Defining Moments: Catalysts for Professional Development

In this series of papers, 17 genetic counselors describe defining moments, that is, personal experiences or events that led to a further realization of themselves as genetic counselors. These experiences, both positive and negative, describe a significant impact on the authors' professional growth and development. A call for papers was issued through the National Society of Genetic Counselors listserv and through the Journal of Genetic Counseling in 2001. This call resulted in the following 15 papers in which the authors were asked to describe the nature of a defining moment and how it affected their professional identity and practice. The authors provided an account of the experience or event, what it was about the experience that made it a defining moment, how it affected them personally and professionally, and if a defining moment was negative, how they were able to derive positive outcomes. Implications of these defining moments for other genetic counselors are discussed in a concluding paper.     

Effects of Perceived Organizational Support on Objective and Subjective Career Success via Need Satisfaction: A Study Among French Psychologists

The authors examined potential links between perceived organizational support (POS) and objective and subjective career success through the satisfaction of the 3 basic psychological needs (BPNs) posited in self‐determination theory. The inclusion of BPN satisfaction as a mediator provides an interesting route, suggesting it is a condition for POS to lead to career success. The authors submitted an online questionnaire to 379 French counseling psychologists and examined the responses using a cross‐sectional design with only 1 measurement. The results indicated the indirect effects of POS on objective career success via the satisfaction of the 3 BPNs and on subjective career success via satisfaction of the needs for autonomy and competence.     

Teachers’ reflections of instructional effectiveness: self-assessment through a standards-based appraisal process

This paper explores teachers’ reflections on: (1) self-assessment of their own videotaped lesson using a standards-based appraisal system; (2) comparison to an external reviewer’s evaluation of the same lesson; and (3) effect of the appraisal system on their pedagogical views, professional development, and actual practice improvement. Findings indicate that teachers view the appraisal system as evaluative with little impact on their teaching practice and professional growth. Participating teachers indicated that the self-evaluative reflection process utilized in the study had a greater influence on their professional development than the appraisal system as it is currently structured.     

Moving beyond reflection in a hall of mirrors: developing critical reflective capacity in teachers and teacher educators

Using reflection to merely affirm existing beliefs rather than engaging in confrontation and examination of beliefs is like reflecting in a hall of mirrors. This study explores the process of critical reflective development of practicing teachers through program reflections written to prompts during master’s-level coursework, seeking to understand: How does critical reflective capacity develop and change in practicing teachers enrolled in advanced coursework in an M.Ed. program? Researchers used a three-level reflective practice pyramid as a frame for examining teachers’ reflective writings. Specifically, 103 reflections from 26 PK-12 teachers were available for analysis. Where finding a clear trajectory in teacher’s reflective development was an anticipated outcome in which teachers would progress from the technical to contextual to dialectical levels of reflection, findings did not indicate such linear development for most teachers. As faculty analyzed the data, they engaged in critical reflection, also questioning purposes and program outcomes. This paper reports on both our study’s findings in response to the research question and on the results of faculty reflective engagement. Results reinforce the understanding that reflection is an individual journey for teachers and faculty alike; results also highlight the importance for engagement in critical reflection for both teachers and teacher educators.     

政策满意度、教师支持对免费师范生职业认同的作用:从教动机的中介效应

本研究以733名免费师范生为被试,采用问卷测量法,考察师范生对免费教育政策的满意度、所感知到的教师支持,及其师范生从教动机与职业认同的特点及其相互之间的关系,并检验了从教动机在政策满意度、教师支持与职业认同之间的中介效应。结果表明：（1）师范生在政策满意度、从教动机上存在年级差异,在职业认同上存在年级和性别差异。（2）政策满意度、教师支持、从教动机与职业认同两两之间均呈显著正相关。（3）政策满意度与教师支持对职业认同的直接效应显著,从教动机在政策满意度与职业认同之间、教师支持与职业认同之间均起部分中介作用,其中从教动机对政策满意度的中介效应显著高于对教师支持的中介效应。本研究围绕这些结果进行了讨论,并提出了相应的建议和对策。     

Towards a strong career learning environment: results from a Dutch longitudinal study

ABSTRACT

To prepare students for the flexible labour market of nowadays, schools are increasingly acknowledging their responsibility to guide students in their career development. The project ‘Career Orientation and Guidance in Secondary Vocational Education’ was developed to encourage Dutch schools to initiate and/or continue the creation of a strong career learning environment for their students. Central in this learning environment is a dialogue with the students, where meaning is attached to concrete experiences with work. This longitudinal study is designed to gain theoretical and practical insight into the influence of the project. Results show that, although the school’s vision on career orientation and guidance is clear to the teachers, it is not supported by all of them. It appears that the renewed vision is imposed on the teachers, and this absence of a shared and widely supported vision appears to withhold the teachers and the project managers to engage in collective action.     

Transformative professional learning: an ecological approach to agency through critical reflection

Within the global economy, education leverages social and economic improvement. Teachers are positioned as drivers and agents of compliance within change processes. Addressing this concern, we investigate intern teacher agency, as transformative professional learning, that occurs through a process of critical reflection. Critical reflection is conceived as an important element of teacher agency within the current political milieu. This article addresses the role of critical reflection in school-based intern teacher professional learning (PL). It is argued that intern teacher agency is inherent in transformative PL characterized through partnerships, which provide scope for decision-making and critical reflection.     

National Study of School Psychologists’ Use of Evidence-Based Assessment in Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study aimed to better understand predictors of evidence-based assessment practices for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nationwide, 402 school psychologists were surveyed for their knowledge of and training and experience with ASD on assessment practices, including reported areas of training needs. The majority of school psychologists reported that they did not engage in comprehensive assessment of ASD, which was defined as assessments that consider all areas of development in addition to the use of ASD-specific instruments. Results from logistic regression revealed that experience and training, working with young children with ASD, and geographic location predicted use of evidence-based assessment practices. Experience and training with ASD was the strongest predictor of evidence-based assessment. No differences in training needs were indicated by school psychologists whose practices were consistent with evidence-based assessment and those whose practices were not. Overall, the results identified gaps between best and current practices by school psychologists and highlight areas of need for additional training and professional development.     

Caring for Dying Children and Their Families: MFTs Working at the Gates of the Elysian Fields

The constant comparison method was used to analyze seven in-depth interviews with Marriage and Family Therapists and some of their colleagues working with dying children and their families. The findings of the study revealed that working in these settings can encourage shifts in priorities, relationships, and beliefs about life and death, and can elicit professional growth. Also, it can carry with it significant costs such as emotional exhaustion, and hypervigilance about death. Implications for practice and training are discussed. In the Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields is the place where the souls of the heroes and the virtuous dwell in the afterlife. It is the equivalent of the Christian Heaven. Portions of this paper were presented at the 65th Annual Conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Long Beach, CA, 2007.