Two steps forward,one step back: Effect size reporting in gifted education research from 1995–2000

The APA Task Force on Statistical Inference recently recommended reporting effect sizes alongside results of statistical significance tests. The purpose of this article is to investigate effect size usage in gifted education research and to follow up on a similar investigation published by Plucker (1997). A content analysis of effect size reporting was conducted of articles published in the Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Roeper Review, and Gifted Child Quarterly from 1995–2000. Results of the present study were similar to the findings of Plucker (1997): No statistical difference in reporting was found across journals or across years, and a moderate difference was found between effect size reporting in univariate versus multivariate statistics. The benefits to gifted education research of understanding the relationship among sample size, effect size, and statistical power are discussed.     

Arab youth involvement in violence: A socio-ecological gendered perspective

BackgroundPrevious research has extensively used a socio-ecological perspective to find the correlates of youth involvement in violence. However, little is known about the extent to which ecological factors correlated with youth violence are affected by gender, especially in non-Western cultures.ObjectiveThe role of gender in the association between individual, family, and contextual factors and Arab youth involvement in several types of violence (severe physical, moderate physical, and verbal and indirect violence) was explored using a socio-ecological perspective.Participants and Setting: The study was based on a large random sample of 3,178 Arab students, aged 11–18, from Israel.MethodsInformation was collected from the adolescents through a structured, anonymous self-report questionnaire which they completed in the classroom under the guidance of a research assistant. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured for all participants.ResultsGender was found to moderate the association between impulsivity and parental support and all types of violence except verbal violence. No interaction effect was found in the association between affiliation with delinquent peers and exposure to community violence and Arab youth involvement in violence.ConclusionsThe results emphasize the importance of exploring gender differences with respect to risk and protective factors for violence. This knowledge is an important step in the design and implementation of gender-specific intervention strategies to deal with youth violence.     

A preliminary study of multiple college admission criteria in Taiwan: the relationship among motivation,standardized tests,high school achievements,and college success

ABSTRACT

A new college admission policy will be implemented in Taiwan in 2022. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between admission criteria and college success. Data was obtained from the Taiwan Higher Education Database; a sample size of 8443 students from 156 universities was used in this study. By using the structural equation model, this study tested a research model that included factors such as motivation, standardized test scores, high school achievements, and college success. The findings revealed that the General Scholastic Ability Test scores (in Chinese, English, Social Studies) and high school average academic grades are significantly associated with college success. A student’s motivation to complete a certain major can significantly predict the quality of student effort and influence college success. These findings highlight the importance of some admission criteria and provide practical implications for educational policy-makers, school administrators, students, and parents.     

Why and How Parents Promote Math Learning with their Young Children: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

SYNOPSIS

Objective. This study examined parental characteristics that related to children’s early math learning. Specifically, we examined how parents engage in math activities with their children in the home and how their practices were informed by parents’ experiences with and perceptions of math. Design. Using a mixed-methods design, we first quantitatively examined associations between two parental characteristics, past math experiences and current math anxiety, and various types of math activities to understand factors that predict home math engagement in a sample of 34 parents. We then conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of 15 parents to identify additional factors that relate to parents’ engagement in math activities with their young children. Results. We found that parents’ math anxiety predicted their reports of math activity frequency in the home, controlling for demographics as well as prior measures of math enrichment. Through qualitative analyses, we demonstrated considerable variability in the way that math activities are implemented and described by parents and identify a novel theoretical construct – parents’ goals for children’s math learning – which relates to parents’ practices. Conclusions. These results suggest that survey measures may fail to capture important heterogeneity in parents’ practices and that additional predictors such as parental goals should be explored in future quantitative research.     

Child welfare characteristics in a sample of youth involved in commercial sex: An exploratory study

BackgroundHomeless, runaway, and youth exiting foster care are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, but little research has parsed the societal, community, and individual factors that contribute to their risk.Objectives(1) To estimate child welfare characteristics in a sample of homeless young people who engaged in commercial sex (CS); and (2) To compare young people who were sex trafficked (ST) to those who engaged in some other form of CS.Participants and settingThis study includes 98 homeless young people in Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and Washington, DC, who were interviewed for a larger study of ST and endorsed engagement in CS.MethodsWe used a non-probability, purposive, maximum variation sampling procedure. Interviews were recorded and responses were simultaneously noted on a standardized interview form. Data were analyzed through means, frequencies, and bivariate tests of association.ResultsAverage age of the full sample of 98 homeless young people was 20.9 years; 48% were female and 50% were Black/African American. Forty-six percent of the full sample was sex trafficked. The full sample and the victims of ST differed significantly in three child welfare characteristics, with the ST group more likely to have been maltreated as children, more likely to have had family involvement with the child welfare system (CWS), and more likely to report higher rates of living someplace other than with their biological parents as children.ConclusionsST victims differ from those who engaged in other forms of CS in histories of maltreatment, involvement with the CWS, and exposure to residential instability while growing up.     

