The effect of an instructional intervention on middle school english learners' science and english reading achievement

This study examined the effect of a quasi‐experimental project on fifth grade English learners' achievement in state‐mandated standards‐based science and English reading assessment. A total of 166 treatment students and 80 comparison students from four randomized intermediate schools participated in the current project. The intervention consisted of on‐going professional development and specific instructional science lessons with inquiry‐based learning, direct and explicit vocabulary instruction, integration of reading and writing, and enrichment components including integration of technology, take‐home science activities, and university scientists mentoring. Results suggested a significant and positive intervention effect in favor of the treatment students as reflected in higher performance in district‐wide curriculum‐based tests of science and reading and standardized tests of oral reading fluency. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 987–1011, 2012     

新课程标准下高中英语阅读课教学模式的探索

随着教学改革的推进,我国英语教学也迈出了一大步。但目前在新课程背景下高中英语阅读教学的现状却不容乐观。因此,教师必须在分析教材文本的基础上,结合教学实例探索新课程标准下高中英语阅读课更有效更实用的教学模式。     

Construct validity of the universal nonverbal intelligence test (UNIT)

Data from 104 public school children were analyzed to determine the psychometric and conceptual soundness of a new model-based measure of intellectual functioning: the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, in press). The UNIT was designed to assess the construct of intelligence for at-risk children who are limited English language proficient. The UNIT and subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson-Revised Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJ-R; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989) were administered in counterbalanced order using standardized procedures. Spearman-Brown reliability coefficients provided evidence of the UNIT'S reliability: Global score coefficients ranged from .86 (Reasoning Quotient) to .93 (Symbolic Quotient). Confirmatory factor analyses of the UNIT provided evidence for a two-factor structure. Exploratory factor analyses of the UNIT with the WJ-R yielded support for the UNIT'S measurement of memory and reasoning constructs, although the many subconstructs assessed by the WJ-R and the UNIT preclude a simple interpretation. Correlations among UNIT global scores with age and with composite scores of the WJ-R provide additional evidence of the UNIT'S construct validity.     

Construct validity of the Illinois test of psycholinguistic abilities for a clinic population

The construct validity of the 10 primary ITPA subtests was investigated on a clinic population of 91 (66 males, 25 female) learning disabled children. Construct validity was determined by the degree to which each subtest measured discrete, independent abilities and the extent of subtest relationship to academic subject areas. Results via factor analysis and correlational analyses generally support the independence of the channel dimension, i.e., visual vs. auditory. While the process dimension, i.e., receptive, expressive, and associative, was not found to be an independent measure, the dimension of levels, i.e., representational vs. automatic, was substantiated for this clinical population. Implications of discrepancies in the channel dimension are discussed.     

Examining the relations between reading fluency and reading comprehension for english language learners

This study examined the relations between reading fluency and comprehension among elementary school students (N = 171) in Grades 2, 3, and 5, all of whom were designated as English language learners (ELL) at some point in their educational careers. Although the overall relation between reading fluency and comprehension (r = .56) was consistent with previous research using non‐ELL student samples, results also revealed a substantial number of students (55.5%) who exhibited a significant gap (SD, 0.67 ) between their scores on reading fluency and comprehension assessments. In addition, the prevalence of students with fluency/comprehension gaps varied significantly across grade and English language proficiency levels. The results suggested that, although reading fluency and comprehension are significantly related for ELL students, practitioners should be cautious when making identification and instructional decisions for ELL students based solely on oral reading fluency data. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Construct validity of the K-ABC for gifted children

Fifty-four elementary-age gifted students were administered the K-ABC. To determine construct validity of the test for this population, the factor structure was obtained for mental processing and achievement subtests and then compared to the factor structure obtained for children from the standardization sample via a procedure that determines factor structure similiarity between groups. Except for minor variations, the factor structure for the gifted children was very similar to that for nongifted children in the standardization sample. However, the most parsimonious structure accounted for slightly less than 40% of the shared test variance, which leads to questions about the advisability of educational program planning based on obtained scores.     

