Use of the WISC-R and K-ABC with learning disabled,borderline mentally retarded,and normal children

The aim of this investigation was to examine normal (N = 34), learning disabled (N = 34), and borderline mentally retarded (N = 33) children's performance on the WISC-R and K-ABC. Results revealed no significant differences between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ and K-ABC Mental Processing Composite by group (F = 0.7, p > .15). The Full Scale IQ and Mental Processing Composite standard score correlated .85 for the entire sample, and all other subscale correlations ranged from .65 to .90 (all significant at p < .001). Analysis of Verbal-Performance, Mental Processing-Achievement, and Simultaneous-Sequential discrepancy means by group revealed no significant differences in comparison to normative values. Subtest patterns analysis revealed high rank order correlations between the learning disabled and mentally retarded groups, but lower correlations between the exceptional and normal groups. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Academic self-concept in elementary learning disabled children: Study with the student's perception of ability scale

Academic self-concept as measured by the Student's Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was compared for 81 learning disabled (LD) and 81 normally-achieving control children in grades three to six. The results show that LD children hold significantly more negative self-perceptions of ability in reading, spelling, and arithmetic than do the control children. Further, these negative school subject-related attitudes in the LD children had generalized to lower self-perceptions of ability in general, to expressions of less confidence in school, and more negative attitudes toward school. No grade level or sex effects were observed. It was concluded that the SPAS is able to discriminate between normally-achieving children and those experiencing problems in school, and, accordingly, that the SPAS has good external validity. The results were discussed in terms of using the SPAS for evaluating affective components of remediation, and for identifying high-risk elementary school children. Continuing external validity studies being undertaken by the authors also were noted.     

College teachers' perceptions of English language characteristics that identify English language learning disabled deaf students

Deaf individuals typically experience English language difficulties at all levels of linguistic knowledge. Hearing individuals with English language learning disabilities (LD) can exhibit the same kinds of English language difficulties as deaf individuals. Although the existence of deaf individuals who also have LD has long been recognized, no definite criteria for identifying them exist, partly because of the confounding effects of deafness and LD on English language development. Despite the confound, previous surveys suggest that teachers believe atypical English-language behavior is a potential diagnostic marker for LD in deaf individuals. In the present study, a survey solicited the intuitions of experienced teachers and tutors of English to deaf college students regarding the degree of difficulty deaf students with and without LD might be expected to have in dealing with 30 specific English language phenomena. Spelling knowledge and a variety of English discourse, lexical syntactic, and morphological phenomena emerged as candidates for further study as potential markers of LD in the deaf population.     

Academic self-concept,perceptions of the learning environment,engagement, and learning outcomes of university students: relationships and causal ordering

Higher Education - Two studies were conducted to examine the relationships among university students’ academic self-concept, perceptions of the learning environment, engagement, and learning...     

Stress and teachers of the learning disabled,behavior disordered,and educable mentally retarded

This study investigated which factors related to the professional roles of teachers of the learning disabled (LD), behavior disordered (BD), and educable mentally retarded (EMR) are most stressful, and which activities, both personal and professional, are beneficial in guarding against stress. The Special Teacher Response to Environmental Stressors (STRESS) was used to elicit responses from the 135 teachers who participated in the study. The participants rated as highly stressful legal concerns, lack of administrative and peer support, and lack of support services. In particular, teachers of the BD revealed that they were fearful of verbal and physical attacks from their students. The participants rated highly exercise and outdoor programs, confiding in significant others (i.e., wife or husband), and peer support as helpful in guarding against stress.     

Teachers' perceptions of criteria for identifying learning disabled students

A national sample of 118 teachers of learning disabled (LD) students described their school districts' criteria for identifying LD students and indicated their agreement or disagreement with the criteria. Reported criteria were characterized by variability, even within states, as were the teachers' stated agreement or disagreement with them. Implications of the continuing definitional crisis in the area of learning disabilities are explored.     

