Effects of reciprocal teaching on reading comprehension of low‐achieving adolescents. The importance of specific teacher skills

Low‐achieving adolescents are known to have difficulties with reading comprehension. This article discusses how reciprocal teaching can improve low‐achieving adolescents' reading comprehension in whole‐classroom settings (as opposed to small‐group settings) and to what extent intervention effects are dependent on teacher behaviour. Over the course of 1 year, experimental teachers (n = 10) were given extensive training and coaching aimed at using principles of reciprocal teaching, while control teachers (n = 10) used their regular teaching method. Observations of teacher behaviour were focused on instruction of reading strategies, modelling and support of group work and were performed in both experimental and control classes, comprising a total of 369 students (mean age = 13.01). Our study shows that reciprocal teaching contributed to adolescent low achievers' reading comprehension only when experimental teachers provided high‐quality strategy instruction. In addition, results suggest that the quality of implementation of reciprocal teaching in whole‐classroom settings should receive more research attention.

Highlights

What is already known about this topic

• Reciprocal teaching is a method of instructing and guiding learners in reading comprehension.
• It consists of a set of three related instructional principles: (a) teaching comprehension‐fostering reading strategies; (b) expert modelling, scaffolding and fading; and (c) students practising and discussing reading strategies with other students, guided and coached by the teacher.
• High quality of implementation of reciprocal teaching by teachers in classrooms is difficult.

What this paper adds

• After 1 year of implementing reciprocal teaching, no main effects of the treatment were established.
• Intervention effects were moderated by quality of instruction: strategy instruction led to higher scores on reading comprehension in the treatment condition but not in the control condition.
• Implementation of the instructional principles was by no means optimal: teachers were unable to provide detailed guidance to students working in small groups and modelling of strategies requires more experience and theoretical insight in the use and nature of reading strategies.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Extensive training and coaching are needed for teachers to become experts in reciprocal teaching.
• Teachers need hands‐on tools to be able to guide students in their collaborative group work and to fade the teachers' role in order to allow more individual self‐regulation by students in their use of strategies.
• Implementation quality has to be taken into account when doing effectiveness research and when adopting new, theory‐based didactic approaches.

     

Teachers' experiences and perceptions of primary EFL in Norway and the Netherlands: a comparative study

This article compares the organization and practice of primary English language teaching in Norway and The Netherlands, considering the strengths and weaknesses of the respective systems. It is based on surveys carried out in each country. Several issues considered essential to the success of a primary EFL program are addressed, such as starting age, contact hours, teacher competence, teaching priorities, classroom practice, the use of the target language as the language of instruction, and materials used. Special attention is given to the transition from the primary to secondary level. Although both countries share common challenges and problems, these appear to be far greater in the Netherlands than in Norway, especially with regard to continuity from primary to secondary.

Cet article compare l'organisation et la pratique de l'enseignement de l'anglais à l'école primaire en Norvège et aux Pays‐Bas, en considérant les forces et les faiblesses des systèmes respectifs. L'article se base sur des enquêtes réalisées dans chaque pays. Plusieurs éléments essentiels ont été pris en compte pour le succès du programme de EFL (anglais langue étrangère) à l'école primaire, comme l'âge des élèves, le nombre d'heures d'enseignement, la compétence du professeur, les priorités de l'enseignement, les pratiques de classe, l'utilisation de la langue cible pendant l'enseignement et le matériel utilisé. Une attention toute particulière a été accordée à la transition du niveau primaire au niveau secondaire. Bien que les deux pays partagent les mêmes ambitions et les mêmes problèmes, il semble qu'ils soient mieux abordés aux Pays‐Bas qu'en Norvège, particulièrement si l'on considère la continuité entre le niveau primaire et le niveau secondaire.

