Multitrait–Multimethod Assessment of Giftedness: An Application of the Correlated Traits–Correlated (Methods – 1) Model

Although the use of multiple criteria and informants is one of the most universally agreed on practices in the identification of gifted children, few studies to date have examined the convergent validity of multiple informants and objective ability tests in gifted identification. In this study, we illustrate the use of the correlated traits–correlated (methods – 1) or CT–C(M – 1) model (Eid, Lischetzke, Nussbeck, & Trierweiler, 2003) to examine the convergent validity of self, parent, and teacher ratings relative to objective cognitive ability tests in a sample of 145 4th to 6th graders. The CT–C(M – 1) analyses revealed that teacher ratings showed the highest convergence with the objective assessments, whereas self-ratings had the lowest reliabilities and insufficient validity. Parent ratings were more reliable and valid than self-reports, but were outperformed by teacher ratings for most abilities. Overall, the CT–C(M – 1) analyses showed that the convergent validity of the ratings relative to the objective test battery was highest for numerical and lowest for creative abilities. Furthermore, whereas part of the shared variance between parent and teacher ratings reflected true convergent validity, agreement between parent and self-reports was entirely due to a shared rater variance. Our analyses demonstrate the usefulness and proper interpretation of the CT–C(M – 1) approach for examining convergent validity and method effects in multitrait–multimethod data.     

Specifying and Interpreting Latent State–Trait Models With Autoregression: An Illustration

Latent state–trait models are valuable tools for representing the longitudinal stability and variability of individuals’ relative standing on a construct (e.g., a behavior or psychological process). Specifically, state–trait models partition construct variance into time-varying and time-invariant components, enabling one to examine the relations between these components and other variables. Such partitioning of construct variance has a number of valuable applications including the improvement of risk-outcome research. The trait–state–occasion (TSO) model and latent state–trait model with autoregression (LST–AR) are ideal for use with constructs with relative stability that decreases with increasing durations, but relative stability that does not decrease to 0 even over long durations. Despite the fact that this pattern of relative stability expression is observed for a wide variety of constructs, there are relatively few applications of the TSO and LST–AR models. Thus, this article describes the TSO and LST–AR models and illustrates application of these models.     

Estimating the Effects of Students’ Social Networks: Does Attending a Norm-Enforcing School Pay Off?

In an attempt to forge tighter social relations, small school reformers advocate school designs intended to create smaller, more trusting, and more collaborative settings. These efforts to enhance students’ social capital in the form of social closure are ultimately tied to improving academic outcomes. Using data derived from ELS: 2002, this study employs propensity scores in the context of multilevel models to estimate the effects of a specific school-level variant of social closure, referred to as a norm-enforcing school, on students’ mathematics achievement. Results estimate that attending a norm-enforcing school has no effect on 12th-grade mathematics achievement. This result questions the presumed benefits of social capital and its emphasis on norm-enforcement and social control. Policy implications are discussed in light of contemporary urban school reform initiatives that focus on reductions in school size.     

‘The Rag-bag of All the Subjects’: English in a London Grammar School, 1945–1963

Evidence from a recent study of English teaching in three London schools in the post-war era suggests that changes to curriculum and pedagogy, commonly attributed by historians to the 1960s, were well underway in the 1950s. Major changes associated with ‘New English’ occurred when teachers began taking the lives and experiences of their pupils as material for English lessons. However, changes in an all-boys grammar school followed a different path. Using oral history methods combined with mixed documentary evidence (including teachers’ records and pupils’ work), we reconstruct the experience – the aims and beliefs – of a left-wing grammar school teacher, and we show how, under the influence of F. R. Leavis and the Scrutiny movement, he made response to literature a central activity at a moment when the place of English was uncertain, and the subject lacked academic prestige.     

Implementation of a Course Focused on Language and Literacy Within Teacher–Child Interactions: Instructor and Student Perspectives Across Three Institutions of Higher Education

Research suggests that teachers' interactions with preschool-age children have a significant influence on what children learn and the skills they develop. Additional research is needed to systematically determine the types of professional development that can help teachers learn effective teaching practices. This study is part of a larger effort to document the impact of a professional development model in which teachers learn how to implement effective teaching practices operationalized using the CLASS observation measure. A course developed by the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) was implemented in three higher education teacher preparation programs. This article describes the process of implementing the course and documents instructor and student perspectives on course delivery, content, and their learning. Results suggest that professional development in the form of a standardized course may be an effective means for presenting content related to language and literacy instruction within the context of information about effective teaching practices. Data from the study also indicate challenges associated with delivering a standardized course within multiple institutions of higher education.     

The dramaturgy approach to education in nature: reflections of a decade of International Vacation School Lipnice courses,Czech Republic, 1997–2007

This paper provides an auto-ethnography or narrative of self related to the development of international experiential education programmes in nature developed by Vacation School Lipnice (VSL) in the Czech Republic. The paper provides the cultural background that influences the course design and provides examples, through participant observation, of the international development of VSL's Intertouch courses over the past decade (1997–2007). VSL is a non-profit, non-governmental organization of about 100 active members—volunteers coming from all over the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other countries. Since 1991 VSL has been a member of Outward Bound International, a global experiential education organization. The aim of the VSL courses is to provide ways for further development of the capacities of body and mind using the ‘dramaturgy’ approach to course design, which brings together the distinct elements of art, music, drama and adventure. Courses consist of body-and-mind challenging activities, creative art workshops, discussions and contemplations. Dramaturgy goes beyond traditional interpretations of adventure training, allowing for the integration and balance of physical, social, creative and reflective/emotional ‘waves’ that can change according to the needs of the group. The concepts presented aim to provide examples for creative programming practice and applications to develop more holistic outdoor and experiential courses for youth and adults globally.     

The Word Witch at Work in New Zealand’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">School Journal</Emphasis>, 1960s–1980s: Margaret Mahy’s Writing as a Reflection of Pedagogy and the Spirit of the Times

Between 1961 and 1984 the renowned New Zealand writer, Margaret Mahy, wrote over seventy-five pieces for the School Journal (a graded reading book provided free to New Zealand primary schools since its inception in 1907). It was a liberal humanist period in New Zealand education during which the 1940s’ and 1950s’ rolling reforms implemented by Clarence Beeby had had time to settle, and John Dewey’s progressive system, influenced by ideas associated with European romanticism, had taken hold. With a new appreciation of nationhood and the arts, School Publications sought to publish material that was not only instructional, but also of high literary quality, by reputable New Zealand authors such as Margaret Mahy. Indeed, the School Journal provided Mahy not only with an opportunity to publish her vividly imagined poetry and prose, but also with the additional challenge of writing for an audience of Māori and Pākehā primary school children who needed to learn to read. This article considers ways in which Mahy’s Journal work reflected (or did not reflect) the spirit of the times.