Block-based versus text-based programming environments on novice student learning outcomes: a meta-analysis study

ABSTRACT

Background and Context: The use of block-based programming environments is purported to be a good way to gently introduce novice computer programmers to computer programming. A small, but growing body of research examines the differences between block-based and text-based programming environments.

Objective: Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the overall effect of block-based versus text-based programming environments on both cognitive and affective student learning outcomes.

Method: Five academic databases were searched to identify literature meeting our inclusion criteria and resulted in 13 publications with 52 effect size comparisons on both cognitive and affective outcomes.

Findings: We found small effect size (g = 0.245; p = .137; with a 95% confidence interval of ?0.078 to 0.567) in favor of block-based programming environments on cognitive outcomes, and a trivial effect size (g = 0.195, p = .429; with a 95% confidence interval of ?0.289 to 0.678) on affective outcomes. Both effect size calculations were statistically insignificant using random effects models. The effect sizes were examined for moderating effects by education level, learning environment, and study duration. Some evidence of publication bias was detected in these data.

Implications: More research is needed to examine the utility and efficacy of block-based programming environments for novice programmers. Future studies should account for hybrid programming environments using novel research methods.     

Name writing ability not length of name is predictive of future academic attainment

Background: The Performance Indicators in Primary Schools On Entry Baseline assessment for pupils starting school includes an item which aims to assess how well a pupil writes his or her own name. There is some debate regarding the utility of this measure, on the grounds that name length may constitute bias.

Purpose, method and design: The predictive validity of this item and its link to name length was investigated with a view to using this item in further assessments. Previous modest scale work from the USA, suggests that name writing ability is a robust indicator which correlates substantively with other known indicators of later reading whilst remaining independent of name length. This paper greatly expanded the sample size and geographical coverage and, rather than concurrent measures, the predictive validity of the item is assessed. The sample includes children from England, Scotland and Australia (N = 14932), assessed between 2011 and 2013. Potential confounding factors that are analysed include age, geographical region and ethnicity.

Findings and conclusions: The evidence suggests that the name writing item is a robust measure, with good predictive validity to future academic outcomes in early reading, phonological awareness and mathematics. The length was not related to the ability to write one’s own name nor was it predictive of future outcomes.     

The relationship between protective factors and outcomes for children investigated for maltreatment

ObjectivesThis research explores the relationship between hypothesized protective factors and outcomes for children investigated for maltreatment.MethodsUsing data from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), we ran logistic regression models to examine the relationship between hypothesized protective factors (social competence, adaptive functioning skills, and peer relationships) and outcomes (externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, reading competence).ResultsFor each hypothesized protective factor, we found variation in individual scores and sample mean scores at the lower end of the scales, indicating that these children fare worse than most children. However, many children experienced large changes in their individual scores over time suggesting that children can and do improve on these hypothesized protective factors. In examining the relationship between hypothesized protective factors and outcomes, children with higher levels of social competence were significantly more likely to be in the normal range for both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Children with higher mean adaptive functioning skills were more likely to be in the normal range for both externalizing behavior and reading competence. The positive nature of the child's peer relationships was also related to externalizing behavior and reading competence.ConclusionsOverall, our analyses support the idea that social competence, adaptive functioning skills, and peer relationships are related to outcomes for children investigated for maltreatment. While further research is needed to establish a causal link, this work identifies three individual-level hypothesized protective factors as potential sources of variation in outcomes.Practice implicationsTo prevent or alleviate the harmful consequences maltreatment, it is necessary to understand factors that help children move beyond poor outcomes. Our analyses suggest that a strong relationship exists between a child's social competence, adaptive functioning skills and positive peer relationships and select outcomes three years after being investigated for maltreatment. With these individual-level protective factors related to more positive outcomes, it suggests that intervening to increase protective factors could improve outcomes for maltreated and at-risk children.     

Disentangling the effect of out-of-home care on child mental health

BackgroundChildren in out-of-home care are consistently found to have poor mental health compared to children in the general population. However, UK research has so far failed to disentangle the impact of the care system on children’s mental health outcomes from the effects of the adverse circumstances that led to their admission to care.ObjectiveThis research investigated the association between care placement and the presence of child mental health problems after controlling for children’s pre-care experiences. It also identified factors associated with mental health problems among children in care.Participants and SettingThe sample comprised three groups of children involved with child welfare services due to maltreatment, including children in out-of-home care (n = 122), reunified children (n = 82) and those who had never been in care (n = 159).MethodsThe mental health of the children in the three groups was compared, using information collected from their parents/foster carers and social workers.ResultsThe odds of a child in out-of-home care having a mental health problem were not significantly higher than those of a child who had never been in care (AOR = 1.24; p = 0.462). However, the odds of a child in out-of-home care having reactive attachment disorder (RAD) were significantly higher than those of a child who had never been in care (AOR=1.92; p = 0.032).ConclusionsThese findings make an important contribution to international debates about whether placing children in care is beneficial or detrimental to their wellbeing, and highlight a range of inter-linking factors associated with the mental health of children in out-of-home care.     

