Does Poor Handwriting Conceal Literacy Potential in Primary School Children?

Handwriting is a complex skill that, despite increasing use of computers, still plays a vital role in education. It is assumed that children will master letter formation at a relatively early stage in their school life, with handwriting fluency developing steadily until automaticity is attained. The capacity theory of writing suggests that as automaticity develops, the proportion of working memory dedicated to the mechanics of handwriting is reduced, releasing capacity for the planning, composing and editing of content. This study examined the handwriting ability of 284 mainstream primary school children and explored possible associated factors. Correlations were found between poor handwriting, lower cognitive and literacy scores, and a longer duration for handwriting tasks. Giving children the opportunity to practise their handwriting sufficiently to increase the level of automaticity may release working memory to be applied to the cognitive demands of the task and may potentially raise their level of attainment.     

COGNITIVE COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING SKILL

A significant number of studies have examined the cognitive components of basic academic skills, which has led to major changes in both teaching and early identification assessment practices. However, the majority of previous research has focused solely on reading. This study examines the cognitive components of academic writing skills across early grade levels (1–4) while controlling for basic word identification skills. Results from this study suggest writing skill requires several cognitive skills of differing emphasis depending on the level of writing skill. Perceptual and rapid perceptual processing skills are important during the early acquisition of writing skills followed by a transition to language and language retrieval skills and later still to working memory skills. Applications for education and cognitive assessment are discussed.     

Working memory capacity and reading skill moderate the effectiveness of strategy training in learning from hypertext

Cognitive and metacognitive strategies are particularly important for learning with hypertext. The effectiveness of strategy training, however, depends on available working memory resources. Thus, especially learners high on working memory capacity can profit from strategy training, while learners low on working memory capacity might easily be overtaxed. In addition, efficient basic reading comprehension processes are important for strategy training to be successful: When both the newly acquired strategies and poorly routinized basic reading comprehension processes compete for working memory resources, navigation within the hypertext and learning might deteriorate rather than improve. In an experiment, 64 undergraduates learned with a comprehensive expository hypertext after receiving either a cognitive or a metacognitive or no strategy training. In line with the predictions, learners high on working memory capacity or reading skill could profit from learning strategy training in terms of learning outcomes and the quality of their navigational behavior. Learners low on working memory capacity or reading skill, in contrast, performed worse in both training conditions compared to the control condition. The improvement in learning outcomes for skilled learners as well as the impairment in learning outcomes for unskilled learners could be shown to be indirect effects mediated by the quality of navigational behavior.     

The role of attention processes in near transfer of cognitive skills

We tested hypotheses about the respective roles of working memory, perceptual speed, knowledge, and attention disengagement processes in skill transfer errors that resemble einstellung effects or strong-but-wrong slips. Correlational evidence was consistent with the hypothesis that these errors are primarily due to the inability of learners to disengage attention from expected or familiar operations. The data also supported the notion that error proneness during near transfer generalizes across different skills. Contrary to expectations, working memory capacity had little or no relationship to either transfer errors or attention disengagement ability. Results are discussed with respect to skill training and individual differences in skill performance ability.     

Individual differences in children's writing: A function of working memory or reading or both processes?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a general or specific working memory (WM) system is related to writing and whether individual differences in reading and/or processing efficiency underlie the correlations between WM and writing. Two studies correlated WM with writing (Test of Written Language-TOWL) and reading measures. In Study 1, WM was correlated significantly with a number of writing measures, particularly to those measures related to text generation. Working-memory also contributed unique variance to writing, beyond what is predicted by reading comprehension. Study 2 compared the correlations of verbal and visual-spatial WM measures with the TOWL under initial and enhanced memory processing (dynamic assessment) conditions. The coefficients were statistically comparable between initial and enhanced processing conditions, suggesting that individual differences in processing efficiency do not account for the correlations between WM and writing. Overall, the results indicated that (a) WM measures contribute unique variance to writing, especially text generation, and (b) working memory performance improves under gain conditions, but this enhanced processing efficiency did not appear to mediate the links between WM and writing. Taken together, the two studies support a general capacity explanation for the relationship between working memory and text generation.     

