Reading development in European Portuguese: relationships between oral reading fluency,vocabulary and reading comprehension

This study investigated direct and indirect effects between oral reading fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension across reading development in European Portuguese. Participants were 329 children attending basic education, from grade 1 to grade 6. The results of path analyses showed that text reading fluency is much more dependent on the foundational skills of word recognition than reading comprehension, and the later, in turn, depends crucially on the specific constituent skill of text reading fluency. Text reading fluency has a significant influence on vocabulary from the beginning, but vocabulary contributed to reading comprehension only in more advanced grades. These results, obtained with an orthography of intermediate depth, are in line with the Simple View of Reading (SVR). However, they also highlight the importance of textual cues—besides the pivotal role of decoding—from the beginning of learning to read, which must be taken into account in the SVR.     

Strain-dependent sexual dimorphism in the extinction of conditioned taste aversion in mice

Sucrose aversions were induced by lithium chloride toxicosis in 9-week-old male and female mice of the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains. Under conditions of ad-lib access to fluids which required a long interval between the sucrose and toxicosis, the conditioned aversions were relatively weak when compared with the sucrose consumption of saline-injected controls. The aversions extinguished rapidly within all groups. Contrary to earlier reports in rats, no sexual dimorphism in extinction rate was observed in this paradigm. When a fluid-deprivation schedule was implemented in the conditioning procedure to shorten the interval between taste experience and toxicosis, strong aversions were noted; yet relatively fast extinction under ad-lib conditions occurred in all groups except male DBA/2J mice. No sexual dimorphism was observed in mice of the C57BL/6J genotype, even when two pairings between sucrose and toxicosis were administered.     

Professional currency among midcareer college faculty: Family and work factors

This study examined work and family factors that differentiate midcareer faculty members who were current from less current faculty with regard to the disciplinary knowledge base. The sample included 97 faculty (69 males, 28 females; 72 English, 25 Engineering) and their spouses. Cluster analyses of the work and family variables identified faculty subgroups within discipline. ANCOVAs showed a significant relationship between the clustered work-family profiles and levels of currency.Family differences: Current faculty and spouses reported spending more time on family-related responsibilities and experiencing greater stress from combined work-family responsibilities. Current Engineering faculty reported less flexibility in reallocating family responsibilities.Work differences: Faculty reported a greater commitment to their careers and to professional development: They reported higher scores on the Inner Work Standards scale; current English faculty read more professional journals and spent more time on research; current Engineering faculty spent more time on research and had more publications.     

What does better peer review look like? Underlying principles and recommendations for better practice

We conducted a literature review of best practice in peer review. Following this research, we identified five principles for better peer review: Content Integrity, Content Ethics, Fairness, Usefulness, and Timeliness. For each of these principles, we have developed a set of recommendations to improve peer review standards. In this article, we describe the role of peer review and how our five principles support that goal. This article is intended to continue the conversation about improving peer review standards and provide guidance to journal teams looking to improve their standards. It is accompanied by a detailed checklist, which could be used by journal teams to assess their current peer review standards.     

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational abuse: the long-term impact of a residential care program

OBJECTIVE: The number of youth in residential care programs who have been abused is high. The relationship between childhood abuse victimization and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) is well documented. This study compared the rates of IPV 16 years after individuals had participated in a long-term residential care program with individuals accepted to the program who did not participate. The IPV rates for these two groups were also compared to national normative data. METHOD: Information on adult functional outcomes was obtained from former residential care and comparison youth via a confidential survey that was administered either by telephone or by mail. Analysis was limited to respondents who were currently married or involved in a marriage-like relationship (n=131; 92% male). RESULTS: The IPV rates for the sample were 9.3% for those who stayed in the residential program less than 18 months and 6.5% for those who stayed more than 18 months, neither of which were significantly different from the national norm of 8.4%. The IPV rate for the comparison group was 26.1%, which was significantly higher than the national norm. Regardless of length of program stay, respondents who were maltreated in childhood had a 14.5% IPV rate, which was significantly lower than the estimated 36-42% rate projected for individuals with similar backgrounds. CONCLUSION: We conclude that time spent in a treatment-oriented residential care program was associated with lower adult IPV rates. Specifically, the skills taught in a long-term, treatment-based residential program (e.g., healthy interpersonal relationships, self-government) may have a long-term beneficial impact for adolescents at high risk of adult IPV.     

HIGH ASPIRATIONS BUT LOW PROGRESSION: THE SCIENCE ASPIRATIONS�CCAREERS PARADOX AMONGST MINORITY ETHNIC STUDENTS

Students’ interest in studying science and their aspirations to pursue science-related careers is a topic of global concern. In this paper, a set of data gathered for the initial phase of the 5-year study of Science Aspirations and Careers: Age 10–14 (the ASPIRES project) is presented. In the initial phase of this project, a questionnaire exploring students’ aspirations was developed, validated and trialled with nearly 300 primary school students. Principal component analyses and Cronbach’s alpha revealed that the questionnaire was comprised of a number of unidimensional components and that reliability was acceptable. Further multivariate analyses indicated that students’ aspirations in science were most strongly predicted by parental attitudes to science, attitudes towards school science, self-concept in science, images of scientists and engagement in science-related activities outside of school. Moreover, ‘Asian’ students appeared to exhibit a highly positive set of attitudes towards science and aspirations in science, particularly when compared with White students. Reasons for this observed difference are also explored.     

Investigating how the attributes of live theatre productions influence consumption choices using conjoint analysis: the example of the National Arts Festival,South Africa

While there is a fair amount of work on determinants of demand for the live performing arts, results have often been contradictory with little explanatory power. This may be because of the difficulty in describing the attributes of a performance, particularly in terms of its quality, and the heterogeneity of consumer preferences. This article uses conjoint analysis, also called choice experiments, to investigate the impact of the attributes of live theatre performances on demand, using data collected from 483 randomly chosen attenders at live theatre performances at the 2008 South African National Arts Festival. Attributes include the type of cast (professional, semi-professional or amateur), reputation of the producer/director, the context or setting, production type and ticket price of the show. Results largely support the a priori expectations based on the results of other demand studies. For example, it is found that the age of consumers affects the type of show chosen, that utility and willingness to pay increase for shows with professional and semi-professional casts and that 93% of the potential audience prefer shows with a South African context. It is concluded that the method could prove useful to both event organisers and policy makers, especially where the goal is to broaden access to the arts.

The relative effectiveness of lecturing,modeling, and role playing in training paraprofessional reading tutors

Three methods of training remedial reading tutors were compared. One group of college student volunteers heard lectures and received written handouts describing seven tutoring skills. Another group received the handouts and observed an expert model demonstrate the skills. A third group was given handouts, practiced the skills, and received feedback on performance. All groups attended eight half-hour training sessions. Data from videotaped tutoring tests indicated all groups made significant improvements in the target behaviors. The group that practiced the skills and received feedback made the greatest gains and was significantly better than the other two groups at the end of treatment. The demonstration group also was significantly better than the lecture group.