Development of oral reading fluency in children with speech or language impairments: a growth curve analysis

This longitudinal study used piece-wise growth curve analyses to examine growth patterns in oral reading fluency for 1,991 students with speech impairments (SI) or language impairments (LI) from first through third grade. The main finding of this study was that a diagnosis of SI or LI can have a detrimental and persistent effect on early reading skills. Results indicated differences between subgroups in growth trajectories that were evident in first grade. A large proportion of students with SI or LI did not meet grade-level reading fluency benchmarks. Overall students with SI showed better performance than students with LI. Reading fluency performance was negatively related to the persistence of the SI or LI; the lowest performing students were those originally identified with SI or LI whose diagnosis changed to a learning disability. The results underscore the need to identify, monitor, and address reading fluency difficulties early among students with SI or LI.     

Curriculum reform in a global context: a study of teachers in Jordan

The gap between the educational achievements of the comparatively wealthy and those living in poverty is widening world‐wide, with the associated threat to social cohesion. Twenty‐five years of curriculum reform has largely failed in its objective of providing quality, basic education for all. Arguing that successful innovation requires the participation of willing teachers, and associating this idea with the claim that schools are important for social cohesion, this study surveyed 500 Jordanian elementary teachers about their involvement in a programme of curriculum change and their desire to participate. Twelve key informants were interviewed. The reform has raised the qualifications of teachers and increased male teacher numbers but has neither raised overall standards nor improved truancy rates. Tight central control has failed to engage teachers’ allegiance to the changes. Officials blamed failures on schools; head teachers blamed parents, and teachers criticized a policy that left them mediating a curriculum that lacked relevance and failed to engage pupils.     

A multidimensional study of special education students' attitudes towards people with disabilities: a focus on deafness

This study explores the attitudes of future professionals working with students with disabilities towards four exceptionality groups: persons with deafness, with paralysis, with mental retardation (MR) and with delinquent behaviour, and specifically examines how deafness is perceived in comparison with the three other groups. Undergraduate students' (N=177) attitudes towards the four groups were tapped using a semantic differential scale referring to the cognitive, emotional and behavioural components of attitudes. Participants' degree of contact with people with disabilities was also reported. Results indicated that attitudes towards people with deafness were more positive than those towards the other three groups. Attitudes towards persons with paralysis were more positive than towards persons with MR and with delinquent behaviour, except when personality was considered. Emotional reactions and behavioural tendencies towards persons with delinquent behaviour were the most negative. Contact with people with disabilities had significant but low correlations with some aspects of the attitudes towards people with MR and paralysis. In general, the results of this study suggested that deafness was perceived as a physical disability and not as a social phenomenon. They also demonstrated that attitudes towards people with disabilities are a function of the particular disability condition and are multidimensional.     

Comorbid LD and ADHD in childhood: socioemotional and behavioural adjustment and parents’ positive and negative affect

The present study examined how vulnerability and protective factors at the individual level (child’s disabilities; patterns of attachment), and at the family level (fathers’/mothers’ affect), help explain differences in socioemotional and behavioural adjustment among children aged 8–12 years with comorbid learning disability (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or with typical development. Participants were 118 father–mother–child triads: 59 couples and children with comorbid LD/ADHD and 59 couples with typically developing children. Preliminary analyses indicated significant group differences on all children’s measures and on fathers’ and mothers’ affect measures. As hypothesised, findings showed the contribution of parents’ positive and negative affect to children’s adjustment, with differences for fathers’ versus mothers’ affect. Discussion focuses on understanding the unique value of fathers’ and mothers’ affect on children’s well‐adjusted functioning.     

The degree to which UAE primary science workbooks promote scientific inquiry

This research investigated Grades 5 and 6 science workbooks for the degree to which they promote scientific inquiry abilities, opportunities that students had to acquire these abilities and the obstacles hindering students from implementing them. A document review technique and a constant comparative method were applied sequentially. A total of 58 instigative logs were scrutinized. Findings revealed that while the activities allowed students to use appropriate techniques and tools to collect and interpret data, and use their inquiry abilities related to implement investigation plans, they did not allow students real opportunities to formulate questions, plan for simple investigations, write conclusions, or communicate investigations. A total of 15 Grade 5 and 6 science teachers were asked to report their perceptions of the students’ role in implementing identified abilities. A one‐way analysis of variance revealed that there was a significant difference between students who individually implemented the inquiry abilities and students who were supported by the teacher or by other students. Obstacles that hindered students from implementing identified inquiry abilities included teachers’ intensive supports, students’ limited background or skills, and materials and instrument shortages. The study concluded with recommendations for policy, practice, and future research.     

Information Thinness: Saudi Arabia

This article investigates the possibility that many users of the mobile phone communication apps communicate with one another but do not necessarily convey or receive any information, that is, anything that informs. A qualitative and quantitative investigation was carried out in Saudi Arabia, looking at how informative the messages were that Saudi society exchanged over mobile phone communication apps. The main finding was that a large number of the messages exchanged among Saudi users conveyed no actual information or only trivial information. In other words, with the increasing ease of digital communication, users may overuse technology merely to communicate for the sake of communication, with no interest in actually being informed by anything, thus suffering from “information thinness.”     

Assessing Anonymous Communication on the Internet: Policy Deliberations

Anonymous communication on the Internet offers new opportunities but has ill-understood risks. This article helps to ground the policy debates by examining some fundamental aspects of anonymous social behavior and current controversies over anonymous communications. It is a companion to the article in this issue, "Anonymous Communication Policies for the Internet: Results and Recommendations of the AAAS Conference." It examines the social character of anonymous communication and the ways that anonymous communication has played important roles for professionals such as journalists and the police. It also explains some of the new technological supports for anonymous communication on the Internet. The openness, decentralization, and transnational character of the Internet challenge the efficacy of traditional control mechanisms and have raised issues related to accountability, law enforcement, security and privacy, governmental empowerment, and e-commerce. Yet, to ban or restrict all anonymous communication online because of the harms it could bring would deny its benefits to those people who may legitimately gain from it. This article helps to understand how to balance these positions.     

Computer‐assisted Social Skills Learning for Adolescents with Mild Retardation and Social Difficulties

The aim of this study was to evaluate an intervention model for computer‐assisted social skills learning. The integration of technology enables experimentations within a controlled, structured, and easily changeable mini‐environment, emphasising four critical aspects of social learning: active learning, controlled and fluent processing, structure and schema organization and strategy training. Twelve adolescents with mild retardation and social difficulties were trained on “I Have a Problem” social conflict scenarios, integrating the software with strategy training. The results demonstrated that the children increased their understanding of the social conflict situations as expressed on the software measures and on paper and pencil questionnaires. Three case studies were provided to demonstrate the students’ individual learning styles, assessed through students’ reports and teachers’ ratings.     

MEASUREMENT OF UNIVERSITY OUTPUT: MODEL AND CASE STUDY

A model for measuring output of university departments is developed. The model includes teaching, research and other activities. The weighting factors for each activity is given. The model is applied to the departments of the College of Commerce of Kuwait University. Discussions and recommendations are presented.