The author recounts his experiences investigating alleged fraud by Cyril Burt (1976) in his work on the genetic foundations of human intelligence. The evidence fails to prove Burt guilty, and his assertions about the genetic factors of individual differences in intelligence are finding corroboration in contemporary psychology. (SLD)

A school business official with 14 years of experience in three Michigan districts agreed to join East Grand Rapids School District to help pass a $32 million bond issue for school renovations. To establish credibility in his new district, this official worked hard to communicate effectively, manage competently, and develop a clear vision.…

Discusses the approach of creationist groups to the distortion of science and the selective presentation of often-apocryphal evidence. Argues that the strategy is persuasive to those poorly educated in science, that people like to be persuaded that their views are right, and that they are intelligent people capable of figuring out science for…

When introducing a new middle-school mathematics curriculum, an Iowa school district anticipated parents' misgivings, addressed them early, and made parents into allies. Planners addressed parental concerns by exuding confidence and honesty, treating parents as equal partners, defining accountability, communicating effectively, carefully selecting…

Reports on a study of how nonverbal cues during supervision affect Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduate students' impressions of the trustworthiness of supervisors. Particular features of nonverbal communication during supervision were staged in video materials constructed specifically for the research. Students evaluated the…

College students judged the credibility of specially constructed news briefs about science. Their credibility ratings were influenced by area of research, plausibility of conclusions, and quality of research methods, but not by the social context of the research. Students justified their judgments with information in reports, prior knowledge, and…

Access to health information on the Internet has revolutionized how medical patients learn about their illnesses. Valuable information can be found online; however, many health Web sites contain inaccurate or misleading information. The authors surveyed 324 adults with HIV concerning their Internet use for obtaining health information. Health…

Young people engaged as peer educators are increasingly important in sex and relationship education (SRE) programmes in a variety of settings and are particularly valued in the APAUSE programme (Rees et al., 1997). The increase in popularity of peer education raises a need to value the inputs of young people and to give formal recognition to…

Many employees need help from others in managing their careers, and it is likely that much of this help will be given in the context of a face-to-face discussion, either in a formal setting or more informally. Drawing on the accounts of 104 UK employees who had participated in helpful career discussions, this paper examines with whom and in what…

The academic culture of higher educational institutions is characterized by specific pedagogical philosophies, assumptions about rewards and incentives, and values about how teaching is delivered. In many academic settings, however, the field of distance education has been viewed as holding marginal status. Consequently, the goal of this…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the information sources used by school leavers when selecting a university at which they wish to study and the perceived reliability of these sources of information. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from 306 pupils studying at various schools in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it was revealed that…

Academic misconduct in research is of growing concern to funding agencies, scholars, and academic journal editors. Scholarly publication has ethical implications researchers, reviewers, and journal editors. The theoretical background of the ethics of scholarly publication is explored as well as the use of a case study of an untenured researcher…

Teaching behaviors prized by students as evidence of responsiveness--particularly making full disclosure of our agendas and having our words and actions be consistent--often bring us up against the contradictions and realities of power.

The topic of professional and corporate ethics is one that is discussed frequently in the general media today. With unindicted and unconvicted ethical violators like Kenneth Lay of Enron and Richard Scrushy of Health South appearing as anathemas to those who study and attempt to incorporate ethical tenets into everyday professional life, debates…

Background: The No Child Left Behind legislation creates an increased need for new school-based empirical studies whose implementation will depend largely on researchers' access to various school populations and records. Access decisions are typically made by superintendents, or their designees, functioning as gatekeepers who control right of…