A comparison of workshop training versus intensive,experiential training for improving behavior support skills in early educators

Effective behavior support is an important component of high-quality and nurturing early childhood classroom settings. At present, there are few studies that investigate the best way to train and support teachers in these strategies. The present study compared two different training approaches: (1) a workshop that included a one-day classroom-based training that introduced effective preventative and behavior support strategies followed by school year behavioral consultation support; or (2) an intensive condition that included the one-day workshop plus four days of experiential learning and practice in a preschool classroom followed by school year behavioral consultation support. Eighty-eight teachers/aides were randomly assigned to one of the two training conditions, and training occurred in August before the commencement of the school year. Results indicated that on observations of effective behavioral management and instructional learning formats, teachers in the intensive condition were improved proximally, with effects waning over time. For measures of teacher use of praise, the intensive group maintained the improved rate throughout the school year relative to the workshop group. Rates of commands and observations of classroom productivity were not different between groups. Teachers were satisfied with both approaches to training.     

“I still go ask someone I enjoy talking to”: The use of digital and human sources by educational stage and context

How does educational stage affect the way people find information? In previous research using the Digital Visitors & Residents (V&R) framework for semi-structured interviews, context was a factor in how individuals behaved. This study of 145 online, open-ended surveys examines the impact that one's V&R educational stage has on the likelihood of attending to digital and human sources across four contexts. These contexts vary according to whether the search was professional or personal and successful or struggled. The impact of educational stage differs based on context. In some contexts, people at higher educational stages are more likely to attend to digital sources and less likely to attend to human sources. In other contexts, there is no statistically significant difference (p < 0.10) among educational stages. These findings provide support for previous V&R research, while also demonstrating that online surveys can be used to supplement and balance the data collected from semi-structured interviews.     

Profile analysis of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children,Second Edition,with African American and Caucasian preschool children

This study used profile analysis to investigate the interpretability of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC‐II), in terms of the Cattell‐Horn‐Carroll (CHC) theory among ethnically diverse preschool children. Forty‐nine African American and 49 Caucasian preschool children from a Midwestern city were included in the study and were matched for age, sex, and level of parental education. The profile analysis examining CHC broad abilities showed that the African American and Caucasian preschool children had similar patterns of highs and lows and performed at the same level with no significant difference between the two groups in their overall mean IQ. Profile analysis of the KABC‐II subtests found that although the African American and Caucasian groups performed overall at a similar level, they did not show the same pattern of highs and lows in subtest performance. Specifically, Caucasian preschoolers scored significantly higher than their African American counterparts on the Expressive Vocabulary subtest. Overall, the two groups displayed remarkably similar performance on the KABC‐II. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Purpose Among Youth From Low-Income Backgrounds: A Mixed Methods Investigation

Theoretical and empirical research lead to conflicting perspectives on whether youth from low-income backgrounds are likely to have access to lives of purpose. To explore this issue, this study used data collected during the 2016–2017 academic year from a sample of Southern California youth. Findings suggest (a) youth from low-income communities are as likely as youth from middle-income communities to report leading lives of purpose; (b) purpose among low-income youth is associated with many of the same indicators of positive development as it is among middle-income youth; and (c) youth from low-income backgrounds encounter personal hardships that, in the presence of familial support and other developmental assets, can inspire purpose. Implications for purpose-fostering interventions among low-income youth are discussed.     

Children Learn From Both Embodied and Passive Pretense: A Replication and Extension

Research suggests that children can learn new information via pretense. However, a fundamental problem with existing studies is that children are passive receivers of the pretense rather than active, engaged participants. This preregistered study replicates previous learning from pretense findings (Sutherland & Friedman, 2012, Child Development), in which children are passive observers of pretense, and extends to two additional conditions that require children to partially (with puppets) or fully (with costumes) embody a character. Children (N = 144, 24–79 months) learned equally well, and better than those in the control condition, from all three play scenarios. At a 2-week follow-up, learning was equally retained across embodiment conditions for older, but not younger, preschoolers. Future research should consider embodiment’s role for more complex material.     

Patterns of Early Reading and Social Skills Associated With Academic Success in Elementary School

Research Findings: Researchers and policymakers emphasize that early childhood is a critical developmental stage with the potential to impact academic and social-emotional outcomes (G. Conti &; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Conti , G. , &; Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The economics of child well-being (No. w18466) . Washington , DC : National Bureau of Economic Research .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; J. J. Heckman, 2012 Heckman , J. J. ( 2012 ). The case for investing in young children . In B. Falk (Ed.), Defending childhood: Keeping the promise of early education (pp. 235 – 242 ). New York , NY : Teachers College Press . [Google Scholar]; R. Murnane, I. Sawhill, &; C. Snow, 2012 Murnane , R. , Sawhill , I. , &; Snow , C. ( 2012 ). Literacy challenges for the twenty-first century: Introducing the issue . The Future of Children , 22 ( 2 ), 3 – 15 .[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). Although there is substantial evidence that children's early prereading skills predict later academic achievement (K. M. La Paro &; R. C. Pianta, 2000 La Paro , K. M. , &; Pianta , R. C. ( 2000 ). Predicting children's competence in the early school years: A meta-analytic review . Review of Educational Research , 70 , 443 – 484 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), there have been mixed findings regarding the contribution of early social skills to later achievement (e.g., G. J. Duncan et al., 2007 Duncan , G. J. , Dowsett , C. J. , Claessens , A. , Magnuson , K. , Huston , A. C. , Klebanov , P. , … Brooks-Gunn , J. ( 2007 ). School readiness and later achievement . Developmental Psychology , 43 , 1428 – 1446 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Using data from the national Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort, we found that subgroups of children with a combination of low/average reading skills and higher levels of social skills (86% of the sample) in kindergarten performed better on later academic assessments than children with similar reading skills but lower levels of social skills during kindergarten. In contrast, children who were very strong early readers (14% of the sample), regardless of their level of social skills, performed similarly on the 5th-grade academic outcomes. Practice or Policy: Implications for early education and policy are discussed.     

Integrating evaluation data to enhance treatment planning for students with ASD

Accurate assessment across the various characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its comorbidities can help guide intervention planning. This introduction to the second issue of a double special issue on ASD assessment highlights assessment of various characteristics of and comorbidities with ASD to assist with treatment planning. For instance, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are two of the most common comorbidities with ASD. Educational, clinical, and medical interventions for individuals with ASD can vary based on the unique cognitive and additional mental health needs of the individual.     

Manipulating and Measuring Media Multitasking: Implications of Previous Research and Guidelines for Future Research

Media multitasking has been receiving increased attention from communication scholars as well as scholar in other fields, with studies focusing on the prevalence, predictors, behavior, and effects. Several recent papers have provided overviews of findings from media multitasking research, or provided frameworks to help researchers think about conceptual issues around multitasking. This article expands on those efforts by refining the methodological elements that are important to consider in media multitasking research. We discuss the validity of operationalizations in previous studies, and the impact that design and measures had on the conclusions drawn. In order to do this, we map the different options for manipulating and measuring media multitasking, discuss the implications, and provide guidelines for future research examining media multitasking to help connect disparate findings and provide additional guidance for researchers to move forward with this topic.