing a comparative account of the rural segments of both economies. It is noteworthy that though a number of books on comparative assessment of Chinese and Indian economy’s growth performance have emerged recently, the appearance of this anthology fulfills the long desire of researchers and practitioners who wish to understand the dynamics and contrast of rural segments in these economies. Overall, the book is well-conceived and well-written and above all, is quite user-friendly with detailed index, references and succinctly described contents. Given the twofold aim of the book, i.e. “What can the two nations learn from each other in terms of their reform experiences and their impact on agricultural growth and poverty? What can countries in transition learn from these two experiments?” (pp. xxi), a careful reading leaves no disappointment with the editors’ and writers’ sincere effort in fulfilling these objectives. The analytical exercises provide a range of policy and strategic options to attain the twin objectives of high growth and poverty reduction in the future. Strengthening of specific institutional arrangements, development of sound safety nets, introducing suitable trade and market reforms in addition to channeling properly the public spending undertaken by these economies have been the major thought-provoking policy guidelines emerging from this volume. It is, beyond doubt, an outstanding contribution to the existing literature on the Chinese and Indian economies and thereby a must-read for the students of international relations, practitioners, policy makers and researchers interested in not only the economies of China and India but also those who are interested in eradicating poverty from the globe and ameliorating the conditions of rural poor. Varinder Jain , Research Scholar, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram – 695 011, Kerala, India. TEL: +91-989-541-8673. Electronic Green Journal, Issue 27, Fall 2008, ISSN: 1076-7975

Message from the Publisher

The Board of Directors has voted unanimously that the Bulletin will be distributed in an electronic-only format later this year. This will not eliminate the substantive association-related communication from ASIS&T that members receive. Instead it will offer members the same high quality news and articles in a format that offers greater flexibility for delivering increased content and more in-depth coverage. The Board has been considering this action for several years, and the decision was neither precipitous nor lightly made. It was necessary because the Bulletin has a net cost of around $60,000 per year. While that amount is not now critical, it is a significant level of expenditure that requires careful stewardship by the Board. In Board planning activities, it was seen as financially inevitable that the Bulletin would have to eventually become electronic-only. As our members are well aware, the information environment is rapidly changing. A format change for the Bulletin reflects the Society's willingness to embrace this change. No advantage was seen in delaying the decision. We have every intention of maintaining the Bulletin's current editorial and production quality. In fact, it is expected that some of the possible savings will be consumed by additional editorial and production expenses as articles become longer and/or more numerous. We have every expectation that current editorial content and production quality will remain. This change has substantive benefits for members. The e-only format can enable expanded coverage of subject matter by removing the hard page limit, can allow more, and more in-depth articles, and offers the potential for the addition of supporting material as well as links and expanded or enhanced graphics and illustrations. This new format also offers new ways to interact with readers. For example, if appropriate and desired/requested by readers, we could include blogs so that discussion can take place around the articles with the authors. Every Bulletin editor has bemoaned the lack of Letters to the Editor. The e-only format can facilitate reader input if the readers and authors so desire. We envision creating a new e-mail list that will be strictly controlled for ASIS&T announcements only (e.g., meeting and publication announcements). You will be notified when new content to the Bulletin has been added. Such a list necessitates that we have a working e-mail address for all, but we will be working to achieve that anyway to facilitate electronic voting in ASIS&T elections as was approved in the latest bylaws amendment. Please feel free to write to me at rhill@asis.org with your comments, concerns and suggestions. We hope that you agree that creating an electronic-only Bulletin will take a high quality ASIS&T tradition into the new environment. It is a sound business decision as well as a move that fits with the mission of our organization.

Discovering the ‘international’ in accounting and finance

As higher education in accounting and finance moves increasingly in the direction of internationalisation of degree programmes and student populations, this paper reflects on the ways in which contemporary research contributes to the academic community's understanding of the rich potential of evidence available on international convergence and diversity. Reviews of research published in recent years have pointed to strong parochiality in the research questions and data choices of many researchers. This paper looks for a meta-structure of cross-sectional international comparisons across a range of papers at one point in time. Research papers of 2005 are selected from eight journals giving a broad coverage of subject matter. A cultural framework is proposed as a basis for an ethnographic view of the data and findings of empirical research papers. Cultural diversity is found as an explicit discussion in some papers but others are silent or even apologetic for cultural differences. Country-specific studies reveal the potential for comparative studies on a wider geographical basis but the achievement of such an aim will require the academic research community (editors, reviewers and authors) to show flexibility in dealing with smaller data sets and greater uncertainty about the nature of accounting information. Most importantly this review shows the considerable wealth of interest waiting for those who take time to peruse academic journals.