Este artículo compara la organización y la práctica de la enseñanza del idioma inglés en la escuela primaria en Noruega y en los Países Bajos, considerando lo positivo y lo negativo de los sistemas respectivos. Se basa en investigaciones realizadas en cada país. Se toman en cuenta varios elementos esenciales para el éxito del programa de EFL (enseñanza del inglés para extranjeros) en la escuela primaria, como la edad de los alumnos, las horas de enseñanza, la competencia del profesor, las prácticas de clase, el uso del idioma enseñado en la situación de enseñanza y el material utilizado. Una atención particular está otorgada a la transición de la escuela primaria a la segundaria. Aunque los dos países compartan los mismos desafíos y problemas, aparece que son tratados mejor en los Países Bajos que en Noruega, especialmente si se considera la continuidad entre el nivel primario y el segundario.

Im Mittelpunkt des Beitrags steht ein Vergleich der Organisation und Praxis des Grundschul‐Englischunterrichts in den Niederlanden und in Norwegen, wobei Stärken und Schwächen der jeweiligen Systeme aufgezeigt werden. Die Untersuchung beruht auf Umfragen, die unter Lehrkräften in den beiden Ländern durchgeführt wurden. Eine Reihe wichtiger Aspekte, die für den Erfolg von Englischprogrammen im Grundschulbereich verantwortlich sind, wie Eingangsalter der Schüler, Stundendeputat, Kompetenz der Lehrkraft, Unterrichtsziele, Unterrichtspraxis, Unterrichtsprache und Lehrmittel, werden angesprochen. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit wird dem Übergang vom Grundschul‐ zum Sekundarbereich gewidmet. Obwohl beide Länder vor ähnlichen Problemen und Herausforderungen stehen, scheinen diese in den Niederlanden sehr viel schwerwiegender als in Norwegen zu sein, ganz besonders in Bezug auf die Frage der Kontinuität beim Wechsel von der Grundschule zur Sekundarstufe.     

Why fund heritage? The role of research in the Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) distributes money from the National Lottery to heritage. Since 1995 the HLF has given some £3 billion to 15,000 projects. As a small organization with a relatively large remit, applied research has been critical to the work of the HLF, helping it set priorities, make decisions and evaluate its programmes. Key research issues include: defining the needs of the heritage, the best means of evaluating projects and programmes, and capturing the economic and social benefits of heritage. Young people can be a difficult audience for heritage funders to reach, and it is shown how evaluation informed a dedicated new programme. The example of its support of parks shows how a need identified through research became a priority for the HLF, and has since been taken up by government. Finally, the HLF has developed a distinctive approach based on a very open concept of what heritage is and means to people. Research into public attitudes to heritage has been central to this.

The Lottery will be reviewed in the lead up to the licence review in 2009 and inevitably questions will be asked about the future of funding. In another context, the Secretary of State has asked how it is possible to capture the value of culture. In common with organizations who deal with sports, art and culture, the HLF needs to capture the benefits of funding in a way that makes sense to both politicians and the public. Doing this depends upon robust research.     

Problems of research for a new open university

During the preparation of new institutes of higher education and adult education, policy makers often ask for needs research, mostly in order to forecast the number of future students. In this paper it is argued that needs research generally is not a good means for deciding whether a new institute should be or can be established: it leads to postponement of decisions and it rests on wrong assumptions about needs and on a misunderstood service orientation in education.

When a decision has been taken to establish an institute, research can help planners and programmers by collecting data about future students. Some examples are given from the activities of the Staff Bureau for Research and Evaluation of the Dutch Open University.

Consideration of the techniques and assumptions of needs research leads to a research program in which more qualitative research techniques are incorporated in counselling and outreach activities and are more oriented at specific target groups than at the general public.     

Analyzing shear stress-induced alignment of actin filaments in endothelial cells with a microfluidic assay

The physiology of vascular endothelial cells is strongly affected by fluid shear stress on their surface. In this study, a microfluidic assay was employed to analyze the alignment of actin filaments in endothelial cells in response to shear stress. When cells were cultured in microfluidic channels and subjected to shear stress, the alignment of filaments in the channel direction was significantly higher than in static cultures. By adding inhibitory drugs, the roles of several signaling proteins in the process of alignment were determined. Thus, it is shown how microfluidic technology can be employed to provide a mechanistic insight into cell physiology.     

