The development of spelling knowledge and its role in reading acquisition and reading disability

In contrast to the hypothesis that dyslexics possess phonological deficits that are neurological in origin, I suggest that the source of the deficit is primarily experiential--that dyslexics exhibit phonological deficits because they have not learned to read and spell in a way that develops their spelling knowledge so that it penetrates and comes to symbolize their phonological knowledge. Evidence from normal reading and spelling development as well as from comparisons of dyslexic and nondyslexic readers is offered to support this thesis.     

Separating genuine cases of reading disability from reading deficits caused by predominantly inattentive ADHD behavior

Conventional methods of differentiating reading disability (RD) caused by deficits in decoding skills or comprehension from poor reading performance caused by inconsistent attention associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have produced equivocal results. This study presents a model of differential diagnosis of attentional problems and RD that differs from these conventional approaches. The new diagnostic procedure uses intraindividual differences seen in the performance of at-risk learners on tasks related to reading that vary in their sensitivity to the sustained attention required for successful performance. The hypothesis is that children with inconsistent attention would perform more poorly on tests that require sustained attention, such as listening comprehension, than on tests that are more tolerant of inattention, such as reading comprehension. Such differences would not be seen in the test scores of children who have only RD, because their performance is determined more by the difficulty level of the reading tests than by the degree of sensitivity of the task to attention. The validity of this new model was evaluated by determining the capability of the differences seen in the scores of tests that differ in their sensitivity to sustained attention to predict the degree of inconsistency in sustained attention as measured by a continuous performance test. The data obtained from 39 children who are at risk for RD suggest that this is a viable model.     

Predicting reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts among Hebrew-speaking readers with and without a reading disability

The aim of this study was to investigate which cognitive and reading-related linguistic skills contribute to reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts. The study examined an Israeli national database of Hebrew-speaking readers in fourth grade, from which a subsample of 190 readers with a reading disability (RD) and 190 readers with no reading disability (NRD) was selected. IQ, text reading, reading comprehension, and various linguistic and cognitive skills were assessed. Structural equation modeling results suggested that both groups rely on lower level processes such as text reading accuracy and orthographic knowledge for reading comprehension of both genres. However, RD readers depend more heavily upon these lower level processes compared with NRD for whom higher level processes contribute more to reading comprehension. The various variables accounted for only 25-34% of reading comprehension variance, and possible explanations are discussed. Taken together, these findings highlight the variety of factors influencing reading comprehension and its multidimensional nature.     

Basic research in speech and lateralization of language: Some implications for reading disability

Basic research in speech and the lateralization of language is shown to illuminate the problems of reading and some of its disabilities. First, it is pointed out how speech, or language for the ear, differs markedly from reading, or language for the eye. Though the sounds of speech are a very complex code and the optical shapes of written language are a simple cipher or alphabet on the phonemes, we all perceive speech easily but read only with difficulty. Perceiving speech is easy because, as members of the human race, we all have access to a special physiological apparatus that decodes the complex speech signal and recovers the segmentation of the linguistic message. Reading is hard because the phonemic segmentation, which is automatic and intuitive in the case of speech, must be made fully conscious and explicit. The syllabic method supplemented by phonics (used with certain reservations) is suggested for remediation of segmentation problems. Second, it is posited that since the sounds of speech are processed differently from non-speech sounds, the two should not be diagnosed and remediated interchangeably. Third, it is shown that the relationships among cerebral lateralization for language, handedness and poor reading can now be studied more meaningfully because of the recent development of new techniques. A truism often heard in the opening lecture of graduate classes in education is that we have few answers to the problems that beset us, only questions. In the field of reading, the difficulty may be owing at least in part to our impatient attempts to find immediate solutions for the teacher and the student in the classroom, and our consequent neglect of basic research. I should like to suggest today how knowledge of basic research in related disciplines may lead to clues for improving beginning reading instruction and the lot of the disabled reader—if only by affording us a deeper understanding of the reading process. Paper based on a talk given at the Twenty-first Annual Conference of The Orton Society, Washington, D.C., November 14, 1970.     

关于高等教育改革与发展几个问题的思考

21世纪的高等教育要适应社会经济的变革与发展 ,顺利实现大众化教育的发展目标 ,必须全面推进素质教育 ,不断深化教育教学改革 ,强化师资队伍建设 ,注意解决高校连续扩招给高等教育可持续发展带来的一系列问题 ,以培养学生的创新精神和实践能力为出发点 ,通过教育创新实现创新教育 ,培养和造就高素质的创造性人才     

我国重点农业大学发展战略思考

高等教育的一个基本特征是它的专业性。“专业是指根据学科分类和社会职业分工需要分门别类进行高深而专门知识的教与学活动的基本单位”。所以,高等教育被界定为培养高级专门人才的教育。但高等教育的另一个重要特征是它的普通性。普通教育(GeneralEducation)也就是通常所说的通识教育。通识教育就是在大学阶段对学生进行共同科目课程的教育。其目的是使大学生具备基本思维能力、社会适应能力、价值判断能力,培养可持续发展人才。通识教育突出人文精神。大学生通过人文课程的学习,接受人文精神的熏陶,通晓一般性的知识,形成进一步提高和广…     

Skills development for the knowledge economy in Asia: Some conclusions from the OECD experience

The development of a knowledge-based economy relies greatly on developing the skills and education needed for inclusive and sustainable development so that growth will reach all parts of the society. Addressing skills development for all is challenging for all OECD countries; Asian economies are working towards developing integrated pathways of skills and employment. This paper addresses some key aspects of skills development in OECD countries through a case study of small and medium enterprises as a key sector in both OECD and Asian economies. It extracts some lessons from this analysis that apply to the unique nature of skills development in Asia.     