Workload and compensation among criminal justice faculty members: A national survey

This article reports the results of a nationwide survey of ASC and ACJS members conducted in spring 1991. The respondents first were asked to describe their current academic position, their department, and the nature of their teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities in the course of a typical academic year. Respondents then were asked about various salary and compensation issues. ANOVA was used to explore the impact of various structural and demographic factors (e.g., type of appointment, academic rank, gender, region, department, and university size) on salary levels.     

Possible Determinants of Holding Power in Israeli Secondary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a small set of factors on schools’ holding power. The study employed a broadly conceived structural model based on input-output analyses of schools, a set of realities associated with secondary schools in Israel, a data base derived from a stratified random sample of 32 schools in Israel, and path analytical techniques. The examination revealed that (a) the output of holding power is affected directly and positively by the level of the teachers’ formal education; (b) teachers’ formal education is affected directl)' and positively by class size, which in Israel is a valid measure of the school’s attractiveness; and (c) class size is affected directly and negatively by the school’s level of disadvantaged students. Some implications are suggested on the basis of the findings.     

The impacts of family treatment drug court on child welfare core outcomes: A meta-analysis

BackgroundSubstance abuse has been prevalent among caregivers involved in child welfare and is a major barrier to their achieving favorable outcomes. Family Treatment Drug Courts (FTDCs) have been viewed as one of the most promising interventions but research has reported mixed effects on child welfare outcomes. No meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the findings to reach a more generalizable conclusion.ObjectiveThe meta-analysis synthesized findings from existing evaluations to examine whether and to what extent FTDC participants achieved better reunification and safety outcomes than non-participants.Participants and SettingAmong 17 identified studies dated from 2004 to 2018, the pooled sample subjects in the intervention and comparison groups were 3402 and 3683 for the 16 studies on reunification outcomes, and 842 and 632 for the eight studies on child safety outcomes.MethodsWe first estimated the FTDCs’ pooled effects on child reunification and safety outcomes. Furthermore, we conducted a series of subgroup meta-analysis to compare FTDCs’ effects across study and program characteristics.ResultsSubjects participating in FTDCs were substantially more likely to achieve reunification (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.38, 2.22) without increasing the risk of subsequent foster care reentry or maltreatment re-report. Subgroup meta-analysis suggests factors such as research design, FTDC model, observation length, publication type and period may contribute to FTDCs’ disparities on reunification outcomes.ConclusionsThe synthesized findings strengthen evidence for the implementation and expansion of FTDCs for serving substance abusing caregivers in the child welfare system.     

The Antecedents of the Market Orientation in Higher Education

ABSTRACT

Colleges appear to be more eager and willing than ever to adopt a market orientation given declining enrollments and the downsizing that many are experiencing. Yet, the factors which foster and produce a market orientation have not been well defined in previous research. This study examines three antecedents of the market orientation within the context of higher education: institution size (student enrollment), source of funding (public/private), and institutional innovativeness. While the findings indicate that all three have some effect on adoption of a marketing orientation, innovativeness overwhelmingly plays the largest role. The implications for administrators as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Notes on Contributors

Abstract

This article reports on research analysing how primary initial teacher educators define and participate in research activities. A representative sample of teacher educators in one institution in the UK were interviewed in depth to identify individuals' perceptions of the place of research in their work. All the interviewees saw their most important role as teaching and supporting students. In all cases, research was seen as a low priority. Engagement in research was seen as moving away from the practical, school and student centred world of primary initial teacher education towards a more conventionally ‘academic’ world. The established researchers within the teacher education community were seen as a privileged elite.

Two clusters of factors which influence these perceptions are defined as: firstly, the effects of the changing nature of the institution and internal structures it has generated in response to national changes; and secondly, the ways in which the interviewees define their work its conditions and its underlying values. These factors and the tensions they cause are explored in relation to the pressures placed on the teacher education communities by the 1996 Research Assessment Exercise and the development of increased partnerships with schools.     

Knowledge systems and value chain integration: the case of linseed production in Ethiopia

Purpose: This study uses data from a sample of 150 oilseed farming households from Arsi Robe, Ethiopia, to assess the impact of different knowledge bases (education, training and experience) and their interactions on linseed productivity.

