Objective: This article compares and contrasts scoping literature reviews with other established methods for understanding and interpreting extant research literature. Methods: Descriptions of the key principles and applications of scoping reviews are illustrated with examples from contemporary publications. Conclusions: Scoping reviews are presented as an efficient way of identifying themes and trends in high-volume areas of scientific inquiry.

A sample of 143 midwestern elementary and secondary school teachers from avariety of practice settings responded t c~ a survey and provided comments regarding their assessment practices The purpose of the survey was to collect background (demographic) information on the teachers and information on several assessment-related ~ractices, including frequency WI th which teachers assign routine class assignments, types of marks used to report student performance, frequency and grading of major assignments and tests, source of t:Iassroom tests, kinds of marks used, methods used to combine marks, meaning of grades, teachers' knowledge and perceptions regarding district grading polici~:~, and teachers' awareness of the gradmg policies of their peers. Interviews with the teachers provided adhtional insights into their practices. Results indicated that teachers' assessment practices were highly variable and unpredictable from characteristics such as practice settmg, gender, years of experience, grade level, or familiarity with assessment policies in their school district. Teachers generally claim to consider and incorporate a variety of objective and subjective factors when assigning grades on assignments, assessments, and report cards, synthesizing diverse kinds of information about achievement in ways that tend to maximize the likelihood that students will achleve high grades. Only about one half of the teachers surveyed indicated that they were aware OF their districts' policies on grahng; most were not aware of the assessment practices of their colleagues. Many teachers seemed to have Requests for reprints shcluld be sent to Gregory J. Cizek Department of Educaaonal Psychology, Research, and Foundations, 350 Snyder Hall, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606-3390. Downloaded by [University of Toronto Libraries] at 00:06 26 December 2014 individual assessment policies that reflected their own individualistic values and beliefs about teaching. Recommendations for making grades more meaningful ways of communicating about student performance are suggested.Much of the recent renewed interest in educational assessment has been targeted toward two aspects: (a) large-scale testing and its uses and influences on teaching and learning, and*) investigations of alternate assessment formats. These concerns are related: They both focus on information gathering. As Airasian (1994) argued, nearly all of the assessment-related activities in wbich teachers engage can be conceived broadly as information gathering. Airasian defined assessment as "the process of collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting information to aid in [educational] decidon-making" (p. 5). In contrast with the recent attention to information gathehng, comparatively little attention has been given to information reporting. This component is 'exemplified by the assigning of grades, marks, or sumrnative evaluations of student performance.The study reported in this article continues a line of research into the marks teachers assign to students' academic performances. S...

This study examined the relevance of the disease-and-demographics model for explaining the employment outcomes of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participating in a national survey of their employment concerns, 1,310 adults with MS provided data for the study (274 men, 21%; 1,020 women, 78%; 16 participants did not identify their gender). With an average age of 50 ( SD = 12.14), most of the respondents were White (92%), well educated (97% were high school graduates, 40% were college graduates), and residing in urban and suburban areas (74%). Results from a backward stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis included the following variables as best predictors of employment status: educational attainment, severity of symptoms, persistence of symptoms, and presence of cognitive impairment/dysfunction ( R2 = .23). The article discusses the relationship of the findings to psychosocial and career development models in rehabilitation and to training, educational, accommodation planning, and cognitive interventions.

This study examined practicing teachers' assessments of the trustworthiness, usability, and accessibility of intervention information obtained from four sources: other teachers or colleagues, workshops and inservice presentations, college courses, and pro-

This survey assessed rural parents' (n = 374) perceptions of the characteristics, content, and comfort level of discussions about sexual issues with their teens. Almost all parents (94%) reported they had talked with their teens about sex. Two-thirds (65%) reported being comfortable talking with their teens about sexual issues. From a list of 17 potential topical areas in sexual communication, parents were most likely to discuss with their teens the responsibilities of being a parent (46%), sexually transmitted diseases (40%), dating behavior (37%), and not having sex until marriage (36%). Most parents (80%) believed that the majority of sexuality education should be provided by the family and supplemented by outside organizations, preferably schools. Almost all parents (92%) believed sexuality education should include information on birth control methods including condoms. Almost two of three parents (64%) believed schools should begin teaching sexuality education before students reach seventh grade. Parents (52%) claimed they could best be helped in communicating with their teens by receiving a regular newsletter regarding teen sexual issues.