Phonological recoding as a universal process?

A phonological confusion task was employed to explore whether or not beginning readers of Chinese activate phonological codes while reading Chinese characters. Twenty first graders and twenty third graders read phonologically similar and dissimilar character strings. Following the presentation of each string, they were required to identify the characters from among a set of recognition items. Three major findings indicated that subjects used phonological codes while reading Chinese characters: (1) Subjects recognized fewer phonologically similar characters than phonologically dissimilar ones; (2) The phonological confusion effect varied with degree of phonological similarity among the characters read. Characters having the same rhyme and same tone (SRST) were recognized less accurately than characters of the same rhyme but different tones (SRDT), which in turn were recognized less accurately than characters of different rhymes and different tones (DRDT); (3) Silent reading and oral reading resulted in similar patterns of phonological confusion, indicating that similar codes were activated during the two reading conditions.     

Parental Participation and Partnership in Pre-school Provision Participation et partenariat parental dans les prestations pre´scolaires Participación y Asociación de Los Padres en la Provisión de la Enseñanza Preescolar

Parental participation in pre-school provision does not reflect a close partnership between parents and pre-school service providers in the statutory sector. A multi-method approach involving survey, interviews and observations revealed that opportunities across pre-school provision for parental participation vary considerably between different types of provision. While parental needs for participation were largely satisfied by the levels and types of participation offered in the playgroup sector, parental willingness to participate in local authority (LA) and private nurseries is not matched by the opportunities available, particularly with respect to active help in daily activities. This desire for increased levels of parental participation stems from three sources: (i) to monitor and obtain feedback on their own child's progress; (ii) to enable them to experience how pre-school provision is delivered; and (iii) to satisfy their own needs for social contact and making friends. Results suggest that parents' actual and desired participation falls short of genuine partnership and raise questions about parental training and the precise roles and responsibilities which parents should have. La participation des parents aux prestations préscolaires ne fait pas apparaître un partenariat étroit entre les parents et les services préscolaires dans le secteur officiel. Une approche multi-méthodes comprenant une enquête, des entretiens et des observations a révélé que les opportunités de participation parentale aux prestations préscolaires variaient considérablement selon les différents types de prestations. Alors que les besoins parentaux de participation soient largement satisfaits par les niveaux et les types de participation offerts par le secteur des garderies communautaires, la disponibilité des parents à apporter une participation aux écoles maternelles d'État et privées n'est pas satisfaite par les occasions disponibles, notamment en matière d'aide active aux activités quotidiennes. Le désir des parents d'augmenter leur participation se base sur trois raisons: (i) suivre les progrès de leur enfant, et obtenir des informations sur ces progrès; (ii) savoir comment les prestations préscolaires sont assurées; et (iii) satisfaire leurs propres besoins de contacts sociaux et se faire des amis. Les conclusions indiquent que la participation apportée et souhaitée par les parents ne correspond pas à un véritable partenariat et soulèvent des questions sur la formation des parents et les rôles et responsabilités précis àdonner aux parents. La participación de los padres en la provisión de la enseñanza preescolar no refleja una asociación estrecha entre los padres y los proveedores del servicio de enseñanza preescolar en el sector estatal. Un enfoque multimétodo utilizando sondeos, entrevistas y observaciones puso de manifiesto que las oportunidades a través de toda la provisión de la enseñanza preescolar para la participación de los padres varía bastante entre los diferentes tipos de provisión. Mientras que las necesidades de los padres de participación fueron en gran parte satisfechas pos los niveles y los tipos de participación ofrecidos en el sector de los "playgroup" (grupos de actividades lúdico-educativas para niños de edad preescolar), la buena disposición de los padres a participar en las guarderías municipales y en las privadas no se corresponde con las oportunidades disponibles, especialmente en lo que concierne a la ayuda activa en las actividades diarias. Este movimiento hacia mayores niveles de participación de los padres tiene de tres razones: (i) el deseo de seguir el desarrollo y de obtener "feedback" sobre el progreso de los hijos; (ii) el deseo de permitirles experimentar cómo se imparte la provisión de los servicios de la enseñanza preescolar, y (iii) el deseo de satisfacer sus propias necesidades para establecer contactos sociales y hacer amistades. Los resultados indican que la participación deseada y real de los padres está muy por debajo de una asociación genuina y plantean cuestiones sobre la capacitación de los padres y sobre las responsabilidades y funciones específicas que deberían tener los padres.     

Development of oral reading fluency in children with speech or language impairments: a growth curve analysis

This longitudinal study used piece-wise growth curve analyses to examine growth patterns in oral reading fluency for 1,991 students with speech impairments (SI) or language impairments (LI) from first through third grade. The main finding of this study was that a diagnosis of SI or LI can have a detrimental and persistent effect on early reading skills. Results indicated differences between subgroups in growth trajectories that were evident in first grade. A large proportion of students with SI or LI did not meet grade-level reading fluency benchmarks. Overall students with SI showed better performance than students with LI. Reading fluency performance was negatively related to the persistence of the SI or LI; the lowest performing students were those originally identified with SI or LI whose diagnosis changed to a learning disability. The results underscore the need to identify, monitor, and address reading fluency difficulties early among students with SI or LI.     

A longitudinal investigation of direct and indirect links between reading skills in kindergarten and reading comprehension in tenth grade

In this study, researchers examined the extent to which several fundamental measures of reading proficiency from kindergarten students (N = 3180) were linked to reading comprehension in tenth grade while controlling for third grade vocabulary and oral reading fluency. Analyses tested the direct and indirect relations between and among kindergarten, third grade, and tenth grade measures. Results showed significant direct effects from kindergarten nonsense word fluency and letter naming fluency to tenth grade reading comprehension, along with significant indirect effects of kindergarten nonsense word fluency and vocabulary to tenth grade reading comprehension. Findings suggest that fundamental precursors maintain strong impact upon reading comprehension into the secondary school years. These findings are discussed along with implications for interventions and ideas for future research.     

