The Importance of Self‐Regulation in Young Children With Down Syndrome

Adulthood brings with it responsibilities for making choices and decisions about one's own life. Individuals with Down syndrome, their parents and communities, have begun to expect that at least some of these responsibilities will be met by the person with Down syndrome. This will require a range of skills in managing one's own behaviour and these skills will need to be acquired in childhood. The Down Syndrome Research Program has begun a number of investigations into two important aspects of self‐regulation‐the capacity to delay gratification and mastery motivation. This paper describes the importance of these skills and habits of behaviour to those with Down syndrome and discusses the research to date.     

Short‐term policy support for long‐term school change: a dilemma for reform‐minded practitioners

This paper questions the ability of a reform policy of five years’ duration to create the conditions necessary for practitioners to sustain change. California's school restructuring initiative challenged schools to transfer authority to teachers and to demonstrate that every student could succeed in learning. Analysis of this progressive policy is based upon the ‘best‐case’ experiences of an exemplary elementary school staff. After five years, the teachers are just developing the ability to confront the volatile issues of race and social class that surfaced in their inquiries into persistent disparities in student achievement. Using theories from institutional analysis of organizations, the paper argues that withdrawal of policy support means weakening of the regulative, cognitive and normative legitimacy for the goals and processes of change. Fixed‐term policies which invite radical reform thus leave schools vulnerable to the tradition‐reinforcing institutions that remain after the initiative has ended.     

An Investigation of Possible Correlation of General Anxiety with Performance in Eleven‐plus Scores in Year 6 Primary School Pupils

ABSTRACT This study focuses on measuring levels of anxiety experienced by 11‐year‐olds in their last year at primary school and aims to investigate the effect of anxiety on pupils’ performance in eleven‐plus tests. The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Test was used to determine individual levels of anxiety amongst a Year 6 cohort. Their final test scores in the eleven‐plus examination were used as a measure of their overall performance. Correlations were carried out to see if there was any link between levels of anxiety and performance in eleven‐plus for the group as a whole and in terms of gender. There appeared to be no significant link between levels of high anxiety and poor exam performance. However, although there seemed to be no apparent correlation, highly anxious boys performed well in the eleven‐plus examination, as did highly anxious girls.     

Motor Development in School‐Aged Children With Down Syndrome: a longitudinal perspective

Movement is life! Motor development plays an essential role in the development of all children. From their earliest years, the attainment of motor milestones and the proficient development of motor skills provide the basis for the many other areas of development. Effective and efficient movement enhances confidence and has been shown to contribute to self‐concept and self‐worth. Little is known about the development of motor proficiency in individuals with Down syndrome beyond their early childhood. This study was designed to investigate motor development in school‐aged children to provide a more comprehensive picture of motor development into adolescence. The study was undertaken over 10 years in Brisbane, Australia, with a group of children involved in the Schonell Research Centre longitudinal study into Down syndrome. Results showed that the children's motor proficiency continued to progress into adolescence and that there were a wide range of inter‐ and intra‐individual differences in their skill levels and rates of progress.     

Mini‐Enterprise in Schools: The Pupils’ Experience

Abstract

Mini‐enterprise in schools is the most tangible manifestation of ‘education for enteprise’. Despite its growing presence in schools, and diverse views about its potential impact, little is known about how pupils experience such activity. Findings suggest that interpersonal learning objectives are achieved effectively through mini‐enterprise but more narrow economic goals (such as fostering positive attitudes towards self‐employment) may not be. This paper sets out the pupils’ perspective on mini‐enterprise in schools and raises questions about current models of practice.     

Learning habits of students with special needs in short‐term vocational education programmes

This research examined some characteristics of the learning habits of students with special needs and those without them in programmes of short‐term vocational education in five areas: motivation, learning and learning techniques, emotional, social and the area of self‐evaluation. The research sample consisted of 140 students from different secondary schools. The Questionnaire on the Learning Habits of Adolescents was used for the purpose of the study. The differences between the means from individual learning habit scales, between the students with special needs or without them, were discovered by one‐way analysis of variance. Basic findings of empirical research emphasise that there exist statistically significant differences between the students with special needs and the students without special needs in four areas of learning habits. Among the findings causing concern in connection with learning habits, we would like to underscore the fact that students with special needs are perceived as less efficient at and less competent in coping with learning and work tasks. These students are not familiar with effective methods and strategies for successful learning, which leads to the feelings of frustration and helplessness in case of failure. In order to cultivate an effective and supportive educational environment for students with special needs, short‐term vocational schools should develop learning/teaching models that provide a potentially powerful alternative to traditionally directed teaching approaches.     

