Perspectives of mothers of children with dyslectic difficulties concerning their encounters with school: a Swedish example

The aim of this study was to acquire in‐depth understanding of parental experiences and encounters with the school system relative to having a child with dyslexia or experiencing difficulties with reading and writing (dyslectic difficulties). Mothers of seven children who attended lower or upper secondary school were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative methods. According to the participants, schools often failed to identify their child’s difficulties that led to lack of appropriate support. The mothers were active in allocating support and developing strategies to alleviate lowered self‐esteem. individual education programmes (IEPs) were not used regularly. Highlighted is the need for a more explicit national policy regarding parental and children’s rights in regard to dyslectic difficulties.     

VEIEN TIL OG GJENNOM GYMNASET I NORGE

Brusling, C. 1973. Composition Training. Scand. J. educ. Res. 17, 11‐22. From principles of the psychology of learning a method of stimulating practice in composition was derived. The method was tested in a sample of 120 pupils in the third grade of the elementary school. Measures of quantity, counts of words, as well as measures of quality (ratings) were gathered and used in the evaluation of the results. A comparison was made between the usual univariate form of statistical analysis and the multivariate technique of discriminant analysis. The latter was shown not to yield the easily interpreted results often claimed as one of the virtues of the method.

Generally, the results support the hypothesis that the experimental treatment should be more effective than the control treatment.     

Doing justice to inclusion: a response to John Wilson

This study explored mainstream education teachers' perceptions of instructional adaptations in inclusive classrooms and its feasibility, effectiveness, and desirability of implementation. It was of particular interest to know how teachers of different grade levels would respond to such adaptations. Kindergarten (n = 16), elementary (n = 34), secondary (n = 26) and high school (n = 13) teachers rated the feasibility, effectiveness and desirability of 29 items on the Teaching Adaptation Scale. Results indicated a moderate teacher acceptance of instructional adaptations. Additionally, statistically significant differences between grade grouping (high school vs compulsory grades) surfaced. Findings are discussed in the light of needs of professional practice and significant reforms to improve curriculum preparation programmes.     

Training needs of career guidance personnel in Australia and Hong Kong: A comparative study

An increasing emphasis on the need for provision of career development programs for all ages has prompted a parallel call for greater provision of training for career personnel. The present study surveyed career personnel in Hong Kong who were undertaking additional training, and Masters level students at an Australian university who were engaged in some careers work in their schools but who were not employed in a formal role as career teacher or counsellor. The survey focused on competencies of careers coordinators. The findings generally high-lighted a need for more training in the area of career development competencies.     

The perceived needs of support of parents and classroom teachers a comparison of needs in two microsystems

The aim of this study was to describe and compare from a systems perspective the perceived needs of parents and teachers of school-age children with intellectual impairments. The relationship between type and degree of impairment to perceived needs was analysed. Comparisons revealed that while the parents and teachers differed regarding their respective needs, they agreed on specific informational needs. It was found that certain child characteristics in interaction with contextual factors evoked specific needs within microsystem settings. Motor impairments tended to correlate with needs regarding family routines, and impairments in communication and behaviour tended to correlate with family informational needs. Teachers expressed significantly more and stronger needs than parents, and teachers who instructed according to a reading based curriculum expressed more and stronger needs than teachers who instructed according to a life-skills based curriculum. These findings are discussed, together with their implications for future research and changes in teacher education.     

Evaluating a Multidimensional Reading Comprehension Program and Reconsidering the Lowly Reputation of Tests of Near‐Transfer

We conducted a 14‐week experimental study of 2 versions of a relatively comprehensive RC intervention that involved 50 classroom teachers, 15 tutors, and 116 children drawn in equal proportions from grades 3 and 5 in 13 schools in a large urban school district. Students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the two tutoring conditions and a control group. Results indicated that students in the two tutored groups tended to perform comparably on all tests and to outperform controls (more so in grade 5 than grade 3) on near‐transfer but not far‐transfer measures of RC. This differential pattern of program effects for near‐ versus far‐transfer measures raises questions about how tests of near‐transfer and far‐transfer are conventionally understood.     

Future pest status of an insect pest in museums,Attagenus smirnovi: Distribution and food consumption in relation to climate change

The brown carpet beetle Attagenus smirnovi, Zhantiev 1973 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is an important pest of objects of organic origin in museums of cultural and natural history in Europe. Future climate changes are expected to lead to increasing temperatures, which will affect the pest status of this species. In the present study a laboratory investigation was conducted to elucidate the effect of temperature and humidity on the amounts of organic material consumed by larvae of A. smirnovi. In the case of new and old skin, consumption was approximately twice as high at 28 °C compared to 20 °C. Wool was consumed in the greatest amounts: 169 mg of wool was consumed in three months by 30 A. smirnovi larvae. The expected future climate changes in Scandinavia are assumed to lead to higher temperatures in museums and stores where climate is not regulated. Updated data on the present distribution of A. smirnovi in Europe show that it is widespread and common, also in regions with a climate that does not support its survival out of doors. Thus, dispersal of this pest probably only rarely occurs by flight, but usually with human activity. Due to the widespread distribution of A. smirnovi, it is likely that damages in museums and collections in Scandinavia due to this pest will increase as climate changes come into effect.     

Clinical supervision: The perceptions andexperiences of school counselors in Australia

This Australian study examined the experiencesof clinical supervision of school counselors.The participants perceived the amount of timespent on clinical supervision as inadequate,and described their use of an informal supportnetwork.