Listening text comprehension in preschoolers: a longitudinal study on the role of semantic components

A longitudinal study analyzed (a) which lower- and higher-level semantic components uniquely predicted listening text comprehension and (b) the nature of the relation (i.e., direct and indirect) between the predictors and listening text comprehension in preschoolers. One-hundred and fifty-two children participated in the present study (68 females; mean age = 4;10 years/months and 5;5 years/months at Time 1 and Time 2, respectively). Participants were administered measures to evaluate listening text comprehension (Time 1 and Time 2) and (a) expressive and receptive word knowledge (lower-level semantic components), and (b) inferential skills and the ability to use context (higher-level semantic components) (Time 1). Verbal short-term and working memory were also included as control variables. Data were analyzed using path analysis models. Results showed that both types of semantic components (a) accounted for unique variance in listening text comprehension at Time 2, with lower-level semantic components explaining a larger proportion of variance than higher-level semantic components; (b) were related to later listening text comprehension through direct and indirect relations. Memory resources did not significantly contribute to listening text comprehension. The results are discussed in light of their theoretical relevance and educational/practical implications.     

Sub-lexical phonological and semantic processing of semantic radicals: a primed naming study

Most sinograms (i.e., Chinese characters) are phonograms (phonetic compounds). A phonogram is composed of a semantic radical and a phonetic radical, with the former usually implying the meaning of the phonogram, and the latter providing cues to its pronunciation. This study focused on the sub-lexical processing of semantic radicals which are themselves free standing sinograms. Two primed naming experiments were carried out to examine whether the meanings and pronunciations of the semantic radicals embedded in phonograms were activated or not during sinogram recognition. In Experiment 1, semantically opaque phonograms were used as primes. We observed facilitatory priming effects for targets which were semantically related to the semantic radicals embedded in primes, but not to the primes themselves. These effects were present for low-frequency primes, but not for high-frequency primes. Experiment 2 used only low-frequency phonograms as primes. We observed facilitatory priming effects for targets which were homophones of the semantic radicals embedded in primes, but not of the primes themselves. These results suggest that sub-lexical semantic and phonological information of semantic radicals are activated, and that the activation processes are modulated by the lexical frequency of the host phonograms. Our study shows that sub-lexical processing of semantic radicals is similar to that of phonetic radicals, indicating no fundamental difference between sub-lexical processing of semantic and phonetic radicals, supporting the view that a radical has a unique representation irrespective of its function in the orthographic system of Taft’s model.     

ACES Beyond Fifty: Creating a Future

As the golden anniversary milestone of ACES passes, this article addresses counselor education for the 1990s and beyond, something future leaders and members can reference.     

Elevated picture completion scores: a possible indicator of hypervigilance in maltreated preschoolers

OBJECTIVE: The Picture Completion subtest of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) measures visual alertness and the ability to differentiate essential from nonessential details. In children who are hypervigilant as a result of maltreatment, these skills may be over-functioning. It was hypothesized that the Picture Completion subtest scores of these children would be significantly elevated in comparison to their other nonverbal scores and their overall intellectual functioning. METHOD: Fourteen children from a therapeutic day treatment preschool program for maltreated children were administered the WPPSI-R. Standardized discrepancy scores between Picture Completion scores and Performance mean scores (PC-Performance Discrepancy) and the mean of all subscale scores (PC-Overall IQ Discrepancy) were formed and then analyzed. RESULTS: The abused preschoolers scored significantly lower than the population mean on four of the five WPPSI-R Performance subscales. Only on Picture Completion did they score significantly higher. Average PC-Performance Discrepancy and PC-Overall IQ Discrepancy scores were greater than one, indicating that the mean difference of children's Picture Completion score from either their Performance mean score or all of their mean scores was more than one standard deviation. CONCLUSION: Elevated Picture Completion score may serve as a marker for hypervigilance and/or PTSD in children with histories of maltreatment.     

Beyond Me:

We hear that college students continue to be too self- and career-focused, to the exclusion of social, political and spiritual concerns. The author challenges this view and explores the developmental opportunities of young adults - separation, depression, intimacy and psychological/vocatoinal individuation - in order to understand the necessity for adolescent self-absorption; how students do go beyond their personal selves in dreams, art, prayer and feeling; and how institutions can recognize and support these forms of the spiritual and generous.     

