Investigating self-regulated study strategies among postsecondary students with and without dyslexia: a diary method study

We investigated the use of self-regulated study strategies among undergraduates with dyslexia by means of extensive web-based diary data, comparing their strategy use to that of matched students without dyslexia who completed the diary in the same period. Additionally, we examined the perceived benefits of using the recorded strategies in both groups, as well as relationships between the recorded strategies and perceived self-efficacy and academic performance. Results indicated that across lecture, individual study, and social study contexts, students with and without dyslexia recorded a comparable, broad range of strategies, yet students with dyslexia seemed to use particular visual and social strategies more consistently than did students without dyslexia. Across the three study contexts, both students with and without dyslexia also perceived the strategies they recorded in the diaries to be quite beneficial, but with particular visual and social strategies seemingly perceived as more helpful by students with dyslexia. Finally, self-regulated study strategies were positively related to perceived self-efficacy and academic performance among the students with dyslexia but not among the students without dyslexia. We discuss the possibility that the diary method used to assess strategy use among students with dyslexia in different study contexts over time was more appropriate for revealing the breadth and value of their strategy repertoire than the decontextualized, one-time questionnaire and interview approaches used in prior work.     

Evaluation of Vocational Education in the Swedish Upper Secondary School

Axelsson, R. 1979. Evaluation of Vocational Education in the Swedish Upper Secondary School. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 23, 169‐184. The present evaluation is part of a continual evaluation of the new upper secondary school, with particular emphasis on vocational lines of study. It considers the view taken by school‐leavers of their vocational situation in relation to the goals of their education as a preparation for vocational activity and as a means of personal development. The study is primarily concerned with those students who completed their vocational studies in the spring of 1974. In October 1975 a questionnaire was sent to over 8,000 of the 23,000 in the target group, and a number of individuals were interviewed from each of the thirteen lines in question. Though the responses to the questionnaire were often positive, the interviewed students pointed out a number of deficiencies in their situation.     

ICT and Community of Practice

The paper describes an action research study investigating ICT as an integrated artefact in lower secondary schools in Norway. The study is part of a national project called PILOT, which focuses on the pedagogic use of ICT in education. The aim of the project is to develop an understanding of how ICT can become an integrated part of the teaching process and the case study focuses on how ICT impacts the design of practice fields towards a community of practice concept in one PILOT school at the lower secondary school level. The findings from questionnaires, observations and interviews with the principal, teachers and students revealed that implementing ICT in parallel with other innovations and dismantling “preserving structures” has contributed positively towards developing the practice field and achieving the different aims for the school. The school has avoided an incremental implementation of ICT, and this seems to be an important strategy for the school's design towards a community of practice concept.     

Reviews of research in rural schools and their communities: Analytical perspectives and a new agenda

This chapter responds to the research questions posed in the introductory chapter on the status and nature of educational research on rural schools and their community relationships. Drawing on the national reviews, we discuss the quality of the research focusing on its themes and questions, theoretical perspectives, and research design and methodology. The conclusions indicate substantial hiatuses, and call for greater use of the local voice, the life-world perspective, longitudinal and comparative studies, and multiple purposively sampled case studies. Internationally, while first-hand sources on the cultural contributions of rural schools exist, these must be accessed before documentary studies of central policies over-write such history. Finally, a new research agenda is formulated.     

Reviews of research on rural schools and their communities in British and Nordic countries: Analytical perspectives and cultural meaning

This introduction presents the case, and sets the scene, for five reviews of research on rural schools and their communities, arguing that educational research in this field is relatively rare, and decreasingly visible despite the significant population of the world's children who live in rural communities and attend rural schools. After considering various interpretations of ‘rural’, of the purpose and function of rural schooling, and of the relationship between school and community, we present three basic research questions with relevance for researchers of schools and communities, rural and urban, the world over, and raise more specific questions which are addressed in the reviews themselves and pursued in the closing chapter. Finally we introduce the research reviews and justify our selection of British and Nordic countries, where, despite geographical proximity, there are wide thematic and methodological disparities in rural schools’ research.     

Examining the prediction of reading comprehension on different multiple‐choice tests

In this study, 180 Norwegian fifth‐grade students with a mean age of 10.5 years were administered measures of word recognition skills, strategic text processing, reading motivation and working memory. Six months later, the same students were given three different multiple‐choice reading comprehension measures. Based on three forced‐order hierarchical multiple regression analyses, results indicated that the unique contribution of measured skills and processes to performance varied across comprehension tests. In particular, when the test consisted of a longer passage, contained a larger proportion of inferential questions and was answered without access to relevant text passages, the relative importance of word recognition skills seemed to be reduced while working memory emerged as a relatively strong, unique positive predictor of comprehension performance. These findings have important practical implications for the assessment of reading comprehension.     

Coexisting problem behaviour in severe dyslexia

A small group of children and young adolescent with dyslexia has severely impaired reading skills despite prolonged special education. These are the students in focus. In dyslexia, problem behaviour, internalised as well as externalised, has previously been reported, so also for the participants with dyslexia in this study. The aim of the present study was to obtain more in‐depth knowledge of the behaviour problems from various informants, representing different settings. This kind of information is imperative for identifying problem behaviour, and for planning and implementing remedial programmes. A clinical group of 70 students with severe dyslexia, due to phonological problems, and a control group of 70 without reading problems participated. The two groups were pair‐wise matched on age, gender, cognitive level and whether they lived in rural or urban areas. Mean age was 150 months, and mean IQ was approximately 100 in both groups. Parents, teachers and participants provided information on behaviour through the Achenbach questionnaires Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher's Report Form and Youth Self Report. Behaviour is, in these questionnaires, divided into eight syndrome areas called Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious/Depressed, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Delinquent Behavior and Aggressive Behavior. The three informant groups reported significantly more problems in the dyslexia group than in the controls in all the syndrome areas. Parents reported more children with dyslexia to be anxious and depressed, and have social problems and attention problems than teachers. They also reported suicidal ideations in nine participants with dyslexia. In addition, parents rated more internalising and total problems in the dyslexia group than teachers.     

eLogg: Facilitating ownership and openness in virtual learning environments

This paper reports a novel perspective of integrating digital media in education. In a research and development project we developed and tested a new tool (eLogg) aimed for use in primary and lower secondary schools. Strongly influenced by popular technologies, such as weblogs and wikis, eLogg was built on different assumptions and ideas of how to facilitate learning and communication than traditional learning management systems (LMS). After an initial phase of participatory design and development, eLogg was tested in different school settings. Part of this use was observed, and the preliminary results are reported here. Our analysis shows that the open aspects of eLogg lead pupils to hold conversations with each other as well as opening for building on others’ writings in their online learning activities. The specific activity types we identified in this study were peer conversations, resource sharing, lurking, project work, and assignments. We end the paper by relating these findings to what we have found in a second case study, where we observed the use of an LMS. On these grounds we conclude that there are important differences, and that we always should keep in mind that the technologies we use are inscribed with assumptions about what learning is and how it should be supported.