影响英语专业二年级学生英语写作表达的认知因素先导研究

在当今社会中,外语写作是如此的常用,它在我们的日常生活中扮演着越来越重要的角色。许多学者已注意到写作对于我们的重要性,并从自己的专业视角做了大量的研究。但是我们注意到,虽然有很多研究已从如语言学、语用学、文体学等角度对写作文本做了研究。然而极少有研究从工作记忆这个认知因素的角度来分析写作过程。本先导研究以MenBaddeley的工作记忆模型和Hayes的写作认知过程的新模型为理论基础,对桌大学人文科技学院大二英语专业的学生进行了写作过程“工作记忆”影响因素问卷和访谈调查,对收集的数据做了统计,并从Baddeley和Hayes理论角度对工作记忆如何影响英语写作过程中的各个阶段做了数据分析。研究初步表明,工作记忆影响着写作过程中的三个阶段,其中写前阶段和写中阶段受到的影响最大,而每一个阶段的某些方面受到较大的影响。     

讲读课文与写作思维训练的双重转化--谈课文讲读和作文指导的关系

课文的精讲要向提高写作能力上转化，在讲读课文中激发学生的写作兴趣，培养学生的知识迁移能力，实现讲读课文与写作思维训练的双重转化。     

工作记忆与学习能力的关系

工作记忆是一种对信息进行暂时加工和贮存的能量有限的记忆系统,工作记忆通过阅读理解、写作和数学问题解决而影响学生的学习能力。语音回路对阅读的影响更多地体现在复杂句子结构的理解上,中央执行功能在语言意义的加工过程中起着更大的作用,写作能力的逐步完善与工作记忆能力的增长密不可分,工作记忆的三个成分对简单和复杂数学问题解决都产生重要影响。     

工作记忆与阅读理解的关系对阅读教学的启示

在日常阅读过程中,经常会出现一种读到后面忘记前面的现象。这是记忆系统中工作记忆容量有限的一种突出表现。我们从工作记忆特点及其对阅读理解的影响出发,分析了两者之间的关系,并指出工作记忆能力的高低极大地影响着阅读者储存和加工信息的能力,从而影响阅读理解水平。结合此观点,指出了如何通过提高工作记忆来促进阅读教学的措施。     

试论英语简笔作文

"简笔英语作文"绝非一般意义上的简单化作文写作。它涉及到一个全新的外语教学理念。这种简笔作文写作策略建立在"词块教学法"的理论基础之上,强调的是"词块"而非词汇,语感而非语法。实践证明,"简笔英语作文"不失为大学英语四六级作文考试的一种有效应对策略。     

工作记忆的性质和工作机制

对工作记忆概念的理解存在三种观点:结构观、功能观和内容观。持不同观点的研究者对工作记忆和工作机制有不同解释,资源-共享模式认为工作记忆的工作机制是认知空间分配;工作记忆容量的控制性注意观认为工作记忆是依赖于有限资源的注意控制过程;抑制观回避“容量”概念,强调工作记忆机制是克服干扰、排除任务无关信息的过程;任务转换假说认为工作记忆任务执行过程中存在记忆消退现象。这些观点从不同角度揭示了工作记忆的工作机制,既有重叠又有分歧。     

The role of sentence recall in reading and language skills of children with learning difficulties

The present study explores the relationship between sentence recall and reading and language skills in a group of 7–11-year-old children with learning difficulties. While recent studies have found that performance on sentence recall tasks plays a role in learning, it is possible that this contribution is a reflection of shared resources with working memory. In order to investigate whether sentence recall was uniquely associated with reading and language skills, differences associated with IQ and working memory capacity were statistically controlled. A sample of 72 children was tested on measures of verbal complex memory, verbal short-term memory, sentence recall, expressive vocabulary, verbal and performance IQ, reading and language skills. Both sentence recall and verbal complex memory shared unique links with reading skill, and sentence recall was uniquely associated with language skills. This finding indicates that resources in long-term memory also play an important diagnostic role in reading and language abilities. The implications for educational practice are discussed.     