Construct validity of the childbirth trauma index for adolescents

The potentially traumatic nature of childbirth for adult mothers has been confirmed in research; however, adolescent childbirth trauma is unexplored. This article presents research on the construct validity of the Childbirth Trauma Index by providing a conceptual analysis of psychological childbirth trauma, factor validity of the Childbirth Trauma Index, and discussion of testing the Childbirth Trauma Index via contrasted-groups approach. Childbirth trauma can result in an acute stress reaction or actual posttraumatic stress disorder. Using subjective reports, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Childbirth Trauma Index, an appraisal of birth trauma, trauma impact, and indicators associated with childbirth trauma were revealed among 112 adolescents. Clinical implications and research recommendations are offered.     

Mathematical literacy of school leaving pupils in South Africa

This paper discusses some results of South African (SA) grade 12 pupils on an international test of mathematical literacy, administered in the framework of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Three questions are addressed: (1) What are the strengths and weaknesses of SA school-leavers in mathematical reasoning and social utility from an international comparative perspective?: (2) What is the growth of SA pupils' mathematical literacy from grade 8 to 12? (3) What are the background variables that influence the level of mathematical literacy of SA school-leavers? Finally some implications of the results for SA education will be discussed.     

英语教学中存在的问题--毕业班英语水平测试试卷分析

外语系98级学生参加了河北省英语专业水平测试,通过对试卷进行抽样分析,从整体上看,学生在语音、阅读理解方面相对较好,而在词汇、听力与写作方面较差.应该强调词汇教学和听力与写作的基本功训练.     

Reliability and validity of the adult reading history questionnaire

The reliability and validity of a revised version of Finucci's (1982) Reading History Questionnaire was examined in two adult samples. One sample included 84 adults from an ongoing study of familial dyslexia, and a second sample was composed of parents of 107 children from a longitudinal study of reading development. Internal consistency was demonstrated by Cronbach's alphas of .94 and .92 in the two samples. Test-retest reliability was demonstrated by significant correlations (.87 and .84 in the two samples) over several years between an earlier and revised form of the questionnaire. Validity was demonstrated via (a) correlations between the questionnaire score and reading measures (rs = .57-.70), (b) the results of a discriminant function analysis that used questionnaire scores to predict reading disability diagnosis, and (c) the finding that the questionnaire had substantial incremental validity in predicting reading skill in a hierarchical regression analysis that first entered IQ and SES. These results indicated that the questionnaire is both reliable and valid.     

任务型教学下的高中英语教师角色探析

新课程所倡导的任务型教学对教师角色提出了新挑战,本文论述了任务型教学的理论及特征,在比较任务型教学与传统教学的基础上,从师生关系、教学过程及教学目标三个方面探析了任务型教学下高中英语教师应承担的角色,以期对转变教师角色有所裨益。     

Tackling early school leaving and the governing of educational transitions in Italy

ABSTRACT

This article presents a critical policy historiography of how Early School Leaving has been understood as a social problem and what policy responses have been enacted to tackle it in the Italian context, devoting a specific attention to the analysis of the translation of EU policy ideas, tools and recipes to reduce ESL. It shows how the formulation of a global and integrated national strategy to tackle ESL in Italy in 2018 can be interpreted as the result of a troubled process of re-culturing. Such a reculturing is the effect of the complex interplay between the legacies of the Italian welfare regime in education and the co-option of the ESL issue within a EU political frame that struggles to combine economic rationalism and social justice. Such a struggle is interpreted as contributing to a profound rethinking of education and its mission.     

升学压力下中学教师课外阅读调查研究

随着升学压力的不断加剧,应试竞争早已从小学阶段下移到了学前阶段,而中学阶段则是应试竞争的重灾区。为了更好地了解中学教师的读书现状,我们开展了教师读书情况的问卷调查,在此基础上,就如何提升教师读书风气提出相关建议。     

初中英语学困生学习动机探究

如何提高学困生的学习动机水平对提高其学习成绩具有重要意义.然而近年来针对初中英语学困生的学习动机的研究还不多见.该文从提高初中英语学困生学习动机水平的角度入手,并借鉴各动机学派的研究成果对如何激发学困生学习动机进行了系统的探究.针对初中生的特点和英语学科的特性,改变学困生对英语学习价值的认识、原有爱好与学习嫁接、丰富学习内容和创造学习氛围等.