Behavioral approach-inhibition in toddlers: prediction from infancy, positive and negative affective components, and relations with behavior problems

In this study, 126 children were observed at 6 months, 12 months, and 2 years. During infancy, latencies to reach for novel objects were measured. At 2 years, positive and negative affect, and behavioral approach-inhibition to low- and high-intensity situations were coded, and mothers assessed behavior problems. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a 3-dimension model of positivity, negativity, and behavioral approach-inhibition. Positivity was related to low- and high-intensity behavioral approach-inhibition, whereas negativity was linked only to low-intensity behavioral approach-inhibition. Shorter 12-month latencies to reach were predictive of low negativity, high positivity, and behavioral approach at 2 years. Positivity and negativity were correlated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors, respectively. Finally, cluster analysis identified an exuberant group high in externalizing and an inhibited group high in internalizing.     

Using Least-to-Most Assistive Prompt Hierarchy to Increase Child Compliance with Teacher Directives in Preschool Classrooms

Prompt strategies have been used to increase the compliance of preschool-aged children to teacher directives. This paper describes two experiments conducted to determine if classroom teachers could learn to use the LtM prompt hierarchy and if child compliance would increase in response to teacher behavior. This study builds on the current literature base by using prompting, specifically LtM with the additional requirement of teacher-child proximity and teacher-child eye level prior to beginning the prompt sequence, which is consistent with recommended practice in early childhood (Copple and Bredekamp, Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs (revised edition), National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC, 2009). The participants consisted of 6 preschool teachers, with varying levels of education and experience, across 2 different early childhood classrooms. Teacher prompts and children's completion of teacher directives were measured during free choice center time. Results were consistent with previous research in that compliance to teacher directives increased in preschool children with the implementation of the LtM.     

Evaluation of a Handheld Data Collection Interface for Science Learning

Despite a rise in the use of handheld computers in classrooms, meaningful learning with personal digital assistant (PDA) technology remains poorly studied. We report results from an evaluation of customized handheld data collection software, the BioKIDS Sequence, which was used during an 8-week biodiversity curriculum unit by 5th and 6th grade students in southeastern Michigan. We provide new information on design decisions and usability of our customized software; discuss learner use and preferences; and report rates of data accuracy. Most students were able to enter simple animal observations using an icon-driven, largely linear interface. The interface helped expand the types of data students were aware of, and allowed them to view and review their entries and flag them as uncertain, factors important in supporting accurate data collection. Other BioKIDS research indicates students were subsequently able to see simple patterns in their data to guide the formulation of future hypotheses, questions, or conclusions. The BioKIDS Sequence and PDA technology therefore represent a meaningful use of technology to support scientific reasoning.     

Creating the first MedlinePlus "Go Local" service: lessons and recommendations from the evaluation of NC Health Info

NC Health Info is an online collection of North Carolina based health services Web sites that seamlessly links local health resources to topical health information on MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health information Web site. NC Health Info was the first project to connect local resources with MedlinePlus in the "Go Local" initiative. As such, NC Health Info serves as a model for other states to follow in connecting their own local information with Medline- Plus. This paper describes the processes used and lessons learned during a year-long evaluation of NC Health Info. Evaluation results may be of interest and applicable to any existing or planned "Go Local" project.     

The impact of teacher credentials on ADHD Stigma Perceptions

Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. It is associated with high levels of stigma, which may lead to treatment barriers, self‐fulfilling prophecies, and social rejection. This study established the reliability of the ADHD Stigma Questionnaire (ASQ) when applied to teachers by evaluating its internal consistency and confirmed the previously reported factor structure. In addition, the study examined the extent to which holding a special education certification and having years of teaching experience impact teachers' perceptions of ADHD stigma. Results indicated that teachers holding special education certification endorsed higher ratings, which indicated high stigma perceptions, on the Overall Stigma score, as well as the three subscales, Disclosure Concerns, Negative Self‐Image, and Concern with Public Attitudes; however, years of teaching experience was not related to stigma scores. Implications for teacher training practices are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ethnic and Panethnic Asian American Identities: Contradictory Perceptions of Cambodian Students in Urban Schools

