Reports the perspectives of two female graduate students who completed a peer mentoring program as part of their training as graduate teaching assistants. The metaphors of a "journey" and a "road map" are used to integrate the perspectives of a former peer mentor and graduate teaching assistant dyad. (DB)

Proposes the Program of Human Inquiry as a framework for joint student-faculty portfolios by graduate students and faculty advisors. The program consists of four components: (1) acknowledgment of what one brings to graduate studies; (2) a plan of study, (3) a record of rigorous negotiated "avenues of inquiry," and (4) ongoing discussion of values…

Describes an exercise that helps graduate students understand countertransference, a concept involving a therapist's conscious and unconscious reactions to clients and reflects the therapist's values, biases, and past experiences. Explains that the students write a paper discussing their interpersonal reactions in an interview designed as a…

Discusses the emergence of today's academic labor movement in higher education, noting problems of pay and working conditions among adjunct faculty and graduate students. Explains the historical context, why the movement is important, where the academic leftists are in this movement, what can be done about the situation, and what follows.…

Claims that the use of Kokeshi dolls--a small limbless cylindrical wooden doll from Japan--allows counseling supervisees to focus on conceptualizations, personalization, and process skills. Uses a case study to illustrate how these dolls can enhance supervision, allowing trainees to become actively involved in the supervision process. (RJM)

Finds that graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) experience eight interrelated types of communication concern (self, task, impact, role conflict, teaching, area knowledge, procedural knowledge, and time management). Shows that GTA variables of expected duties, prior teaching experience, newness to area, foreign or domestic birth, and age are likely…

Compared construction of meaning in poetry for experts (PhD English candidates) and novices (undergraduates or high school students). Found that for experts, knowledge was an important component of poetic communication. Novices had well-developed expectations for understanding poetry as discourse. Experts used productive interpretive strategies to…

Describes ten common technical mistakes most graduate teaching assistants make while teaching, such as projecting a weak presence, relying too heavily on their notes, posing vague questions, and not reinforcing student participation. Offers suggestions for correcting the mistakes. States that faculty might want to monitor their own teaching…

Examines the effect of instruction in the use of specific rhythmic nuances on the timings of a musical performance. Forty volunteer upper-division and graduate students performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite no. 3 for Violoncello solo, Bouree no. 1, using a computer software program. Discusses the results. (CMK)

Examines the effects of 3 different types of therapy in reducing the worry and emotional components associated with test anxiety among undergraduate (n=45) and graduate (n=45) students. Relaxation therapy was more effective with graduate students, while undergraduates responded more to supportive counseling. (JPS)

Discusses the focus of foreign-language graduate programs on preparing students for their careers. The article argues that the spread of teaching-methods courses and the interest in the utility of education has transformed these programs into hybrids that lack intellectual discipline. The article concludes graduate programs in foreign languages…

Describes a study of 699 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 33 live, interactive telecourses that investigated satisfaction with various facets of the telecourse, demographic characteristics, and experience with previous telecourses. Results show gender differences and prior experience had the greatest effect on course satisfaction.…

Locates the tensions of disciplinary turf, professional allegiances, and unexamined teaching practices that intersect in first-year, writing-with-literature courses. Examines confusions that surround these courses for new teachers and for English departments in general. Suggests changes to be made. (TB)

Examines whether the "foreign language effect", that is, a temporary decline of thinking ability during foreign language processing, is larger when similarity between a foreign language and a native language is less. The results of two divided-attention experiments indicate that this effect was larger when the native tongue was less…

A study used the Delphi technique to validate teaching competencies of graduate teaching assistants. A panel of 17 experts in teaching assistant support and training validated 26 competencies as important but also suggested some depend on specific responsibilities assigned to the teaching assistants. (Author/MSE)