Spanish and English Early Literacy Profiles of Preschool Latino English Language Learner Children

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine within-group individual differences in the code-related and oral language abilities of an economically stressed Spanish-speaking English language learner (ELL) preschool sample and to evaluate the predictive relationship of these differences to later listening comprehension. Latent class analysis was used to identify similarities in both the latent and outcome variables to form classes of students with similar profiles on the measured variables. Our 1st finding confirmed the existence of 4 distinct psychometrically validated profiles: (a) Low English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 19.4%); (b) Average English Language, Strengths in Spanish Language and Spanish Code-Related (24.2%); (c) Mixed English and Spanish Language, Low Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 34%); and (d) High English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 22%). The resulting profiles demonstrated that English and Spanish code- and language-related domains of emergent literacy developed unevenly across the Spanish-speaking ELL preschoolers. Relative strengths and weaknesses in code- and language-related skills were also found to be meaningfully related to end-of-year listening comprehension—a precursor to reading comprehension. Finally, profiles yielded meaningful variability along sociodemographic variables. Practice or Policy: Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Forgetting about Friendship: Using Conflict in Teacher Communities as a Catalyst for School Change

It is widely recognized that teacher communities figure among the most vital factors for promoting educational change within schools. While there is widespread consensus on the idea of collegiality as an instrument for promoting and sustaining change, scholars are much less clear on the characteristics that teachers' professional communities within schools must possess in order to promote and sustain such change. This paper discusses the role of friendship and conflict in teacher communities and argues for a rethinking of the way the intermingling of professional and interpersonal ties in schools contributes to school change.     

Teacher's experiences in PBL: implications for practice

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme at the University of Minho, Portugal, since 2004/2005. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and discuss teachers' experiences in PBL in this programme and to explore its implications for student learning and for teaching practices in higher education. For data collection, the research method used was written narratives to these teachers, at the end of the PBL semester. Findings suggest that teachers express a positive view of PBL as a learning approach. They identify student motivation and engagement, along with a better understanding of the application of concepts in real-life situations, as important outcomes of the project for students. Besides this, teachers also highlight the importance of the development of transversal skills by students throughout the project. Recommendations for future work and implications for practice will also be discussed.     

The Birth of Particle Physics In Spain

Experimental high-energy and nuclear physics was created in Spain thanks to Joaquín Catalá de Alemany, who founded the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC) at the University of Valencia in 1950. The physics of photographic emulsions, cheap and easy to manipulate, were well adapted to the depressed situation in Spain following the Civil War. This essay describes how, using these techniques, Catalá de Alemany created a group, established links with international laboratories, and fostered a tradition that continues today.     

Preventing and reducing school violence: development of a Student and Family Office—a pilot study

This study introduces a pilot project—the creation of a Student and Family Office to reduce school violence—and suggests the benefits of the combined use of different strategies to decrease peer aggression and victimisation. The programme was implemented over a two-and-a-half-year period and included 132 Portuguese adolescents attending the third cycle of basic education. A considerable number of problematic situations, previously reported by students, changed after SFO intervention.. The results suggest that the local (universal and multimodal) intervention programme contributed to a decrease in harassment, coercion and aggressiveness, victimisation and reactive overt aggression rates, and also promoted the social and personal skills essential for successful interpersonal dynamics and peer conflict interventions. The implications for practice are discussed.     

A NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINERS’ ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT EVIDENCE‐BASED PRACTICES

The present investigation examined 460 school psychology trainers’ attitudes and beliefs about the conditions for the education and training of evidence‐based practices (i.e., assessments and interventions) in training programs in the United States and Canada using an online survey. Trainer attitudes and beliefs about education and training in evidence‐based practices were measured using a 24‐item five‐point Likert scale. Overall, trainers had positive views of evidence‐based practices, as well as program and organizational support for such training. However, trainers rated the education and training of evidence‐based assessments more favorably than evidence‐based interventions. In general, trainer characteristics nor program accreditation status, model, or type of degree offered were found to influence trainers’ perceptions about evidence‐based practices. However, trainers with prior experience teaching evidence‐based intervention courses were found to have more supportive views of evidence‐based assessments and interventions than those without such experience. Implications for future training and school practice are discussed.     

The Effects of Content-Enriched Shared Book Reading Versus Vocabulary-Only Discussions on the Vocabulary Outcomes of Preschool Dual Language Learners

Research Findings: This study compared the effects of content-based shared book-reading instruction versus an explicit vocabulary-only condition on the vocabulary development of preschool dual language learners (DLLs). Using shared book reading as the mode of instruction, we randomly assigned 48 bilingual preschool teachers and 281 Spanish-speaking DLLs from their classrooms at the class level to either a content-enriched interactive book-reading intervention or a thematic content-related vocabulary-only condition. Screened using the preLAS^®, the DLLs were selected for the study based on their scores at the prefunctional and beginning levels of English proficiency. Intervention and comparison bilingual teachers implemented the assigned instructional approach in small groups, for 20 min daily, for 18 weeks. Based on the results of multilevel models, findings indicated pre- to posttest growth on taught words for each instructional condition, with no significant effects on standardized English language measures. Practice or Policy: Results suggest that preschool DLL children benefit from the systematic use of interactive content-enriched shared book-reading vocabulary instruction or direct teaching of content vocabulary when instruction integrates language interaction opportunities with higher cognitive talk and scaffolds. The vocabulary-only routine is a cost-effective approach but may not replace the broader benefits of reading books.     

Space occupation near the basket shapes collective behaviours in youth basketball

This study aimed to analyse how youth basketball players explored numerical overloads during shot attempts by measuring their space occupation across specific court areas. Four process-tracing variables measured how the number of attackers (NA), number of defenders (ND), interpersonal distance between attacker and the closest defender (ID) and distance between attacker and the basket (DBkt) impacted on the performance outcome (converted shot; missed shot; ball possession lost). Ten competitive games involving 13 U14 teams were video recorded and players’ displacements were digitised. The associations between performance outcomes and the process-tracing measures were assessed using standardised mean differences and a cross-correlation function. A multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for each of the three possible outcomes. Results revealed that when shot attempts occurred at larger ID and at smaller DBkt, the possibilities to obtain a converted shot increased. The numerical overload of defenders near the scoring target was predominantly associated with offensive success. Also, the possibility of attackers to lead the spatial relation of movements with the defenders, near the scoring target, appeared as a prominent strategy to succeed. In sum, basketball teams that exhibit potential to adapt their collective behaviours to local changes in the environment might be closer to achieving successful outcomes.