Project DyAdd: Implicit learning in adult dyslexia and ADHD

In this study of the project DyAdd, implicit learning was investigated through two paradigms in adults (18–55 years) with dyslexia (n?=?36) or with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n?=?22) and in controls (n?=?35). In the serial reaction time (SRT) task, there were no group differences in learning. However, those with ADHD exhibited faster RTs compared to other groups. In the artificial grammar learning (AGL) task, the groups did not differ from each other in their learning (i.e., grammaticality accuracy or similarity choices). Further, all three groups were sensitive to fragment overlap between learning and test-phase items (i.e., similarity choices were above chance). Grammaticality performance of control participants was above chance, but that of participants with dyslexia and participants with ADHD failed to differ from chance, indicating impaired grammaticality learning in these groups. While the main indices of AGL performance, grammaticality accuracy and similarity choices did not correlate with the neuropsychological variables that reflected dyslexia-related (phonological processing, reading, spelling, arithmetic) or ADHD-related characteristics (executive functions, attention), or intelligence, the explicit knowledge for the AGL grammar (i.e., ability to freely generate grammatical strings) correlated positively with the variables of phonological processing and reading. Further, SRT reaction times correlated positively with full scale intelligence quotient (FIQ). We conclude that, in AGL, learning difficulties of the underlying rule structure (as measured by grammaticality) are associated with dyslexia and ADHD. However, learning in AGL is not related to the defining neuropsychological features of dyslexia or ADHD. Instead, the resulting explicit knowledge relates to characteristics of dyslexia.     

Linguistic and Spatial Skills Predict Early Arithmetic Development via Counting Sequence Knowledge

Utilizing a longitudinal sample of Finnish children (ages 6–10), two studies examined how early linguistic (spoken vs. written) and spatial skills predict later development of arithmetic, and whether counting sequence knowledge mediates these associations. In Study 1 (N = 1,880), letter knowledge and spatial visualization, measured in kindergarten, predicted the level of arithmetic in first grade, and later growth through third grade. Study 2 (n = 378) further showed that these associations were mediated by counting sequence knowledge measured in first grade. These studies add to the literature by demonstrating the importance of written language for arithmetic development. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that linguistic and spatial skills can improve arithmetic development by enhancing children's number‐related knowledge.     

Finnish Mothers’ and Fathers’ Constructions of and Emotions in Their Daily Lives

This article focuses on parents’ construction of and emotions in their everyday lives. The study brings into focus the meanings in the foreground of everyday life, while also revealing new insights into cultural beliefs and prejudices. Interviews were conducted with five nuclear and four divorced families, and each participant (N?=?18) was interviewed twice. The second interview was a photo-narrative interview, for which each participant took photographs pertaining to their daily life. Content and thematic analysis were applied to the data. Three main categories of everyday life emerged from the data: family daily life, couples’ daily life, and one’s own daily life. The importance of and pleasure derived from one’s own daily life were emphasized as the foundation of well-being for both the individual and the whole family.     

Primary school students’ strategies in early algebra problem solving supported by an online game

In this study we investigated the role of a dynamic online game on students’ early algebra problem solving. In total 253 students from grades 4, 5, and 6 (10–12 years old) used the game at home to solve a sequence of early algebra problems consisting of contextual problems addressing covarying quantities. Special software monitored the students’ online working when solving the problems. Before and after the intervention a paper-and-pencil test on early algebra was administered. The data analysis revealed that the online working contributed to the students’ early algebra performance. There was a significant gain in performance across all grades. The highest effect was found in grade 6. Out of the three strategy profile clusters that could be distinguished in the whole sample, the cluster dominated by using extreme values and the cluster characterized by the trial-and-error strategy were most influential on the gain in early algebra performance. The students’ level of online working, which was defined as a combination of online involvement and strategy use, appeared to have a marginally significant effect on the gain score for the total sample. Per grade there was no significant effect, yet the levels of online working were significantly related to grade. Free playing was mostly performed in grade 4, looking for answers in grade 5, and exploring relations slightly more in grades 5 and 6. About 17 % of the effect of grade on the gain score was mediated by the level of online working.     