This article examined the various ethnic identities of Cambodian students, a group often perceived by the larger society through the lens of the model minority stereotype but often endure low expectations from teachers and counselors in their local high schools. Our findings suggested that a Cambodian identity was often considered a stigmatized label and students identified as Cambodian were essentialized into the discourse of urban low achieving and culturally deficient minority students. Cambodian students’ identities in the less selective academic programs were often quite visible to teachers. This characterization was often coupled with a panethnic representation of Asian American students in selective programs who were considered motivated and supported by advantageous home and cultural values. In these contexts, teachers preferred to discuss Cambodian students in panethnic terms, ignoring students’ ethnic backgrounds, described their Cambodian students as part of their “bright Asian students” group. Overall, this study extends other works on Asian American ethnicity and panethnicity by focusing on the conflicting identities that affect the schooling of Cambodian students. These analyses complicate further the static notion of Asian American students as model minorities by emphasizing the fluid, problematic, and contextually-based nature of the construct.     

Transnational higher education: offshore campuses in the Middle East

This paper maps the landscape of transnational higher education in the Middle East, focusing in particular on the recent expansion of satellite, branch, and offshore educational institutions and programs that foreign institutions have set up in the region. Of the estimated 100 branch campuses currently operating worldwide, over one-third are in the Arab region and the majority have opened within the last decade; two dozen additional transnational programs and universities exist in the region as well. Very little research has been conducted on these new institutions, however, raising many questions for scholars in education. This paper traces reasons for the rapid growth of the transnational higher education model in the Arab states and discusses the explanatory power for this phenomenon of the two major prevailing theories in comparative and international education. We argue that neither neoinstitutional theories about global norm diffusion nor culturalist theories about the local politics of educational borrowing and transfer sufficiently explain this phenomenon, and call instead for a regional approach. We also raise questions for further inquiry.     

A Discourse Analysis of School Counseling Supervisory E‐Mail

This article is a discourse analysis of weekly computer‐mediated communications between 8 school counseling interns and their e‐mail supervisor over a 16‐week semester. Course‐required e‐mail supervision was provided as an adjunct to traditional face‐to‐face individual and group supervision. School counselor supervisees and supervisor enacted 3 discursive strategies (repetition, labeling, and plural pronoun usage), which were observed to contribute to supervisee professional identity development. Findings are discussed in light of both the counselor education and discourse analysis literatures. Implications for practice and future research are provided.     

School phobia: A critical analysis of the separation anxiety theory and an alternative conceptualization

A review of the literature on school phobia reveals that the predominant view concerning its etiology is the separation anxiety theory. This theory is critically anlayzed on three major grounds: (a) methodological problems of the research; (b) its lack of generalizability concerning pathological mother-child relationships; and (c) its lack of emphasis on possible external, etiological variables. A case is made for reexamination of school phobia, in light of recent research highlighting the potential role of environmental variables, thereby taking it out of the realm of neurotic behaviors. An alternative conceptualization is offered that views school refusal as a normal avoidance reaction to an unpleasant, unsatisfying, or even hostile environment. It is suggested that we shift our research attention to the school environment and personnel in terms of their contribution to the etiology and maintenance of school refusal behaviors.     

Teachers' use and children's preferences of rewards in elementary school

This study examined teacher reports of reward use and students' preferences for rewards across elementary school grades. Forty-eight urban elementary school teachers indicated which of four basic categories of rewards (edible, tangible, activity, and social rewards) they use in their classrooms and their evaluation of the effectiveness of these rewards for their age group of students. Ninety-eight second through fifth graders randomly selected to represent the students assigned to these teachers were individually administered a reward preference survey. Findings revealed high reward use by teachers. Children reported a wide variety of reward preferences, with no significant gender or age differences found. Additionally, there was no clear relationship between teacher use and children's preferences. Implications for intervention programming are discussed.