“It will be hard because I will have to learn lots of English”: experiences of education for children newly arrived in Australia

Educational experiences during childhood are critically important for development, but migrant children often experience unique challenges. To ameliorate these, extra training in English language – such as provided by the intensive English language programme in South Australia (IELP) – is frequently offered to children taking on English as an additional language. The present study aimed to examine the experience of transition into mainstream classes for children in the IELP, particularly in relation to their overall well-being. As such, the study utilised interviews conducted with newly arrived children in Australia aged 5–13 who were enrolled in an IELP, with interviews conducted both pre- and post-transition into mainstream primary school classes. The findings indicate that most children felt anxious prior to transition, especially regarding speaking English, but were less concerned about this once entering their new class. Making friends was considered to be difficult, but easier when there were children with whom they were familiar from other contexts or if there was another child in the class with a shared cultural or linguistic background.     

Developing cognitive‐social‐emotional competencies to enhance academic learning

This preliminary study examined intervention effects of a universal prevention program offered by classroom teachers to public elementary school students. The Unique Minds School Program (M.B. Stern, 1999) is a teacher‐led program designed to promote cognitive‐social‐emotional (CSE) skills, including student self‐efficacy, problem solving, social‐emotional competence, and a positive classroom climate, with the dual goal of preventing youth behavioral problems and promoting academic learning. During 2 consecutive school years, 119 students and their teachers were assessed in the fall and spring of Grade 4 and again in the spring of Grade 5. As compared to students in the comparison school, students in the intervention showed gains in student self‐efficacy, problem solving, social‐emotional competencies, and math grades. Incremental gains within CSE domains were found after 1 and 2 years of intervention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 405–417, 2005.     

Evaluation of parenting,depression and violence profiles in methadone maintained women

Twenty-one patients of the Family Center Program for pregnant drug dependent women were studied employing tools which indicate potential ability to parent or risk of child abuse. The Profile of Mood States and Beck Depression Inventory were administered, and a Violence Questionnaire was self-administered to ascertain the presence of physical or sexual abuse in the mothers' lives. These results were compared to an assessment of parenting ability as well as general demographics and urinalyses which indicate whether the mothers were taking any drugs in addition to their methadone. Results revealed that there were strong relationships between parenting ability and abusive life events, prenatal clinic attendance, use of depressant drugs, number of children, age, and education and/or employment. These variables were also interrelated with depression, abnormal mood states, and general drug abuse. It appears that while polydrug abuse, psychological problems, and stressful life events are strong indicators of poor parenting ability, the successfully methadone maintained woman who does not feel the need to supplement her methadone with other drugs, whose life has stabilized, and who is relatively normal in her affect and mood, has a strong potential for good childrearing ability.     

A Longitudinal Investigation of Conflict and Delay Inhibitory Control in Toddlers and Preschoolers

Research Findings: A total of 81 children participated in a longitudinal investigation of inhibitory control (IC) from 2 to 4 years of age. Child IC was measured via maternal report and laboratory measures under conditions of conflict and delay. Performance on delay IC tasks at 3 years was related to performance on these same tasks at 2 and 4 years, but performance on conflict IC tasks was not related over time. Delay IC task performance was concurrently related to conflict IC task performance in 3- and 4-year-olds but was not related in 2-year-olds. Measures of IC varied in their associations with measures of verbal ability and maternal-report IC. Such findings highlight important similarities and distinctions between conflict and delay IC abilities in their relation to one another and to temperament and language over time. Practice or Policy: Studies of IC and related concepts reveal that children who are regulated enjoy school more and have higher school competence, particularly in mathematics and reading achievement. Because conflict IC and delay IC show unique patterns of development over time, educators can expect classroom behaviors drawing on the state-like conflict IC to show more fluctuation over time than those drawing on the trait-like delay IC.     

From Adultescents to Zoomers: An Examination of Age and Gender in Prime-Time Television

In sampling situation comedies and dramas airing on the six broadcast networks during the 2003–2004 prime-time season, this study examined the characterization of age and gender. Findings indicated that prime time over-represented individuals in their 30s and 40s and under-represented individuals 60 and older. Characters in their 20s enjoyed an extended adolescence, participating in more leisure and sexual activities than any other adult cohort. When characters 60 and older were seen at all, they wielded less occupational power, were less likely to be leaders, were less sexually active, and engaged in fewer leisure activities than younger characters. The authors concluded that prime-time offers a truncated view of adulthood.     

