NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIOECONOMIC WELL‐BEING,HOME LITERACY,AND EARLY LITERACY SKILLS OF AT‐RISK PRESCHOOLERS

In response to growing research and policy interest in the developmental contexts of early literacy, this study examined relations between neighborhood socioeconomic well‐being, home literacy (parent–child shared reading and number of books at home), and directly assessed early literacy outcomes among 551 Head Start students in the fall of preschool. In Structural Equation Models, neighborhood socioeconomic well‐being predicted home literacy, which in turn predicted early literacy (a latent variable derived from receptive vocabulary, letter‐word identification, and concepts about print). Implications for future research concerning parent involvement at home in the context of neighborhoods and the early literacy of at‐risk preschoolers is discussed.     

VII. IDEAL COMPONENTS AND CURRENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATIVE CARE OPTIONS FOR CHILDREN OUTSIDE OF PARENTAL CARE IN LOW‐RESOURCE COUNTRIES

Utilizing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, this paper examines critical components and current characteristics of alternative care for children in low‐resource countries. It begins by exploring the role of values within policy and practice related to child welfare. Then a brief examination comparing alternative care in high‐ versus low‐resource countries is presented. Alternative care includes a continuum approach beginning with family support and reunification, kinship care, foster care, domestic adoption, and ending with intercountry adoption. Specific examples are provided from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The paper concludes with the need for more research related to alternative care outcomes that could inform policy and practice.     

Thouësny,Sylvie & Bradley,Linda ed (2011) Second language teaching and learning with technology (Research‐publishing.net,Dublin) isbn 978‐1‐908416‐00‐1 217 pp Free of charge http://research‐publishing.net/publication/978‐1‐908416‐00‐1.pdf

This ten‐chapter volume aims to approach a number of current issues “from well‐established web‐based learning environments to mobile learning, through current web 2.0 applications such as blogs, which foster intercultural contexts and/or diverse means of computer‐mediated interaction”. In this sense, this valuable book aims to enable readers to gain a deep understanding of the field and to provide research procedures and processes to facilitate the learning of foreign languages through the use of information technology. If the content of this book is likely to be important to you, I recommend you buy a copy. Jesús García Laborda     

Thouësny,Sylvie & Bradley,Linda ed (2011) Second language teaching and learning with technology (Research‐publishing.net,Dublin) isbn 978‐1‐908416‐00‐1 217 pp Free of charge http://research‐publishing.net/publication/978‐1‐908416‐00‐1.pdf

This ten chapter volume intends to approach a number of current issues “from well‐established web‐based learning environments to mobile learning, through current web 2.0 applications such as blogs, which foster intercultural contexts and/or diverse means of computer‐mediated interaction”. In this sense, the valuable book aims to enable readers to gain a deep understanding of the field and to provide research procedures and processes to facilitate the learning of foreign languages through the use of information technology. If you expect the content of this book to be relevant to you, I recommend that you buy a copy for your own use. Jesús García Laborda     

SOCIAL COMPARISON IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO FRAMES OF REFERENCE AND ENGAGEMENT,DISAFFECTION, AND PHYSICAL SELF‐CONCEPT

Drawing from theory and research into social comparison processes, the present study sought to determine children's motives for comparison in addition to the coexistence of class and individual comparisons in school physical education. The main and interactive effects of these types of comparisons were examined in relation to pupils’ physical self‐concept, as well as self‐reported behavioral engagement and disaffection in class. In total, 545 children (M_age = 13.89 years, SD = 1.57 years) from two schools in England completed the questionnaire. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that the higher a child's perception of his or her ability was compared with his or her classmates, the greater the level of engagement and physical self‐concept and the lower the level of disaffection. Interaction analysis showed that when perceived ability with reference to the class was low, a downward comparison with an individual enhanced engagement, but this was not the case when perceived ability was high. Findings suggest that further research into social comparison processes in this setting is warranted.     

RACE IGNORE‐ANCE,COLORTALK, AND WHITE COMPLICITY: WHITE IS…WHITE ISN’T1

Abstract In this review essay, Barbara Applebaum uses white complicity as a framework for discussing three books: Mica Pollock’s Colormute: Race Talk Dilemmas in an American School, Debra Van Ausdale and Joe R. Feagin’s The First R: How Children Learn Race and Racist, and Virginia Lea and Judy Helfand’s Identifying Race and Transforming Whiteness in the Classroom. She explains the notion of white complicity and discusses some of the deep philosophical questions involving moral responsibility and agency that arise when one acknowledges white complicity. In particular, she examines the question of whether complicity is best described as grounded in individual intention or as an outcome of collective action, as well as whether “complicity” as a word displaces the strong sense of harm implied by the term “racist.” Finally, Applebaum explores how some of these philosophical questions crisscross through the discussions highlighted in the three books.