Teacher‐Student Verbal Interaction and Questioning,Class Size and Bilingual Students' Academic Performance

This article is a result of a small-scale study with the purpose of investigating teacher-student verbal interactions and questioning and students' curriculum-related performance in small and large mainstream classes. In mainstream classes the bilingual students were taught together with their monolingual Norwegian peers. The study shows that there are inter-group and intra-group differences with respect to: (i) teacher-student verbal interaction; (ii) academic questioning; (iii) curriculum-related performance of students in small classes compared with large classes. The bilingual minority students in general, and bilingual minority girls in particular, benefit from civics lessons in small classes more than they do in large classes. It is suggested that by creating rich possibilities for teacher-student verbal interaction and curriculum-oriented academic questioning, small classes can provide conditions for better academic performance in content area subjects, i.e. civics, for bilingual students in general and bilingual girls in particular than do large classes.     

The long‐term effectiveness of anti‐bullying work in primary schools

The DFE Sheffield Anti‐Bullying Project showed that schools can reduce the problem of bullying through the use of whole‐school anti‐bullying policies, curriculum exercises, environmental improvements and individual work with bullies and victims. However, the length of time necessary to plan these interventions meant that, in many cases, the work was not completed when the project evaluations ended. This study investigates the continuing progress made in primary schools in the year after the end of the project. Eleven heads took part in interviews; all schools had made some progress with policy development, and all used some curriculum resources. Most had continued with environmental improvements, but few had used the methods for dealing with bullies and victims. Four schools then administered the Olweus bullying questionnaire to all pupils between ages seven and eleven, 657 children taking part. Two schools had a consistent decline in reported bullying, one experienced a consistent rise and the other an initial fall and subsequent rise. Important factors influencing success appeared to be the extent of the consultation exercise and the date of implementation of the anti‐bullying policy. All four schools had reduced bullying among boys, but three experienced a rise in bullying among girls. Anti‐bullying work may have been influenced by a male stereotype of bullying behaviour: efforts are necessary to raise awareness and promote honesty among girls. No school had raised the proportion of victims who had told staff about being bullied.     

Teachers’ expectations of children with Down Syndrome starting school in the United Arab Emirates or United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

Starting school has been shown to correlate with later school outcomes. Teachers working in early years’ settings either in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the United Kingdom completed a questionnaire asking them to rate the importance of 20 statements in answer to the question ‘How important are the following for deciding whether a child with Down Syndrome has had a successful first two terms of school?’ Findings demonstrated a different pattern of expectations depending on where the teacher was working. Specifically, teachers in the United Kingdom placed more importance on academic performance and the relationship with the family. Some similarities in the rankings of the scales were also obtained. Teachers, regardless of the location, placed most importance on children’s happiness and knowledge of school routines in successfully starting school. Implications for children with Down Syndrome starting school in the UAE and the United Kingdom are discussed.     

Mastery Motivation in Children with Intellectual Disability: Is there Evidence for a Down Syndrome Behavioural Phenotype?

The main purpose of the current study was to provide empirical evidence to support or refute assumptions of phenotypic deficits in motivation for children with Down syndrome (DS). Children with moderate intellectual disability (MID) associated with etiologies other than DS were recruited in an extension of a previous study that involved children with DS and typically developing children. The participants were 29 children with MID and 33 children with DS who were matched on mental age to 33 typically developing children, aged 3–8 years. Mastery motivation was assessed on task measures of curiosity, preference for challenge and persistence, as well as parental reports. There were no significant group differences on the mastery motivation tasks. Parental ratings of mastery motivation differed, with typically developing children generally being rated more highly than each of the disability groups. The view that motivational deficits are part of the DS behavioural phenotype was not supported.     

Pupils as partners in education decision‐making: responding to the legislation in England and Ireland

Enabling pupils with special educational needs to participate more fully in the assessment, planning and evaluation of their own learning has become a principle enshrined within the legislation of many countries in recent years. Educational policy in both England and the Republic of Ireland has recognised the desirability of increased pupil involvement, and this is reflected in policy documents and in legislation which highlights the requirement of schools to take greater account of the views of pupils. This paper documents the approaches to increased pupil involvement in decision‐making adopted in England and Ireland and provides an overview of the key challenges that face policy‐makers and educators in ensuring meaningful participation for children and young people with special educational needs.     