When Reforms Travel: The Sequel

In a previous paper, we described the process in which a reform, grown in the soil of one school district (Community District #2 in New York City) was transplanted to new soil, a new context (the San Diego City Schools). In this paper we examine the condition of the reform 6 years later, at the time Anthony Alvarado, the architect of the reform in New York City and its transplant to San Diego, left the San Diego City Schools, and a new phase of reform was underway. From 1998 through 2002, the San Diego City Schools engaged in a dramatic, daring, and possibly unprecedented reform. Their overarching goal was expressed consistently in terms of student learning. To achieve that commendable goal, the District instituted a content-driven, centralized, comprehensive, and fast-paced reform in 1998. We discuss the tensions that were produced when the ambitiousness of a reform outpaced the capacity of educators to carry it out; when the values, norms, and beliefs of teachers and principals col These developments have consequences for our assessment of how reforms travel from one district to another. Reforms that were developed for and proved their effectiveness in elementary settings appear to have limited transferability to middle and high school settings because elementary students’ learning trajectories are different from adolescents and the organizations of high schools are very different from elementary schools. And reforms that privilege the technical dimension of school reform must always be sensitive to the way that interacts with the political and cultural dimensions.     

An intercultural approach to challenging issues in Northern Ireland teacher education

This paper reports action research intended to advance intercultural learning and pedagogy within teacher pre‐service education. Northern Ireland (NI) student teachers returning from teaching abroad and students from abroad training in NI shared views upon pedagogical practices, identified features supportive of inclusive teaching and assessed the potential of teacher intercultural learning. Experience of teaching abroad acted to challenge, but in some cases also to affirm, teacher dependence upon professional authority, independent pupils' learning and associated forms of control in classrooms. A majority of student teachers appeared encouraged by their experience of teaching abroad to experiment with pedagogies supportive of a negotiated and more inclusive curriculum and involving more cooperative learning in classrooms. Without significantly greater intercultural experience in NI teacher education, in the selective nature of NI schooling and in the control of subject disciplines under the NI statutory curriculum, sustained use of more transformative pedagogies is considered problematical in NI schools.

Cet article retrace une recherche‐action mise en oeuvre afin de promouvoir l'apprentissage interculturel et sa pédagogie. Des étudiants nord‐irlandais en formation initiale, rentrant de stage pratique à l'étranger, et des étudiants d'autres pays, effectuant un stage en Irlande du Nord, ont partagé leurs points de vue sur des pratiques pédagogiques, ont identifié des aspects encourageant l'éducation à l'altérité et ont évalué le potentiel d'apprentissage interculturel du professeur. L'expérience d'enseigner à l'étranger a mis ces étudiants au défi, mais dans certains cas a aussi renforcé la dépendance de l'enseignant à l'égard de l'autorité, du travail individuel de l'élève et du maintien de la discipline dans la classe. Cette expérience a encouragé la majorité de ces futurs professeurs à faire l'expérience des pédagogies développant un programme scolaire négocié et un apprentissage fondé sur la collaboration dans la classe. Sans réformes majeures, l'application intensive de ces pédagogies a été considérée comme problématique pour les écoles nord‐irlandaises.

Dieses Papier berichtet über Aktionsforschung mit dem Ziel der Förderung von interkulturellem Lernen und Pädagogik im Bereich der Lehrerausbildung. Nordirische Studierende, die aus einem Auslandslehrpraktikum zurückkehren und ausländische Studierende, die in Nordirland ausgebildet wurden, tauschten Eindrücke über pädagogische Praktiken, identifizierten Merkmale welche ?inclusive teaching“ unterstützen und bewerteten das Potential für interkulturelles Lernen in der Lehrerausbildung. Die Lehrerfahrung im Ausland bewirkte eine Herausforderung, in manchen Fällen aber auch eine Bestätigung der Abhängigkeit der Lehrenden von Autorität, der Arbeit von einzelnen Schülern und Schülerinnen und der Kontrolle im Klassenraum. Die Mehrzahl der Lehramtsstudierenden wurde durch ihre Erfahrung ermutigt mit einer Pädagogik zu experimentieren, die verhandelte Curricula und gemeinschaftliches Lernen unterstützen. Ohne weitgehende Reformen wurde der Einsatz dieser Pädagogiken in den Schulen Nordirlands als problematisch betrachtet.

Este estudio informa sobre investigaciones prácticas para potenciar la pedagogía y el aprendizaje interculturales de los docentes. Los estudiantes de Magisterio de Irlanda del Norte que vuelven de su periodo de prácticas docentes en el extranjero y los estudiantes extranjeros de prácticas en Irlanda del Norte comparten puntos de vista sobre prácticas pedagógicas, identifican áreas de apoyo para una enseñanza global y evalúa el potencial del aprendizaje intercultural. La experiencia de las prácticas en el extranjero sirvió de reto, pero en algunos cursos también reforzó la dependencia del docente en la autoridad, en el trabajo personal de los estudiantes y en el control del aula. La mayoría de los estudiantes de prácticas se sintieron animados a experimentar con pedagogías de negociación de contenidos curriculares y de aprendizaje colaborativo. Sin reformas importantes, el uso continuado de esta pedagogía se considera problemático en las escuelas de Irlanda del Norte.