A content analysis of Ife psychologia, 1993–2002

Bibliometric attributes, including formats and recency of citation, have been used to obtain a content analysis of Ife Psychologia from its inception in 1993 to 2002. The data on geographical spread of authorship and subject matter coverage from the 20 issues published were subjected to the Bradford Statistical Model. The results indicate that Ife Psychologia is a multi-disciplinary international journal that has been able to continue publishing in spite of the problems afflicting journal publishing in Africa. A total of 382 authors from 26 countries contributed to the journal, with foreign authorship rising from an initial average of 21.7% in the first 6 years to around 52% in the last 4 years. Subject matter coverage spanned over 14 fields, including psychology, education, sociology and mental health. Journals (47.7%) and books (45.2%) constituted the most cited works by authors. Though cited works were not all that current (only 20% under 5 years of publication), the incidence of authors’ self-citation was minimal, being 5.3% overall and just 1.2% for the journal's self-citation. The study provides a good testimonial for the inclusion of the journal in the suite of African Journals On-Line and should assist in strengthening its editorial management.

A content analysis of Ife psychologia, 1993–2002

Bibliometric attributes, including formats and recency of citation, have been used to obtain a content analysis of Ife Psychologia from its inception in 1993 to 2002. The data on geographical spread of authorship and subject matter coverage from the 20 issues published were subjected to the Bradford Statistical Model. The results indicate that Ife Psychologia is a multi-disciplinary international journal that has been able to continue publishing in spite of the problems afflicting journal publishing in Africa. A total of 382 authors from 26 countries contributed to the journal, with foreign authorship rising from an initial average of 21.7% in the first 6 years to around 52% in the last 4 years. Subject matter coverage spanned over 14 fields, including psychology, education, sociology and mental health. Journals (47.7%) and books (45.2%) constituted the most cited works by authors. Though cited works were not all that current (only 20% under 5 years of publication), the incidence of authors’ self-citation was minimal, being 5.3% overall and just 1.2% for the journal's self-citation. The study provides a good testimonial for the inclusion of the journal in the suite of African Journals On-Line and should assist in strengthening its editorial management.

An Innovative Master Gardener Program

ABSTRACT A survey of Newark Master Gardeners (N = 41), indicated that most of the respondents rated ten out of fourteen topics “excellent” to “very good” in terms of usefulness and coverage of subject matter. No component was rated below “good” which indicated a positive evaluation. A majority of the respondents expressed a desire for more hands-on activities, more visits to demonstration and related locations. Most (90%) of the respondents were high school or college graduates. The occupational categories indicated a wide and varied background for master gardeners. A majority (51.2%) of the respondents were 45 years or older. Friends, relatives and neighbors were the main sources of recruiting volunteers for the Master Gardener (MG) program. Over two-thirds (68.3%) of the respondents volunteered for MG for self-improvement. For more information about becoming a MG and to find the nearest MG program in your area, please call or write to your State's Cooperative Extension office.

International marketing textbooks

Reports the results of a citation analysis of 15 international marketing textbooks. Citations represent a measure of the importance of the works referenced and their influence on the discipline being studied. Similarly, the number of citations of authors indicates their influence in a discipline’s development. Finds a high degree of variability of subject matter coverage between the textbooks studied indicating either that authors try to differentiate their offerings, or that there is not yet a consensus of what constitutes the discipline of international marketing.

Subject Knowledge and its Application: problems and possibilities for teacher educators

ABSTRACT In Britain and the USA, policy‐makers are promoting student teachers’ knowledge of subjects and their application of subject knowledge in the classroom as a key element in the reform of teacher training. The educational arguments which support this policy are reviewed together with recent studies which have investigated the ways in which students’ knowledge of subjects may inform their teaching. Issues emerging from the discussion which need to be addressed by teacher educators responsible for main subject study and application include: the scope of students’ knowledge and coverage of subject matter, an appreciation of the manner in which students’ application of subject matter is shaped by classroom practice, and the need to ensure that knowledge of the subject is combined with an understanding of the child.

Readability, Interest, and Coverage of 13 College Textbooks on Gifted and Talented Education

Thirteen college textbooks devoted to education of the gifted and talented were analyzed with the Flesch formulae for readability and human interest. A wide range of difficulty and interest levels was found among the 13 texts. Subject matter coverage was also analyzed and charted. A wide variety of topics was found, with little agreement among authors concerning appropriate subject matter. Some important topics, such as career educational planning, received surprisingly little coverage. Some books were found to be lacking important sections, such as author or subject indices.

Introductory Geology From The Newspapers

A course in introductory geology based almost entirely upon current newspaper articles involved 37 students. In weekly seminars, participants discussed news reports from the previous week and selected topics for further in-depth studies. This format led to random introduction of topics as dictated by on-going earth processes that happened to “make the news.” Students had to determine for themselves what events should be included in the discussion, thus having to define for themselves the limits of “geology.” Idea survey (Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development in Higher Education, Kansas State Univ.) results indicated that participants felt their experience of subject-matter coverage was about average, as was their acquisition of skills and competencies. Nearly all respondents felt high gains in creativity, personal responsibility, general liberal education, and self-understanding. Over 90 percent claimed highly improved attitudes toward geology as a field of study, and none expressed negative attit...