Ethical Obligations of Special Services Personnel

Although there is increased lip-service paid to the need for educators to behave ethically, special services personnel are aware of many situations in which their colleagues or supervisors show little awareness of ethical principles. In this article, we address this issue from a variety of perspectives. First, we discuss the relationship between professional ethics and the broader concept of "professionalism." and discuss some of the reasons why education has not reached the level of commitment to ethics training and enforcement that is found in more mature vrofessions. Second, we present a list of ethical principles that appear to have universal applicability across professions and illustrate some of he ways in which special services personnel sometimes violate these principles. Third. we discuss some of the reasons why ethical violations occur and what might be done to address this problem. Particular explanatory attention is paid to the interdisciplinary and hierarchical/bureaucratic nature of school settings, and the tendency of administrators to emphasize the primacy of perceived organizational needs. Among the suggestions made is the call for educational agencies at all levels to develop their own detailed ethical codes and casebooks and to establish interdisciplinary ethics committees that will provide training, consultation and complaint resolution.     

UCLA's Career Counseling Center: A Dialogue About a Unique Service

In this interview, two counseling psychologists describe aspects of a relatively unique career counseling service that has been validated by 40 years of success in the marketplace. Composed of 3 intensive individual interviews and 15 to 25 hours of educational and psychological testing, the service assists clients in identifying and beginning pursuit of suitable educational and occupational goals. The counselors describe how they organize and sift through test results to formulate recommendations for a client's unique career circumstances, why they accept responsibility for developing and presenting concrete recommendations, and what the changes in their clients' concerns suggest about the evolution of work in the United States. Their specificity and professionalism will help counselors understand the craft of career counseling.     

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: LEGALITY AND VALIDITY1

Educational achievements (e.g., high school diploma, college degree) are frequently used as selection requirements for a wide variety of jobs. Despite this, the legality and validity of this “selection test” has been a neglected subject of study by personnel psychologists. In this article, two important issues concerning educational requirements are discussed. First, court cases are reviewed to gain insight into judicial opinions. Next, validity studies of educational requirements are summarized. The article concludes with suggestions for the proper use and defense of educational requirements.     

Parental Choice in Israel's Educational System: Theory vs. Praxis

In the last two decades the Israeli educational system has undergone major changes which have transformed it from a state-controlled, overly bureaucratic and almost fully state-financed system into a decentralized, partly locally controlled and increasingly privately financed system. Advocates of this transformation of the educational system appeal to the ideal of parental choice. They argue that the implementation of parental choice programs in education shows more respect to the children and their unique talents, take their self-realization seriously and promotes equal opportunities in education. The ideal of parental choice is also upheld in relation to value of cultural pluralism. Supporters of educational autonomy advocate the restructuring of schools in a way allowing them to develop a unique climate and curriculum consistent with respective communities and parents' preferences. The aim of this paper is to assess critically the changes that Israeli educational system has undergone against the background of the principle of equal educational opportunities. The main claim of the paper is that these changes undermine this principle. It will be argued that these changes actually cater mainly to the educational interests of middle and upper middle classes in Israeli society.     

The relationship variable in behavioral consultation

Behavioral consultation has traditionally been conceptualized as a scientific-technological exchange process where the primary goal is the transfer of information. Perceived reluctance of school personnel to use behavioral techniques has been seen as a special problem of educational settings. However, current understanding of this reluctance has emerged from the treatment adherence literature which stresses the complexity of adherence in clinical settings. One important issue which has emerged is the critical importance of the consultation relationship. While behavioral consultation has utilized an expert model focused on client behavior and problem solving, the efficacy of a more collaborative consultation style has been recommended. Behavioral consultants need to attend to factors such as communication strategies that facilitate shared responsibility as well as to understand consultees' explanations for their problems and their treatment expectations. Such skills need to be incorporated directly into the education of behavioral consultants along with behavioral technology if the behavioral model is to be disseminated widely into educational practice.     