关于学校事业发展规划的若干思考

２０００年３月，华东师范大学第十次党代会确定了学校中长期奋斗目标：“坚持社会主义方向，经过不懈努力，把华东师范大学建设成为拥有若干一流学科，多学科高水平协调发展，教师教育领先的综合性研究型大学。”这标志着华东师范大学进入一个新的发展阶段。在学校发展目标指导下，制定学校的事业发展规划，特别是“十五”事业发展计划，成为凝聚学校人心、开拓奋进的关键之举。以下是我们在凝炼学校发展目标，制定学校发展规划过程中的一些心得和体会。一、发展规划在学校发展中的重要性和必要性（一）制定学校发展规划的重要性和必要性学…     

Socio-cultural variation in reading comprehension development among fifth graders in Peru

In this study, the socio-cultural variation in reading comprehension development was examined in 331 fifth graders from schools in Lima, Peru. Reading comprehension was measured using an adaptation of the PIRLS Reading Literacy test. The fifth graders?? reading comprehension results, measured over the course of fifth grade, were related to the development of word decoding, vocabulary, and motivation for reading. Children??s development in these domains was related to their gender, intellectual maturity, home literacy climate, and socio-economic status. Structural Equation Modelling showed that the development of reading comprehension was influenced by the children??s ability to decode words, their vocabulary, and reading motivation. Furthermore, gender and intellectual maturity as well as children??s home literacy climate and socio-economic status appeared to substantially predict reading comprehension development, directly or indirectly. More than half of the variance in reading comprehension by the end of the fifth grade could be explained based on these predictor variables.     

Antecedents to reading disability: Preschool language development and literacy experiences of children from dyslexic families

In a longitudinal study of the relation between preschool development and later reading abilities, children with dyslexic parents and/or older siblings were compared to children with no family incidence of dyslexia. Many children from dyslexic families developed reading problems by the end of the second grade, and these poor readers were characterized chiefly by weaker early syntactic and phonological skills and by less frequent exposure to books during their preschool years than the preschoolers who became normal readers. Some implications of the results for etiological theories of dyslexia are discussed.     

关于我国研究型大学发展规划的战略思考

江泽民同志在“十六大”报告中指出，２１世纪头２０年对我国来说，是一个必须紧紧抓住并且可以大有作为的重要战略机遇期。江泽民同志的讲话对指导我国高等教育今后的发展具有重大的战略意义。随着我国现代化事业的蓬勃进展和高等教育大众化趋势的来临，中国的高等教育已进入一个前所未有的快速发展时期。当前，我国高等学校尤其是研究型大学，要抓住机遇，追赶世界科技和高等教育发展的潮流，同时更好地为我国全面建设小康社会服务，就必须积极探讨发展的新思路，采取有力的新举措，拓展开放的新局面，推进改革的新突破。为此，我国研究型…     

Examining agreement and longitudinal stability among traditional and RTI-based definitions of reading disability using the affected-status agreement statistic

Rates of agreement among alternative definitions of reading disability and their 1- and 2-year stabilities were examined using a new measure of agreement, the affected-status agreement statistic. Participants were 288,114 first through third grade students. Reading measures were Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency, and six levels of severity of poor reading were examined (25th, 20th, 15th, 10th, 5th, and 3rd percentile ranks). Four definitions were compared, including traditional unexpected low achievement and three response-to-intervention-based definitions: low achievement, low growth, and dual discrepancy. Rates of agreement were variable but only poor to moderate overall, with poorest agreement between unexpected low achievement and the other definitions. Longitudinal stability was poor, with poorest stability for the low growth definition. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

影响电大英语专业学生英语阅读能力发展的因素分析

本通过对外部因素和内部因素，即通过对阅读模式、传统教学模式、评价导向、材料选择以及学生的阅读准备、认知方式、阅读策略、阅读动机等方面因素进行分析，意在找出影响电大学生阅读能力发展的原因，从而为改变阅读教学低效学生阅读能力低下的状况提供一定参考。     

高等职业技术教育与区域经济协调互动发展的思考

在国家加强宏观调控下,我国经济发展格局将日趋区域化、地方化.发展区域经济,一方面必然要求本地区的高等教育为其提供人才和智力支持;另一方面,高等学校也要求地方为其发展提供支持.因此,必须建立与区域经济发展相适应的地方高等教育体系.     

The intersection of cognitive and sociocultural factors in the development of reading comprehension among immigrant students

The present paper synthesizes the international research literature on the educational achievement of immigrant and minority language students by articulating three propositions for which there is strong empirical evidence: (a) print access and literacy engagement play a key role in promoting reading comprehension; (b) the development of bilingual students?? L1 proficiency plays a positive role in L2 academic development; and (c) societal power relations play a direct causal role in promoting school failure among students from subordinated communities. This interpretation of the empirical evidence is contrasted with the conclusions of recent North American and European reviews. For example, the comprehensive review of literacy development among minority students conducted in the United States by the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth acknowledged the legitimacy of bilingual education as a policy option but said very little about the role of literacy engagement in promoting reading comprehension. By contrast, various reports of the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) highlighted the importance of reading engagement for reading achievement but discounted bilingual education as a feasible or realistic policy option. The instructional implications of the present review include the need for educators to promote print access and literacy engagement, teach for cross-lingual transfer, and affirm students?? identities in classroom interactions.     

中国影视文化中帝王题材剧盛行现状之我见

文章对古装帝王剧盛行的现状进行了思考,认为帝王剧一味地赞美帝王权术,不去挖掘封建君主制度没落的根源,不利于法制社会的建设.作者认为影视文学创作应正视当今社会矛盾问题,在实现其娱乐性的同时,要充分体现它的教育性和具有励志作用.