Infants Prefer Infant‐Directed Song Over Speech

In their everyday communication, parents do not only speak but also sing with their infants. However, it remains unclear whether infants' can discriminate speech from song or prefer one over the other. The present study examined the ability of 6‐ to 10‐month‐old infants (N = 66) from English‐speaking households in London, Ontario, Canada to discriminate between auditory stimuli of native Russian‐speaking and native English‐speaking mothers speaking or singing to their infants. Infants listened significantly longer to the sung stimuli compared to the spoken stimuli. This is the first study to demonstrate that, even in the absence of other multimodal cues, infant listeners are able to discriminate between sung and spoken stimuli, and furthermore, prefer to listen to sung stimuli over spoken stimuli.     

Late Emergence of the First Possession Heuristic: Evidence From a Small‐Scale Culture

Western preschool children often assign ownership based on first possession and some theorists have proposed that this judgment might be an early emerging, innate bias. Five‐ to 9‐year‐olds (n = 112) from a small‐scale group in Kenya (Kikuyu) watched videotaped interactions of two women passing an object. The object's starting position and the women's gestures were varied. Use of the first possession heuristic increased with age, and 8‐ to 9‐year‐olds performed similarly to German 5‐year‐olds (n = 24). Starting position and gestures had no effect. A control study confirmed that 5‐year‐old Kikuyus (n = 20) understood the video material. The findings reveal that the first possession heuristic follows different developmental trajectories cross‐culturally and stress the role of children's sociocultural environment.     

Small‐Sample Equating Using a Synthetic Linking Function

This study addressed the sampling error and linking bias that occur with small samples in a nonequivalent groups anchor test design. We proposed a linking method called the synthetic function, which is a weighted average of the identity function and a traditional equating function (in this case, the chained linear equating function). Specifically, we compared the synthetic, identity, and chained linear functions for various‐sized samples from two types of national assessments. One design used a highly reliable test and an external anchor, and the other used a relatively low‐reliability test and an internal anchor. The results from each of these methods were compared to the criterion equating function derived from the total samples with respect to linking bias and error. The study indicated that the synthetic functions might be a better choice than the chained linear equating method when samples are not large and, as a result, unrepresentative.     

A Small‐Scale Randomized Efficacy Trial of the Identity Project: Promoting Adolescents’ Ethnic–Racial Identity Exploration and Resolution

Adolescents’ ethnic–racial identity (ERI) formation represents an important developmental process that is associated with adjustment. The Identity Project intervention, grounded in developmental theory, was designed to engage adolescents in the ERI processes of exploration and resolution. The current small‐scale efficacy trial involved an ethnic–racially diverse sample of adolescents (N = 215; M_age = 15.02, SD = .68) from eight classrooms that were randomly assigned by classroom to the intervention or attention control group. Differences between conditions in ERI exploration at Time 2 were consistent with desired intervention effects; furthermore, higher levels of ERI exploration at Time 2 predicted increases in ERI resolution at Time 3 only for youth in the treatment condition. Findings provide preliminary evidence of program efficacy.     

Increasing Adult Learner Motivation for Completing Self‐Directed E‐Learning

This article explores methods organizations can use to increase self‐directed e‐learning completion rates and overall satisfaction. It focuses on three main areas of application: (a) increasing organizational support and positive initial user expectations, (b) reducing factors that lead to learner mental overload, and (c) designing motivational strategies into the learning content. Although applicable as general principles, relevent strategies, theories, and models are discussed with a focus on organizations offering technical product training for their clients.     

A Bookstore for Bailey: A Novel Approach to Teaching a Small‐Business Management Course

This article presents the development of an online, student‐centered, introductory small‐business management course that uses an educational business novel, hypertext graphic‐design features, an interactive workbook, and a student‐authored final chapter. Student learning was assessed through the use of a pre‐ and posttest survey. Student reflection was incorporated to make students consider the impact of learning. Results showed that student learning and understanding increased in two separate courses.     

Detecting Item Drift in Large‐Scale Testing

The early detection of item drift is an important issue for frequently administered testing programs because items are reused over time. Unfortunately, operational data tend to be very sparse and do not lend themselves to frequent monitoring analyses, particularly for on‐demand testing. Building on existing residual analyses, the authors propose an item index that requires only moderate‐to‐small sample sizes to form data for time‐series analysis. Asymptotic results are presented to facilitate statistical significance tests. The authors show that the proposed index combined with time‐series techniques may be useful in detecting and predicting item drift. Most important, this index is related to a well‐known differential item functioning analysis so that a meaningful effect size can be proposed for item drift detection.     

