Using the BEM for curriculum design: A case study

Managers are often faulted for not managing performance; when performance issues surface, they first look to training as a possible solution. But without correctly identifying the cause of a performance problem, they can choose the wrong solution. The behavior engineering model (BEM) helps diagnose performance problems as well as engineer a supportive environment. When senior managers complained that others could not manage performance, one company used the BEM to design a management curriculum that addressed each cell in the model.     

How do children read multisyllabic words? Some preliminary observations

Multisyllabic words have been neglected in determining the relationship between spelling and sound in reading development. In a preliminary exploration of this topic, sensitivity to the phonological and orthographic composition of multisyllabic words and nonwords is examined amongst a group of English‐speaking 11‐year‐olds. The nature of the English language suggests that the syllable structure and stress pattern of words may influence the acquisition of higher‐order reading skills. A phonological awareness task confirms that syllable boundaries are ambiguous in certain English words. Furthermore, accuracy at reading multisyllabic words and nonwords appears sensitive to this ambiguity as a small advantage emerges for stimuli with more stable syllable structures. Nonword but not word reading is affected by syllable length, and nonwords are assigned stress patterns which appear to be related to the lexical syllables that were used to construct these items. These findings are related to current connectionist models of word recognition.     

An investigation into the cognitive domain of competence II: The relationship between communicative competence and interaction involvement

The purpose of this study was to continue the investigation into the cognitive domain of communicative competence (Duran & Kelly, 1984; McCroskey, 1982; Spitzberg, 1983). The relationship between interaction involvement (Cegala, 1981) and communicative adaptability (Duran, 1983), a communicative competence construct, was studied. Canonical correlation analysis produced three significant canonical roots. Root 1 was defined by social confirmation appropriate disclosure, and responsiveness. Root 2 was defined by social composure, social experience, andperceptiveness. Root 3 was defined by social experience, and attentiveness. The theoretical implications of the results as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Not just ‘sunny days’: Aboriginal students connect out‐of‐school literacy resources with school literacy practices

In this paper, I report on a school‐university collaborative research project that investigated which practices and knowledges of Canadian Aboriginal students not acknowledged in school may provide these students with access to school literacy practices. The study, which took place in a small city in Western Canada, examined ways to merge the out‐of‐school literacy resources with school literacy practices for minority language learners who struggle with academic literacies. Drawing on the third space theory, in conjunction with the concept of “funds of knowledge,” I explain how students' linguistic and cultural resources from home and community networks were utilised to reshape school literacy practices through their involvement in the Heritage Fair programme. I analyse a representative case study of Darius, a 10‐year‐old boy who explored his familial hunting practices for his Heritage Fair project. This illustrative exemplar, “Not just sunny days,” highlights the ways in which children's out‐of‐school lives can be used as a scaffold for literacy learning. In conclusion, I discuss implications for educators and researchers working to improve literacy learning for minority students by connecting school learning to children's out‐of‐school learning.     

Providing Quality Early Care and Education to Young Children Who Experience Maltreatment: A Review of the Literature

The current paper highlights the few studies that examine the role of early care and education on the developmental and early academic outcomes of children who experience maltreatment. First, we argue that children who experience maltreatment are at significant risk for poor developmental outcomes as a result of the chronic exposure to stress that is typical of this population. Recent evidence emphasizing the effects of stress on brain development is discussed. Next, the role of quality early care and education (ECE) experiences for children receiving services from child protective agencies are explored, underscoring three particular studies that examine the early educational experiences of children who receive child protective services as a result of maltreatment or exposure to violence. Finally, we focus on current approaches to improve the outcomes of children who experience maltreatment, within the context of ECE, and the implications for future research. Overall, this review serves as a call for international research efforts to explore the role of ECE on the developmental and early educational outcomes of this vulnerable population of children.     

Letter from Rob Kling-Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

Individuals who have ready access to three new communication media— email, vmail, and fax—may elect to use only one medium, or two or more in combination. Users make choices based on evaluations of the utility of each medium for their communication tasks (a function of the types of work they perform). Individuals may assess technological characteristics to evaluate the technological utility of each medium. However, since communication media require multiple users, individuals also may be expected to assess characteristics of the user community to evaluate the social utility of each medium. Social utility may be influenced by people's perceptions of the existence of a critical mass of media users, and by the social influence of their peers and superiors. This study finds that perceptions of the technological and social utility of email, vmail, and fax are relatively independent of the types of work people perform. Social utility explains media usage somewhat better than technological utility, except in the case of email. Thus, the concept of social utility should be given more attention in future investigations of media choice.     

Text structure and patterns of cohesion in narrative texts written by adults with a history of language impairment

This paper examines text structure and patterns of cohesion in stories written by a group of adults with a history of childhood language impairment. The study aimed to extend our knowledge of writing difficulties in this group by building upon a study that examined clause level phenomena (Smith-Lock, Nickels, & Mortensen, this issue). Ten adults with a history of Language Impairment and 30 control participants were asked to write the story of Cinderella. Stories were analyzed for their generic structure and cohesion resources, both of which contribute to the organization and coherence of a text. Results revealed that patterns of text organization at the level of generic structure and measures of cohesion did not distinguish the performance of writers with a history of Language Impairment from the comparison group. A wide range of lexico-grammatical skills was evident within the Language Impaired group, with few individuals with Language Impairment falling outside the normal range of performance. It is suggested that generic structure and cohesion are a relative strength in the writing of adults with Language Impairment, within the constraints of their lexical and grammatical skills.

Genres and Learning to Read

The issue of text genre has begun to loom larger in thinking about literacy development, especially with the foregrounding of range in the latest National Curriculum orders for English. Lynne Kirk and Henry Pearson describe their investigation into the effects of text genre upon children's reading and conclude that, although story is the most immediately attractive genre, no one genre has all the qualities for helping children to learn to read.