Effects of simultaneous auditory feedback on reading accuracy during reading development

Five groups of twelve right-handed male children from the second to the sixth grade with normal reading efficiency were tested under three conditions of simultaneous amplified auditory feedback, binaurally, to the left and to the right ear, on reading aboud two separate classes of words, nouns and nonwords. Lateralized feedback was supposed to shift auditory attention towards the source of input and modify as a consequence, the functionality of the contralateral hemisphere. Right ear feedback improved reading accuracy with respect to the control (binaural) or left ear condition in the first three grades. No effect was observed in the fifth grade whereas in the sixth grade, the condition of left ear feedback improved only the reading of nouns. Changes in reading accuracy are interpreted according to an hypothesis of a decrement of the left hemisphere involvement during the course of reading development. These changes are discussed in relation to Frith's (1985) psycholinguistic model of reading acquisition.     

PPBS in higher education planning and management: Part I,an overview

Higher education in the United States and elsewhere is beset by crises: crises of public confidence, questions of continuing relevance, doubts about continuing the emphasis on doctoral instruction, and a very real financial crisis. In response, governing boards and governmental agencies are devoting increasing attention to the management of higher education. Part of this response has been a heightened interest in formal planning-programming-budgeting-systems (PPBS); in fact, several states have legislated the adoption of PPBS for higher educational planning and decision making. Similar interest has been evidenced in other countries. Therefore, it is an appropriate time to reconsider the nature and role of PPBS and its potential impact on higher education. This paper describes the salient characteristics of PPBS and traces the development of PPBS and related analytical techniques in governmental agencies and institutions of higher education. A second paper will illustrate both the concepts and the implementation of PPBS by a detailed exposition of the University of California's experience with PPBS. Finally, in a third paper we suggest an alternative view of policy analysis for educational planning which is a departure from traditional PPBS. We conclude with general observations and specific recommendations to educational managers seeking to improve their resource allocation procedures.     

Effects of perceptual salience on the matrix task performance of four- and six-year-old children.

The effects of salience on 4- and 6-year-old children's ability to classify multiplicatively was investigated. A rank-ordered salience hierachy consisting of 3 dimensions was first assessed for each S. Several weeks later half the Ss of each age group were presented with a series of 9 3 times 3 matrix problems consisting of values from 2 dimensions ranked high in salience. The remaining half received identically structured matrices consisting of values from 1 highly salient dimension and of others from a dimension ranked low in salience. The goal in each problem was to select that compound stimulus from a set of alternatives that appropriately filled an empty cell in the matrix. Prior to the matrix problems, half the Ss in each matrix condition received sensitization training designed to increase the salience of the relevant dimensions in the matrix problems. The results showed that the pre-assessed salience of the relevant dimensions affected matrix solution in that more accurate performance was associated with those problems with both relevant dimensions relatively high in salience than those with one high and one low. Although the older Ss solved more problems, the evidence for coordination in the younger Ss was clear. No effects of sensitization training were found.     

Attachment behavior: a validation study in two age groups.

To assess the validity of attachment scores derived from the Ainsworth "strange situation," 56 1-year-olds and 79 2-year-olds accompanied by either the mother, the father, or a brief acquaintance were studied. Proximity to the adult, duration of play, crying, activity, and the incidence of looks and distance bids were measured. 1-year-olds were more secure with their parents: they were more active, played more, cried less, and stood closer to their parents than to an acquaintance. 2-year-olds accompanied by their parents were less settled in the presence of a stranger than children accompanied by the acquaintance. The adequacy of current conceptions and measures of attachment was discussed in light of these results.     

A distributed system of educational administration: An international viewpoint

Any educational service is provided through a large number of separated institutions and many decisions are necessarily taken by individual schools, and, indeed, by individual teachers. However, these day-to-day decisions are taken within a framework laid down elsewhere. Power and responsibility in an educational system relate chiefly to the extent and nature of the resources provided, the curriculum and teaching methods, the character and purpose of individual institutions and the internal organization of those institutions. Significant decisions may be taken at national, state, local authority and individual school levels. Cutting across such patterns are employer-employee relationships and agreements negotiated with trade unions. The system of governance and administration of schools in England is seen as a triangle of tension, the three points being central government, local government and individual schools. Reference is made to patterns of curriculum, examinations, supervision and finance, the English approach being compared with practices elsewhere. It is argued that within the constraints imposed by the controlling authority individual schools shouls possess a great deal of flexibility in making their own decisions, including questions of student-staff ratios, allocation of teachers and expenditure of finance. Power and responsibility should not be divorced, but related; this is the logical development of a system of distributed administration.