Topic: The morale of teachers in a world at war

Science Related to Life: Book Two, Heat and Health. By Reh. American Book Co., New York, 1932. Pp. 192.

Embryology. By Mary T. Haeman. Philadelphia: Lea &; Febiger, 1932. Pp. 2–476.

Educational Biology. By William H. Atwood and Elwood D. Heiss. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son and Company, 1933. Pp. xiii + 475.

Problems in Biology. By George W. Hunter. New York: American Book Company, 1931. Pp. v + 706.

Practical Bacteriology. By T. J. Mackie and J. E. McCartney. New York: William Wood and Company, 1931. Pp. xv + 421.

The Collection and Preservation of Animal Forms. By Morris M. Wells. Chicago: General Biological Supply House, 1932. Pp. 72.

A Textbook of Histology. By J. Lewis Bremer. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son &; Co., Inc. Pp. 568.

Elementary Bacteriology. By Joseph E. Graves and Ethelyn O. Graves. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1932. Pp. 5–535.

Directing Language Power in the Elementary School Child. By Caroline J. Trommer and Teresa A. Regak. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1933. Pp. xii + 497.

Adventures, Book I; Trail Fires, Book II; Eastward Ho! Book III; Higher Levels, Book IV. By Grace Walker, Neli. F. Bartels and Mary E. Marye. (A series of work‐books) New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1932.

Effective Instructional Leadership. By a Committee, Rudolph D. Lindquist, Chairman. New York: Columbia University, 1933. Pp. ix + 183.

On Teaching English. By Howard Francis Seely. New York: American Book Company, 1933. Pp. xix + 391.

My Life Book. By Neal Stoddard. Cincinnati: American Book Company, 1933. Pp. vi + 106.

Fundamentals of Bookkeeping and Business. By Charles E. Bowman and Atlee L. Percy. Cincinnati: American Book Company, 1933. Pp. viii + 316.

The New First Course in Home Making. By Maude Richman Calvert and Anne E. Richardson. Atlanta: Smith, Hammond and Company, 1932. Pp. xiii + 507.

The Role of the Teacher in Personnel Work. By Ruth StranG. New York: Columbia University, 1932. Pp. xv + 332.

An Orientation Course in Education. By Joseph S. Butterweck and J. Conrad Seegers. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1933. Pp. vi + 392.

Education and Certification of Elementary Teachers. Frank P. Bachman. Field Study No. 5 of the Division of Surveys and Field Studies, Peabody College.

Modern School Administration—Its Problems and Progress. By John C. Almack. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1933. Pp. viii + 382.

The Evolving Common School. By Henry C. Morrison. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1933. Pp. 62.

State Scholarship Students at Hunter College of the City of New York. By Adele Bii dwrsee. New York: Columbia University, 1932. Pp. xii + 138.

Teaching History in the High School. Mary E. Peck. Published by the State Teachers College, Farmville, Virginia, 1933.

Forward Steps in Thinking and Writing. Wilson‐Rubado‐Scovlle and Johnson. Silver Burdett &; Co., 1933.

A Point Scale of Performance Tests. By Grace Arthur. New York: The Commonwealth Fund, 1933. Pp. xi + 106.

Principles of Genetics. By Edmund W. Sinnott and L. C. Dunn. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, Inc., 1932. Pp xvi + 441.

New High School Arithmetic—Revised. By Webster Wells and Walter W. Hart. New York: D. C. Heath and Company, 1933. Pp. viii + 357.

Teacher Absence and Leave Regulations. By William D. Kuhlman. New York: Columbia University, 1933. Pp. viii + 75.

Co‐operative Citizenship. By Joseph Irvin Arnold. Evanston, Ill.: Row, Peterson and Co., 1933. Pp. lii + 716.

Stimulation of Educational Undertakings. By J. Wayne Whightstone. New York: Columbia University, 1933. Pp. viii + 76.

Biology and Human Welfare (New Edition). By James Edward Peabody and Arthur Ellsworth Hunt. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1933. Pp. xii + 658.     

Religious Influences in Public Education: Political and judicial Developments

What can preservice teachers tell us about the impact of culture on literacy? Participants responded to an open-ended survey asking, “How do you think your culture influences what you read and write?” Three themes emerged in their answers: family influence, self-exploration through literacy, and the cultural politics of literacy. Further examination led to three premises about literacy. Findings highlight the importance of students’ literacy history and provide means for teachers to reframe their instruction, based on student voice.