Improvement of (didactical) assessment by improvement of problems: An attempt with respect to percentage

In recent attempts to reform assessment much attention is devoted to the formats of assessment and organizational aspects. Without good problems, however, it is impossible to improve assessment. This article focuses on the role of problems in the development of better assessment. An example of an attempt is given with respect to some key concepts and abilities on percentage. A series of problems for assessing these has been developed inspired by the ideas of Realistic Mathematics Education. The guiding principles were that problems should be meaningful and informative. The problems, which are rather different from the traditional kind have been tried out in two American grade 7 classes. The problems reveal a lot about the different levels of understanding of students. As such they can facilitate instructional decision making. Nevertheless it is clear that this is not the final stage of the search for better assessment problems. As a start to further developmental research, some recommendations will be given for the improvement of the problems.This article is a revised version of a paper presented at PME XVII in Japan (Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 1993b).     

Effects of reading picture books on kindergartners’ mathematics performance

This article describes a field experiment with a pretest–posttest control group design which investigated the potential of reading picture books to children for supporting their mathematical understanding. The study involved 384 children from 18 kindergarten classes in 18 schools in the Netherlands. During three months, the children in the nine experimental classes were read picture books. Data analysis revealed that, when controlled for relevant covariates, the picture book reading programme had a positive effect (d = .13) on kindergartners’ mathematics performance as measured by a project test containing items on number, measurement and geometry. Compared to the increase from pretest to posttest in the control group, the increase in the experimental group was 22% larger. No significant differential intervention effects were found between subgroups based on kindergarten year, age, home language, socio-economic status and mathematics and language ability, but a significant intervention effect was found for girls and not for boys.     

The early school leaver count as a policy instrument in EU governance: the un/intended effects of an indicator

ABSTRACT

The EU has embraced the use of indicators as policy instruments for achieving common aims. One of the indicators, ‘early school leaver’ (ESL), depicts the proportion of young people leaving education and training prematurely. Initially defined as an education policy indicator, it has been transformed into a performance indicator measuring the targets of the current Europe 2020 strategy. In this article, we examine how the indicator works as a policy instrument at different levels of governance applying the conceptual tools provided by the policy instrumentation approach to unpack the components, pinpoint the political effects, and reveal the power relations they produce. Thus challenging the taken-for-grantedness of comparison as a way of knowing we have intended to shift the focus of discussion concerning the role of large-scale comparisons in education towards more productive directions: moving from problematisation and deconstruction of comparison to engaging with processes of measurement.     

The Problem of a Market-oriented University

Economy- and technology-driven theories dominate current explanations of social change. The political orientations of the European Union and many of its member states are increasingly based on the idea of knowledge economy where public organisations move towards market-orientation. Among the other producers of knowledge, universities are expected to become part of the innovation system where innovation stands for product making and the final goal is to contribute to the international competitiveness of the national economy. This study focuses on the complicated role of public universities as adaptors of market forces logic. The focus of attention is on the reorientations that Finnish universities have made in terms of commodification. At the same time universities have elaborated new aggressive strategies in order to strengthen their scientific basis and to distance themselves from the demands for new managerialism. One of the key problems in this process is related to the difficulties to integrate the two traditional university functions into the third one, i.e. commercialisation. We make some observations concerning EU policies, but concentrate mostly on changes that have taken place during recent decades in Finland by analysing market-orientation in three Helsinki area universities. In the context of current technology policy, all disciplines have been seen as potential contributors to market competition. However, social sciences produce knowledge that cannot be classified by using pure economic concepts. To sharpen our analysis of market-orientation we study three social science departments at the respective three universities. This analysis indicates the importance of scientific identity as a component of market-orientation. It also shows the importance of contextual issues and the tensions that arise between scientific and commercial orientations.     

Motor correlates of ADHD: contribution of reading disability and oppositional defiant disorder

This study investigated whether the likelihood of motor impairment in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases with the presence of other disorders, and whether the co-occurring diagnoses of reading disability (RD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) account for the motor deficits seen in ADHD. A total of 291 children (218 boys, 73 girls) participated. Six groups of children were compared: ADHD only (n = 29); RD only (n = 63); ADHD and RD (n = 47); ADHD and ODD (n = 19); ADHD, RD, and ODD (n = 21); and typically developing control children (n = 112). Motor skills were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Beery Test of Visual-Motor Integration. We found that the motor skills of the ADHD-only group did not differ from the typical control group. Furthermore, motor impairment in ADHD increased as a function of co-occurring disorders, and the presence of RD rather than ADHD predicted motor impairment.