The role of sport as a social status determinant for children: thirty years later

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of sport as a social status determinant among racially diverse children. Participants were 1,233 fourth- to seventh-grade children. Results indicated there were gender, grade, and racial differences for the selection of social status determinants. Boys placed more importance than girls on being good at sports and wealth. Girls placed more importance than boys on getting good grades and being attractive. Fourth- and fifth-grade students ranked getting good grades as most important, while sixth- and seventh-grade students ranked being attractive as most important. Non-Hispanic Caucasian students ranked being good at sports and being attractive as most important, while African American students ranked getting good grades and wealth as most important     

Proposed modifications to the conceptual model of coaching efficacy and additional validity evidence for the Coaching Efficacy Scale II-High School Teams

The purpose of this study was to determine whether theoretically relevant sources of coaching efficacy could predict the measures derived from the Coaching Efficacy Scale II-High School Teams (CES II-HST). Data were collected from head coaches of high school teams in the United States (N=799). The analytic framework was a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis with ordered-categorical indicators and observed covariates. Applying this framework to the conceptual model of coaching efficacy (CMCE) resulted in a statistical model equivalent to a multiple-group multivariate regression with latent outcomes. Results provided evidence for the ability of measures derived from the CES II-HST to be predicted by theoretically relevant sources of coaching efficacy and suggested modifications to the CMCE.     

On convergence criteria for jarratt's method

Let f(χ) together with its first two derivatives be continuous in the domain D and additionally let χ_M?D be an extremum (or turning point) of this function. Also, let χ_n+1 = T (χ_n,χ_n-1,χ_n-2) be Jarratt's Method for computing the extremum (or turning point) of a function. Criteria are demonstrated which insure that, for any triple of initial assumptions (χ₁,χ₀,χ_-1)?D, Jarratt's Method, converges to the extremum of f(χ), and that from and after some n = N₀, the rate of convergence of this method increases steadily, finally becoming unbounded when the solution χ_M is attained.     

Increased frequency and planning: A more effective approach to guided reading in Grade 2

This yearlong quasi experimental study examined the effects of two approaches to guided reading on second-grade students' reading abilities. The 79 subjects were chosen as a nonprobability sample and served as the treatment and comparison groups. The groups were pre- and post tested using the Developmental Reading Assessment, Second Edition determine students' reading levels. A 2 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant main and interaction effects. According to a post hoc analysis of mean difference effect size, both groups experienced very large effects, but treatment effects (d = 3.66) were much larger than the comparison (d = 1.34). The results suggest that increased emphasis on guided reading can lead to a greater impact on second-grade students' reading ability.     

Readers Theatre: effects on word recognition automaticity and reading prosody

In this quasi‐experimental study, the researchers examined the effects of implementing Readers Theatre in a second grade classroom, comprised of seven and eight‐year‐old students. The 70 subjects were chosen as a non‐probability sample from two different classes and served as the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 41) groups. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant interaction and time effects. The post hoc analysis of simple effects indicated that the Readers Theatre treatment yielded larger effects on word recognition automaticity and prosody. Practical implications of this study suggest that consistent implementation of Readers Theatre in grade two classrooms can have a large impact on students' reading fluency.     

Rethinking the marginalizing discourses around teenage pregnancy

ABSTRACT

This article examines the literature on schooling for teenage mothers in order to expose the normalizing discourses that position young mothers as at risk for failure. Through an exploration of the historical and socio-cultural positioning of teenage mothers over the past few decades, the author illustrates the schooled responses to adolescent mothers and the responses of adolescent mothers to school structures and marginalizations. The article concludes with suggestions for further research that would address the achievements and the strengths of young mothers and may provide space for thinking about other groups of students who have traditionally been labeled at risk.     

Construct Validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R): Lessons Learned

Described herein is the academic lineage and independent validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R). Data from 334 K-12 science teachers were analyzed using Partial Credit Rasch models. Principal components analysis on the person-item residuals suggest two latent dimensions: Knowledge and Teaching Self-Efficacies. Item-fit statistics were used to select items for each subscale. Person and item separation (reliability) indices were quite low, and we noted disordered response patterns on the person-item maps that revealed problems with item content and/or scaling for both subscales. These issues include the presence of: verbal negatives, ambiguous modifiers, counter-intuitive scaling, and an “undecided/uncertain” option. The SETAKIST-R, in its current form, cannot be recommended as a measure of science teacher self-efficacy.     

A TALK ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The following article was written by Media program staff members of the Human Rights Commission of San Francisco.