Analogy construction versus analogy solution, and their influence on transfer

This study compares transfer performed by subjects trained to solve verbal analogies, with transfer by subjects trained to construct them. The first group (n = 57) received instruction in a strategy to solve verbal analogies and the second group (n = 66) was trained in strategies for constructing such analogies.Before and after intervention, all subjects received three analogical tasks: verbal, figural and numerical. The success rate was measured by an effectiveness measure. Even though both interventions improved performance, the construction group scored higher results in the numerical and figural analogy tasks. Following Sternberg's “componential sub-theory of intelligence”, the constructors' advantage is attributed primarily to higher-level activation of the three significant metacomponents: problem recognition, strategy planning and supervision in task performance.     

Self-Regulation Programs for At-Risk Youth: Are Teachers Affected Too?

This study examines changes experienced by teachers of youth at socioeconomic risk during and after conducting self-regulation programs with their students. Participants' self-reports were classified into 3 change models. Teachers in the 1st model reported changes in their interaction with the school, their role with the students, and their own self-regulation. Those in the 2nd model experienced a partial process centered mainly on their handling of the classroom and on changes in themselves. In the 3rd model teachers reported virtually no change as a result of implementing the program. The implications for teachers of at-risk youth are examined.     

The contribution of morphological awareness to reading comprehension in early stages of reading

The contribution of morphological awareness to reading comprehension in Hebrew was studied in 298 second grade students who practiced two types of inflections, plural and possessive. Reading tasks at the beginning and end of the school year indicated that all improved on all tests in that period. Orthographic word recognition and morphological awareness predicted reading comprehension at the end of year. Students with low (LPD) and high (HPD) phonological decoding skills clearly differed qualitatively in reading comprehension. In the HPD students it was predicted by awareness of possessive inflections; in the LPD students it was predicted by orthographic word recognition ability. The results highlight the importance of examining the different components of morphological awareness in readers with different levels of phonological decoding ability.