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.     

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.     

Temperament and Language Skills as Predictors of Teacher-Child Relationship Quality in Preschool

Current educational policy emphasizes "school readiness" of young children with a premium placed on preschool interventions that facilitate academic and social readiness for children who have had limited learning experiences prior to kindergarten (Rouse, Brooks-Gunn, &; McLanahan, 2005). The teacher–child relationship is viewed as a critical mechanism for the effectiveness of interventions (Girolametto, Weitzman, &; Greenberg, 2003; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network, 2003). The purpose of this study was to determine how children's temperament and language skills predict teacher–child relationship quality. The sample consisted of 99 at-risk preschool students. Three findings emerged: (a) bolder children with lower language complexity were more likely to have higher levels of conflict in their relationships with teachers, (b) shyer children with greater language complexity were more likely to have dependent relationships with their teachers, and (c) teacher effects accounted for more of the variance in conflictual and dependent teacher-child relationships compared to children's behavioral inhibition and language complexity. This study shows that teacher-child relationships are multirelational. Individual differences in temperament and language skills affect teacher-child interactions, and ultimately, contribute to the effectiveness of classroom interventions. Such information helps to unpack the complexities of classroom quality by increasing awareness among practitioners of factors contributing to positive teacher–child relationships.     

Criminal justice resources on the internet

We identify World Wide Web (WWW) and gopher sites containing information of interest to criminology and criminal justice professionals, educators, and students. Internet addresses and brief annotations are provided for federal and international resources, law library resources, civil liberties, police and prison information, crime-and addiction-related sites, and criminal justice educational and discussion groups.     

Group Differences in California Community College Transfers

This study explores the extent to which community colleges succeed in assisting students to transfer to four-year colleges. The study uses data from the California Community College system to test hypotheses about overall transfers and transfers of underrepresented students, It utilizes a framework based upon social reproduction theory (Bowles & Gintis, 1976) that also includes institutional factors. First, transfer rates differed significantly between groups, with African-American transfer rates being the lowest. Some of our hypotheses were supported, particularly those on the significance of communities with younger students and higher levels of education for transfer levels. A critical mass of students of underrepresented groups is also important for institutions that wish to transfer higher numbers of these students. Institutional effectiveness and level of funds spent on transfer programs did not appear to make any difference in transfer levels. One of the most important findings is that transfer dynamics are very different for each group, suggesting that administrators and policy-makers need to develop more detailed strategies to encourage higher rates of transfer.     

Assessing sources of error in structural equation models: The effects of sample size,reliability, and model misspecification

This study used Monte Carlo methods to investigate the accuracy and utility of estimators of overall error and error due to approximation in structural equation models. The effects of sample size, indicator reliabilities, and degree of misspecification were examined. The rescaled noncentrality parameter (McDonald & Marsh, 1990) was examined as a measure of approximation error, whereas the one‐ and two‐sample cross‐validation indices and a sample estimator of overall error (EFo) proposed by Browne and Cudeck (1989, 1993) were presented as measures of overall error. The rescaled noncentrality parameter and EFo provided extremely accurate estimates of the amounts of approximation and overall error, respectively. However, although models with errors of omission produced larger estimates of approximation and overall error, the presence of errors of inclusion had little or no effect on estimates of either type of error. The cross‐validation indices and sample estimator of overall error reached minimum values for the same model as an empirically derived measure of overall error only for models with large amounts of specification error. Implications for the use of these estimators in choosing among competing models were discussed.     

EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS’ PLAYFULNESS AND AMBIGUITY TOLERANCE: ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF ENCOURAGING CREATIVE POTENTIAL OF CHILDREN

This article examines the concept of an early childhood teacher learning, in stages, a new method for integrating the arts into the early childhood curriculum. An early childhood graduate course, Aesthetics as Learning, is the learning ground. In this course, the graduate students discover the “Adult Within,” the “Child Within,” the “Teacher Within” and the “Artist Within.” The innovative component is the fourth dimension, which is defined as learning to “feel like an Artist Within.” This is accomplished through 1-hour arts experiences in every 3-hour class, where the graduate student experiences the arts followed by discussion and reflection on the readings with a facilitative teacher in a supportive environment.