The transient role of explicit phonological recoding for reading acquisition

This study explores early stages of reading acquisition, specifically therelation of phoneme blending and letter recoding to individual differencesin word decoding. The hypothesis was that facility in letter recoding andaccuracy of phoneme blending are substantial components of word decodingin beginning readers but not for skilled reading and that reliance onphoneme-sized decoding of words would dissipate as reading proficiencyincreased. In four studies we examined the ability to recode letters, blendphonemes and decode words in four groups of Dutch children (early Grade1, N = 130, older Grade 1, N = 81, Grade 3, N = 54 and a group of children witha reading lag, N = 356). Phoneme blending was only related to the readingability of beginning Grade 1 children. By the end of Grade 1 ability to blendphonemes did not differentiate reading capacity, nor for older children inGrade 3 and reading disabled children. Letter recoding was related to worddecoding in all four studies, although the strength of that relation diddwindle as reading skill level increased. The results of the study appearconsistent with self teaching hypothesis and other theories that imply atransient role of explicit phonological recoding in word identification.     

Effects of Training in the Use of Social and Cognitive Strategies: An Intervention Study in Secondary Mathematics in Co‐Operative Groups

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an intervention study into the effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the learning outcomes of students in secondary mathematics education. Special attention is given to differential effects for high‐ and low‐achieving students. The focus on differential effects is derived from studies into learning in small co‐operative groups, and from the results of meta‐analyses into the effects of training in learning strategies. From these studies it can be concluded that in general such programs contribute to learning. However, it seems that low‐achieving students are unable to benefit from interventions of the kind investigated (i.e., co‐operative learning and training in learning strategies). The main question is whether it is possible to design an instructional program from which all students benefit, and from which the low‐achieving students profit more than their counterparts in the control‐program. In the present study three instructional programs for co‐operative learning were compared: (i) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of social strategies; (ii) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of cognitive strategies; and (iii) a control program without training in either cognitive or social strategies. The programs were identical with respect to mathematical content and general instructional settings (a combination of whole‐class instruction, working in co‐operative groups and individual work). The experiment addressed the following research question: what are the general and differential effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the results of learning in secondary mathematics? The research was conducted in two schools for secondary education in a total of 21 classes, involving a total of 511 students. The design was a pretest‐posttest control group design, using two experimental groups and one control group. The data were analysed from a multi‐level perspective. The outcomes of the investigation clearly show the effects of the intervention. Teaching cognitive and social strategies has the expected, positive effects. In addition to this main effect, a compensatory effect for the low‐achieving students was found. The low‐achieving students in the experimental conditions outperformed their counterparts in the control group.

     

Networks as Policy Instruments for Innovation

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to compare the effectiveness of facilitated networks to other policy instruments for agricultural innovation.

Design/ methodology/ approach: In an exploratory study of the Dutch agricultural policy context, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten experts on networks and innovation. Policy alternatives to networks included research funding, innovation experiments, knowledge vouchers for entrepreneurs, practice networks, competitions for awards/ prizes, innovation subsidies for individual entrepreneurs, legal exceptions, legislation and fiscalisation.

Findings: In early phases of the innovation process, facilitated networks were seen as more effective and cost-efficient than the other instruments. This was especially the case for system transformation. However, other instruments can have comparable performance for innovation when they result in sufficient network formation, for instance when they require that target groups build coalitions and other forms of networks. Networks were also seen as effective for system optimisation, but not more cost-efficient than other effective instruments.

Practical implications: Past policy experiences with networks enable moving beyond the generic term of ‘(facilitated) network’ to develop more advanced instruments for specific types and phases of innovation. Furthermore, the results suggest that facilitated networks may be a cost-effective alternative to the national extension services of old.

Originality/value: Many studies have shown the importance of networks for agricultural innovation. Furthermore, networks offer governments new opportunities to stimulate agricultural innovation. However, less is known about the effectiveness of networks as a policy instrument.     

Three dimensional musculoskeletal modelling of the abdominal crunch resistance training exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits and limitations of using three dimensional (3D) musculoskeletal modelling (LifeModeler^TM) in assessing the safety and efficacy of exercising on an abdominal crunch resistance training machine. Three anthropometric cases were studied, representing a 5^th percentile female, and 50^th percentile and 95^th percentile male. Results indicated that the LifeModeler^TM default model was capable of solving the forward dynamics simulations without adjustments. The modelling was able to indicate high risk for back injury when performing the abdominal crunch exercise as a result of the unacceptable intervertebral joint loading that occurs during the exercise. Individuals with small anthropometric dimensions such as some females and children cannot be accommodated suitably on the abdominal crunch machine which negatively impacts exercise posture and technique. Hip flexor muscle contribution in the execution of the exercise for the 5^th percentile female was substantial thus reducing the efficacy of the exercise in isolating the abdominal muscles.     