ASSESSING THE CANDIDATE AS A WHOLE: A HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR PERSONNEL DECISION MAKING

Although individual assessment is a thriving area of professional practice in industry, it receives little, if any, attention from textbooks on industrial psychology or personnel management. This article is an attempt to establish individual assessment's place in the history of personnel selection, and to examine why the practice has survived despite receiving little attention in research and graduate training. It is argued that the clinical, holistic approach that has characterized individual-assessment practice has survived primarily because the "elementalistic" testing approach, focusing on traits and abilities, has often been dismissed as inadequate for addressing the complexities of the executive profile. Moreover, public displeasure with standard paper-and-pencil testing in the 1960s and 1970s made the holistic approach to assessment an attractive, alternative. The article contrasts individual assessment practice with the current state of knowledge on psychological assessment and personnel decision making. Like psychotherapy in the 1950s, individual psychological assessment appears to have achieved the status of functional autonomy within psychology.     

Inclusion of Disabled Children and School Reform

Summary

Over the past three decades, special and general education have undergone dramatic philosophical and structural changes. The mission of special and general education and the roles and responsibilities of school personnel have become increasingly blurred. The inclusion movement has captivated the interest of scholars, educators, politicians and the public alike. This paper reviews the major historical and current socio-political, legal, and professional forces that have led to the inclusion movement and national educational reform initiatives (e.g., Goals 2000, IASA, IDEA) in America. Psychologists assume significant leadership roles in the refinement and implementation of inclusion models and national reform initiatives. The expertise and contributions of psychologists to this movement are outlined. Critical issues and unanswered questions are presented to stimulate future research and debate.     

Are sociodemographic variables markers for psychological determinants of health?

Argues that the robust associations between sociodemographic variables and the major causes of morbidity and mortality are due in part to correlated psychological factors. To make this case concrete, the article reviews the psychological determinants of morbidity and mortality that are correlated with educational attainment and sex. It discusses the importance of health psychologists' studies of age, sex, ethnicity, and educational/occupational status to understanding why, how, and in whom psychological factors are contributors to disease.     

Where and Why g Matters:Not a Mystery

g is a highly general capability for processing complex information of any type. This explains its great value in predicting job performance. Complexity is the major distinction among jobs, which explains why g is more important further up the occupational hierarchy. The predictive validities of g are moderated by the criteria and other predictors considered in selection research, but the resulting gradients of g's effects are systematic. The pattern provides personnel psychologists a road map for how to design better selection batteries. Despite much literature on the meaning and impact of g, there nonetheless remains an aura of mystery about where and why g cognitive tests might be useful in selection. The aura of mystery encourages false beliefs and false hopes about how we might reduce disparate impact in employee selection. It is also used to justify new testing techniques whose major effect, witting or not, is to reduce the validity of selection in the service of racial goals.     

Entitlement and achievement in education

The central claim of this paper is that the culture of entitlement in education is incoherent to the extent to which it rejects: concepts of educational achievement. It gives an account of some of the conceptual features of achievement and educational achievement, and argues that although educational and academic achievement are closely linked with each other they are distinct. It tries to show why academic practices are central in our conceptions of the value of educational achievement. In terms of the concept of epistemological access it argues that the agency of the learner is necessary to educational access, and, hence, educational achievement, but that the culture of entitlement in education has a strong tendency to deny this. The paper tries to show in what ways the culture of entitlement presupposes the concept of educational achievement.     

The Power of Testing Memory

ABSTRACT— A powerful way of improving one's memory for material is to be tested on that material. Tests enhance later retention more than additional study of the material, even when tests are given without feedback. This surprising phenomenon is called the testing effect, and although it has been studied by cognitive psychologists sporadically over the years, today there is a renewed effort to learn why testing is effective and to apply testing in educational settings. In this article, we selectively review laboratory studies that reveal the power of testing in improving retention and then turn to studies that demonstrate the basic effects in educational settings. We also consider the related concepts of dynamic testing and formative assessment as other means of using tests to improve learning. Finally, we consider some negative consequences of testing that may occur in certain circumstances, though these negative effects are often small and do not cancel out the large positive effects of testing. Frequent testing in the classroom may boost educational achievement at all levels of education.     

Prevention of Child Abuse: Possibilities for Educational Systems

The traditional role of school personnel in the handling of child abuse and neglect cases has been expanded dramatically from identification and reporting to more prevention and safety efforts. Many educational systems are now requested, if not required, to provide prevention programs for children and their parents. Additionally, educators are faced with the increasing responsibility of assuring that children will not be abused or neglected within the school environment. The author examines: this expanding role for educators; programs currently being implemented; and, the impact of both on stopping the problem of child abuse and neglect.     

