"PRIME TIME": THE INTEGRATION OF THE CONTENT OF A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER COLUMN ON AGING INTO THE GERONTOLOGY CURRICULUM

This paper provides suggestions for the curricular introduction of materials from a weekly newspaper column on aging (or similar local or nationally syndicated newspaper column - for our purposes, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY) for a period of one year (October 5, 1997 to September 27, 1998). The study provides a content analysis of the column and presents numerous specific suggestions for the inclusion of its content into the curriculum, especially columns with course-related themes (e.g., medical problems, elder abuse, nutrition, and so forth) to show the relationship between theory and practice. In one exemplary activity, students wrote their own aging columns to develop their research and writing skills.     

Teachers' Questions and Responses during Teacher-Student Feedback Dialogues

In vocational education, students have to develop competences for reflection to self-regulate their development during their career. Students' reflection can be supported by teachers interacting with students and giving them prompts. In this study, 46 videotaped feedback dialogues of 23 teachers and their individual students were analysed. A total of 16 teachers participated in a training programme and 7 teachers formed a control group. The study aimed to investigate teachers' questions and responses and students' reactions, and the effects of the training programme. Analysis showed that, in the post-test, the trained group used a broader repertoire than the control group. The trained group, on average, used more hybrid prompts, deep reasoning questions, and prompt responses, which potentially stimulate students to elaborate and reflect.     

Early stages of proportional reasoning: a cross-sectional study with 5- to 9-year-olds

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The present study cross-sectionally investigated proportional reasoning abilities in 5- to 9-year-old children (n = 185) before they...     

Bias in dyslexia screening in a Dutch multicultural population

We set out to address the adequacy of dyslexia screening in Dutch and non-western immigrant children, using the Dutch Dyslexia Screening Test (DST-NL) and outcomes of the Dutch dyslexia protocol, both of which are susceptible to cultural bias. Using the protocol as standard, we conducted an ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristics) analysis in Dutch and immigrant third, fifth, and seventh graders, combining a cross-sectional and longitudinal design. Sensitivity and specificity increased with grade, but were non-significant for various subtests in the lowest grade, suggesting considerable non-convergence between the two measures. Effective subtests in all grades, presumably not strongly influenced by Cultural Background or Word Lexicon, were One-Minute Reading, Non-Word Reading, and Nonsense Passage Reading. In a multilevel analysis, cultural background, dyslexia diagnosis, parental education, and grade of first assessment were predictors of subtest performance. In a second analysis, Word Lexicon was added as a proxy of knowledge of the Dutch language and culture. After controlling for Word Lexicon, cultural background became significant for most subtests, suggesting the presence of cultural bias. Subtests assessing technical literacy, such as One-Minute-Reading, Non-Word-Reading, One-Minute-Writing, or Two-Minutes-Spelling, showed more convergence between the two assessments. Less-effective subtests were Naming Pictures, Backward Digit Span, and Verbal and Semantic Fluency. It is concluded that the DST-NL and the standard protocol do not show complete convergence, notably in the lower grades in the multilingual pupil group of our cohort, mainly because dyslexia and literacy difficulties are hard to disentangle.     

The validity and reliability of focus groups as a research method in adult education

The article examines the theory and practice of focus groups in adult education research. Three theoretical positions are described: radical hermeneutic, moderate interpretative and pragmatic realistic position trying to bridge the gap with positivist research. This last position has been chosen as the departure point for a further analysis of the focus group elements, which relate to validity and reliability. The research examines four European research projects in the field of adult education. The most important and surprising data are presented with reference to both socio-psychological and technical problems in the use of this method. The results highlight the importance and dynamics of all the elements discussed.