English Reading Effects of Small‐Group Intensive Intervention in Spanish for K–1 English Learners

In this article we report small, but statistically significant, effects of brief supplemental instruction on English reading by Spanish‐speaking kindergartners (N = 37) who performed poorly on a bilingual battery of phonological‐processing tasks. Intervention design was compatible with the Reading First initiative and with research on use of multitiered intervention strategies for preventing reading failure among young monolingual students (e.g., L. S. Fuchs & Vaughn, 2003). We describe a Core Intervention Model (CIM) comprised of specific instructional behaviors that teachers might easily learn and employ regardless of curriculum, and discuss implications of our findings for building multitiered preventative instruction for young English learners.     

Examining the psychometric properties of the Infant–Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition in a high-stakes context

The psychometric properties of the Infant–Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition (ITERS-R) were examined using 153 classrooms from child-care centers where resources were tied to center performance. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the scale measures one global aspect of quality. To decrease redundancy, subsets of items were selected randomly and by experts who rated items according to ease of administration and importance to quality. The shorter subsets demonstrated good discriminant validity, adequate to good psychometric properties, and high associations to the full ITERS-R score. They also demonstrated similar associations to staff education and staff-to-child ratio, as the full instrument. The best assessment of quality was demonstrated by the shortened subset that included items that assess both structural and process features of quality. Multilevel-analyses indicated that classrooms from the same providers score more similarly on ITERS-R than classrooms from other providers. The implications for using the ITERS-R in high-stakes contexts are discussed.     

An Examination of a Small‐Group Decoding Intervention for Struggling Readers: Comparing Accuracy and Automaticity Criteria

In this study, we compared methods to improve the decoding and reading fluency of struggling readers. Second‐grade poor readers were randomly assigned to one of the two practice conditions within a repeated reading intervention. Both interventions were in small groups, were 20–28 min long, took place 2–4 days per week, and consisted of phonemic awareness training, letter sound practice, and practice in word families. Students in the accuracy condition (n= 27) practiced each page until they reached 98 percent accuracy while students in the accuracy + automaticity condition (n= 29) practiced until they reached rate (30–90 cwpm) and accuracy criteria. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed no differences between practice conditions in decoding accuracy, reading comprehension, and grade‐level text reading fluency. Significant differences favoring the accuracy + automaticity group were found in measures of decoding automaticity.     

Comparing the Effectiveness of Self‐Paced and Collaborative Frame‐of‐Reference Training on Rater Accuracy in a Large‐Scale Writing Assessment

There is a large body of research on the effectiveness of rater training methods in the industrial and organizational psychology literature. Less has been reported in the measurement literature on large‐scale writing assessments. This study compared the effectiveness of two widely used rater training methods—self‐paced and collaborative frame‐of‐reference training—in the context of a large‐scale writing assessment. Sixty‐six raters were randomly assigned to the training methods. After training, all raters scored the same 50 representative essays prescored by a group of expert raters. A series of generalized linear mixed models were then fitted to the rating data. Results suggested that the self‐paced method was equivalent in effectiveness to the more time‐intensive and expensive collaborative method. Implications for large‐scale writing assessments and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Scale Alignment in Between‐Item Multidimensional Rasch Models

Scores estimated from multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models are not necessarily comparable across dimensions. In this article, the concept of aligned dimensions is formalized in the context of Rasch models, and two methods are described—delta dimensional alignment (DDA) and logistic regression alignment (LRA)—to transform estimated item parameters so that dimensions are aligned. Both the DDA and LRA methods are applied to real and simulated data, and it is demonstrated that both methods are broadly effective for achieving aligned scales. The routine use of scale alignment methods is recommended prior to comparing scores across dimensions.     

Intake Screening With the Self‐Rating Depression Scale in a University Counseling Center

Screening clients at intake for symptoms of depression can be beneficial provided the instrument used is reliable and valid. The psychometric properties of the Self‐Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were examined using an ethnically diverse sample of 324 counseling center clients. Results provided moderate support for the SDS. Differences across demographic groups and considerations for intake screening are discussed.     