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Zusammenfassung Jedes Bildungssystem besteht aus einer grossen Zahl separater Institutionen, und viele Entscheidungen müssen von den einzelnen Schulen und sogar den einzelnen Lehrern selbst getroffen werden. Der Rahmen für diese täglich notwendigen Entscheidungen wird jedoch an anderer Stelle festgelegt. Entscheidungsbefugnis und Verantwortung in einem Bildungssystem beziehen sich in der Hauptsache auf den Umfang und die Art der verfügbaren Mittel, auf Curricula und Lehrmethoden, den Charakter und Zweck der einzelnen Institutionen und ihre interne Organisation. Wichtige Entscheidungen können auf Staats-, Landes-, Bezirks- und Einzelschul-Ebene gefällt werden. Über diesen gazen Aufbau hinweg gehen Arbeitgeber-Arbeitnehmer-Beziehungen und Vereinbarungen mit Gewerkschaften. Das Leitungsund Verwaltungssystem für Schulen in England wird als ein Spannungsdreieck dargestellt, dessen drei Ecken die Zentralregierung, die örtlichen Behörden und die Schulen selbst bilden. Verschiedene englische Muster von Lehrplänen, Examen, Aufsich und Finanzen werden aufgezeigt und mit denen anderer Länder verglichen. Dabei wird betont, dass die einzelnen Schulen innerhalb der von der zuständigen Behörde gesetzten Grenzen ein grosses Mass von Entscheidungsfreiheit besitzen sollten, auch in Fragen wie Klassenstärke, Einsatz von Lehrern und Verwendung der Finanzmittel. Machtbefugnis und Verantwortung sollten nicht getrennt, sondern miteinander verbunden sein. Das ist die logische Entwicklung eines Systems aufgeteilter Verwaltung.

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Résumé Tout service d'éducation est doté d'un grand nombre d'institutions distinctes, et, de ce fait, de nombreuses décisions sont prises individuellement par chacune des écoles, aussi bien que par chacun des enseignants. Quoiqu'il en soit, ces décisions prises au jour le jour, le sont dans les limites d'un cadre venant d'ailleurs. Dans un système d'éducation, pouvoir et responsabilité sont surtout liés à l'étendue et à la nature des ressources disponibles, du programme et des méthodes d'enseignement, du caractère et des objectifs de chaque institution, ainsi que de l'organisation interne de ces institutions. Les décisions importantes puevent être prises au niveau des autorités nationales, régionales ou locales, aussi bien qu'à celui de chacun des établissements scolaires. Les relations employeurs-employés, de même que les accords négociés avec les syndicats sont taillés sur le même modèle. En Angleterre, le système de gestion et d'administration des écoles apparait comme un triangle de tension dont les trois sommets sont constitués par le gouvernement central, le gouvernement local et les établissements scolaires eux-mêmes. Il est fait référence à d'autres modèles de programmes, d'examens, de contrôle et de finances, le système anglais étant comparé à ce qui ce fait ailleurs. Il est exposé que dans le cadre des contraintes imposées par l'autorité de contrôle, chaque école devrait posséder une grande marge de flexibilité pour prendre ses propres décisions, comprenant les questions des rapports d'associations d'élèves, les affectations des enseignants et les dépenses financières. Pouvoir et responsabilité ne devraient pas être séparés mais associés, tel est l'évolution logique d'une administration scolaire fonctionnant suivant un système de répartition.

     

Teaching Counseling Skills Through Self-Management Procedures

Counseling skills can be learned through self-management programs, as well as through more traditional methods. The benefits of self-management in counselor training are discussed, and an outline of an applicable procedure for self-change projects is detailed. Two examples of completed self-managed change in counselor behavior are included.