Construct validity of the Kaufman assessment battery for children with learning disabled and mentally retarded

This study investigated the construct validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) via correlational procedures with the WISC-R. Thirty-two special population children selected from kindergarten through grade five participated in the study; 19 children were diagnosed as learning disabled, 13 as educable mentally retarded. A high relationship between the WISC-R FSIQ and the K-ABC Mental Processing composite revealed evidence of construct validity in the measurement of intelligence. The K-ABC diagnosed the learning disabled but failed to diagnose the mentally retarded children. The K-ABC Sequential Processing Scale appeared to offer a unique construct (analytic, temporal sequencing) not measured by the WISC-R. Implications for the usefulness of the K-ABC are discussed.     

Computational errors of mentally retarded students

This study examined the computational errors made by 370 educable mentally retarded students on the arithmetic subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test. There were 233 males and 137 females in the sample, and the ages ranged from 8 to 18. Engelhardt's (1977) error classification was used to identify error types. Retarded students had a lower percent of grouping and inappropriate inversion errors and a higher percent of incorrect operation errors than regular students had in Engelhardt's study.     

Adolescents' perceptions of chronic self-concept,peer relations,and learning conditions

Based on Lewin's Field Theory, Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory and social network analysis, the authors collected data from 405 Chinese adolescents about their peer relations, chronic self-concept levels and learning condition variables through questionnaire distributing, and from their teachers about their annual average academic achievement. It is proposed that the impacts of peer relations should be studied from a psycho-ecological perspective by considering the direct and joint effects of peer relations and student bio-psychological environment (as for instance chronic self-concept) on student outcomes. With hierarchical multiple regression analysis, hypothesis formulated on the research purpose was tested to be almost true. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.     

Teacher perceptions of differences among elementary students with and without learning disabilities in referred samples

Current referral and identification procedures for students with learning disabilities (LD) have been criticized on conceptual and procedural dimensions, including difficulties in operationalizing the definition and in making eligibility decisions that are data based. Recognizing these difficulties, the Texas Education Agency appointed a task force to examine various issues associated with the identification, assessment, and programming of students with LD. Task force members recognized the need to identify classroom behaviors that differentiate students with LD from their non-disabled peers. Two scales of 83 items each were devised and piloted in 70 school districts. Five significant factors or subscales were identified through discriminant factor analyses. Two subscales and 18 individual items discriminate students later classified as LD and those referred but not subsequently classified as LD. Results are discussed, with implications for further investigation of behaviors that distinguish students with and without LD.     

In-service and pre-service teachers' perceptions of a web-based,case-based learning environment

Abstract

Understanding teachers' perceptions of a web-based, case-based learning environment provides insight into the effective development and deployment of such conditions for preparing educators. CaseNET–a web-based, case-method teaching environment for professional educators–serves as both a source of information as well as a space for inservice and preservice teachers to interact with one another and to contemplate current educational issues as they relate to real-world teaching. A qualitative analysis of over 400 participants was conducted and results provided. Participants perceived CaseNETas an opportunity to engage in professional development via exploration, reflection, collaboration, and hands-on interactions with authentic teaching tasks. Results suggest that the combination of cases and technology provides a valued opportunity to engage developing teachers in professional behaviors.     

Psychometric classifications of learning disabled students

The psychometric test results of a sample of 100 LD students with severe achievement problems were cluster analyzed. The variables included in this analysis were the subtests of the WISC-R, the Bender Gestalt, the Benton Visual Retention, the Purdue Perceptual-Motor, and the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization tests. Using K-means iterative clustering procedures, three clusters were obtained. The first cluster was defined by low scores on attention and concentration subtests; the second was defined by low scores on subtests of verbal-associative intelligence; the third was defined by low scores on visual-spatial and motoric subtests. Limitations of the study, in the scope of the psychometric testing and the lack of pediatric and neurologic diagnoses, are discussed.