Computer-based communication and cyberbullying involvement in the sample of Arab teenagers

The use of the internet among teenagers has increased in recent years and nearly 92 % of all teenagers in Israel surf the internet. This study examined the characteristics of involvement in cyberbullying among 114 adolescents in the Muslim Arab sector, and its relationships with emotional aspects. The students completed questionnaires regarding cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying, loneliness and anxiety. Results show that more students experience cyberbullying (82 %) than face-to-face bullying (42 %). The students who were cybervictims reported higher levels of loneliness and anxiety. No gender differences were found. The development of intervention programs is recommended in order to raise awareness, equip students with the appropriate tools to cope effectively with cyberbullying, and allocate resources to reduce and eventually prevent this phenomenon.     

Sensitivity and Consistency of Maternal Writing Mediation to Twin Kindergartners

This study investigated whether mothers are responsive to their children's literacy level, thus employing different writing mediation styles with each twin according to the child's level, or whether they possess a consistent style employed with both twins. The sample included 28 sets of twin kindergartners (56 children, M age = 68.89 months) and their mothers. Children's literacy underwent individual assessment in their kindergartens. During home visits, mother-child writing interactions with each twin were videotaped. Interactions underwent analysis for task-specific measures (grapho-phonemic mediation, printing mediation, demand for precision, reference to orthography) and for general measures (atmosphere, mutuality, reinforcements, task perception). Findings demonstrated that along with sensitivity to the child's level (mediating on a higher level to the higher achieving twin), mothers of twins possessed a consistent mediation style. Sensitivity to the differences in literacy between the twins was salient in the task-specific mediation measures, whereas the presence of a style appeared in all the mediation measures. The results of this study support the stance that mothers' mediation style deserves to be acknowledged as an influencing factor in children's literacy development.     

Prosodic reading,reading comprehension and morphological skills in Hebrew‐speaking fourth graders

Employing prosody skilfully, one of the cornerstones of fluent reading, is an indicator of text comprehension. Morphological knowledge has been shown to underlie lexical acquisition and to be related to reading development. The relationship between reading comprehension, prosodic reading and morphological knowledge was investigated in 51 Hebrew‐speaking fourth‐grade students aged 9–10. Participants were tested on comprehension of two stories and on appropriate prosodic reading of one of them. Their prosodic reading was compared with an agreed prosodic map compiled from experts' reading. Participants were also administered a battery of morphological tasks. All three domains, including almost all of their component parts, were strongly correlated. The multiple regression in steps showed that morphology and reading comprehension each contribute to prosodic reading, while morphology and prosody each contribute to reading comprehension. The connection between reading comprehension and prosodic reading is however moderated by good morphological skills.     

Short-term follow-up of children at risk: comparison of the quality of life of children removed from home and children remaining at home

OBJECTIVE: To follow up the well-being of children at risk after a decision on their removal was made. METHOD: Social workers assessed the quality of life (QOL) of three groups of children (n = 92): children they had decided to keep at home, children whom they had removed to alternative care, and children who remained at home despite the decision to remove them. This is a prospective study, in which assessments were made at two points of time: first when the workers began to consider whether or not to remove the child, and again 6 months later. RESULTS: The findings show that even though the QOL of the children in the three groups was similarly low at the first measure, it differed in the second. The QOL of the children who were removed from home had improved, that of the children who remained at home in accord with the workers' decisions remained roughly the same, and that of the children for whom the decision to remove was not implemented declined. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that children at risk may fare better in terms of QOL in alternative placement than at home, and highlight the high price paid by children for whom a decision to remove them from home is not implemented. Further research, however, is required, taking into consideration the interventions and services that the children and their families received in the different settings.     

The story of leading mathematics teachers from teacher‐trainees to key positions

The present study depicts the story of three elementary school mathematics teachers who come from a different socio‐economic background but have similar entrance characteristics for college studies. They have chosen teaching as their first and sole alternative and as their preferred profession in life. All three were integrated into the education system upon graduation from college and, a short time later, less than three years, are playing key roles in the field of education in addition to their teaching practice in class. The study aims to identify unique characteristics of college graduate teachers who undergo an accelerated process of professional development. Their stories illustrate that the attitude towards the discipline (love of the profession, the wish to teach it), the wish to make an impact on what is transpiring in the system, personality variables and the school context in which they work as teachers are major and significant factors in their professional growth.     

Early literacy and parental writing mediation in young children with and without ADHD

The study compared early literacy of Israeli children aged five to six years with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), contrasted parental writing mediation in the two groups and tested the relations between parents’ mediation characteristics and children’s early literacy skills. Each of 62 parent‐child dyads (32 with ADHD) was videotaped at home while writing words. Videotapes were transcribed and analysed for mediation (specific writing task measures, emotional measures typical of problem‐solving tasks, and general measures of interactions). Children’s early literacy (word writing, letter knowledge and phonological awareness) was assessed at home. Results showed that children with ADHD already exhibited lower literacy achievements at ages five to six compared to their peers without ADHD. Parents of children with ADHD scored lower than parents of children without ADHD on the writing‐specific, emotional and general mediation measures. In both groups, the specific writing mediation measures correlated significantly with children’s early literacy. More emotional mediation measures correlated significantly with children’s early literacy in the ADHD than in the non‐ADHD group. Discussion focused on parent‐child writing interactions as a context of early literacy development among young children with ADHD.     

Joint storybook reading and joint writing interventions among low SES preschoolers: differential contributions to early literacy

This study compared two interventions: one focusing on language and storybook reading and the other on alphabetic skills and writing. Seventy-one preschoolers aged 3–5 from a low SES township in central Israel (35 in the reading program and 36 in the writing program) participated in evaluation of the interventions. Twenty-four untreated preschoolers served as a control group. The children were tested twice, at the beginning and at the end of the school year, in: phonological awareness, word writing, letter knowledge, orthographic awareness, listening comprehension, receptive vocabulary, and general knowledge. Both programs involved games and creative activities. The writing program encouraged letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and functional writing activities. The reading program utilized 11 children's books for focusing on language and exploring major concepts raised by these books. Results indicated that children in the two literacy programs progressed significantly more than the control group on phonological awareness and orthographic awareness. However, the joint writing group significantly outperformed both the joint reading group and the control group on phonological awareness, word writing, orthographic awareness, and letter knowledge. We also found that children as young as 3–4 years gained from literacy programs as much as did older children, aged 4–5, on all the measures assessed in our program.     

Middle leaders in successful and less successful schools

ABSTRACT

All large high schools have teachers in middle tier roles who help run the school, and subject leaders (SLs) who engage in administrative and pedagogical practices to improve departmental achievements. By applying structuration theory (Giddens, 1984. The constitution of society: Outline of the theory of structuration. Berkeley, CA: University of California.) we seek to understand how rules, resources, and structural position enable SLs to contribute to school effectiveness. A multi-case study method was employed to study 12 SLs from two effective schools and two less effective schools. Interviews, observations, and document analysis served as data collecting tools. The findings indicate that all the SLs engage in administrative practices but in different ways. The SLs in the less effective schools devoted much more time to such practices and much less to pedagogical practices than the SLs in the effective schools, which provided clearer rules and sufficient resources. We conclude that on the pyramid of school needs, administrative practices are more basic for school effectiveness, and only after this is achieved can SLs devote time to satisfy pedagogical needs. However, the ability of SLs to satisfy administrative needs depends to a large extent on the principal providing them with the necessary rules and resources. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.