Dynamic prediction characteristics of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory

OBJECTIVES: Risk measures are commonly used to evaluate outcomes in child abuse prevention and intervention programs. This study examined whether pre-intervention to post-intervention changes on the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) Abuse Scale corresponded to actual changes in risk for future reports of maltreatment and evaluated the validity of several algorithms for classifying clinically significant change. METHOD: Participants in the study were 459 parents participating in any one of 27 community-based family preservation and family support programs. Most parents were low-income mothers with a variety of social risk indicators, about a third of whom would be classified as high-risk by the CAP Abuse Scale. Participants were administered the CAP at program enrollment, then at completion of the intervention (median time=150 days), then followed for an average of approximately 2 years for future official maltreatment reports. Dynamic predictive validity of the CAP Abuse Scale was modeled by comparing survival models using a time-dependent structure of pre- and post-intervention scores to identically structured models using only a pre-intervention score. RESULTS: Pre-intervention CAP Abuse Scale scores demonstrated incremental future predictive validity. However, score changes failed to correspond to changes in likelihood of future abuse. Models using pre-intervention scores only were more predictive than time-dependent score models, and pre-intervention scores were better predictors than post-intervention scores of post-intervention CPS referrals. Common algorithms for classifying clinically significant change yielded results that could be counter-intuitive and misleading. For example, participants classified as improved on these algorithms were actually at similar or even higher risk than those classified as unchanged or worse. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly supported the static predictive validity of the CAP and the use of the CAP for screening purposes. The results did not support the dynamic predictive validity of the CAP. Results of exploratory analyses suggested the possibility that the changes observed on the CAP Abuse Scale reflected changes in subscales assessing subjective distress or parenting attitudes, which may be markers for initial risk but when changed, do not necessarily translate into actual changes in future maltreatment behavior. Although replication and extension are needed before drawing firm conclusions, the current study raises questions about the common practice of using risk instruments as proxy measures for child maltreatment risk in intervention and prevention programs.     

(In)validation and (mis)recognition in higher education: the experiences of students from refugee backgrounds

Students from refugee backgrounds face unique challenges within higher education. This article reports analysis from a systematic review of qualitative research which aimed to explore these students’ experiences. Four databases were searched, inclusion/exclusion criteria applied and the remaining studies subjected to a quality assessment, leaving eight studies. The research adopted meta-ethnography as a method of data synthesis. An overarching theme of invalidation was identified within our synthesis of the research literature. We express this as a line-of-argument synthesis comprising seven metaphors, which aim to illustrate the ways in which refugee-background students’ higher education experiences can be understood as (largely) invalidating. Drawing on a range of literature, we argue that despite education’s potential for being an egalitarian, empowering and validating environment, the experiences documented in the research literature are conceptualised as relationally inegalitarian and an instance of ‘misrecognition’ of a group of students. This misrecognition appears to occur within and across the various micro, meso and macro social systems in which the students are situated. The implications of these findings for education are discussed.     

An Aboriginal way towards curriculum reconciliation

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces the context and design of an institutional educational development grants program, Jindaola, which reflects an Aboriginal way towards reconciling Indigenous and non-Indigenous Knowledges in the Australian higher education curriculum. The program is unique in two ways: it foregrounds the voice of Aboriginal local Knowledge Holders in the design and implementation of the program; and, rather than focussing on embedding predefined ‘packages’ of Indigenous Knowledges and pedagogies into curricula, the approach adheres to Aboriginal methods for conducting business and maintaining knowledge integrity, by taking interdisciplinary teams of academics on a journey towards what we are calling ‘curriculum reconciliation’.     

Education and training for the third age in the UK: A preliminary report from the Carnegie Inquiry

The paper reports on a British study of education and training for older adults, being carried out as part of a major social investigation, the Carnegie Inquiry into the Third Age. The paper will present a brief factual overview of participation by older adults in education and training of all kinds; identify the primary issues which have emerged from work with student groups around the country, including the main perceived obstacles to actual and potential students; define a policy agenda; and put forward some initial policy proposals. It will include some discussion of the issue of quality and cost-effectiveness in relation to the education of older adults. Finally, specific reference will be made to instances of good practice, amongst employers or educational providers.

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Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel wird eine Studie über Bildung und Fortbildung für ältere Menschen vorgestellt. Sie wird als Teil einer wichtigen sozialen Untersuchung, der Carnegie Untersuchung über das Seniorenalter durchgeführt. Es wird ein kurzer sachlicher Überblick über die Beteiligung älterer Menschen an Bildung und Fortbildung jeglicher Art gegeben und Grundthemen identifiziert, die sich aus der Arbeit mit Studentengruppen im ganzen Land ergeben haben sowie die wesentlichen auftretenden Schwierigkeiten der gegenwärtigen und potentiellen Studenten. Außerdem werden Richtlinien einer zukünftigen Politik aufgestellt und erste Schritte zur Durchführung dieser Politik eingeleitet. Eingeschlossen sind Diskussionen über Qualität und Kosteneffektivität in Bezug auf Bildung für Senioren. Zum Schluß wird auf bestimmte Beispiele guter Bedingungen bei Arbeitgebern oder Bildungsanbietern hingewiesen.

