Increasing young children's contact with print during shared reading: longitudinal effects on literacy achievement

Longitudinal results for a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) assessing the impact of increasing preschoolers' attention to print during reading are reported. Four-year-old children (N = 550) in 85 classrooms experienced a 30-week shared reading program implemented by their teachers. Children in experimental classrooms experienced shared-book readings 2 or 4 times per week during which their teachers verbally and nonverbally referenced print. Children in comparison classrooms experienced their teachers' typical book reading style. Longitudinal results (n = 356, 366) showed that use of print references had significant impacts on children's early literacy skills (reading, spelling, comprehension) for 2 years following the RCT's conclusion. Results indicate a causal relation between early print knowledge and later literacy skills and have important implications concerning the primary prevention of reading difficulties.     

Improving publication: advice for busy higher education academics

A major challenge for higher education academics is to research and publish when faced with substantial teaching responsibilities, higher student numbers, and higher output expectations. The focus of this piece is to encourage publication more generally by educators, and to build publication capacity, which academic developers can facilitate. The author’s experience as a busy social work educator highlights the potential for educators in such fields as teacher-training, nursing, medicine and other professional disciplines, to make better use of their daily work material in publication.     

Longitudinal pathways to competence and psychological adjustment among African American children living in rural single-parent households

A three-wave model linking maternal functioning to child competence and psychological adjustment was tested with 150 African American families living in the rural South. The children were 11 years old at Wave 1. Structural equation modeling indicated that maternal education and per capita income were linked with maternal psychological functioning (self-esteem, optimism, depression) at Wave 1, which forecast mothers' competence-promoting parenting 1 year later at Wave 2. Competence-promoting parenting forecast child cognitive competence, social competence, and psychological adjustment 1 year later at Wave 3, indirectly through child self-regulation. The data were reanalyzed controlling for Wave 1 child competence and adjustment. All paths remained significant, indicating that the model accounted for change in child competence and adjustment across 2 years.     

The relationship between student engagement with online content and achievement in a blended learning anatomy course

Blended learning has become increasingly common in higher education. Recent findings suggest that blended learning achieves better student outcomes than traditional face‐to‐face teaching in gross anatomy courses. While face‐to‐face content is perceived as important to learning there is less evidence for the significance of online content in improving student outcomes. Students enrolled in a second‐year anatomy course from the physiotherapy (PT), exercise physiology (EP), and exercise science (ES) programs across two campuses were included (n = 500). A structural equation model was used to evaluate the relationship of prior student ability (represented by grade in prerequisite anatomy course) and final course grade and whether the relationship was mediated by program, campus or engagement with the online elements of the learning management system (LMS; proportion of documents and video segments viewed and number of interactions with discussion forums). PT students obtained higher grades and were more likely to engage with online course materials than EP and ES students. Prerequisite grade made a direct contribution to course final grade (P < 0.001) but was also mediated by engagement with LMS videos and discussion forums (P < 0.001). Student learning outcomes in a blended anatomy course can be predicted the by level of engagement with online content. Anat Sci Educ 11: 471–477. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

How socioeconomic status,executive functioning and verbal interactions contribute to early academic achievement in Chinese children

The present study investigated the relative importance of executive functioning, parent–child verbal interactions, phonological awareness and visual skills on reading and mathematics for Chinese children from low-versus middle-socio economic status (SES) backgrounds. A total of 199 kindergarten children were assessed on executive functioning, verbal interactions, phonological awareness, visual skills, mathematics and word reading in Chinese and English. Results revealed that low-SES children exhibited lower levels of cognitive-linguistic skills, verbal interactions, reading and mathematics achievement than their middle-SES counterparts. Path analyses also indicated that executive functioning and verbal interactions made significant and direct contributions to mathematics, and indirect contributions to reading through phonological awareness. These results suggest that executive functioning and verbal interactions provide the foundation for phonological awareness and visual skills, which in turn affect reading and mathematics achievement. Overall, findings underscore the potential importance of SES inequalities, cognitive-linguistic skills and parental verbal input to their children for early reading and mathematics achievement.     

Toward theories of partnership praxis: an analysis of interpretive framing in literature on students as partners in teaching and learning

ABSTRACT

A body of literature on students as partners (SaP) in higher education has emerged over the last decade that documents, shares, and evaluates SaP approaches. As is typical in emerging fields of inquiry, scholars differ regarding how they see the relationship between the developments in SaP practices and the theoretical explanations that guide, illuminate, and situate such practices. In this article we explore the relationship between theory and practice in SaP work through an analysis of interpretive framing employed in scholarship of SaP in teaching and learning in higher education. Through a conceptual review of selected publications, we describe three ways of framing partnership that represent distinct but related analytical approaches: building on concepts; drawing on constructs; and imagining through metaphors. We both affirm the expansive and creative theorising in scholarship of SaP in university teaching and learning and encourage further deliberate use and thoughtful development of interpretive framings that take seriously the disruptive ethos and messy human relational processes of partnership. We argue that these developmental processes move us toward formulating theories of partnership praxis.     

“Maybe I can teach those kids.” The influence of contextual factors on student teachers’ efficacy beliefs

This study investigated student teachers’ efficacy beliefs, collective teacher efficacy beliefs, and perceived cooperating teachers’ efficacy beliefs. These student teacher beliefs were examined with the focus on context, primarily the school setting (i.e., rural, suburban, and urban), to determine whether setting played a role in the development of the student teachers’ efficacy beliefs. The research participants included 102 student teachers. All three setting groups exhibited significant increases in teachers’ sense of efficacy following student teaching. Urban student teachers exhibited significantly lower perceived collective efficacy. Perceived cooperating teachers’ efficacy was predictive of and positively related to the student teachers’ post-TSES scores.     

Screening of field pea （Pisum sativum） selections for their reactions to root-knot nematode （Meloidogyne incognita）

INTRODUCTION Fieldpea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the im-portant pulse crops of the world and is cultivated over 5.9 million hectares with a production of about 11.7 million tons (Singh, 1983). In India it is grown over 0.7 million hectares yielding about 0.6 million tons (Singh, 1983). Among various obstacles in cultivating this crop, root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood has been reported to cause severe yield losses of up to 20%~33% (Upadhyay and Dwiv…     

A systematic review on test anxiety in children and young people with learning difficulties

This systematic review explores test anxiety in children and young people (CYP) with learning difficulties. Research has found that students with learning difficulties experience higher levels of anxiety about school compared to peers without learning difficulties. One area of school that has had little research is test anxiety, therefore further exploration is needed. Nine papers resulted from the systematic search. It was found that CYP with learning difficulties can experience test anxiety. There are a variety of internal and external factors which have an interactional relationship with test anxiety. A model was developed to illustrate these factors including characteristics of tests, perceptions of support, self-belief and cognition and learning skills. This can be used to explore potential reasons for test anxiety in CYP with learning difficulties and to provide subsequent support.