The Social Space of Educational Strategies: Exploring Patterns of Enrolment,Efficiency and Completion among Swedish Students in Undergraduate Programmes with Professional Qualifications

The aim of the study was to analyse enrolment patterns, and study efficiency and completion among students in programmes with professional qualifications, using microdata from Statistics Sweden. The programmes were Architecture, Medicine, Nursing, Law, Social work, Psychology, andEngineering (year 2001–2002,n?=?15,918). Using the concepts from Bourdieu’s sociology, data was analysed with Specific Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Different patterns emerged and were constructed as different dimensions of the social space of educational strategies in higher education, patterns of enrolment, efficiency, and completion. The students’ relative positions in the social structure were analysed by the type and amount of their cultural capital. The most important factors for differences between coherent intensive and scattered extensive enrolment patterns were programmes, gender, mother’s socioeconomic index, parents’ education, and type of university. Regarding efficiency, the most important factors were programme and type of university. The factors most important for graduation were gender and type of university.     

Child Temperament and Home-Based Parent Involvement at Kindergarten Entry: Evidence From a Low-Income,Urban Sample

Research Findings: Home-based involvement—defined as the actions parents take to promote children’s learning outside of school—is often the most efficient way for low-income parents to be involved with their children’s education. However, there is limited research examining the factors predicting home-based involvement at kindergarten entry for low-income families. This is a notable oversight given established links between parent involvement and children’s educational outcomes. To learn more about this gap, we used data from 220 low-income, urban students to examine associations between 4 dimensions of child temperament—negative reactivity, task persistence, withdrawal/shyness, and motor activity—and home-based parent involvement. Parent–child conflict was also examined as a mechanism explaining associations between dimensions of child temperament and parent involvement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that a withdrawn/shy temperament in children predicted lower levels of home-based parent involvement, whereas a task-persistent temperament predicted higher levels of home-based parent involvement. Parent–child conflict partially mediated the relationship between task persistence and home-based parent involvement. Practice or Policy: Results expand understanding of home-based involvement at kindergarten entry in low-income families and illuminate the need to consider child temperament within the context of early intervention programs.     

Patterns of service use in preschool children: correlates, consequences, and the role of early intervention

This article explores service use broadly by examining the mix of educational, health, and psychosocial services that preschool children received in the fifth year of life. The sample included 869 children who participated in the Infant Health and Development Program, an early intervention program designed to evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive early intervention for low-birth-weight, premature infants during the first 3 years of life and who were followed until age 5. Cluster analyses of services at age 5 yielded 4 service groups--basic health only (doctor visits; n = 114); basic health and educational services (doctor visits and school/preschool; n = 444); basic health, educational, and psychosocial services (or multiple services; doctor visits, school/preschool, and psychosocial services; n = 129); and specialized health and educational services (doctor visits, school/preschool, emergency room visits and special medical visits [ear and/or eye examinations]; n = 182). Results suggest that neonatal health conditions, maternal education at the time of the child's birth, child developmental status at age 3, and maternal health, family income, and insurance status at age 5 were associated with patterns of services at age 5. Patterns of use are consistent over time (the first 3 years of life to the 5th year of life). After covarying the correlates of the service patterns, participation in the early intervention was not associated with patterns of services at age 5, and service patterns were associated with child well-being (health, school readiness, mental health), but results differed by intervention status. Findings are discussed in terms of preventive, responsive, and deficit models of service use.     

If and When Money Matters: The Relationships Among Educational Expenditures, Student Engagement and Students�� Learning Outcomes

Calls for accountability in higher education are prompted in part by questions concerning whether colleges and universities use their resources effectively to promote student learning. Unfortunately, too little is known about whether money matters to desired outcomes of college. Using students?? responses to the 2004 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in concert with institutional data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Board, this study examined the relationships between educational expenditures, student engagement and selected student self-reported learning outcomes, controlling for student and institutional characteristics. Results indicated that expenditures were modestly related to student engagement and learning outcomes. However, the nature of these relationships differed, depending on the engagement/outcome measure and student year in school.     