A Dialectic on Validity: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going

It has been suggested that the primary issue in considerations of validity today is the discrepancy between currently accepted theory and the practice of validation. The reason for this discrepancy may be that although considerable discussion has taken place in educational measurement and psychometrics regarding changes in our conceptions of validity, that has not been the case more generally in the social and behavioral sciences. A dialectic on the current status of validity theory for social and behavioral scientists is presented to help bridge this gap.     

The Public Schools: America's Achilles Heel

In a 1973 paper in The American Psychologist, a case was made for why it would take many decades for Blacks to improve their performance on school achievement and other cognitive tests. The paper was in opposition to Jensen's conclusion which emphasized genetics. One important part of the argument was deliberately omitted in that paper. The present paper deals with that omission which concerns the fact that our schools violate what is known about context for productive learning, a fact by no means peculiar to city schools. The near total failure of the educational reform movement has had and will continue to have consequences beyond the educational arena, one of these being Black anti-Semitism. Our cities are social time bombs. When they will ignite and explode is unpredictable. If classrooms become context for productive learning, the predicted positive outcomes require changes outside the schools, that is, the work arena.     

Risk Taking in Adolescence: New Perspectives From Brain and Behavioral Science

ABSTRACT— Trying to understand why adolescents and young adults take more risks than younger or older individuals do has challenged psychologists for decades. Adolescents' inclination to engage in risky behavior does not appear to be due to irrationality, delusions of invulnerability, or ignorance. This paper presents a perspective on adolescent risk taking grounded in developmental neuroscience. According to this view, the temporal gap between puberty, which impels adolescents toward thrill seeking, and the slow maturation of the cognitive-control system, which regulates these impulses, makes adolescence a time of heightened vulnerability for risky behavior. This view of adolescent risk taking helps to explain why educational interventions designed to change adolescents' knowledge, beliefs, or attitudes have been largely ineffective, and suggests that changing the contexts in which risky behavior occurs may be more successful than changing the way adolescents think about risk.     

Functional versus dysfunctional team change: Problem diagnosis and structural feedback for self-managed teams

We describe and examine three changes (personnel, process, and structure) that self-managed teams can make to remedy performance problems. We also discuss why self-managed teams may over-emphasize process and (to a lesser extent) personnel changes over structural changes. Furthermore, we describe and test two specific diagnostic feedback interventions aimed at helping teams make functional structural change. Seventy-eight 4-person teams of undergraduate students participated in two trials of a networked laboratory simulation task. All teams were initially structurally misaligned and subsequently received (a) no feedback, (b) one type of feedback only, or (c) both types of feedback. Results confirmed that structurally misaligned teams demonstrated dysfunctional change by changing process more frequently than structure, with detrimental effects for subsequent performance. When teams received the feedback interventions, however, they were more likely to change their structure and thereby improve their performance.     

管理人员个性的因子分析及其科学评价问题的研究

本研究通过对管理人员进行卡特尔个性测验,经过因素分析得出管理人员个性的主要因素子。通过多重方差分析,发现不同级别的管理人员主要的个性差异。这些人性特征是选择和评价管理人员的主要方面。     

Downsizing: Case Study of a Career in Crisis

Downsizing is a major concern in American industry today. Although much has been written about the effects of downsizing on corporations, little has been said about its effect on individuals. This case presents downsizing from one individual's perspective and suggests strategies and procedures for reducing the negative effect of downsizing on employees. Strategies and procedures that firms can adopt to make downsizing programs effective include planning in advance, developing effective communications, centralizing decision making, and educating personnel specialists and managers.     

Beyond Crucifixion: Remaining Christian after Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Christian survivors have frequently likened their experiences of sexual abuse to crucifixion. While it is understandable that many cannot reconcile their experiences within their faith tradition, the question of how it is possible to move forward within a Christian framework which accommodates the experience of sexual abuse has tended to be overlooked. In doing so, this article considers why identifying with the crucified Christ may be an important step in the process of moving forward, and why the terminology "survivor" may be preferable to "victim." The challenge to move forward may require churches and church personnel to consider whether they need to do some things differently. Above all, this requires integrity for the individuals and communities involved rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.