Achievement comparisons between the first and second IEA studies of mathematics

Two major surveys of the teaching and learning of mathematics have been conducted by IEA, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement: the first in the 1960s, and the second in the early 1980s. A comparison of the results obtained on achievement items common to the two surveys indicates that students' performance has improved in some areas and deteriorated in others. Performance levels have declined, for example, in the area of computational skills of arithmetic, and improved overall in algebra.     

IMPLICATIONS OF PRESTEL AND OTHER TV PRINT SOURCES

Since Prestel and other televised print sources signal a revolution in the presentation of reading material to the public, it is necessary to ensure that the viewers are able to read the material. Are they ready and able to adapt their reading skills to read televised texts? Differences between page print and television print are discussed, with respect to form and style, and recommendations are made about the responsibility of the educational establishment towards the preparation of potential viewers.     

Using a Problem-Solving Approach to Teach Classroom Skills to a Student with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities within Regular Classroom Settings

We examined the use of a problem-solving intervention to teach classroom skills to a student with moderate intellectual disabilities. She was receiving her education in regular classrooms at her local primary school. The student was taught the targeted skills in a resource room removed from the regular classroom. She successfully generalised the skills to regular classrooms. The problem-solving intervention was evaluated using a multiple baseline design across classrooms. Regular classroom teachers indicated that the student's behaviour significantly improved during the intervention.     

Relationship-Focused Child Care Practices: Quality of Care and Child Outcomes for Children in Poverty

Research Findings: Child care delivery practices promoting continuous, primary caregiver-child relationships (relationship-focused child care) were evaluated for 223 preschool-age children (45% African American, 55% Latino) attending child care centers serving low-income children. Both relationship-focused and non-relationship-focused centers were accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Children in relationship-focused programs received more sensitive, involved, and affectionate caregiving and were more engaged with their caregivers than children in comparison centers, but some differences were greater for African American children. Outcomes associated with relationship-focused care included greater parent-reported child compliance and closer parent-caregiver relations, but no consistent benefits for cognitive school readiness, receptive language, or child behavior problems were found. Follow-up assessments were completed 1 year later for 119 children who remained in their programs. Social and cognitive outcomes improved over time, but some changes were moderated by child race/ethnicity and center type. Over time, parents reported greater child compliance and caregivers reported better parent-caregiver relationships in relationship-focused programs. Practice or Policy: Some social benefits of continuous, primary caregivers were found, but children's cognitive competencies improved with sustained attendance at these accredited programs regardless of the relationship-focused practices.     

How do parents learn about adolescents' experiences? Implications for parental knowledge and adolescent risky behavior

Cluster analysis was used to identify groups defined by the patterning of fathers' and mothers' sources of knowledge about adolescents' experiences in a sample of 179 families with adolescents (M = 16.5 years). Three clusters emerged for fathers (relational, relies on spouse, relies on others) and mothers (relational, questioners, relies on others). Cluster membership was associated with socioeconomic status, work hours, personal characteristics, and parent-child relationship quality. Longitudinal path analyses revealed that knowledge sources predicted levels of knowledge, which in turn predicted risky behavior 1 year later, indirect paths that were more consistent for fathers than for mothers. Although direct associations between sources of knowledge and subsequent risky behavior were scant, when fathers relied on spouses, youth engaged in less risky behavior.     

Genetic basis of heterosis and inbreeding depression in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

INTRODUCTIONAlthoughriceisanaturallyself-pollinatedcrop,strongheterosisisobservedintheirF1hybrids.HeterosisorhybridvigorismanifestedasimprovedperformanceforF1hybridsgeneratedbycrossingtwoinbredparents.Heterosiscanbedefinedquan-titativelyasanupwarddeviationofthemid-parent,basedonthemeanvaluesofthetwoparents(JohnsonandHutchinson,1993).Heterosismaybepositiveornegative.Dependinguponbreedingob-jectives,bothpositiveandnegativeheterosisareusefulforcropimprovement.Ingeneral,positiveheterosisisd…