Methodology: A multiple regression analysis was employed to assess the combined effect of the knowledge bases, factors such as age of the household head, land size, marketing channels and geophysical factors (such as land slope) on linseed productivity.

Findings: The findings reveal no differences in productivity between trained and untrained farmers. They further show that training and the interaction between training and experience positively influence productivity. Our findings, however, reveal farmer education to have an inverse yet insignificant effect on productivity. Furthermore, we found that factors such as the slope of the land and the choice of marketing channel also play an important role in influencing productivity.

Practical implications: Moving away from the traditional top-down approach could be the answer to avoid a mismatch between the information given by trainers and what the farmers actually need.

Theoretical implications: The study used interaction variables of knowledge bases, and attempted to demonstrate the importance of a tacit knowledge base, which is often not well documented and therefore neglected in research.

Originality/value: The research demonstrates the combined effects that interactions between several knowledge bases have on the productivity of linseed farmers.     

A Qualitative Metasynthesis of Consultation Process Research: What We Know and Where to Go

ABSTRACT

Qualitative metasynthesis (QM) is a research methodology that permits the meaningful integration and interpretation of qualitative research. This study applies a QM approach combined with constructivist grounded theory methods, bolstered by several features of research credibility, to examine the state of consultee-centered consultation (CCC) and related relational, process-oriented school consultation research. A systematic search and retrieval process including two rounds of appraisal resulted in a final sample of 38 relevant studies from 1995 to 2014. Data analyses included two stages of coding/theme development. Integrated themes suggest a number of considerations regarding consultation implementation including: system-level factors; consultation structure; consultee voice, social-emotional support, and learning; ecological orientation and cultural responsiveness; and consultation training. Future research priorities stemming from these themes are identified and elaborated upon, as are future applications for QM in educational research.     

The use of experimentation in educational reform: The case of the finnish polytechnic experiment 1992–1999

Abstract

The building up of a non‐university sector of higher education in Finland was realised in a form of educational experiment. Polytechnic (ammattikorkeakoulu) reform contained at the outset several elements of a genuine social experiment. Quite soon the experimental set up was transformed into a reform in which experimental elements were minimal. The article explores the factors which hindered the realisation of experimental method and raises general questions about the possibilities and limits of social experiments.     

A longitudinal investigation of protective factors for bereaved maltreated youth

BackgroundMaltreated youth are at an elevated risk for the development of problem behaviors. Coping with the death of a family member or close friend during adolescence, referred to as bereavement, is a stressful event that could potentiate risk linked to maltreatment. However, developmental research suggests that youth adjustment is a product of multiple risk and protective factors. Although maltreated youth who experience loss may be particularly vulnerable to behavior problems, personal and contextual factors may attenuate or exacerbate youths’ risk for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology.ObjectiveThe overarching goal of this study is to examine individual, family, and community-level protective factors for maltreated youth who experience bereavement. Specifically, we aim to examine the effect of age 12 bereavement on age 16 internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and to investigate the moderating role of multi-level protective factors at ages 14 and 16.MethodsThe study consisted of a sample of 800 youth (52.4% female, 45.1% African-American) drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), collected from 1998 to 2011.ResultsMaltreated youth who experienced significant loss were at increased risk for externalizing symptoms, compared to non-bereaved maltreated youth (β = 0.085, p < .05). Individual future orientation (β = 0.103, p < .05) family future orientation (β = −0.120, p < .05), parental monitoring (β = −0.123, p< .01), and neighborhood collective efficacy (β = −0.126, p < .01) each significantly moderated the association between bereavement and externalizing symptoms.ConclusionsThese results have implications for future interventions aimed towards reducing problem behaviors in adolescents with a history of child maltreatment and who experience bereavement.     

Validation and Use of an Instrument to Assess University-level Psychosocial Environment in Australian Universities

This article extends the field of learning environment research by reporting the validation and use of the University-Level Environment Questionnaire (ULEQ) which assesses institutional-level psychosocial environment in universities. The ULEQ has seven scales: Academic Freedom, Concern for Undergraduate Learning, Concern for Research and Scholarship, Empowerment, Affiliation, Mission Consensus and Work Pressure. The sample consisted of 489 academics from 52 departments in 28 Australian public universities. Validation data showed that scales of the ULEQ have satisfactory internal consistency, sensitivity to different department environments and minimal overlap. Results of three analyses conducted in this study illustrated the usefulness of the ULEQ. Significant differences between three types of universities were revealed for four scales: Academic Freedom, Concern for Research and Scholarship, Empowerment and Mission Consensus. No significant differences were found for comparisons of Education, Biology and English departments. A comparison of male and female academics' perceptions of the university-level environment found that females perceived their environment more positively than males. This study demonstrated the utility of the ULEQ in learning environment research in college and university settings.