Comparison of step-by-step kinematics of resisted,assisted and unloaded 20-m sprint runs

This investigation examined step-by-step kinematics of sprint running acceleration. Using a randomised counterbalanced approach, 37 female team handball players (age 17.8 ± 1.6 years, body mass 69.6 ± 9.1 kg, height 1.74 ± 0.06 m) performed resisted, assisted and unloaded 20-m sprints within a single session. 20-m sprint times and step velocity, as well as step length, step frequency, contact and flight times of each step were evaluated for each condition with a laser gun and an infrared mat. Almost all measured parameters were altered for each step under the resisted and assisted sprint conditions (η² ≥ 0.28). The exception was step frequency, which did not differ between assisted and normal sprints. Contact time, flight time and step frequency at almost each step were different between ‘fast’ vs. ‘slow’ sub-groups (η² ≥ 0.22). Nevertheless overall both groups responded similarly to the respective sprint conditions. No significant differences in step length were observed between groups for the respective condition. It is possible that continued exposure to assisted sprinting might allow the female team-sports players studied to adapt their coordination to the ‘over-speed’ condition and increase step frequency. It is notable that step-by-step kinematics in these sprints were easy to obtain using relatively inexpensive equipment with possibilities of direct feedback.     

How Will We Understand What We Teach? - Primary Student Teachers’ Perceptions of their Development of Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Physics

The research outlined in this paper investigated how student teachers perceived the development of their knowledge and attitudes towards physics through video recorded practical workshops based on experiments and subsequent group discussions. During an 8-week physics course, 40 primary science student teachers worked in groups of 13–14 on practical experiments and problem-solving skills in physics. The student teachers were video recorded in order to follow their activities and discussions during the experiments. In connection with every workshop, the student teachers participated in a seminar conducted by their physics teachers and a primary science teacher; they watched the video recording in order to reflect on their activities and how they communicated their conceptions in their group. After the 8 weeks of coursework a questionnaire including a storyline was used to elicit the student teachers’ perceptions of their development of subject matter knowledge from the beginning to the end of the course. Finally, five participants were interviewed after the course. The results provided insight into how aspects such as self-confidence and the meaningfulness of knowledge for primary teaching were perceived as important factors for the primary science student teachers’ development of subject matter knowledge as well as a positive attitude towards physics.     

Time of day and short-duration high-intensity exercise influences on coagulation and fibrinolysis

Exercise has been demonstrated to have considerable effects upon haemostasis, with activation dependent upon the duration and intensity of the exercise bout. In addition, markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis have been shown to possess circadian rhythms, peaking within the morning (0600–1200?h). Therefore, the time of day in which exercise is performed may influence the activation of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems. This study aimed to examine coagulation and fibrinolytic responses to short-duration high-intensity exercise when completed at different times of the day. Fifteen male cyclists (VO_2max: 60.3?±?8.1?ml?kg^?1?min^?1) completed a 4-km cycling time trial (TT) on five separate occasions at 0830, 1130, 1430, 1730 and 2030. Venous blood samples were obtained pre- and immediately post-exercise, and analysed for tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), thrombin–anti-thrombin complexes (TAT) and D-Dimer. Exercise significantly increased plasma concentrations of TF (p?p?p?p?p?=?.004) and TFPI (p?=?.031), with 0830 greater than 1730 (p .001), while 1730 was less than 2030?h (p?=?.008), respectively. There was no significant effect of time of day for TAT (p?=?.364) and D-Dimer (p?=?.228). Power output, TT time and heart rate were not significantly different between TTs (p?>?.05); however, percentage VO_2max was greater at 1730 when compared to 2030 (p?=?.04). Due to a time-of-day effect present within TF, peaking at 0830, caution should be applied when prescribing short-duration high-intensity exercise bout within the morning in populations predisposed to hypercoagulability.