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Résumé Cet article rend compte d'une étude britannique sur l'éducation et la formation des personnes âgées qui fait partie d'une investigation sociale importante, l'enquête Carnegie sur le troisième âge. L'article présente un sommaire des données sur la participation des personnes âgées à tous les genres d'éducation et de formation; il identifie les questions principales — y compris les plus gros obstacles perçus par les étudiants actuels et potentiels — qui résultent des contacts entamés avec des groupes d'étudiants de toute région du pays; il définit les grandes lignes d'une politique; et il propose des premiers pas à prendre pour réaliser cette politique. Il s'adresse également à la question de la qualité et de la rentabilité en ce qui concerne l'éducation des personnes âgées. Finalement, il se réfère à des exemples spécifiques d'une bonne pratique parmi les employeurs et les organismes éducatifs.

     

Early manual communication in relation to the deaf child's intellectual, social, and communicative functioning

The basic impoverishment of deafness is not lack of hearing but lack of language. To illustrate this, we have only to compare a 4-year-old hearing child, with a working vocabulary of between 2,000 and 3,000 words, to a child of the same age, profoundly deaf since infancy, who may have only a few words at his command. Even more important than vocabulary level, however, is the child's ability to use his language for expressing ideas, needs, and feelings. By the age of 4 years, the hearing child in all cultures has already grasped the rules of grammar syntax that enable him or her to combine words in meaningful ways.     

Instrument Development and Validation of the Infant and Toddler Assessment for Quality Improvement

Research Findings: There is a growing need for accurate and efficient measures of classroom quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Observational measures are costly, as their administration generally takes 3–5 hr per classroom. This article outlines the process of development and preliminary concurrent validity testing of the Assessment for Quality Improvement (AQI), a new measure of global quality. The AQI is a classroom-level measure of structural and process quality. It consists of 24 items on a 5-point scale designed for use in ECEC infant and toddler classrooms. At between 60 and 90 min per room, the AQI is a relatively efficient measure. Item response theory modeling was used to ensure logical and coherent ordering of subitems. Exploratory factor analysis supported the use of the AQI total score and the Interactions section as a stand-alone measure. Correlations between the Infant and Toddler versions of the AQI and the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale–Revised were moderate, providing preliminary support for the concurrent validity of both versions. Practice or Policy: Our results suggest that the AQI is a promising, efficient measure of global quality in infant and toddler ECEC environments. This may be especially relevant for Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, for which the observational component is a major cost driver.     

Parents' attitudes to inclusion of their children with special needs

This study investigated the attitudes of 354 Australian parents who have a child with a disability and who attends a state school in Queensland. The types of disability of the children were broadly in accordance with accepted prevalence figures, except for a greater number reported as having autistic spectrum disorder and fewer students with a learning difficulty/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The children were in a range of classes, from special schools to schools where there was in-class help from a special teacher or teacher aide. Many of the parents favoured inclusion, some would if additional resources were provided, and a small group of parents favoured special placement. There were a limited number of negative attitudes to inclusion reported by the parents, and though some parents thought that some need existed for in-service education about inclusion, this was not a widespread view.     

Interpersonal Consulting Skills for Instructional Technology Consultants: a Multiple Case Study

Building a trust-based relationship with faculty is one of the most important attributes of effective Instructional Technology Consultants (ITC) in order to integrate emerging technologies into higher education. Utilizing a multiple case study research design, four experienced ITCs at a large urban research university located in the Midwest showed that interpersonal skills are crucial when consulting with faculty on course design, technology integration, and teaching. By applying eight interpersonal consulting skills (active listening, paraphrasing, summarizing, open questioning, closed questioning, explaining concepts, explaining procedures, and informal conversation), ITCs developed trust-based relationships with faculty and generated an atmosphere conducive to change. While research on interpersonal skills is limited in the field of Instructional Design (ID), other fields, such as counseling or medicine, offer promising methods and results for teaching these skills. This article concludes with a presentation of methods for teaching interpersonal skills in counseling and medical preparation programs that could be adopted in the Instructional Design curricula.     

Academic status of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in public schools: student, home, and service facilitators and detractors

We examined facilitators and detractors of academic success of 25 deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) students selected from a pool of 187 students attending general education classes and enrolled in a study of academic progress. Interviews with their teachers of DHH, general education teachers, principals, parents, interpreters, and students themselves were analyzed for child, family, and school facilitators and detractors of academic status. Facilitators included student self-advocacy and motivation, high family and school expectations, families' ability to help with homework, and good communication between professionals. Detractors included additional disabilities and poor family-school communication. A comparison of above- and below-average students revealed no single distinguishing facilitator or detractor. Each above-average student had many facilitators, whereas each below-average student had several significant detractors.