Standards-based performance assessment for the evaluation of student teachers: a consequential validity study

The instrument Samples of Teaching Performance (STP) was developed to assess student teachers' capacity to plan, deliver and evaluate a unit of instruction. The current study reports consequential validity data collected from supervisors (n?=?20) and student teachers (n?=?62) from three elementary and five secondary teacher preparation programs in Chile that participated in the field-testing of the STP. Student teachers described how this assessment had honed their sense of professionalism and promoted learning of the skills assessed. Supervisors reported enlarging the topics discussed with student teachers and making some changes to the supervisory process. These findings are complemented by an analysis of the STP scores obtained by 24 student teachers, which showed better development of instructional skills when compared to pedagogical reasoning and reflection. These results raise questions about the structure of student teaching to support the implementation of standards-based assessments that entail tasks at different levels of cognitive complexity.     

College Readiness for English Language Learners (ELLs) in California: Assessing Equity for ELLs under the Local Control Funding Formula

English Learners (ELs) represent critical mass of K-12 students in public schools across the nation. However, states have failed to improve EL student academic outcomes, including college readiness. In 2013, California altered its school funding policy, providing additional support for English learners. Drawing on Vertical Equity and a Critical Community Strength Framework, this study examines the impact of local funding on college readiness among EL students by analyzing accountability plans and secondary data of 13 districts and assessing reforms using markers of college readiness. Document analysis shows: 1) school districts’ prioritization, 2) resource allocation based on those priorities, and 3) different approaches to operationalizing the construct of equity. Secondary data analysis reveals EL students lagged behind peers in performance on state assessments and enrollment in college preparatory and Advanced Placement varied across districts. These data confirm the critical need for intervention and targeted investment to raise overall college readiness rates among EL students in California and have national implications for states with growing Latino and EL student populations.     

Success at Scale: Outcomes of Community-Based Neurodevelopment Intervention (CASITA) for Children Ages 6–20 months With Risk of Delay in Lima,Peru

This study is a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week community-based group parenting intervention (“CASITA”) in Lima, Peru. CASITA improved neurodevelopment in a pilot study of 60 Peruvian children and subsequently scaled to 3,000 households throughout the district. The objective of this study was to assess intervention effectiveness when implemented at scale. A total of 347 children ages 6–20 months (52.7% male, 100% identified as “mestizo”) at risk for developmental difficulties were randomized to immediate or delayed CASITA. At 3 months after enrollment, the immediate arm showed significantly higher overall development, based on the Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire and Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scores (Cohen’s ds = .36 and .31, respectively). Programs demonstrably effective at scale could help address children’s development risks worldwide.     

Dissociation as a mediator between child abuse history and adult abuse potential

OBJECTIVE: It has commonly been found that abused children are at risk for later becoming abusive parents (Kaufman & Zigler. 1987; Oliver, 1993) and observational learning has been discussed as a mechanism that perpetuates this intergenerational cycle of abuse. However, two thirds of abused children do not become abusive (Kaufman & Zigler, 1987). Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine whether dissociation functions as an additional mechanism mediating the relation between a history of child abuse and abusiveness as an adult. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was used to examine physical abuse history, dissociation, and physical abuse potential in a sample of 190 college students. Questionnaires were utilized to assess the three constructs. RESULTS: Findings indicated that the three constructs were intercorrelated. In particular, a newly established association was found between dissociation and physical abuse potential (r = .54, p < .0001). The primary finding was that the relation between physical abuse history and physical abuse potential was significantly mediated (z = 2.19, p < .05) by level of dissociation, with dissociation accounting for approximately half of the observed relation between history of abuse and abuse potential. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that dissociation may be one mechanism that helps to perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of abuse. Although dissociation promotes psychological survival during children's abuse experiences, it may result in the development of abusive tendencies in later life. Reducing parental dissociation may assist clinicians in preventing or terminating physical child abuse.     

Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using an internal versus external focus of attention during resistance training on muscular adaptations. Thirty untrained college-aged men were randomly assigned to an internal focus group (INTERNAL) that focused on contracting the target muscle during training (n?=?15) or an external focus group (EXTERNAL) that focused on the outcome of the lift (n?=?15). Training for both routines consisted of 3 weekly sessions performed on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks. Subjects performed 4 sets of 8–12 repetitions per exercise. Changes in strength were assessed by six repetition maximum in the biceps curl and isometric maximal voluntary contraction in knee extension and elbow flexion. Changes in muscle thickness for the elbow flexors and quadriceps were assessed by ultrasound. Results show significantly greater increases in elbow flexor thickness in INTERNAL versus EXTERNAL (12.4% vs. 6.9%, respectively); similar changes were noted in quadriceps thickness. Isometric elbow flexion strength was greater for INTERNAL while isometric knee extension strength was greater for EXTERNAL, although neither reached statistical significance. The findings lend support to the use of a mind–muscle connection to enhance muscle hypertrophy.     

Alternative strategy to decrease cesarean section: support by doulas during labor

This research was conducted in a public general hospital in Mexico City, Mexico. The objective was to evaluate efficacy of the support given by a doula during labor to reduce cesarean rate. From March 1997 to February 1998, a group of 100 pregnant women were studied. These women were at term, engaged in an active phase of labor, exhibited 3 cm. or more cervical dilatation, were nuliparous, had no previous uterine incision, and possessed adequate pelvises. The group was randomly divided into two subgroups comprising 50 women, each: The first subgroup had the support of a childbirth educator trained as a doula, while the second subgroup did not have doula support. Measurements were recorded on the duration of labor, the use of pitocin, and whether or not the birth was a vaginal birth or cesarean section. Characteristics and gestational age were similar in both groups. Results confirmed that support by doulas during labor was associated with a significant reduction in cesarean birth and pitocin administration. There was a trend toward shorter labors and less use of epidurals. The results of this study showed, as in other trials measuring the impact of a doula's presence during labor and birth, that doula support during labor is associated with positive outcomes that have physical, emotional, and economic implications.     

An electromyographic comparison of a modified version of the plank with a long lever and posterior tilt versus the traditional plank exercise

The purpose of the study was to compare core muscle activation of the tradition prone plank with a modified version performed with a long-lever and posterior-tilt using surface electromyography. To further determine if a specific component of this modified plank was more effective than the other in enhancing muscle activity, the plank with a long lever and the plank with a posterior pelvic tilt were studied individually. Nineteen participants performed all four variations of the plank for 30 seconds in a randomized order with 5-minute rest between exercise bouts. Compared to the traditional prone plank, the long-lever posterior-tilt plank displayed a significantly increased activation of the upper rectus abdominis (p < 0.001), lower abdominal stabilizers (p < 0.001), and external oblique (p < 0.001). The long-lever plank showed significantly greater activity compared to the traditional plank in the upper rectus abdominis (p = 0.015) and lower abdominal stabilizers (p < 0.001), while the posterior tilt plank elicited greater activity in the external oblique (p = 0.028). In conclusion, the long-lever posterior-tilt plank significantly increases muscle activation compared to the traditional prone plank. The long-lever component tends to contribute more to these differences than the posterior-tilt component.