For medical educators, autoethnography as a research methodology provides a means of active engagement in reflective practice, ranging from teaching and educational innovation to interactions with patients and colleagues. In this way, they may benefit from the systematic reflexivity required, improve their interactions with the people around them,…

Jury simulation research has been the subject of longstanding criticism in regards to ecological validity. One additional factor that has received little attention that may also impact the generalizability of this research relates to excluding participants based on their memory of, or their attention paid to, the case. In order to determine how…

Ongoing or recently completed across the United States are a series of lawsuits via which teacher plaintiffs are contesting how they are being evaluated using value-added models (VAMs) as part of states'/districts' teacher accountability systems. To investigate the empirical and pragmatic matters addressed in court, researchers conducted a case…

Autistic adults who have a history of committing crimes present a major problem for providers of services in terms of legal disposal options and possible interventions, and greater understanding of this group and their associated needs is required. For this reason, we aimed to investigate the face validity of a proposed sub-typology of autistic…

Background: Marijuana represents the most widely used illicit drug on college campuses. Repeated use can impair students' academic, emotional, and physical success and can lead to chronic diseases. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate existing literature on the associated effects of marijuana use on U.S. college students' academic…

Complaining is a fundamental human characteristic that has prevailed throughout the ages. We normally complain about something that went wrong. Patient complaints are no exception; they focus on problems that occurred during the episode of care. The Institute of Medicine estimated that each year thousands of patients die due to medical errors. The…

In this article, we explain how overly prescriptive, rigid state statutory and regulatory policy frameworks regarding teacher evaluation, tenure and employment decisions outstrip the statistical reliability and validity of proposed measures of teaching effectiveness. We begin with a discussion of the emergence of highly prescriptive state…

We used data from a school-based study of 496 adolescent girls to identify qualitatively distinct substance use and substance abuse developmental trajectory groups and tested whether the problematic groups differed from the non-problematic groups on baseline and outcome validation variables. Results identified four substance use groups (late…

Degree mills harm students and society. Students who are unknowing victims of degree mills are harmed when they invest a considerable amount of money for credits or credentials that cannot be used for, e.g., transfer to another institution, entry to graduate school or employment. Society is harmed when fraudulent credentials are issued in areas…

Reviews methodological and conceptual basis of dual allegiance (DA), both of which are found wanting. Claims legal and ethical issues concerned with applications of DA research are not addressed appropriately by current investigators. Recommends ideas for ameliorating problems. Proposes research on DA that offers plan for dealing with fundamental…

This study analyses and summarizes the statutory regulations of various countries regarding the legal validation and use of certified microcopies in place of original documents. Descriptions are provided and rules summarized for the categories of: (1) the purpose of microfilming; (2) principle uses of microfilm; (3) the making of microfilm and…

Examines argument from the televised impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton concerning the similarity of the Clinton case to the Linda Battalino case and asks if the argument does or does not represents an "ad hominem" argument. Provides an introduction to the viewpoint of informal logic and a summary of the various forms of…

The use of facilitated communication with individuals with severe disabilities in court cases is examined in light of tendencies of the legal system to distort clinical and scientific innovations. Examples are offered, and the issues of the admissibility of scientific and clinical innovations and the trial judge's authority to qualify expert…

This study evaluated the use of "allegation blind" interviews (in which interviewers did not know the specific allegation involved) with children (n=1535) suspected of being victims of child sexual abuse. The "allegation blind" interview technique yielded a statistically higher disclosure rate than the "allegation informed" interviews. (Author/DB)

This review examines factors impacting on substantiation rates for central registries of child abuse and neglect cases. Technical factors were not found to affect substantiation rates, though certain legal factors were somewhat associated with lower substantiation rates. The use of risk assessment models is recommended to improve rates without…