Prediction of dyslexia in kindergarten boys

This study followed 163 boys from kindergarten through fourth grade. A battery of neurospychological and preacademic tests and electrophysiological measures (BEAM) were administered in kindergarten, and reading tests at grade 4, in an attempt to delineate precursors of dyslexia. Three of the kindergarten tasks (giving sounds associated with letters, rapid naming of numbers, and finger localization) differentiated dyslexics from normal readers with 98 percent correct classification. The tasks primarily involve grapheme-phoneme associations, storage and retrieval of phonological information in long-term memory, and verbal labeling. Results are interpreted as confirming the role played by phonological processing tasks in the prediction of dyslexia. Preliminary BEAM results for visual evoked potential topography suggest a significant increment in the distribution of this potential in the left parietal and frontal region, and, for auditory evoked potential topography, a significant difference between the two groups in the right posterior hemisphere. This work was supported in part by NIHCD grants RO1HD18761 to F.H. Duffy, RO1HD18654 to H. Als, and the Mental Retardation Grant P30HD18655 to C.F. Barlow.     

Linkages between children's and their friends' social and physical aggression: evidence for a gene-environment interaction?

Based on a sample of 406 seven-year-old twins, this study examined whether exposure to friends' social or physical aggression, respectively, moderates the effect of heritability on children's own social and physical aggression. Univariate analyses showed that children's own social and physical aggression were significantly explained by genetic factors, whereas friends' social and physical aggression represented "true" environmental factors that were unrelated to children's genetic dispositions. Multivariate analyses further suggested a possible gene-environment interaction in the link between friends' and children's physical aggression but not in the link between friends' and children's social aggression. Instead, friends' social aggression was directly related to children's social aggression, in addition to genetic effects on this behavior. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Faculty Research Productivity: Exploring the Role of Gender and Family-Related Factors

This study explores the role of several family-related factors in faculty research productivity for a large, nationally representative sample of university faculty members. The role of marriage, children, and aging parents is examined after controlling for other personal and environmental factors, such as age, rank, department, and intrinsic motivations to conduct research, that previous research has shown to influence research productivity. Analyses are conducted on a sample of 8,544 full-time teaching faculty (2,384 women and 6,160 men) at 57 universities nationwide. Results show that factors affecting faculty research productivity are nearly identical for men and women, and family-related variables, such as having dependent children, exhibit little or no effects on research productivity.     

The effects of matching instructional strategy with selected student characteristics on ninth grade physical science students' attitudes and achievement

The study investigated the benefits of a matching model of instruction for students enrolled in ninth grade physical science classes in one high school in a small, urban school district. Based on social learning theory, three independent variables were identified for purposes of matching: need level, cognitive style, and locus of control; attitude and achievement outcomes served as the dependent variables. Results of separate analyses of covariance revealed that attitude toward science in general improved with matching, but achievement, attitude toward physical science, attitude toward instruction, and attitude toward the teacher did not improve. Recommendations for subsequent “matching” experiments are discussed in light of the findings in this investigation.     

Promoting versatility in mentor teachers’ use of supervisory skills

Mentor teachers need a versatile supervisory skills repertoire. Besides taking the prevalent role of daily advisor and instructor, mentor teachers should also be able to stimulate reflection in student teachers. Video recordings of 60 mentoring dialogues were analysed, both before and after a mentor teacher training aimed at developing the encourager role. Mentor teachers’ repertoires of supervisory skills were found to consist of an average of seven supervisory skills. After training, a shift was observed in the frequencies and duration with which supervisory skills were used. Although considerable inter-individual variability existed between mentor teachers, training positively affected the use of supervisory skills for stimulating reflection in student teachers.     

Young people who cut themselves – a growing challenge for educational settings

There has been an increasing pattern of young people seeking to cope with the stresses of modern life by acts of self-harm. The frequency of this has been estimated by one review as between one in 12 and one in 15 across the UK. In this article, Margaret Dimmock, family therapist, Sue Grieves, community psychiatric nurse, both of whom work for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Hartlepool, and Maurice Place, Professor of Child and Family Psychiatry at Northumbria University, report the results of a survey carried out in a large comprehensive secondary school in the North of England, where the rate of self-destructive behaviour was found to be at least 9.8%. The reasons for this behaviour are explored when the authors look at the differences in coping behaviour that these young people show compared with their peers. The results from this project indicate that, within this sample of young people, there is a tendency to worry far more; to feel rather remote from peers; and to feel less able to cope with setbacks. Drawing on these findings, Margaret Dimmock, Sue Grieves and Maurice Place discuss some approaches that might help young people to avoid self-harming behaviour in future.     

写给中国读者

新年新气象,作为2008年国际化发展战略的重要举措之一,从本期开始,《数码印刷》杂志将从世界范围内遴选印刷行业知名专家,为本刊撰写卷首语（Professional＇s Letter）,请其就数码印刷市场的变化,数码印刷技术的发展,发表自己独到的观点。本期我们邀请到了素有“按需印刷之父”美誉的Frank D.Steenburgh先生,以其《如果创业,我选数码印刷》作为开篇之作,今后,我们将继续邀请其他知名专家,希望他们的言论能给读者耳目一新的感受,并能从中受到启迪。     

您的梦想有多大？中国，亚太，还是全球？

今天,你们中的大多数人正集中于满足中国数码印刷领域的一些细分市场。中国市场非常大．只要你集中力量,以全新的解决方案逐步深入到关键市场领域,就可以获得巨大成功,尤其是拥有数码印刷解决方案。     

DINI机构仓储库认证

目的——旨在概述机构仓储库的认证技术以支持德国开放存取活动,同时还描述了德国网络信息初始化计划(DINI)开展的"DINI认证2006"活动。设计方法——DINI对文献和出版物仓库的认证向潜在用户表明,该仓储的运行质量是有所保证的,同时使其区别于一般机构的网络服务。本认证也能够被用作支持开放获取的一个工具。结果——仓储库认证技术虽然不会成为全球性学术信息实现开放获取的主要影响因素,但它能够促进机构仓储库的推广,并提高机构仓储库服务的知名度。研究局限性/意义——DINI认证作为一种"软性"认证,关注的是数字仓储库的互操作性,这是一种正在流行的有指导意义的观点。但是它并不能为可信赖的数字资源长期保存系统提供详尽的审计工具。实践意义——依据特定的组织及技术标准,"DINI针对文档及出版物仓储的认证"推进了德国机构仓储库的发展,同时也为世界范围内数字仓储库的互操作性做出了贡献。原创性/价值——本文描述了德国采用的一个独特方法,同时也适用于其他国家及组织。     

Enhancing reading ability to prevent students from becoming "low-functioning deaf" as adults

Recent research on reading instruction in general and special education, collectively referred to as "scientifically based reading research," is emphasized in two new federal programs, Reading First and Early Reading First. The findings of this research, as it relates to the education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, are reviewed. Noteworthy is the stress placed on intervening early in children's lives, focusing on active learning opportunities, teaching strategies for reading fluency, and applying teacher interventions such as miscue analysis. The urgent need for educators to identify and implement effective techniques is highlighted by the continuing problem of "low-functioning deaf" (LFD) individuals being unable to secure gainful employment absent functional reading skills.