Screening for hearing loss in early childhood programs

This study assessed the feasibility of doing hearing screening in Migrant, American Indian and Early Head Start programs using otoacoustic emissions (OAE) technology. Staff members were trained to screen 0–3-year-old children for hearing loss using hand-held OAE equipment and a multi-step screening and referral protocol. Of the 3486 children screened as a part of the study, 77% passed an OAE screening at the first step, 18% more passed an OAE screening at the second step, and 5% were ultimately referred for medical or audiological follow-up. Eighty children were identified as having a hearing loss or disorder of the outer, middle or inner ear requiring treatment. Of these 80, six had permanent bilateral or unilateral hearing loss. Although the protocol suggested that the multi-step screening procedure should be completed within a 4-week time period or less, analysis of the data showed that for children requiring more than an initial OAE screening, the length of time over which the screening was completed ranged from 7 to 12 weeks. The median time required to complete a single OAE screening session was 4 minutes per child. The results demonstrate that OAE screening of young children using this protocol is practical and effective. The implications for conducting periodic hearing screening throughout early childhood are discussed.     

The twofold character of comparative education: Cross-cultural comparison and externalization to world situations

Member of the Executive Committee of the Comparative Education Society in Europe. His research work focuses on the comparative social history of education. His publications include two books on France, Die französischen Universitäten 1945–1968 (1972) Schulreform und Bildungspolitik in Frankreich (1974), Geschichte der Pädagogik und systematische Erziehungswissenschaft(co-editor) (1976), and Theories and Methods in Comparative Education(1988). He has published numerous articles in scholarly reviews, especially in Zeitschrift für Pädagogik.     

Cognitive Teaching Methods for Special Education: Development of Approaches for Intervention and Assessment in Germany

FOLLOWING a short introduction to historical aspects of the development of cognitive teaching methods, four current areas of research are described: cognitive behaviour modification with a focus on problem solving and metacognitive abilities, comprising the methods of cognitive modelling and self‐instruction; intelligence training based on the theoretical propositions of inductive thinking; attempts at applying Piagetian concepts as a conceptual framework for education and training; dynamic testing, focussing on modifiability of performance and thus bridging the gap between diagnostic assessment and education. Basic theoretical assumptions, methods and applications are separately discussed for each of these fields. Empirical data are presented for evaluation of their level of development Summarizing the results, it seems, that promising effects of training and fruitful application of diagnostic procedures can be obtained; however, implementation of the respective methods in special education settings does not show great progress. It is, thus, concluded that research on implementation is indispensable.     

Individual differences in mathematical competence modulate brain responses to arithmetic errors: An fMRI study

Data from both neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have implicated the left inferior parietal cortex in calculation. Comparatively less attention has been paid to the neural responses associated with the commission of calculation errors and how the processing of arithmetic errors is modulated by individual differences in mathematical competence. Do more competent individuals exhibit a different brain response to errors than less mathematically able individuals? These outstanding questions were addressed in the present functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study through an investigation of which brain regions respond more to erroneously versus correctly solved arithmetic problems while a group of 24 adult participants with varying levels of mathematical competence solved problems of all four arithmetic operations. Despite high levels of accuracy, a robust main effect of accuracy (incorrect vs. correct) was observed in both medial and lateral regions of the prefrontal cortex. These regions have frequently been associated with both the detection of errors and the deployment of cognitive control following an error. Furthermore, mathematical competence was found to modulate the activation of an area in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Specifically, individuals with relatively higher mathematical competence (n = 12) were found to activate this region more for incorrectly solved trials than their less mathematically competent peers (n = 12). Taken together, these findings suggest that the commission of arithmetic errors modulates responses of prefrontal regions and, moreover, that activation of the right lateral prefrontal cortex during arithmetic errors is affected by individual differences in mathematical competence. In view of the evidence associating the lateral prefrontal cortex with the implementation of cognitive control, we suggest that individuals with relatively high mathematical competence may exhibit greater awareness of calculation mistakes and implement greater control following the commission of errors.     

International research orientation of Swiss universities: self-regulated or politically imposed?

International openness is essential to science in small modern countries. The modernization of Swiss science and economy in the nineteenth century was promoted largely by foreigners: newly founded Swiss universities were staffed to a large extent by foreign professors, but students also came from abroad. Up to the middle of this century, the development of Swiss universities was marked by distinct successive phases of inviting in or shutting out international influence, depending mainly on changes in the political context. The international landscape of knowledge and science since the 1950s has undergone dynamic change. University structures were installed as a reaction to this dynamism. Patterns of international research orientation emerging in different universities and in the disciplinaryfields of business administration, chemistry and history are discussedin a comparative perspective.     

Disabilities Among Norwegian Students Found Eligible for Special Education

The prevalence of different disabilities in a sample of 780 students found eligible for special education in Norway is presented in this article. Each student was judged in relation to 10 different disabilities, and the frequencies of the different disabilities were reported. Almost all students had more than one problem or disability. It is argued that statistics related to students with disabilities that ascribe each student only to one category of disability do not provide a correct picture of the prevalence of different disabilities. The most common disabilities reported in this study were psychosocial problems, intellectual disability, and communication disorders that were found in about 40 to 50% of the students. About one third of the students were reported to have attention deficit disorder or physical disabilities, 25% experienced social stress outside school, and 20% had medical problems. Hearing and visual impairments are reported for about 5% and 6% of the sample respectively.