The chronic absenteeism assessment project: Using biometrics to evaluate the magnitude of and reasons for student chronic absenteeism in rural India

In India, student absenteeism is particularly acute but little is known about its reasons. This study investigated the magnitude and causes of chronic absenteeism in ten schools in rural Telangana state using a biometric attendance system paired with home visits. 75.4 % of students missed 10 % or more of all school days and 56.2 % missed 15 % or more. Common reasons for absence as reported by students were illness, menstruation, going to family functions, and a death/illness in the family. Being female and of higher social standing were protective factors against chronic absenteeism. The biometric system paired with home visits show potential to decrease absenteeism.     

Beyond Culture: a reply to Mark Halstead

This paper is a response to Mark Halstead's communitarian argument for a curriculum which includes education for cultural attachment. In particular it explores the difficulty of combining education for cultural attachment with education for democratic citizenship and cross-cultural understanding wherever the cultural attachment excludes the culture of liberalism. Halstead bases his proposals on a view of minority communities as separate and distinct cultural entities each determining the way of life of its members. This paper concludes by offering a different view of culture and identity, one which suggests a curriculum for going beyond culture.     

BGPSense:一种实时评估可达性的工具

评估网络事件对可达性的影响是ISP关心的重要话题.设计并实现BGPSense这一工具,用于实时地分析网络的可达性.BGPSense不仅注意到BGP路由更新消息的时间相关性和时间抖动这些重要的因素,而且还将路由前缀对网络的重要程度考虑在内.运用BGPSense对Slammer蠕虫、北美大停电、台湾地震等重要事件进行了对比研究.研究结果表明,BGPSense能够较好地显示出不同事件对网络可达性的影响,从而为网络管理员和运营者实时诊断网络提供了方便.     

语义网络的结构:我们怎样学习语义知识

分析了2个大型语义网络HowNet和WordNet的全局意义结构.发现两者都是具有小世界和无尺度特征的复杂网络,但具有一些独特的属性.两者连接度分布的幂律指数介于1·0和2·0之间,而不是像许多常见的无尺度网络一样接近于3·0.连接度相关系数都小于0,与生物性网络相似.BA模型以及与其相似的一些模型不能对其动力学加以解释.节点连接度与其聚集度指数之间遵循标度律,表明网络中可能存在自相似的层次结构.认为人类学习语义知识的几种主要方式如聚合与隐喻等影响了语义网络的这些结构特征.     

Involving parents in paired reading with preschoolers: Results from a randomized controlled trial

A paired reading program was implemented for 195 Hong Kong preschoolers (mean age = 4.7 years) and their parents from families with a wide range of family income. The preschoolers were randomly assigned to experimental or waitlist control groups. The parents in the experimental group received 12 sessions of school-based training on paired reading in 7 weeks. They were required to do paired reading with their children for at least four times in each of these 7 weeks. At the end of the program, the preschoolers in the experimental group had better performance in word recognition and reading fluency than their counterparts in the control group. They were also reported as more competent and motivated in reading by their parents. More importantly, the program had many favorable effects on parents. Parents in the experimental group had higher self-efficacy in helping their children to be better readers and learners. They also reported that they had better relationships with their children. Their changes in relationships and self-efficacy were found to mediate the program impact on some of the child outcomes. However, family income did not moderate the effectiveness of the program. Families with high and low income both benefited from the program alike.     

Print and reading: What do preschoolers know?

John Downing, an eminent reading researcher at Canada's University of Victoria, says that many children come to school in a state of cognitive confusion about the functions of reading and the terms we use when we start to teach them to read formally. Adults take for granted that young children know what they mean when they talk about a word, a letter, a sound, and other print-related terms. In his studies done in England and in Canada, Downing (1970; 1973–74) has found that many children, especially those who have not been read to regularly, simply don't understand the conventions of print and really don't understand what reading is all about.Joan T. Feeley is Professor of Reading and Language Arts at William Paterson College in Wayne, New Jersey.     

Beyond Local Cultures: Towards a Cosmopolitan Art Education

What kind of art education best takes up the educational opportunity of cultural diversity? This article draws on Merton's distinction between local and cosmopolitan perspectives on culture to contrast different models of art education in a multicultural society. An example is given to illustrate a local perspective on education which seeks to affirm pupils in their own culture. This model is underpinned by a particular view of culture, pluralism, art and education. Alternative views on each of these constituent elements are explored in order to make a case for an alternative model of art education - one which goes beyond culture and which can more properly be described as cosmopolitan.