What they learn when they learn coding: investigating cognitive domains and computer programming knowledge in young children

Educational technology research and development - Computer programming for young children has grown in popularity among both educators and product developers, but still relatively little is known...     

Teaching children to do what they say they will do: A review of research with suggested applications for exceptional children

A major challenge for intervention programs involves ensuring that new response patterns occur in circumstances and at times other than the training setting. Teaching children to use verbal cues to control nonverbal behaviours is suggested as a procedure for establishing adaptive behaviours and as a self‐management strategy for ensuring generalization and maintenance of new responses.     

Helping children learn about disabilities: Part II

Cary A. Buzzelli is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Nancy File is a doctoral student in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.     

Stress levels and attitudes of normal siblings of children with disabilities

This study examines the effects on normal children of the presence in the family of siblings with disabilities, attempting to measure both their level of stress and attitudes towards disability. The stress level and attitudes towards disability of normal siblings of children with disabilities (SCD) and siblings of normal children (SNC) were compared in terms of gender, family size and educational level. The stress level was measured by Holroyd's Questionnaire on Resources and Stress; attitudes towards disability were examined by Attitudes Towards Disabled Person Scale. 60 subjects participated in this study; 30 of them were SCD and 30 of them were SNC. t-test was used for data analysis. Results revealed a significant difference between the stress level of SCD and SNC. However, no significant difference was found between two sibling groups' attitudes towards disability. Also, gender, family size and educational level showed no significant difference either on the stress level of both sibling groups nor on their attitudes towards disability.This study is based on the master thesis of the first author.     

Parental involvement in child abuse prevention training: what do they learn?

This study examined the impact of parent education meetings on preschool parents' knowledge of child abuse. One hundred sixteen parents participated in the study. Parents were selected from seven preschool sites across California. Parent education appeared to have little effect upon (1) parents' knowledge of the prevalence of child sexual abuse, (2) indicators of abuse, or (3) parents' appropriate response to disclosures. Results from the parent data show the negligible effect of parent education as it is presently delivered. Few parents attend the meetings, and those who do learn very little.     

How children learn to read and why they fail

The present article considers the contrast between conceptions of reading as a natural and as an unnatural act, relying on the simple view of reading as a theoretical framework (Gough and Tunmer 1986). According to the simple view, reading comprehension is a product of both listening comprehension and decoding. Here it is argued that the comprehension aspect of reading depends on those same—natural—forces that govern acquisition of spoken language, whereas decoding depends on explicit tutelage, with little evidence that children will induce the cipher from simple exposure to written words and their pronunciations (sight-word instruction). Rejecting both sight-word and phonics instruction as inadequate in and of themselves, evidence is reviewed suggesting that successful readers require explicit awareness of the phonological structure of spoken words, which can and should be taught in kindergarten, prior to formal reading instruction. Beyond this point, reading success depends on a modicum of phonics instruction together with extensive practice with reading itself.     

Mandatory trialling of support services by international students: what they choose and how they reflect

This paper evaluates a strategy to promote the uptake of support services by international students (ISs) at an Australian university. As part of their assessment, ISs completed a so-called ‘University Service Reflection Task’ (USRT) in a core first-year course. To complete the USRT, all ISs accessed one support service (e.g. language consultation, study skills workshop, careers guidance), then submitted a written reflection about the experience. Using responses to a questionnaire by 155 participants, the researchers investigated which services ISs attended for the USRT and patterns of prior attendance. Students' perspectives were explored by analysing 73 reflective essays. The results showed that two-thirds of the students participated in a service for the first time in order to complete the USRT and favoured services that had closest application to their coursework. Students expressed positive feelings about their experiences and reported learning gains, particularly in the areas of study skills and development of academic language.     

Effectiveness of the DISTAR reading program for children with learning disabilities

The reading achievement of students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction through the DISTAR program was compared to that of similar students using basal reader materials. The overall reading scores of the groups were not significantly different following 1 and 2 years of instruction, although students in the DISTAR program had somewhat better word attack skills.     

