Genetic and Environmental Links Between Natural Language Use and Cognitive Ability in Toddlers

Although the phenotypic correlation between language and nonverbal cognitive ability is well‐documented, studies examining the etiology of the covariance between these abilities are scant, particularly in very young children. The goal of this study was to address this gap in the literature by examining the genetic and environmental links between language use, assessed through conversational language samples, and nonverbal cognition in a sample of 3‐year‐old twins (N = 281 pairs). Significant genetic and nonshared environmental influences were found for nonverbal cognitive ability and language measures, including mean length of utterance and number of different words, as well as significant genetic covariance between cognitive ability and both language measures.     

Critical Race Theory and the Meaning of “Community” in District Partnerships

This article uses a critical race theory lens to explore how members of one community-district partnership understand “community.” Engaging the community through full service schools (Dryfoos & Maguire, 2002), parent engagement programs (Comer & Emmons, 2006), lab schools through universities (Goldring & Sims, 2005), and other partnerships have become a major strand of reform in schools and districts. However, there is a dearth of critical scholarship that explores the contested meanings and implications of evoking community-laden terminology and approaches (Sanders, 2003; Warren, 2005). Using a grounded theory approach, this case study draws from a combination of ethnographic observations of governance meetings, committee meetings, and events over a year and a half; semi-structured interviews with 11 governance council members from the school district and other partners; and document analysis. Iterative rounds of coding identified ten concepts that were organized into three key categories: geographical and sociocultural conceptualizations of community, “community” as a euphemism, and structuring constraints and empowerment through advisory roles. These findings have broad implications for how we engage in community development and district partnership work in ways that are constructive, effective, and socially just.     

Independent effects of stimulus and cycle duration in conditioning: The role of timing processes

Rats received delay conditioning procedures with a white-noise conditioned stimulus (CS), a food unconditioned stimulus (US), and head entries into the food cup as the conditioned response. The stimulus duration (S) and the interval between food deliveries (C) were varied between groups:S=15, 30, 60, and 120 sec;C=90, 180, and 360 sec. The stimulus/cycle duration ratio was negatively related to the asymptotic level of conditioning but had no effect on the rate of acquisition. Conditioning and timing of responses emerged together in training. Timing occurred during the CS-US interval (ISI) and the US-US interval (ITI), as evidenced by increasing response rate gradients that were steeper for shorter intervals. The effects of the stimulus/cycle ratio on conditioning were attributed to independent timing of theS andC durations. Serial-, parallel-, and single-process accounts of conditioning and timing are compared.     

Development of Bilingual Phonological Awareness in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: The Roles of Vocabulary,Letter Knowledge,and Prior Phonological Awareness

Theories concerning the development of phonological awareness place special emphasis on lexical and orthographic knowledge. Given the large degree of variability in preschool classrooms that house Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELL), this study controlled for classroom effects by removing classroom means and covariances based on 158 children from 40 classrooms. Path analyses of the child-level covariance matrices tested the extent to which vocabulary and letter knowledge in each language predicted growth in English and Spanish phonological awareness of 130 preschool-age, Spanish-speaking ELLs. Results supported cross-linguistic effects of prior phonological awareness and Spanish vocabulary in the development of bilingual phonological awareness. Implications for theory, instruction, and research methods are discussed.     

"Because I am Muslim, I cannot wear a swimsuit": Muslim girls negotiate participation opportunities for physical activity

Drawing on the works of postcolonial critical feminist and Arab Muslim feminist scholars, we discuss in this paper how 4 muslim girls (ages 14- 17 years) negotiated their participation in opportunities for physical activity. Data collection methods included self mapping questionnaires, digital photos, private journal entries, and recordings of informal conversations. We discuss (a) how three discursive challenges emerged in veiling-off opportunities for physical activity, and (b) how the girls uncovered alternative ways of being physically active. To promote active life practices with muslim girls, we need to (a) navigate the diversity of young muslims within the intersecting discourses in their lives that potentially challenge their participation in physical activities, and (b) honor young muslims' choices while negotiating their chances of maintaining physical activities.     

Leadership Transitions During Fundraising Campaigns

Capital campaigns are intense efforts to build the financial assets of an institution in a specified amount of time. This study provides an empirical view of how changes in leadership affected concomitant capital campaigns at ten colleges and universities. The transitions during these 10 campaigns influenced morale on campus, altered timing of the campaigns, created negative publicity, and caused lost momentum; however, all capital campaigns persisted to meet financial goals despite disruptive transitions. One area of note is the lack of fundraising training and development for provosts, many of whom assume interim or full-time leadership posts after a presidential departure.     

Managing emotion in a maltreating context: a pilot study examining child neglect

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this pilot study was to examine emotion management skills (i.e., emotional understanding, emotion regulation) in children who had experienced neglect and a control group to determine the ways that neglect may interfere with children's emotional development. METHOD: Participants included children 6--12 years of age and their mothers (neglect group, N=24; control, N=24). Participants completed questionnaires and an interview that assessed children's emotional understanding and emotion regulation. RESULTS: Findings indicated that neglected children, compared to their non-maltreated peers, demonstrated lower understanding of negative emotions (i.e., anger, sadness) and fewer adaptive emotion regulation skills. Further, neglected children expected less support and more conflict from mothers in response to displays of negative emotion and reported that they were more likely to attempt to inhibit the expression of negative emotion. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that neglect may interfere with the normal acquisition of emotional understanding and emotion regulation skills, highlighting the importance of addressing these skills in the context of clinical intervention with neglected children.     

Trajectories of Ethnic–Racial Identity and Autonomy Among Mexican‐Origin Adolescent Mothers in the United States

This study examined trajectories of ethnic–racial identity (ERI) and autonomy development among Mexican‐origin adolescent females in the United States (N = 181; M_age at Wave 1 = 16.80 years, SD = 1.00) as they transitioned through the first 5 years of parenthood. Trajectories of ERI and autonomy also were examined in relation to psychosocial functioning. Unconditional latent growth models indicated significant growth in autonomy, ERI resolution, and ERI affirmation from middle to late adolescence. Conditional latent growth models indicated that autonomy and ERI exploration growth trajectories were positively associated with psychosocial adjustment. Although adolescent mothers are experiencing transitions that are not normative during adolescence, they also engage in normative developmental processes, and their engagement in such processes is linked with better adjustment.