Long‐term transformations: excavating privilege and diversity in the academy

The article presents a theoretical framework, ‘institutional phase theory’, that charts the process by which higher education faculties in the USA were broadened by race, gender, and to a certain extent class over the past 40 years. Drawing upon institutional ethnographies of three very different universities – a top‐ranked private university, a comprehensive urban university, and a top‐ranked public university, the authors provide examples from the third, the University of Michigan. By taking a historical and institutional approach, the authors chart the movement from accepting ‘exceptional’ women and faculty of colour on male terms to measurable changes in overly rigid structures and institution‐wide policies; expanded visions and boundaries in traditional disciplines; interdisciplinarity as a mark of the university; and transformed scholarly research in selected disciplines.     

Managing students with ADHD in out‐of‐class settings

Many students with Attention‐Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present with behavioral problems that are particularly evident in out‐of‐class settings (in the lunch room, on the playground, during field trips and special assemblies, etc). Barkley's (1997 Barkley, R. A. 1997. Defiant children: A clinician's manual for parent training. 2nd ed., New York: Guilford Press.  [Google Scholar]) technique has been known to help parents handle ADHD children's behaviors in out‐of‐home situations, and so its effectiveness to reduce problems in out‐of‐class settings was investigated with 65 teachers of male students previously diagnosed with ADHD. ANOVA revealed that Barkley's technique was effective in reducing the students' behavioral problems in out‐of‐class settings. This technique is easy to administer and school psychologists will likely find it useful in assisting teachers to handle ADHD students' behavioral problems.     

Intervention strategies for short‐term memory difficulties for a child with impaired hearing

Abstract

The following study was undertaken in an attempt to identify a procedure that could improve short‐term memory function in a child who is hearing impaired. Specific training in semantic categorisation was carried out over an eight‐week period and proved successful in improving the level of the child's serial recall performance.     

An Investigation into Sex Differences in Certain Aspects of Science Practical Work with First‐year Secondary School Pupils in Single Sex and Mixed Teaching Groups

In this study we attempt to evaluate two models of instruction, one based on the assumptions of the constructivist or conceptual change model, and one based on an expositive‐deductive model. We applied the two approaches to the teaching of geometric optics at different levels of instruction: elementary school and university. In each case the same teacher taught the same scientific topic to both the control and experimental groups, and all students carried out the same classroom activities. The study was carried out in such a way as to replicate as closely as possible the actual conditions of each classroom environment. The results of instruction failed to show significant differences in learning attributable to the method of instruction used, although different trends were evident in the two samples. Our commentary on the findings concludes with suggestions for further research in this field.     

The Relationship Between Attendance in Student‐centred Physics Tutorials and Performance in University Examinations

The School of Physics at the University of Sydney has introduced voluntary workshop tutorials in large first‐year courses. The tutorials are based on informal cooperative groupings with structured worksheets and short hands‐on activities. In this study we explore the relationship between attendance at the workshop tutorials and student performance in examinations. We show that about 80% of the students attend more than two‐thirds of the voluntary tutorials. Discounting the students who attend very few tutorials, on average, examination marks improve significantly with increased tutorial attendance. In particular, on average, students with poor senior high school scores have significantly better examination marks if they work in the same group for eight or more tutorials than those who do not work in the same groups. There is evidence that the improvement in examination performance is more pronounced in qualitative concept questions, most dramatically again for students who did poorly in senior high school.     

Self‐esteem in Children with and without Motor Co‐ordination Problems

This article presents results from a study of 36 pupils (8–10 years of age) in face‐to‐face conversations with their teachers about water as an environmental phenomenon based on a photograph of a rainforest. The teachers’ rather vague goal was to have the pupils talk about the water cycle. The sessions were audio‐recorded and analyzed with respect to: (1) scaffolding strategies used by the teachers, (2) possible implications of these strategies on the pupils’ sense‐making, and (3) what accounts of the water cycle as a school‐science learning‐content were made. Three different patterns of scaffolding strategies were found. Some pupils did not even come close to talking about the water cycle, whereas others arrived at a rather fragmented picture.     

Together I Can! Joint Attention Boosts 3- to 4-Year-Olds’ Performance in a Verbal False-Belief Test

Effects of joint attention were addressed on 3- to 4-year-olds’ performance in a verbal false-Belief Test (FBT), featuring the experimenter as co-watcher rather than narrator. In two experiments, children (N = 183) watched a filmed-FBT jointly with a test leader, disjointed from a test leader, or alone. Children attending jointly with a test leader were more likely to pass the FBT compared with normative data and to spontaneously recall information indicating false-belief understanding, suggesting that joint attention strengthens the plausibility of the FBT and renders plot-critical information more salient. In a third experiment (N = 59), results were replicated using a typical, image-based FBT. Overall findings highlight the profound impact of experimenter as social context in verbal FBTs, and link recall of specific story features to false-belief understanding.