Reading comprehension strategy instruction and attribution retraining for secondary students with learning and other mild disabilities

A pre-post experimental design with 6-week delayed posttest was implemented to investigate the effects of reading comprehension strategy (RCS) instruction with and without attribution retraining (AR) on reading outcomes for seventh, eighth, and ninth graders with learning and other mild disabilities. Students were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: RCS+AR, RCS, or a Read Naturally (Ihnot, 1992) comparison condition. Results indicated that compared to the comparison group, both strategy instruction groups performed better on a summarization measure of comprehension after treatment producing large effect sizes. Both groups also performed better after a 6-week delay; however, only the RCS+AR group maintained a large effect size. In addition, RCS+AR students displayed higher attributions for reading success at post- and delayed posttesting. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Cues of paternal uncertainty and father to child physical abuse as reported by mothers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Objective

Paternity is uncertain, so if paternal feelings evolved to promote fitness, we might expect them to vary in response to variables indicative of paternity probability. We therefore hypothesized that the risk of lapses of paternal affection, including abusive assaults on children, will be exacerbated by cues of non-paternity.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of 331 Brazilian mothers, interviewed about 1 focal child (age 1–12) residing with her and the putative father. Child physical abuse was assessed using the Conflict Tactic Scales: Parent Child (CTSPC). Two potential cues of (non) paternity were (1) whether the parents co-resided when the child was conceived, and (2) whether third parties allegedly commented on father–child resemblance. Data were analyzed through multiple logistic regressions.

Results

Mothers reported child physical abuse by 15.9% (95% CI 4.6–27.1) of fathers who had not cohabited with them at conception, compared to 5.9% (95% CI 3.1–8.7) of those who had. The odds ratio for abuse by fathers who had not cohabited at conception in relation to those who had—adjusted for income, education, age, sex of child, whether child was first born, household size, time father spent with child, and alcohol abuse and drug use by father—was 4.3 (95% CI 1.4–13.8). Mothers reported abuse of 7.0% (95% CI 4.0–10.0) of children who purportedly resembled their fathers, versus 8.7% (95% CI 0.2–17.1) of those who did not.

Conclusion

According to maternal reports, not having co-resided at conception quadrupled the chance of child physical abuse by currently co-residing Brazilian fathers. The reported prevalence of abuse was unrelated to reported allegations of father–child resemblance.     

Culture-specific views of child maltreatment and parenting styles in a Pacific-Island community

OBJECTIVE: Providing culturally sensitive definitions of child abuse is difficult as perceptions of what constitutes abuse can vary around the world. This study was undertaken to assess how teachers in the Republic of Palau perceived the severity of potentially abusive incidents and what types of recommendations, if any, they would have for situations judged as severely abusive. Attitudes about child rearing practices were also evaluated. METHODS: Teachers (n = 141 ) were given: (1) a questionnaire consisting of 25 vignettes describing parent/child interactions that were potentially abusive and asked to rate the severity of abuse and recommended interventions for each vignette; and (2) a 40-item parenting styles questionnaires to evaluate attitudes about child-rearing practices. RESULTS: Teachers identified and recommended interventions for more severe forms of abuse at rates similar to other international samples. For less severe parental misconduct, teachers were reluctant to involve nonfamily and outside agencies. Sexual abuse was rated as the most serious type of abuse and when identified, intervention was highly recommended. Some traditional Palauan parenting practices that might be considered maltreatment by other cultures were not considered abusive. For parenting styles, older individuals were more likely to use guilt induction and less likely to use methods of acceptance. Aggressive parenting styles were negatively correlated with all forms of abuse, suggesting that teachers who used aggressive disciplinary styles were less likely to perceive abusive situations as harmful. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that cultural values and practices play important roles in shaping the definition and interpretation of child maltreatment.     

Playing in the Sandbox: EAC-CPF Projects at Duke University

The Rubenstein Library at Duke University holds several large, complex collections. Describing these collections and making obvious the interconnectivity of each collection's various components has proven difficult within the framework of the archival collection guide, and as such can be perceived as daunting. Patrons can miss important connections or fail to understand the creator's role across collections. To address the particular needs of these collections, staff from Duke University has experimented with EAC-CPF during the past 2 years with the intent of supporting patrons in navigating the collections and therefore having greater success in finding all relevant and related materials.     

Common Core Science Standards: Implications for Students with Learning Disabilities

The Common Core Science Standards represent a new effort to increase science learning for all students. These standards include a focus on English and language arts aspects of science learning, and three dimensions of science standards, including practices of science, crosscutting concepts of science, and disciplinary core ideas in the various subject areas. Many of these issues bring important implications for students with learning disabilities, which we discuss in turn. With appropriate supports and applications, students with learning disabilities can potentially benefit greatly from these new standards. However, the demands of these standards may require a higher level of support than those commonly available for many students with learning disabilities.     

Letter to the Editor

Juliette Goldman and Christine Collier have recently proposed that the editor of Sex Education should adopt a policy of replacing the phrase ‘opposite sex’ with ‘other sex’ in all published articles, on the grounds that the word ‘opposite’ has connotations of hostility or adversity. In this brief reply I argue that their reasoning does not stand up to scrutiny and that their proposal ought therefore to be rejected.     

Toward Academically Based Community Scholarship: Ideals,Realities, and Future Needs

Service to the community, a recent interest in higher education, poses numerous challenges and questions including: How can public colleges and universities fulfill their responsibilities to their surrounding communities? In doing so, how do formal responsibilities of faculty and students change? How do courses and programs change? What are the benchmarks or progress indicators for success? What are the facilitators, constraints, and barriers for this type of orientation? We explore these questions in the ensuing analysis. We begin with indices of need and an accompanying rationale. Then we share the results of a faculty focus group's problem-solving in relation to these kinds of questions. We conclude by