A measure for evaluating the effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention programs

Teen pregnancy prevention has been a major component of the school sex education curriculum for the past two decades, as well as the focus of many community agency programs. A difficulty in evaluating these programs is the lack of instruments in measuring teens' attitudes and intentions regarding teenage pregnancy. The sixteen‐item Teen Attitude Pregnancy Scale (TAPS) was developed for this purpose. It is based on a model of (a) Future Orientation, (b) Realism About Child Rearing, (c) Personal Intentions, and (d) Sexual Self‐efficacy. Overall, the TAPS demonstrated good internal consistency and concurrent validity for the samples considered here. Additionally, exploratory factor analysis revealed evidence of validity for this four‐factor model of teens' attitudes toward pregnancy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Language and the Deaf: an interactive microcomputer-based approach

This paper reviews some of the language problems faced by deaf children in the light of psycholinguistic research, and considers several requirements for the provision of a meaningful language learning environment for the deaf. The utility of computer-aided instruction (CAI) in the education of the deaf is discussed, and a language manipulation program (entitled JUMBLE), designed to meet the specified requirements, is described. Preliminary findings using this program are presented, and implications for the future development of the approach advocated are discussed.     

Developmentally appropriate criteria for evaluating sexual abuse prevention programs

Many sexual abuse prevention programs originally designed for school children are inappropriately used with preschool children. Programs used with young children need to take into consideration their unique learning abilities. This paper uses a developmentally appropriate practice framework as a guide in helping early childhood professionals evaluate sexual abuse prevention programs.     

A theoretical application of epistemological oppression to the psychological assessment of special educational needs; concerns and practical implications for anti-oppressive practice

There has been brief but important discussion regarding the concepts of “oppression” and “anti-oppression” in the educational psychology professional practice literature. This article aims to both further and focus this discussion. In particular, the concept of “epistemological oppression” is introduced and the significance it has for the meaning-making and knowledge construction activities of educational psychology practice is explored. A conceptual application of two predominant theories of epistemological oppression, Standpoint Theory and the Three Levels of Epistemological Oppression theory, is made with regard to the psychological assessment of special educational needs (SEN). It is posited that as psychological assessment of SEN is fundamentally an epistemological endeavour these two theories provide a crucial framework through which educational psychologist (EPs) may base reflective practice in order to realise and ameliorate potential oppression. It is concluded that EPs have a responsibility to orient themselves toward the potential for epistemological oppression in their work and help towards its amelioration.     

The importance of specifying and studying causal mechanisms in school-based randomised controlled trials: lessons from two studies of cross-age peer tutoring

Based on the experience of evaluating 2 cross-age peer-tutoring interventions, we argue that researchers need to pay greater attention to causal mechanisms within the context of school-based randomised controlled trials. Without studying mechanisms, researchers are less able to explain the underlying causal processes that give rise to results from randomised controlled trials. Studying implementation fidelity is necessary but not sufficient for causal explanation; the study of causal mechanisms through the application of mixed methods is also required. Due to the increasingly complicated nature of many classroom-based innovations that are subject to evaluation, and the potentially distal nature of hypothesised effects, particularly on attainment, programme theory and articulation of mechanisms are essential in enhancing causal explanation and promoting the accumulation of knowledge of what works and why in classroom settings.     

Relationships between pre-service teachers’ conceptions of assessment,approaches to instruction,and assessment: an achievement goal theory perspective

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships between pre-service teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their intended approaches to classroom instruction and assessment. We operationalised approaches to instruction and assessment according to Achievement Goal Theory, postulating that pre-service teachers approach instruction and assessment from either a mastery or performance perspective. The results from a correlational study of 344 Canadian pre-service teachers showed that intended instruction and assessment practices were separated according to mastery and performance approaches. However, there was also alignment between the concepts such that pre-service teachers who had a mastery approach to instruction were more inclined towards a mastery approach to assessment. Approaches to assessment were also related to pre-service teachers’ conceptions: beliefs that assessment holds students and schools accountable were positively related to a performance approach to assessment. In contrast, a belief that assessment improves teaching was positively related to a mastery approach to assessment and negatively to a performance approach. We discuss relationships between conceptions of assessment, approaches to classroom instruction and assessment as conceptualised from an Achievement Goal Theory perspective.     

Institutional support for peer contact in distance education: An empirical investigation

Two hypotheses derived from Keegan's theoretical framework of reintegration in distance education formed the focus for this investigation. Opportunities for peer contact and support were re‐integrated into an existing distance education program for the purpose of affecting achievement, self‐perception of learning achievement, final academic standing (including non‐completion), and attitudes. The analysis was conducted in two parts; one based on an experimental sample and the other based on a larger general sample. No significant differences were found between levels of the experimental variable, but peer contact was found to significantly discriminate between levels of both course completion and final academic standing in one of the targeted courses based on the general sample.     

The Intersectionality of African American Mothers in Counselor Education: A Phenomenological Examination

Using phenomenological inquiry, this study explored the lived experiences and intersecting identities of 8 African American counselor educators who are mothers. Six themes were identified: race, professional strain, work–life balance, support, internalized success, and mothering pedagogy.     

The Critical Role of Vocabulary Development for English Language Learners

English language learners (ELLs) who experience slow vocabulary development are less able to comprehend text at grade level than their English‐only peers. Such students are likely to perform poorly on assessments in these areas and are at risk of being diagnosed as learning disabled. In this article, we review the research on methods to develop the vocabulary knowledge of ELLs and present lessons learned from the research concerning effective instructional practices for ELLs. The review suggests that several strategies are especially valuable for ELLs, including taking advantage of students' first language if the language shares cognates with English; ensuring that ELLs know the meaning of basic words, and providing sufficient review and reinforcement. Finally, we discuss challenges in designing effective vocabulary instruction for ELLs. Important issues are determining which words to teach, taking into account the large deficits in second‐language vocabulary of ELLs, and working with the limited time that is typically available for direct instruction in vocabulary.