Indirect Impact: How Early Childhood Educator Training and Coaching Impacted the Acquisition of Literacy Skills in Preschool Students

Learning to read becomes a difficult task for many children, particularly if they have not been reared in early childhood settings where literacy-based activities, interactions, or materials are prevalent. This study examined the impact that providing a college-level course in research-based instructional strategies for literacy development to early childhood educators had on the development of early reading skills in the preschool children they taught. In addition, impact on children’s rates of literacy skill attainment was examined when a coaching component (i.e., a Literacy Coach) was added.     

Domesticated Animals on Exhibit at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 1900–1928

In 1905 the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University began planning for a new domesticated animals exhibition in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Louis Agassiz. The resulting displays of variation and heredity in poultry, pigeons, rabbits, mice, and guinea pigs proved surprisingly popular to museumgoers. Some of these specimens still exist in the museum’s storage facilities, namely a series of poultry donated by the biologist Charles B. Davenport and an elaborate set of guinea pigs from the experimental evolutionist William E. Castle. Situating these domesticated animal displays within academic and popular cultures of poultry fancying, animal breeding, and evolutionary science reveals how a nineteenth-century museum known for its ties to anti-evolutionary principles attempted to modernize its public exhibits.     

The Indirect Association Between Television Exposure and Self-Protective Behavior as a Result of Worry About Crime: The Moderating Role of Gender

Persistent fear of crime can have serious consequences for one’s social behavior. Previous research has shown that people who fear crime are more likely to engage in self-protective behavior. Although a substantial amount of research has examined the relationship between television exposure and fear of crime, research on the association between television exposure and self-protective behavior is scarce. Based on cultivation theory and the mediated fear model, the current study aimed to examine whether news and crime drama television viewing are indirectly related to self-protective behavior via fear of crime. Structural equation modeling of data from 392 undergraduate students showed that news viewing and crime drama viewing is indirectly associated with self-protective behavior. The current study provided evidence for the importance of accounting for gender when investigating the complex issue of media effects on fear of crime and self-protective behavior.     

A comparison of Dabrowski's overexcitabilities by gender for American and Korean high school gifted students

The differences between US (Ohio) gifted and talented high school students and South Korean gifted and talented high school students on the Overexcitabilities Questionnaire II (OEQ II) were investigated. The OEQ II was administered to 227 Ohio identified gifted and talented high school students (M = 88, F = 139) and to 341 high school students from four specialized high schools (one for science, one for foreign language, and two for the arts) in Seoul, Korea (M = 117; F = 224). Multiple analysis of variance by gender and country revealed that Korean males and females scored higher in psychomotor OE and that US males and females scored higher in imaginational OE. No differences were found in intellectual OE, emotional OE, or sensual OE.     

Differentiation of the Curriculum for the Highly Able

It is possible to distinguish between structural and integral forms of curriculum provision for highly able students. Both these forms offer advantages and disadvantages, while there are also particular problems associated with enrichment. Three common forms of differentiation under the integral umbrella are by inputs, by outputs, or by developmental differentiation. Of these, developmental differentiation is the most appropriate. Its theoretical context can be matched to the needs which able students are reported to have. Translated into a practical methodology for use in schools and colleges, six types of cognitive process pedagogies which provide the appropriate curriculum enrichment can be identified: Games and simulation, cognitive study skills, real problem solving and investigative learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning and language experience methods. These facilitate the development of higher order cognitive and metacognitive skills and offer challenge in all content areas.     

Foreign aid and inclusive education in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati: a question of ownership

ABSTRACT

This study examines the influence of foreign aid and local ownership in the introduction of inclusive education in Kiribati. The data reported in this paper were collected through interviews with key local stakeholders and these data are part of a larger study. Data were analysed under the major theme of ownership, and were grouped into the four sub-themes of: local responses to inclusive education initiatives; support for inclusive education principles; local attitudes regarding the contribution of Australian Aid; and, sustainability with or without aid support. The results indicate that a positive commitment towards inclusive education is emerging and that Australian Aid provided essential advocacy for children with disabilities in Kiribati through direct management of initiatives by the expatriate administered Kiribati Education Facility. Inclusive education initiatives remain dependent on Australian Aid for direction and sustainability. Sustainability of inclusive education initiatives in Kiribati will depend on continued development of local ownership including community support and commitment by the Government of Kiribati, particularly budgetary support.     

Conceptions of athletic excellence among children and adolescents

Youth in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 were interviewed about their beliefs regarding athletic excellence. A set of open-ended questions assessed beliefs about the source of athletic ability and the differences between excellent athletes and others. Respondents also rated excellent athletes on a checklist containing various physical, cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal traits. Younger children were less likely than adolescents to differentiate excellent athletes. All participants, but especially adolescents, attributed greater physical skills to highly competent athletes. All but the third graders thought excellent athletes were different from others in terms of cognitive skills (e.g., attention, concentration), and adolescents believed excellent athletes also differed from others in terms of attitudes (e.g., motivation, determination). Older males were more likely to believe that athletic excellence was due to natural ability, whereas older females were more likely to attribute excellence to early social support and facilitation.