A SERLINE-based union list of serials for basic health sciences libraries: a detailed protocol

In March 1981 the Consortium for Information Resources (CIR) was chosen by the Massachusetts Health Sciences Library Network to develop and automate a statewide biomedical union list of serials. Employing a commercial processor, ANSI standard Z39.42-1980, and SERLINE, CIR consolidated the journal holdings of six Massachusetts health-related library consortia. SERLINE, with its unique identifier as the single control element, governed the form of entry and bibliographic data for each journal. Additionally, SERLINE enhanced the union list by providing "see references" and general notations to map users to main titles or special information. An original feature of this union list is the "rolled" holdings and location statements intended to encourage even distribution of interlibrary loan transactions. The resulting union list of serials includes the holdings of 116 Massachusetts libraries, 94 of which are hospital libraries. The list includes nearly 3,000 unique titles and 15,000 holdings statements; production costs averaged $1.35 per unique title and 27 per holdings statement.     

An action research enquiry into child voice in the primary classroom by empowering children to arrange and implement their own timetable

ABSTRACT

This paper describes one child voice enabling strategy that allowed children in sixth class in an urban primary school in Ireland to have a say in the organisation of their learning. The lack of involvement that children have in the organisation of their school week was questioned and this prompted an investigation into a new approach to enabling child voice in the classroom. Action research is an iterative process that develops through a self-reflective spiral of planning, acting and observing, re-planning and further implementation. Each cycle followed a similar approach, of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. This research found that child voice can be effectively incorporated into the organisation of their learning when neither the teacher nor the children take total control but work together as equal individuals. In this enquiry the children design, implement and adhere to their own weekly timetable while adhering to the regulations set out by the Ireland’s Department of Education and Skills (DES). This research which aims to consider child voice when determining a timetable can be seen as a first step to integrate child-centred approaches into the classroom.     

Black Girls' Achievement in Middle Grades Mathematics: How Can Socializing Agents Help?

The middle grades mathematics classroom is full of transitions that students must overcome to become successful long-term learners of mathematics. This transition can be exorbitantly more tumultuous for Black girls who must overcome gender and racial mathematics achievement stereotypes. Mathematics identities and achievement socialization trends can help Black girls navigate the challenges associated with these transitions. In this article, we argue that socializing agents can play a key role in the development of positive mathematics identities and positive achievement socialization patterns in Black girls. We use recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data to characterize Black girls' middle grades content knowledge through a strength-based and growth-oriented lens. Then using the data, we provide explicit examples of how parents, teachers, and curriculum developers acting as socializing agents can harness Black girls' funds of knowledge to address the observed challenges identified in the mathematics NAEP data.     

Deaf children's use of phonological coding: evidence from reading, spelling, and working memory

Two groups of deaf children, aged 8 and 14 years, were presented with a number of tasks designed to assess their reliance on phonological coding. Their performance was compared with that of hearing children of the same chronological age (CA) and reading age (RA). Performance on the first task, short-term recall of pictures, showed that the deaf children's spans were comparable to those of RA controls but lower than CA controls. For the older deaf children, short-term memory span predicted reading ability. There was no clear evidence that the deaf children were using phonological coding in short-term memory when recall of dissimilar items was compared with recall of items with similarly sounding names. In the second task, which assessed orthographic awareness, performance of the deaf children was similar to that of RA controls although scores predicted reading level for the deaf children but not the hearing. The final task was a picture spelling test in which there were marked differences between the deaf and hearing children, most notably in the number of spelling refusals (which was higher for the deaf children in the older group than their RA controls) and the percentage of phonetic errors (which was considerably lower for both groups of deaf children than for any of the hearing controls). Overall these results provide support for the view that deaf children place little reliance on phonological coding.     

