Incidental word learning in a hearing child of deaf adults

It is unclear how children develop the ability to learn words incidentally (i.e., without direct instruction or numerous exposures). This investigation examined the early achievement of this skill by longitudinally tracking the expressive vocabulary and incidental word-learning capacities of a hearing child of Deaf adults who was natively learning American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. Despite receiving only 20% of language input in spoken English, the child's expressive vocabularies at 16 and 20 months of age, in each language, were similar to those of monolingual age-matched peers. At 16 months of age, the child showed signs of greater proficiency in the incidental learning of novel ASL signs than she did for spoken English words. At 20 months of age, the child was skilled at incidental word learning in both languages. These results support the methodology as it applies to examining theoretical models of incidental word learning. They also suggest that bilingual children can achieve typical vocabulary levels (even with minimal input in one of the languages) and that the development of incidental word learning follows a similar trajectory in ASL and spoken English.     

Strategies for managing resources in a declining resource situation

Medium- and long-term strategies for deploying resources in Higher Education are discussed in the context of avoiding any reduction in the quality and quantity of educational provision, and, at the same time, meeting appropriate financial criteria. The paper emphasises the need to maximise the use of existing staff through redeployment, retraining and staff development. New appointments should be strictly controlled through part-time and fixed-term contracts. Staffing levels may be reduced through early retirement and redundancy, although in some situations, the sharing, movement or exchange of staff between institutions may be an alternative possibility. Non-staff costs are analysed in relation to teaching, administration, accommodation and ancillary activities. The principal of good house-keeping is advocated in relation to these costs, with a clear recognition of those costs which relate to academic standards and legal obligations.     

Historical perspectives on dyslexia.

This article begins with an historical overview of the neurological aspects of dyslexia, which was originally seen as a member of the family of aphasias. That overview is followed by a brief review of familial and genetic factors in developmental dyslexia. The article then presents psycholinguistic models of dyslexia as they relate to the neurological concepts. Finally, the author reviews briefly the evolution of methods that have been successful in the remediation of dyslexia.     

Applying case-based method in designing self-directed online instruction: a formative research study

This study investigated the case-based method (CBM) instructional-design theory and its application in designing self-directed online instruction. The purpose of this study was to validate and refine the theory for a self-directed online instruction context. Guided by formative research methodology, this study first developed an online tutorial based on 13 design assumptions synthesized from the CBM literature. The researchers then formatively evaluated the online tutorial as a design instance of CBM through two iterations of design, evaluation, and revision. The major findings included: (1) perceived value of various CBM design features, (2) benefits and limitations of applying CBM in the tutorial design, and (3) validation and revision of a set of generic and context-specific CBM design assumptions. These findings extend our understanding of CBM to the context of self-directed online instruction and provide useful insights and practical guidance to inform instructional design practices.     

Conceptions of learning in adult students embarking on distance education

A 60-item questionnaire on conceptions of learning was mailed to students taking preparatory courses by distance learning with The Open University in the United Kingdom. Complete data were provided by 372 respondents. Their scores on six factor-based scales showed satisfactory internal consistency, cluster analysis identified five groups of students with distinct patterns of scores, and discriminant analysis identified the scales that served to distinguish among the clusters. Three groups had conceptions of learning based on critical thinking, personal development, and personal change, but the other groups had conceptions that were defined in largely negative terms. Adult learners embarking on distance education seem to hold distinctive conceptions of learning, which suggests that conceptions of learning are culturally and contextually dependent.     

Predicting student achievement for low stakes tests with effort and task value

We investigated motivation for taking low stakes tests. Based on expectancy-value theory, we expected that the effect of student perceptions of three task values (interest, usefulness, and importance) on low stakes test performance would be mediated by the student’s reported effort. We hypothesized that all three task value components would play a significant role in predicting test-taking effort, and that effort would significantly predict test performance. Participants were 1005 undergraduate students enrolled at four midsize public universities. After students took all four subtests of CBASE, a standardized general education exam, they immediately filled out a motivation survey. Path analyses showed that the task value variables usefulness and importance significantly predicted test-taking effort and performance for all four tests. These results provide evidence that students who report trying hard on low stakes tests score higher than those who do not. The results indicate that if students do not perceive importance or usefulness of an exam, their effort suffers and so does their test score. While the data are correlational, they suggest that it might be useful for test administrators and school staff to communicate to students the importance and usefulness of the test that they are being asked to complete.     

Primary humanities – a perspective from Northern Ireland

ABSTRACT

The word ‘humanities’ does not appear in the current Northern Ireland Curriculum (NIC). Geography and history are taught within an Area of Learning called ‘The World Around Us’ which also contains science and technology. The curriculum has a strong emphasis on an integrated, ‘connected learning’ way of teaching and learning. Religious Education is a separate subject that stands alongside, rather than within, the NIC, and the curriculum also includes a new Area of Learning – ‘Personal Development and Mutual Understanding’. The distinctive content and modes of teaching which the humanities subjects tend to encourage ought to be seen as particularly important in Northern Ireland – a part of the UK which has endured a complicated past and remains to a large extent segregated, both socially and educationally. This complicated past means that there is often wariness and reluctance on the part of teachers towards tackling controversial personal and social issues in the primary school.     

Detecting Appropriate Trajectories of Growth in Latent Growth Models: The Performance of Information-Based Criteria

Latent growth modeling (LGM) is a popular and flexible technique that may be used when data are collected across several different measurement occasions. Modeling the appropriate growth trajectory has important implications with respect to the accurate interpretation of parameter estimates of interest in a latent growth model that may impact educational policy decisions. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to examine the accuracy of six information-based criteria (i.e., AIC, CAIC, AICC, BIC, nBIC, and HQIC) when selecting among various growth trajectories modeled using LGM under different sample size, number of time points, and growth trajectory scenarios. The accuracy of the information criteria generally improved as sample size increased. The cubic and linear growth models were distinguished most accurately by the information criteria. All of the nonlinear models were more easily distinguished as the number of time points increased. The comparative performance of the six information criteria was dependent upon the manipulated conditions. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

The promposal: youth expressions of identity and ‘love’ in the digital age

The ‘promposal’ is a growing, North American high school ritual in which one graduating senior asks another to the prom in a creative, witty, public performance that is recorded and posted online. A YouTube search for ‘promposal’ yields over 49,000 hits, with videos receiving up to 8,000,000 views. What does the promposal reveal about the construction of gender and identity amongst teenagers in the digital era and the nature of the voices channelled, expressed or spoken? In a study of high school students' responses to the promposal as well as a discourse analysis of YouTube videos, this paper argues that: students use promposals to achieve social aims by constructing and presenting desirable identities and voices across multiple platforms; the performances of gender seen in online promposals tend to draw upon, reflect, and reify traditional, hegemonic patterns of behaviour and to amplify the male voice; and promposals are a means of announcing the debut of young people as productive contributors to the neo-liberal economy as they prepare to leave high school.     

Seeking Help in a Foreign Land: International Students' Use Patterns for a U.S. University Counseling Center

This archival study examined the use of a university counseling center's services by international students during a 5‐year period. Variables analyzed included clients' presenting concerns, students' demographic characteristics, number of counseling sessions attended, and reasons for termination. Implications for counselor training, outreach activities, and counseling services on college campuses are discussed.