On Comparing Transition Rate Gains

Reuterberg, S.‐E. 1985. On Comparing Transition Rate Gains. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 29, 175‐190. Making transition rate gains comparable is a problem because it is much more difficult to change a very high or very low transition rate than to change a rate near the proportion 0.50. It is shown that measures based on the proportions themselves — i.e. the difference between proportions, the proportion ratio and the residual gain ratio — do not make the gains comparable. Instead a non‐linear transformation has to be done. Two such transformations are discussed: probits and logits. As shown in the report, they both make the transition gains comparable.

A problem more important than the choice of transformation is that of sample error. Therefore, a statistical test is to be recommended. It is shown that log‐linear models are an appropriate test for this purpose.     

Pervasive and Non‐pervasive Conduct Problems in a Clinic Sample Aged 4–8 years: Child,family and day‐care/school factors

Differences between pervasive (home and day‐care/school) versus non‐pervasive (home only) conduct problems were examined in regard to various child, parent/family, and day‐care/school characteristics in an outpatient clinic sample of 120 children aged 4–8 years. All children scored above the 90th percentile on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory for home problems and met the criteria for a possible or a confirmed diagnosis of oppositional defiant behaviours. The proportion of children with pervasive conduct problems was high, 83%. Teachers in day care and school reported children in the pervasive group to have significantly more attention and internalizing problems as well as lower social competence scores than those in the non‐pervasive group. Children in the pervasive group also showed consistently more problems in their relationships both with teachers and peers than those in the non‐pervasive group. The implications for assessment and treatment of children with conduct problems in these age‐groups are discussed.     

Changes in the Multi‐Level Effects of Socio‐Economic Status on Reading Achievement in Sweden in 1991 and 2001

This study examines the changes in educational inequality at the school‐ and individual‐levels in 1991 and 2001. Comparisons are made between the IEA Reading Literacy Study 1991 and the so called 10‐Year Trend Study in PIRLS 2001. The between‐school differences in reading achievement variance and the size of the relationship between SES and reading achievement at school‐level are the two main focuses. Applying a two‐level structural equation modeling technique, it was found that the between‐school differences in reading achievement were greater in RLS 2001 than in RLS 1991, and the school SES effect has been strengthened over time. These changes indicate that educational inequality in Sweden has increased over time. Some possible explanations to these changes are discussed with reference to school reforms and demographic changes.     

Is the Simple View of Reading too Simple?

According to the Simple View of Reading (SVR), reading comprehension is the product of word decoding ability and linguistic comprehension (R = D × C). However, there is also evidence showing that an additive model (R = D + C) explains just as much or even more of the variance in reading comprehension than the product model. To further evaluate these models, 467 Norwegian students in grade 6 were administered measures of reading comprehension, decoding ability, listening comprehension, phonemic awareness, and rapid digit naming. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the explanatory power of each model, in addition to the influence of phonemic awareness and rapid naming. The preliminary hierarchical regression analyses were replicated among Swedish students. According to the present study, the additive model explained more of the variance in reading comprehension than the product model, and only rapid naming contributed significantly to explain variance in reading comprehension, above and beyond that explained by the SVR.     

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SUICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT PRACTICES IN THE SCHOOL SETTING

Suicidal behavior in children and youth continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. School personnel have a legal and ethical obligation to recognize and respond to the mental health needs of their students and to take steps to ensure their safety. In this exploratory study, suicide risk assessment practices of three large school districts were examined. More than 3,400 suicide risk assessments were conducted in these districts during the 3 years considered. The results indicate that all three districts have implemented suicide prevention programs that include risk‐assessment practices in an effort to reduce suicidality. Suicides risk assessments were conducted with at least one child in each grade from kindergarten through 12^th in each district, occurring most frequently at the middle school level. Differences by gender were noted in terms of level of risk and hospitalizations, but no significant differences were observed based on race/ethnicity. These risk assessment efforts of these three districts appear to be promising in preventing suicides: none of the students who were assessed went on to commit suicide. Implications for school‐based practices and training are discussed.     

