Salivary cortisol as a predictor of socioemotional adjustment during kindergarten: a prospective study

This study, based on a sample of 172 children, examined the relation between average afternoon salivary cortisol levels measured at home at age 4.5 years and socioemotional adjustment a year and a half later, as reported by mothers, fathers, and teachers. Cortisol levels were hypothesized to be positively associated with withdrawal-type behaviors (e.g., internalizing, social wariness) and inversely related to approach-type behaviors, both negative and positive (e.g., externalizing, school engagement). Higher cortisol levels at age 4.5 predicted more internalizing behavior and social wariness as reported by teachers and mothers, although child gender moderated the relation between cortisol and mother report measures. An inverse relation was found between boys' cortisol levels and father report of externalizing behavior. A marginal inverse relation was found between child cortisol levels and teacher report of school engagement. Behavior assessed concurrently with cortisol collection did not account for the prospective relations observed,suggesting that cortisol adds uniquely to an understanding of behavioral development.     

Constructing Scientific Explanations Through Writing

This study examined the writing strategies andtext characteristics associated withdiscovering a scientific principle by writingabout an experiment. Sixty-four universitystudents (non-science majors) carried out aphysics experiment concerning either buoyancy,or the forces acting on a balance scale, thenwrote an informal journal-style note about itwhile thinking-aloud. They providedexplanations of the phenomena beforeexperimenting, immediately after experimenting(before writing), and again after writing aboutthe experiment. Students' verbal protocolswere segmented and writing operations wereidentified; the rhetorical structures of theirtexts were analyzed; and each students' levelof general writing strategy was identified. Afactor analysis showed that six componentsaccounted for 76% of the variance in thesemeasures. Logistic regression analysis showedthat type of science experiment and two writingfactors, Problem Solving and Comparisons inText, discriminated 86% of cases in whichstudents made explanatory gains during thewriting interval. The results generallyexemplified a metacognitive, problem solvingmodel of writing to learn. However, incontrast to dominant metacognitive models,setting content goals, applying moderatelysophisticated writing strategies, and extensiveuse of content sources were important for learning.     

The Effectiveness of Intuitive and Computer-Assisted Educational Decision Making in Simple and Complex Educational Situations

This paper presents a comparison of the effectiveness of educational decisions taken by means of a holistic-intuitive procedure and a computerized decision support system (DSS). Four groups of teachers were asked to resolve an educational dilemma, first using the holistic procedure and a second time using the DSS program. Each group was given an identical dilemma but at different levels of complexity. Data processing controlled for the participants' educational background and seniority in education. At the lowest level of complexity, the two procedures were similarly effective. The efficiency of holistic decision making declined significantly at higher levels of complexity. Specific factors were identified that contributed to the differences in effectiveness. The findings lead to a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations of the use of DSS in education.     

Nonlongitudinal Estimation of Growth Curve Parameters: The Cohort Growth Model

The cohort growth model (CGM) is a method for estimating the parameters of a latent growth model (LGM) based on cross-sectional data. The CGM models the interindividual differences in the growth rate, and it models how subjects’ growth rate is related to their initial status. We derive model identification for the CGM and illustrate, in a simulation study, that the CGM provides unbiased parameter estimates in most simulation conditions. Based on empirical data we compare the estimates of the CGM with the estimates of the LGM. The results were comparable for both models. Although the estimates of the (co)-variances were different, the estimates of both models led to similar conclusions on the developmental change. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the CGM, and we provide recommendations for its use in empirical research.     

Prediction of elementary mathematics grades by cognitive abilities

European Journal of Psychology of Education - In the present study, the relationship between the mathematics grade and the three basic cognitive abilities (inhibition, working memory, and...     

Exploring the role of logographemes in Chinese handwritten word production

Reading and Writing - Recent research has demonstrated that abstract orthographic representations such as morphemes, syllables, and graphemes, influence handwritten production in languages with...     

On the evaluation of systemic science education reform: Searching for instructional sensitivity

We propose a multilevel‐multifaceted approach to evaluating the impact of education reform on student achievement that would be sensitive to context and small treatment effects. The approach uses different assessments based on their proximity to the enacted curriculum. Immediate assessments are artifacts (students' products) from the enactment of the curriculum; close assessments parallel the content and activities of the unit/curriculum; proximal assessments tap knowledge and skills relevant to the curriculum, but topics can be different; and distal assessments reflect state/national standards in a particular knowledge domain. To provide evidence about the sensitivity of the multilevel approach in ascertaining outcomes of hands‐on science programs we administered close, proximal, and distal performance assessments to evaluate the impact of instruction based on two Full Option Science System units—Variables, and Mixtures and Solutions—in a Bay Area school district. Results indicated that close assessments were more sensitive to the changes in students' pre‐ to post‐test performance than proximal assessments. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 369–393, 2002