The Random‐Effect Generalized Rating Scale Model

Rating scale items have been widely used in educational and psychological tests. These items require people to make subjective judgments, and these subjective judgments usually involve randomness. To account for this randomness, Wang, Wilson, and Shih proposed the random‐effect rating scale model in which the threshold parameters are treated as random effects rather than fixed effects. In the present study, the Wang et al. model was further extended to incorporate slope parameters and embed the new model within the framework of multilevel nonlinear mixed‐effect models. This was done so that (1) no efforts are needed to derive parameter estimation procedures, and (2) existing computer programs can be applied directly. A brief simulation study was conducted to ascertain parameter recovery using the SAS NLMIXED procedure. An empirical example regarding students’ interest in learning science is presented to demonstrate the implications and applications of the new model.     

Bringing Research‐Based Practice in Reading Intervention to Scale

Multiple consensus reports have provided converging evidence regarding effective instruction for students who have difficulty learning to read. Evidence‐based instruction in general education classrooms must be in place in order to implement response‐to‐intervention models. Despite the well‐developed knowledge base supporting the value of interventions that have been demonstrated to have positive outcomes, these interventions are not widely employed in typical classroom instruction, and models of service delivery for students with reading and learning disabilities implemented in schools are often ineffective. Recent research has demonstrated that this need not be the case, but there are many obstacles to change. Large‐scale implementation of effective educational practices for struggling readers depends on a research agenda that directly addresses questions related to scaling and sustaining educational innovations. We suggest that reform depends on collaboration among researchers, educational practitioners, teacher educators, and policymakers, with the common goal of improving outcomes for students who might otherwise experience reading failure.     

Developing Self‐Directed Executive Functioning: Recent Findings and Future Directions

How do children become increasingly self‐directed across development, achieving their goals without help from others? How might such developments be impacted by societal changes in how children spend their time? Children's abilities to achieve their goals are supported by developing executive functions (EFs), cognitive processes that predict important life outcomes. Efforts to improve children's EFs have benefitted their externally driven executive functioning, where goals and instructions are provided by others. Less is known about self‐directed EF, when children must decide independently what to do and when. We present recent findings demonstrating that children are better at engaging self‐directed EF when they have good understanding of options to choose among, and if they spend time in activities that they play a large role in directing. Within this context, we discuss the potential role of opportunities to plan, mind‐wander, and play, and present the critical next steps in investigating the influence of changing environments on self‐directed EF.     

What Do School‐Level Scores From Large‐Scale Assessments Really Measure?

Although assessments of mathematics, reading, and writing are assumed to measure distinct academic skills, this may be difficult owing to the pervasive influence of general ability on performance. Factor analyses of school-level data from 14 large-scale assessment programs revealed that 80% of the variance in mathematics, reading, and writing scores was due to a common, underlying factor. Multiple regression analyses confirmed that scores contribute little information that is unique to a particular subject (6% or less). Although different assessments may create the illusion of providing unique information, they may be tapping into generic cognitive abilities that cut across content areas. These results raise suspicions about the value and validity of interpretations based on school-level subject area scores.     

Validity of the MMPI‐2 College Maladjustment Scale

The purpose of the study was to validate the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory‐2 (MMPI‐2) College Maladjustment scale (Mt) by comparing it with the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Significant negative correlations existed between the Mt scale and SACQ scores, indicating that the Mt scale measures maladjustment, especially emotional maladjustment, in college students.     

Modalities of Infant–Mother Interaction in Japanese,Japanese American Immigrant,and European American Dyads

Cultural variation in relations and moment‐to‐moment contingencies of infant–mother person‐oriented and object‐oriented interactions were compared in 118 Japanese, Japanese American immigrant, and European American dyads with 5.5‐month‐olds. Infant and mother person‐oriented behaviors were related in all cultural groups, but infant and mother object‐oriented behaviors were related only among European Americans. Infant and mother behaviors within each modality were mutually contingent in all groups. Culture moderated lead–lag relations: Japanese infants were more likely than their mothers to respond in object‐oriented interactions; European American mothers were more likely than their infants to respond in person‐oriented interactions. Japanese American dyads behaved like European American dyads. Interactions, infant effects, and parent socialization findings are set in cultural and accultural models of infant–mother transactions.