Effects of a support group for siblings of children with special needs

School psychologists may provide support services to siblings of children with special needs as part of a family-focused approach to intervention. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-week support group for siblings. Pre-and posttest assessments of six children who participated in the support group and five who did not indicated that the support group had a significant effect on the participants' perceptions of social support. Parental interview data also indicated some improvements in the group participants' behavior toward their siblings. No significant differences were found between the groups on measures of behavior problems, self-concept, or knowledge about and attitudes toward children with handicaps. These results provide moderate support for the effectiveness of support services for siblings of children with special needs.     

Perceptions of typically developing children in India about their siblings with disabilities

ABSTRACT

In India, people with disabilities often struggle to access various opportunities and resources. As a result of perceptions within the Indian culture around disabilities, families may face social, financial, and emotional difficulties. Within the family, a child with a disability may lead to strained relationships, particularly with siblings. Often siblings have little knowledge about disabilities and may feel ostracised. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of 12 Indian children regarding their siblings with disabilities, including their perceptions about disabilities against the backdrop of societal attitudes. Participants were interviewed to understand their knowledge of their siblings’ disabilities, to examine their sibling relationships, and to assess how school and society influenced their perceptions about disabilities. Results from this study can help family members understand how disability shapes relationships between children. The findings also provide key stakeholders with information that might help them better support families.     

Invisible children? The need for support groups for siblings of disabled children

Previous research and first-hand experience suggest that a child with a disability can have a profound effect on family life. Although the need for sibling support has been acknowledged in legislation, the implications for non-disabled siblings remain unclear. In this article, Angie Naylor, lecturer in psychology, and Phil Prescott, senior lecturer in childhood and youth studies, both based at Edge Hill, review a number of key themes emerging from the literature on sibling support. They go on to report the findings from an in-depth study of one sibling support group. The work was carried out in partnership with Barnardo's in the north-west of England and involved setting up a sibling support group, in response to an analysis of local need, and evaluating its impact. This research indicates a clear need for further service provision to meet the needs of the siblings of disabled children who attended the scheme. Angie Naylor and Phil Prescott argue for a reinvigorated debate about the needs of such children and champion the importance of listening to children and valuing what they have to say. The results of this small-scale evaluation project have clear implications for future research and, potentially, for policy and practice.     

What do you like and what are you good at？

If people are good at their jobs and like their jobs,they will be happy.If people don't like their jobs,they won't be happy.If people aren't good at their jobs,they won't feel happy,either.In order to find a suitable     

OP-ED Why I like test scores and what they tell me about curriculum

This paper provides a critique of recent theoretical work on ‘critical pedagogy’, focusing particularly on its relationship with media education. The first part of the paper questions critical pedagogy on several grounds: its synthesizing political and theoretical ambitions; its neglect of educational practice; and its evasion of questions of power and authority. It concludes by considering the implications of recent criticisms of this approach in terms of classroom practice. The second part of the paper considers the ways in which critical pedagogy theorists have sought to engage with media education. It questions the pedagogical relations which are established by such writers’ critical practice, and the theories of the media and of learning on which they are based. It contrasts these arguments with approaches to media education developed in the UK and elsewhere, focusing particularly on the relationships between pleasure and ideology and between theory and practice.     

Adult support and the exploratory behavior of children with learning disabilities

Low- and moderate-exploratory children with learning disabilities engaged in exploratory behavior independently and with an adult who communicated support in one of two nonintrusive ways. Consistent with a developmental motivation perspective, low- and moderate-exploratory children showed higher levels of exploration under both kinds of supportive conditions.     

Group coping skills program for parents of children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities

Abstract

Fifty seven mothers of children aged 6 to 12 with dyslexia or other learning disabilities were randomly allocated to a group coping skills program (n = 32) or a wait‐list control group (n = 25). Parents completed pre‐ and post‐intervention measures of parenting competence, stress, coping skills, and child behaviour/emotional problems. Prior to the program mothers reported high stress levels associated with child and school factors. After the program significant reductions were found for stress, isolation, self‐blame, and greater emotional closeness (attachment) to the child was reported. Significant reductions in child behaviour problems (externalizing behaviours) and moodiness were also found. Child internalizing behaviours remained high with nearly half the parents reporting child emotional problems (withdrawn, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression). Future interventions with families and schools are recommended to prevent children with learning disabilities and their parents experiencing high levels of emotional distress.