Computational skills, working memory, and conceptual knowledge in older children with mathematics learning disabilities

Knowledge and skill in multiplication were investigated for late elementary-grade students with mathematics learning disabilities (MLD), typically achieving age-matched peers, low-achieving age-matched peers, and ability-matched peers by examining multiple measures of computational skill, working memory, and conceptual knowledge. Poor multiplication fact mastery and calculation fluency and general working memory discriminated children with MLD from typically achieving age-matched peers. Furthermore, children with MLD were slower in executing backup procedures than typically achieving age-matched peers. The performance of children with MLD on multiple measures of multiplication skill and knowledge was most similar to that of ability-matched younger children. MLD may be due to difficulties in computational skills and working memory. Implications for the diagnosis and remediation of MLD are discussed.     

试论口译中记忆的提高

三种心理结构———感觉记忆、工作记忆和永久记忆在口译活动中分别是记忆运作的前提、关键和基础。要提高工作记忆的工作效率,就要完善组块(或称断句)技巧,改善永久记忆,同时注重心理素质的培养。     

The Cognitive Predictors of Computational Skill with Whole versus Rational Numbers: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of the present study was to explore the 3rd-grade cognitive predictors of 5th-grade computational skill with rational numbers and how those are similar to and different from the cognitive predictors of whole-number computational skill. Students (n = 688) were assessed on incoming whole-number calculation skill, language, nonverbal reasoning, concept formation, processing speed, and working memory in the fall of 3rd grade. Students were followed longitudinally and assessed on calculation skill with whole numbers and with rational numbers in the spring of 5th grade. The unique predictors of skill with whole-number computation were incoming whole-number calculation skill, nonverbal reasoning, concept formation, and working memory (numerical executive control). In addition to these cognitive abilities, language emerged as a unique predictor of rational-number computational skill.     

Cognitive constraints and the early learning goals in writing

This study examined the relative importance of a number of cognitive factors (i.e. working memory, vocabulary knowledge, general cognitive ability and reading skills) in accounting for differences in the rate of progress made by children in the development of emergent writing skills. Sixty-seven children were assessed on tasks measuring the visuospatial, phonological and central executive components of working memory. The children's written texts were analysed according to the assessment scale for writing from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. The results indicate that reading performance and visuospatial memory skills are crucial to determining whether or not children aged 4–5 years are able to meet the UK government's prescribed educational standards for writing. The importance of visual skills in the acquisition of orthographic knowledge and writing conventions gained through reading is discussed in relation to current instructional strategies within schools.     

The Cognitive Correlates of Computational Estimation Skill Among Third‐Grade Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of various cognitive abilities and aspects of math performance with computational estimation skill among third graders. Students (n= 315) were assessed on language, nonverbal reasoning, concept formation, processing speed, long‐term memory, working memory, inattentive behavior, basic reading skill, arithmetic number combination skill, double‐digit computation skill, and computational estimation ability. One‐way analysis of variance indicated significant differences in estimation skill among students of low, average, and high math computation performance. The unique predictors of estimation skill were arithmetic number combination skill, nonverbal reasoning, concept formation, working memory, and inattentive behavior.     

高师院校师范生教师职业技能四年一体培养的实践与探索

师范生教师职业技能包括普通话和口语表达技能、书写规范汉字和书面表达技能、教学工作技能、班主任工作技能等四部分。教师职业技能的培养需要长期、系统的训练,文章在新课程改革的指引下,对认知到体验再到实践,分层次、分阶段四年一体培养师范生教师职业技能进行了实践与探索。