The characteristics of reusable learning objects that enhance learning: A case‐study in health‐science education

We investigated the effectiveness of reusable learning objects (RLOs) when delivered in a workshop or released for self‐study with groups of student‐nurses studying chemistry. Analysis of examination results showed that the proportion of students answering chemistry questions correctly increased significantly in both the workshop and self‐study cohorts following the introduction of the RLOs. In terms of the factors that supported learning, students rated functional characteristics, such as universal availability and control over learning, as more important than media characteristics, such as audio‐narration and interactivity. There was no correlation between ratings and the age of the respondent, their computer confidence or whether they studied alone or in the workshop. Similarly, design differences between individual RLOs did not appear to detract from learning. Data suggest that the sense of control and ownership of the learning process that RLOs afforded to the learners were the keys to their effectiveness. By reporting the attainment of study cohorts compared with non‐intervention groups, exploring differential learning‐contexts for RLO use and by providing empirical evidence of reuse, the study provides evidence which is underreported in the literature despite the wide uptake of learning object format.     

Exploring the underlying factor structure of the home literacy environment (HLE) in the English and Spanish versions of the Familia Inventory: A cautionary tale

Few research-based measures of the family literacy environment are commercially available, especially in Spanish. One exception is the Familia Inventory (Taylor, 1995). The present study investigated the 10 subscales of this instrument and the factor structure they imply, using data from a low-socioeconomic (SES), largely Hispanic population. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the structure of the instrument as well as whether it is invariant across English and Spanish language versions. The scale was administered to 232 parents of preschoolers. Results of the CFA revealed that the a priori dimensions of the Familia Inventory were not supported for this sample. Follow-up analyses suggested poor fit both within and between subscales. The scale fit poorly within both English and Spanish, precluding testing of invariance across language. Supplemental analyses using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a subset of the items that had adequate variance suggested that a four-factor solution accounting for 53% of the variance best represented the English data and that a two-factor solution accounting for 43% of the variance best represented the Spanish data. Implications are discussed.     

An evaluation of Early Reading First (ERF) preschool enrichment on language and literacy skills

Early Reading First (ERF) was created to address problems related to language and development among economically disadvantaged and language-minority preschool children through quality classroom processes, professional development, and instruction. More than any previous initiative, ERF specifies what early literacy instruction should look like in preschool classrooms; however, to date, scant research has examined the effectiveness of the program. In this quasi-experimental study, the effectiveness of ERF preschool enrichment was evaluated through comparison with the performance of demographically similar children from the same school district who received practice-as-usual instruction. As in previous research, ERF-enriched instruction was found to enhance acquisition of alphabet knowledge and print concepts. Unlike previous studies, however, it was also found to promote vocabulary development. Multilevel models were chosen to take into account the non-independence of students in the same classroom in testing the effects of ERF.     

Does a Strategy Training Foster Students’ Ability to Learn From Multimedia?

Despite the general effectiveness of multimedia instruction, students do not always benefit from it. This study examined whether students’ learning from multimedia can be improved by teaching them relevant learning strategies. On the basis of current theories and research on multimedia learning, the authors developed a strategy training for 9th-grade students. To evaluate it, 31 students received the aforementioned training and 33 students received placebo control training. After that, students completed a multimedia learning session on meiosis. Results showed that although the experimental training improved students’ strategy knowledge, it had no effect on learning outcomes. Accordingly, students acquired strategy knowledge but did not apply it later. Implications for the design of multimedia strategy interventions and future research are discussed.     

Adopting Cut Scores: Post-Standard-Setting Panel Considerations for Decision Makers

Standard-setting studies utilizing procedures such as the Bookmark or Angoff methods are just one component of the complete standard-setting process. Decision makers ultimately must determine what they believe to be the most appropriate standard or cut score to use, employing the input of the standard-setting panelists as one piece of information among multiple sources. However, guidance for weighing the various components is limited. The current article describes considerations about data that are used to make standard-setting decisions, as previously outlined by Geisinger (1991) . The ten points provided by Geisinger have been expanded as they relate to shifts in educational policy and practice in educational measurement. They have been amended with six new components as well. The new considerations addressed are smoothing across grades, raising standards in progression (over grades or over time), opportunity to learn or instructional validity, input from other groups, equating or linking to previous standards, and organizational vision and goals .