Phonemic Analysis: effects of word properties

The relation between performance in phonemic segmentation and reading and writing ability is discussed. Not much is known about how segmentation is carried out and which word properties influence performance. Therefore, effects of word properties (length, CV structure, syllabic structure, meaning) were investigated in two experiments. Strong indications were obtained that an onset-rime distinction is relevant for the process of segmentation. The meaning of a word appears to have no influence. The decentration hypothesis can therefore be abandoned as an explanation for segmentation difficulties. Effects of length and syllabic boundary can be explained by the (disruptive) effect of consonant clusters, which are not only difficult to segment themselves, but also adversely affect the processing of segments earlier in the word. This leads to the conclusion that a simple, strictly serial model for segmentation cannot be adequate. The results furthermore suggest that an articulatory rather than a phonological code is the object of segmentation.     

Structuration theory,habitus and complexity theory: elective affinities or old wine in new bottles?

This paper examines similarities and differences between structuration theory, habitus and complexity theory, as theories of social change. The paper suggests that structuration theory and habitus can theorize change, but that complexity theory offers a more complete theory of change because it focuses on social production rather than reproduction. Although there are elective affinities between structuration theory, habitus and complexity theory, nevertheless there are important differences between them. Complexity theory, being at heart a theory of change and development, differentiation and open systems, is more than merely a reformulation of structuration theory and habitus, and offers a more complete theory of social change than these two. Implications and agendas are drawn for the sociology of education from a complexity perspective.     

The science support scale: Its appropriateness with high school students

Implementing the idea that more emphasis should be placed on student achievement in the affective domain is contingent upon the concurrent development of suitable instruments for the assessment of prescribed criteria. One such instrument, the Schwirian Science Support Scale (Tri-S scale), was reported in a recent NSTA publication as a promising tool for measuring student science support. Recent research using the Tri-S scale with high school pupils showed that scores on this instrument did not increase after the students had taken a tenth grade introductory course in biology. Further analysis indicated students of teachers scoring “high” in science support did not produce higher scores on the Tri-S scale than students studying biology from teachers “low” in science support. Reliability estimates using high school student scores were well below previous estimates using scores from college undergraduates. Factor analysis of inter-item correlations indicated that student interpretation of item meaning did not correspond to the five subtest structure of the Tri-S scale. Findings from this study demonstrate that the Tri-S scale is not an appropriate instrument for measuring attitudinal changes of tenth grade high school students. This study is suggestive of the fact that went and future instruments that purport to measure achievement in noncognitive areas should be carefully analyzed before they are recommended for use with specific populations.     

Revisiting the Model Size Effect in Structural Equation Modeling

Fitting a large structural equation modeling (SEM) model with moderate to small sample sizes results in an inflated Type I error rate for the likelihood ratio test statistic under the chi-square reference distribution, known as the model size effect. In this article, we show that the number of observed variables (p) and the number of free parameters (q) have unique effects on the Type I error rate of the likelihood ratio test statistic. In addition, the effects of p and q cannot be fully explained using degrees of freedom (df). We also evaluated the performance of 4 correctional methods for the model size effect, including Bartlett’s (1950), Swain’s (1975), and Yuan’s (2005) corrected statistics, and Yuan, Tian, and Yanagihara’s (2015) empirically corrected statistic. We found that Yuan et al.’s (2015) empirically corrected statistic generally yields the best performance in controlling the Type I error rate when fitting large SEM models.     

The GlobalEd Project: Gender differences in a problem-based learning environment of international negotiations

The GlobalEd Project employs a technology richenvironment for high school students who wishto participate in a simulation of internationalrelations and negotiation. A simulationconsists of negotiations on a variety ofinternational policy issues conducted bystudents from 10–15 schools through anInternet-based interface. This study reportsthe findings of 234 high school participants'changes in academic and technologyself-efficacy skills, as well as knowledge,attitudes and behaviors related to academicpreparation and performance, the use ofeducational technology, and associated outcomesfrom participating in a simulation ofinternational relations. The results arediscussed in terms of the current literature onself-efficacy and gender differences incognitive process.     

Children’s images of beauty: environmental influences on aesthetic preferences

This article reports on a recent study that explored children’s aesthetic preferences. Authors of previous studies in this area have concluded children have a relatively narrow range of preferences based on judgments about their responses to images. In other contexts, researchers have investigated children’s perspectives on their environments and created opportunities for them to take photographs in response to research tasks. This study is the first to draw on both approaches in order to develop a clearer understanding of children’s aesthetic preferences. Fifty-one children in two primary schools were asked to find and photograph images to represent their perceptions of beauty. In order to investigate whether or how children’s environments influenced their preferences, the schools were located in contrasting urban and rural areas. The article explores several contrasts between the two sets of images and offers explanations for these contrasts. It suggests that previous studies may have underestimated the diversity of children’s aesthetic preferences and that social, cultural and environmental factors may explain the differences between children’s aesthetic preferences. The article concludes that both researchers and teachers could adopt similar methods to develop our understanding of children’s perspectives, identities and experiences.     

LEGIBILITY FACTORS IN TV TYPOGRAPHY

Although no single formula for legibility is offered, several contributory factors are offered, together with comments on optimum conditions