雪地里的脚印之谜

风那么冷,刮在琳恩的脸上如针刺般地疼。她爱雪,但是这样的大风雪却让人受不了。她转过身让风从背后刮来,然后把兜帽紧紧地裹住脸,这样也许会留住点热气。     

Expository text comprehension in secondary school: for which readers does knowledge of connectives contribute the most?

The present study examined whether knowledge of connectives contributes uniquely to expository text comprehension above and beyond reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive knowledge. Furthermore, it was examined whether this contribution differs for readers with different language backgrounds or readers who vary in reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge or metacognitive knowledge levels. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that knowledge of connectives explained individual differences in eighth graders' text comprehension (n = 171) on top of the variance accounted for by the control variables. Moreover, the contribution of knowledge of connectives to text comprehension depended on a reader's level of metacognitive knowledge: more metacognitive knowledge resulted in a larger association between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension. Reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge and language background did not interact with knowledge of connectives. Findings are interpreted in the context of the strategic use of connectives during expository text reading.

What is already known about this topic?

• Connectives (words such as moreover, because and although) help the reader in establishing coherence between text parts.
• In primary school, for fifth graders, knowledge of connectives has been shown to be uniquely related to English text comprehension controlling for reading fluency and general vocabulary knowledge.
• For fifth graders, the relationship between knowledge of connectives and English text comprehension was higher for English‐only students than for their peers who learned English as a second language.

What this paper adds:

• The present study found that knowledge of connectives also has a unique relation with Dutch expository text comprehension for eighth graders above and beyond reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive knowledge (about text structure and reading and writing strategies).
• The relationship between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension was not moderated by reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and language background (monolingual versus bilingual Dutch).
• Metacognitive knowledge did impact the relationship between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension: the higher the metacognitive knowledge, the higher the association between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension.

Implications for theory, policy or practice

• Secondary school readers are assumed to benefit from knowing connectives because these words are frequent in expository texts and signal relationships that students may often not infer without the help of these devices (i.e., with the use of background knowledge). This seems to apply in particular for expository texts that are intended to convey new information and relationships to students (see also Singer & O'Connell, 2003 ).
• We found a significant interaction between knowledge of connectives and metacognitive knowledge, which seems to indicate that knowing more connectives does not help much in improving expository text comprehension when metacognitive knowledge about text structure and reading strategies is low. This result suggests that it may be wise to couple instruction on the meaning of connectives with instruction about the structure of expository texts and ways to strategically deal with these texts.
• More specifically, besides instruction on the meaning of connectives, we advise teachers in secondary school to get students to understand the importance of connectives as markers of local and global coherence in texts, and to teach them how to strategically use connectives during reading.

     

Academic work, the Internet and U.S. college students

The aim of this study is to explore, based on a nationally representative sample, U.S. college students' uses of the Internet in their studies and their perceptions of academic life online, and changes in both perception and use since a 2002 report on the topic. Findings show that overall Internet use for academic purposes has increased. Students report generally positive opinions about the Internet's utility for academic work, but satisfaction with it for academic interactions may be on the decline.     

Predictors and outcomes of core and peripheral sport motivation profiles: A person-centered study

ABSTRACT

While previous studies highlighted the importance of the different motivations for doing sports as proposed by self-determination theory, less emphasis has been put on the simultaneous presence of multiple motivations within the same individual. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the complex interaction of sport motivations and to identify core (common) and peripheral (uncommon) profiles of people engaged in sports based on a combination of motivations. To achieve this goal, latent profile analysis, a person-centered approach, was performed on responses from 506 participants engaged in sports. For better understanding the extracted profiles, basic psychological need fulfillment was included as profile predictor, while subjective vitality and various engagement-related indicators as outcomes. Four core and peripheral profiles were identified: Moderately Motivated, Highly Motivated, Amotivated, and Poorly Motivated. Contrary to theory, introjected regulation clustered more closely with self-determined motivations. Profile membership was significantly predicted by global need fulfillment, autonomy satisfaction as well as, to a smaller extent, autonomy, relatedness, and competence frustration. The four profiles differed along vitality and some, but not all, engagement-related outcomes.     

A review of mentoring deaf and hard-of-hearing scholars

ABSTRACT

Diversification of the scientific workforce usually focuses on recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities but often overlooks deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) persons. Usually classified as a disability group, such persons are often members of their own sociocultural linguistic minority and deserve unique support. For them, access to technical and social information is often hindered by communication- and/or language-centered barriers, but securing and using communication access services is just a start. Critical aspects of training D/HH scientists as part of a diversified workforce necessitates: (a) educating hearing persons in cross-cultural dynamics pertaining to deafness, sign language, and Deaf culture; (b) ensuring access to formal and incidental information to support development of professional soft skills; and (c) understanding that institutional infrastructure change may be necessary to ensure success. Mentorship and training programs that implement these criteria are now creating a new generation of D/HH scientists.     

The Accessibility and Usability of College Websites: Is your Website Presenting Barriers to Potential Students?

Thirty community college websites were evaluated for compliance with federal web accessibility standards found in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d). Two typical sites were tested for usability by individuals with visual impairments, individuals with reading-related learning disabilities (LD), and a control group of individuals without disabilities. Ten additional sites were selected for Simulated Target Group usability testing. Testing revealed that less than 1% of pages evaluated met Section 508 web accessibility standards. Over half of the users found the online admissions application process frustrating, and less than a third of all users could complete the online application without assistance. The Simulated Target Group usability testing encountered similar usability issues across the additional 10 community college websites examined. All four evaluation techniques found that community college websites fared poorly in both accessibility and usability. However, many of the issues could be addressed without significant effort.     

Organizing for Urban Education in the New Public Square: Using Social Media to Advance Critical Literacy and Activism

The Urban Review - In this paper, we draw upon data from a multi-year, ethnographic case study of a community-based organization in Detroit, Michigan to consider how the organization has used...