Models for Semiordered Data to Address Not Applicable Responses in Scale Measurement

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate unidimensional models that can handle semiordered data within scale items (i.e., items with multiple ordered response categories, and one additional nominal response category). We apply the models to scale data with not applicable (NA) responses to compare the model performance to conditions in which NA responses are treated as missing and ignored. We also conduct a small simulation study based on the operational study to evaluate the parameter recovery of the models under the operational conditions. Findings indicate that the proposed models show promise for (a) reducing standard errors of trait estimates for persons who select NA responses, (b) reducing nonresponse bias in trait estimates for persons who select NA responses, and (c) providing substantive information to practitioners about the nature of the relationship between NA selection and the trait of measurement.     

The National Literacy Strategy Sight Recognition Programme Implemented by Teaching Assistants: A precision teaching approach

In this study, teaching assistants (TAs) were trained to spend 4 min each day on a precision teaching programme with selected pupils, whose progress in word recognition was a cause for concern. Words were taken from “The National Literacy Strategy Framework for Schools”. The sessions were set up to be “fun” times. All the pupils made progress and the majority were also reported to have improved in self‐esteem and confidence. Junior boys particularly benefited from this stringently targeted regime with immediate feedback of results. Some had been displaying behaviour difficulties, and TAs also reported improved social performance and attendance rates.     

The role of university-based induction in beginning elementary teacher enactment of effective mathematics teaching

The purpose of this paper is to describe the school-based contextual constraints perceived by beginning elementary teachers as they attempted to enact their visions of effective mathematics teaching and the components of a mathematics-specific, university-based induction program designed to support elementary teachers in their teaching of mathematics. A significant number of beginning teachers in the program indicated that curriculum pacing guides and grade level teachers often discouraged their enactment of effective mathematics teaching. We describe the components of the induction program in general and then discuss the specific ways that program mentors, who were elementary teachers with expertise in mathematics teaching, supported beginning teachers in navigating the constraints identified. Data suggest that supporting teachers’ pedagogical agency to navigate local school contexts should be an additional consideration in teacher preparation and induction programs.     

Educational technology and the world wide web in the pacific islands

TechTrends - The United States and Japan are at the forefront of technological innovation, telecommunications and information management in the Pacific. This new era of “information”...     

The development of left-right decentration in four- to seven-year old children

The study tries to disentangle the processes of left-right discrimination on self and on other refrents. Ninety-six 4- to 7- year old children were individually given several situations requiring left-right discrimination on self and decentration. Three related tasks were also presented: a lateralization task, an orientation task and a projection task. A semi-structured interview was finally conducted in which children explained their comprehension of left-right discrimination. Body rotations were recorded in the various tasks and during the interview. Correct deictic gestures and a measure of the children’s reasoning in the interview were also obtained. With respect to left-right discrimination on self, it was hypothesized that this kind of knowledge is anchored in the body and related to the lateralization measure. With respect to decentration, a task analysis was conducted. It was predicted that orientation and projection tasks are simple tasks mastered before left-right decentration, a complex task into which the simple tasks have to be integrated. Decentration requiring the coordination of an invariant component and of the variant component of orientation was expected to be positively correlated with body rotations. Different methodological improvements referring to reliability and validity were also introduced into the different assessment procedures. Results are confronted with the Piagetian hypothesis of interiorization of overt action into representation. An alternative hypothesis is proposed: it ties together the constellation of results obtained in the present study, and in recent studies referring to children’s cognitive development and adult’s nonverbal behavior.     

Brief Research Report: The Message Behind Teacher Emotions

Abstract

We hypothesized that students use the message behind teacher emotions to interpret the cause of their failure and to form competence beliefs; hence, in failure situations teacher anger could be beneficial. In Experiment 1, participants made judgments about another student’s failure in the face of teacher pity versus anger. Lack of ability attributions were made and low competence was perceived, when pity was interpreted as the teacher attributed the failure to lack of ability. Lack of effort attributions were made when anger was interpreted as the teacher attributed the failure to lack of effort. Experiment 2 replicated and extended these findings by examining students responses to their own failure. Findings imply that expressing anger is less detrimental than many teachers suppose.     

Supporting the Narrative Development of Young Children

This article presents the developmental continuum of children’s storytelling skills and provides examples at each of five levels: labeling, listing, connecting, sequencing and narrating. The authors connect these developing narrative skills to communication, literacy and cognition. Strategies to facilitate development from one level to another are described.