The Current Status of Graduate Training in Suicide Risk Assessment

Directors and coordinators (n = 75) of graduate programs in school psychology approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) were surveyed regarding their training practices in suicide risk assessment. Respondents viewed the assessment of suicide risk as an important part of graduate instruction, and most believed that students completing training at their institutions would be adequately prepared to perform this task. Almost all directors indicated that a portion of class lectures was dedicated to addressing child/adolescent suicide risk assessment, and students were reportedly exposed to this topic in multiple courses, particularly those associated with practicum and internship. Students in doctoral and nondoctoral programs received comparable training and were judged to be equally prepared to perform suicide‐related professional activities in the schools. Gaps in training were revealed involving instruction in the use of quantitative measures of risk, large‐scale suicide prevention efforts, interventions with suicidal youth, and postvention activities.     

INCREASING TEACHER TREATMENT INTEGRITY THROUGH PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK PROVIDED BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL

When implementing behavioral interventions in educational settings, some implementers need support to maintain high levels of treatment integrity. Performance feedback has a large body of research supporting it as a strategy for improving teachers’ implementation of classroom interventions. However, in most prior studies, performance feedback has been delivered by a researcher, not by a school staff member, which limits generalizability of results to applied settings. In this study, school personnel (i.e., internal consultants) assessed teachers’ treatment integrity when implementing a classwide behavioral intervention and, when low, provided performance feedback. Further, researchers assessed internal consultants’ treatment integrity and provided performance feedback as needed. Results indicate that internal consultants are able to assess and briefly increase teachers’ treatment integrity with performance feedback, although some teachers needed more support than did others. Likewise, internal consultants’ treatment integrity was fairly high initially, but required consistent performance feedback to increase treatment integrity levels toward the end of the study. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The eastern public speaking conference

THE LEGISLATIVE STRUGGLE. By Bertram M. Gross. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Co., 1953; pp. xviii+472. $6.50.

MASON'S MANUAL OF LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE. By Paul Mason. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Co., 1953; pp. 640. $6.50.

I AM HAPPY TO PRESENT. By Guy R. Lyle and Kevin Guinagh. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1953; pp. 265. $3.00.

THE MIRACLE OF LANGUAGE. By Charlton Laird. New York: The World Publishing Co., 1953; pp. xii+308. $4.00.

PHONETICS IN ANCIENT INDIA. By W. S. Allen. London Oriental Series, Volume 1. London: Oxford University Press, 1953; pp. x+96. $3.00.

SUPERVISING PEOPLE. By George D. Halsey. (Revised edition). New York: Harper &; Brothers, 1953; pp. 238. $3.00.

COMMUNICATION IN MANAGEMENT. By Charles E. Redfield. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1953; pp. xvi+290. $3.75.

ADULT EDUCATION, THE COMMUNITY APPROACH. By Paul H. Sheats, Clarence D. Jayne, and Ralph B. Spence. New York: Dryden Press; pp. xiii+530. $5.75.

THE ART OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING. By C. B. Eavey. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, pp. 298. $3.75.

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER READER. By Paul Witty. Chicago: Science Research Associates, Inc., 1953; pp. viii+304. $5.00.

READING ALOUD. By Wayland Maxfield Parrish. (Third Edition). New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1953; pp. iv+572. $4.25.

TIME FOR TRUE TALES AND ALMOST TRUE. By May Hill Arbuthnot. New York: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1953; pp. 396. $3.50.

THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF W. B. YEATS. By W. B. Yeats. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1953; pp. 446. $5.00.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1953; pp. 344. $5.00.

TILBURY TOWN: SELECTED POEMS OF EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON. By Lawrence Thompson. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1953; pp. xvi+144. $3.50.

THESE THAT I HAVE LOVED. AN ANTHOLOGY OF LIVING POETRY AND PROSE. By Mildred Welker Hufstater. New York: Pageant Press, 1953; pp. xiv+112. $3.00.

LITERARY MASTERPIECES OF THE WESTERN WORLD. Edited by Francis H. Horn. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1953: pp. xix+255. $3.50.     

“'Are we going to now govern by anecdote?’: Rhetorical constructions of welfare recipients in congressional hearings,debates, and legislation, 1992–1996”

Through a rhetorical analysis of the welfare reform hearings and debates from the 102nd, 103rd, and 104th Congresses, all of which led to President Clinton's historical August 22, 1996 signing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, P.L. 104–193, this essay contributes to our developing knowledge of deliberative hearings and debates as precursors to legislation. Relying on a narrative approach, this study challenges the liberatory and participatory functions of the narrative paradigm as conceived by Walter Fisher. The central argument developed in this essay is that some narrative forms facilitate elite discourse, discourage the inclusion of alternative public views, and delegitimize particular public voices.