Impact of legislation on post‐school transition practice for young people with additional support needs in Scotland

A longitudinal study was conducted to understand post‐school transition practice for young people with additional support needs (ASN) before and after the implementation of key legislation, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, amended in 2009. Primary data were collected from one local authority in Scotland. Twelve professionals involved in post‐school transition planning were interviewed in 2004 and eight in 2010. Minutes of transition meetings from one school for three young people prior to the implementation of the Act and four after the implementation were analysed. Results show some changes since the implementation of the Act.     

A Meta‐Analysis of Empirical Research on Teaching Students with Mathematics Learning Difficulties

This article quantitatively summarizes experimental and quasi‐experimental studies on teaching students with mathematics difficulties (MD) published between 2000 and 2014, research that was available following earlier syntheses. It reports the analysis of effect sizes of 25 intervention studies on participant characteristics, intervention parameters, domains of mathematics interventions, and instructional approaches and components. Results indicate that several participant characteristics (e.g., grade level and level of mathematics difficulties) and intervention parameters (e.g., methodological soundness, intervention agent, and grouping) mediated the treatment effects. In addition, different types of instructional approaches and several instructional components contributed to the improvements in mathematics performance in students with MD.     

ORCID Identifiers: Planned and Potential Uses by Associations,Publishers, and Librarians

The presenters gave an overview of ORCID and examples of how organizations are integrating ORCID identifiers (iDs) into their systems. In its twin roles as a scholarly association and a publisher, the Modern Language Association is exploring how best to integrate ORCID iDs into the publication process and into its member services. Librarians are well-positioned to partner with new and established scholars in accurately capturing their record of scholarship, and to work with internal partners such as research offices and graduate schools. As a member of the University of North Carolina system, East Carolina University researchers are interested in the potential for ORCID profiles to supplement information in the statewide profile system REACH NC. Texas A&M University is one of nine institutions recently selected to participate in an ORCID Adoption and Integration Program (funded by the Sloan Foundation) for their proposal to integrate ORCID iDs into their open-source Vireo Electronic Thesis and Dissertation management system, the university’s institutional repository, and their VIVO profile system.     

Civil Interactivity: How News Organizations' Commenting Policies Explain Civility and Hostility in User Comments

The digital transformation of journalism enables new modes of interactivity with the news. While user comments are nearly ubiquitous across news Web sites, there is little understanding about how to improve the quality of discussion spaces that many characterize as hostile and vitriolic. This study uses a keyword content analysis of user comments across 20 news Web sites to understand the organizational policies that encourage more productive dialogue. The findings show that specific policies regarding user registration, moderation of comments, and reputation management systems are effective facilitators of civil discussion.     

A Century of John and Evelyn Dewey's Schools of To-morrow: Rousseau,Recorded Knowledge,and Race in the Philosopher's Most Problematic Text

A century ago, John Dewey and his daughter Evelyn published Schools of To-morrow to nearly universal acclaim. However, over the course of the 20th century, critics of Dewey have drawn upon Schools of To-morrow to accuse him of being an uncritical disciple of French philosopher, Jean Rousseau, of being opposed to the transmission of content to students, and most recently of endorsing a curriculum that patronized Black students. As a result, the text has become John Dewey's most controversial and problematic. In this historical study, we seek to place Schools of To-morrow in its historical, intellectual, and social context. The first part of the study traces the writing and publication of the text, as well as its changing reception over the past century. The second part of the study directly responds to the three criticisms previously cited: that Dewey was a disciple of Rousseau, that Dewey was opposed to the transmission of content knowledge, and that Dewey endorsed the racially segregated school system of Indianapolis depicted in the text. Drawing upon Dewey's other writings, his course syllabi, his personal correspondence, and lecture notes, we argue that the first two accusations are unfounded, but the third is partially accurate, although incomplete. We conclude that Schools of To-morrow is an undervalued text in the Dewey cannon that warrants closer study.     

The differentiation of adaptive behaviours: evidence from high and low performers

Background: Professionals who use measures of adaptive behaviour when working with special populations may assume that adaptive behaviour is a consistent and linear construct at various ability levels and thus believe the construct of adaptive behaviour is the same for high and low performers. That is, highly adaptive people simply are assumed to have a higher level of adaptive behaviour than their less adaptive peers (i.e. individuals with special need, including intellectual disability). This study examines the viability of this assumption and poses an alternative hypothesis: adaptive behaviour is qualitatively different for high and low performers. Methods: Portions of the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System-II’s standardisation sample were used to examine the structure of adaptive behaviour in high and low performers. Results. Results of factor analysis indicated that the amount of variance attributable to a general factor of adaptive behaviour declines at lower levels of adaptive ability, indicating that adaptive behaviours are not organised in the same manner across the spectrum of adaptive ability. Conclusions: Additionally, knowledge of an individual’s adaptive skills, not merely their general adaptive composite, seemingly is especially important when working with special needs children and youth who display deficits in adaptive behaviour.