Happiness disabled: sensory disabilities,happiness and the rise of educational expertise in the nineteenth century

To date, the historical entanglement of disability and happiness has not been considered an object worth of historical inquiry. Nor has the intersection of disability and emotions been used as a lens to examine the history of disability. Our paper aims at filling this academic void by analysing a wide range of philosophical, anthropological, pedagogical, popular and poetic texts dealing with the following question: “Who is unhappiest, the blind or the deaf?” On the basis of a comparative study of Belgian, Dutch, German, Swiss, Austrian, British and American primary source material, we argue that the transformation of western concepts of happiness during the nineteenth century was reflected in attitudes towards people with sensory disabilities. If at the turn of the eighteenth century happiness was considered a sensory experience, it very soon became dependent on the intervention of an educational expert. On the basis of our source material we draw the conclusion that happiness has been an overlooked factor in the construction and problematisation of disability in western societies. Analysis of the ways in which nineteenth-century authors have dealt with this question also shows how happiness became connected to new ways of wielding power, and in particular to the rise of the educational expert.     

What is the better predictor of students’ personal values: Parents’ values or students’ personality?

This study examines the relationship between young adults’ values, multicultural personality traits and their parents’ values. A total of 102 students and their matched parents filled in the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire and the Portrait Value Questionnaire. The influence of one's personality and one's parents’ values on personal values was tested by hierarchical regression analyses and structural equation modelling. The analyses revealed a greater contribution of multicultural personality to the variance in stimulation, self-direction, universalism, and achievement values in comparison to the impact of parents’ values, whereas an opposite pattern was found for power, benevolence, and conformity. Tradition, hedonism, and security were found to be linked to multicultural personality and parents’ values to a similar extent. Furthermore, overall trait-like parents’ values were better predictors of the offspring's trait-like values, and the same effect held for parental societal values: they predicted better the offspring's societal values. The authors discuss the need for differentiation between trait-like and societally oriented values and the application of content-tailored personality measures, in line with previous studies.     

Learning basic addition facts from choosing between alternative answers

The acquisition of addition facts was investigated in a practice study. Participants were 103 Grade 1 children who practiced simple addition problems with three different methods: (a) writing down the answer, (b) choosing between two alternative answers, and (c) filling in the second missing addend. On a test with simple addition problems, children who practiced with the Choice method showed positive transfer: choosing between two answers was about as effective for learning addition facts as the conventional method of writing down the answer. There was no transfer effect for children who practiced with the Missing-Addend method. The results are in accordance with network theories on arithmetic fact learning and specifically the Identical Elements (IE) model of arithmetic fact representation.     

Spelling pronunciation and visual preview both facilitate learning to spell irregular words

Spelling pronunciations are hypothesized to be helpful in building up relatively stable phonologically underpinned orthographic representations, particularly for learning words with irregular phoneme-grapheme correspondences. In a four-week computer-based training, the efficacy of spelling pronunciations and previewing the spelling patterns on learning to spell loan words in Dutch, originating from French and English, was examined in skilled and less skilled spellers with varying ages. Reading skills were taken into account. Overall, compared to normal pronunciation, spelling pronunciation facilitated the learning of the correct spelling of irregular words, but it appeared to be no more effective than previewing. Differences between training conditions appeared to fade with older spellers. Less skilled young spellers seemed to profit more from visual examination of the word as compared to practice with spelling pronunciations. The findings appear to indicate that spelling pronunciation and allowing a preview can both be effective ways to learn correct spellings of orthographically unpredictable words, irrespective of age or spelling ability.     

Predicting Study Abroad Intentions Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

The emphasis on study abroad programs is growing in the academic context as U.S. based universities seek to incorporate a global perspective in education. Using a model that has underpinnings in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we predict students’ intention to participate in short‐term study abroad program. We use TPB to identify behavioral, normative, and control beliefs pertinent to the study abroad context. Our research model hypothesizes that intention is predicted by affordability, willingness to pay, and desire. Moreover, willingness to pay is explained by future job prospects, family expectations, and administrative support. We believe that the elements of TBP are reflective of categories of factors that have been demonstrated as important in the context of short‐term study abroad decisions, but that have not been included in previous studies applying TPB to a study abroad context. We test our research model through a survey of 254 undergraduate business students at a southern U.S. university, and find support for all our hypotheses. Results from our study aid in the understanding of students’ decision‐making process to participate in a short‐term study abroad program and have implications for education and learning in the study abroad context. We also contribute to the extant research in TPB by applying it to the context of studying abroad programs and by identifying, and finding support for, a mediated relationship between beliefs and intentions.