Syllable and rime patterns for teaching reading: Analysis of a frequency-based vocabulary of 17,602 words

A frequency-based vocabulary of 17,602 words was compiled and analyzed in order to group words with recurring syllable and rime patterns for teaching reading. The role of the rime unit (e.g.,ite inkite andinvite) in determining vowel pronunciation was central to the analysis because of the difficulty that the ambiguity of English vowel spelling presents to children who do not learn to read words easily. Vowel pronunciation in each orthographic rime was examined, both for its consistency in all words in which the rime occurs and for regularity, defined as conformity to the most frequent pronunciation for each vowel spelling in each of six orthographic syllable types. Of the 824 different orthographic rimes, 616 occur in rime families as the building blocks of almost all the 43,041 syllables of the words. These rimes account for a striking amount of patterning in the orthography: 436 are both regular and consistent in pronunciation (except where a single exception word occurs); another 55 are consistent but not regular. Of the remaining 125, only 86 have less than a 90 percent level of consistency. The high order of congruence of orthographic and phonological rimes suggests their usefulness as units for teaching reading.     

Expected grades versus specific evaluations of the teacher as predictors of students' overall evaluation of the teacher

All teacher evaluation forms completed in the arts and sciences division of a large community college were analyzed at three levels: division-wide (N=9,080), in class groups (31 groups), and class averages (548 classes). Multiple regression was used to predict teacher rating from the other nine items on the form. At all levels, expected grade, with minor exceptions, was the least important predictor. Certain items relating to teacher characteristics as perceived by the students had a consistent impact on rating. They included the following: “tries to help students understand,” which was most important, “sincerely interested in students,” and “uses class time effectively.”     

In a silent way: student perceptions of silence in community

Abstract

This paper explores young people’s perceptions of the role and value of shared ‘gathered’ silence in the corporate life of a school community. It draws on a small-scale qualitative investigation in a Quaker school setting. There may be particular things to learn about the practice of stillness and silence inherent in the ethos of a Quaker school. The silence referred to in this discussion of its value in schools is a rich, positive ‘strong’ type of silence. This study suggests that shared silent spaces can be both personal and interpersonal. In terms of the former, they may offer valuable opportunities for young people to be still and open to their inner life. Regarding the latter, interpersonal shared community silence may enhance a sense of closeness and connection to one another and perhaps offer some opportunity for freedom from the intrusion of the ‘noise’ of everyday life and the demands of others.     

Day-Care Participation as a Protective Factor in the Cognitive Development of Low-Income Children

The impact of day-care participation during the first 3 years of life on the cognitive functioning of school age children was examined. 867 5- and 6-year-old children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth who completed the 1986 assessment were included in the sample. The dependent measures were scores on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) subtests of mathematics and reading recognition. In addition to day-care participation, the impact of the pattern of day-care was examined by analyzing the effect of the number of years in day-care, the timing of initiation of day-care, and type of day-care arrangement. After controlling for confounding factors, there were significant interactions between all 3 measures of day-care patterning and family income for reading recognition performance. This association was further examined by exploring the interaction between the pattern of day-care participation and the quality of the home environment. Initiation of day-care attendance before the first birthday was associated with higher reading recognition scores for children from impoverished home environments and with lower scores for children from more optimal environments. In addition, a significant interaction between the type of day-care arrangement and the quality of the home environment emerged for mathematics performance. Center-based care in particular was associated with higher mathematics scores for impoverished children and with lower mathematics scores for children from more stimulating home environments. These findings are discussed in the context of developmental risk.     

An evaluation model for innovative individualized programs

Program evaluation may be described as a tri-level process. At one level there is diagnostic and developmental evaluation of the learners. At a second level, there is evaluation of the program against its own objectives. And, at a third level, there is evaluation of the program as compared against a criterion program. Traditional programs can be evaluated successfully at each of three levels. However, innovative programs present obstacles to effective evaluation at two levels: (I) learner diagnostic and development; (II) and, (III) relative program effectiveness. It is only at Level II, where the innovative program is judged against its own objectives, that traditional evaluation methods are productive.The purpose of this paper is to describe the tri-level process model used in the evaluation of an innovative secondary program and to discuss the deficits of the model as suggested by the case study reported here. In addition, implications for the evaluation of innovative programs is discussed against a background of the Tyler (1971) model for instructional evaluation.