Educational Reform in Post-Accord Palestine: A synthesis of Palestinian perspectives

Education is central to the preservation and success of any society, including that of the Palestinians. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1993, Palestinians now have their first opportunity in nearly 500 years to control and develop their own educational system, a system that will better meet the needs of the Palestinians than those nations who have controlled the Palestinians for so many years. With this singular opportunity, the questions now becomes one of determining the nature of this educational system, one uniquely fitted to preserve and promote Palestinian society. The purpose of this study was to examine ideas from Palestinians about what they thought their educational system should be and what core values should inform its creation and development. Through information gathered in semi-structured interviews, a portrait begins to emerge about what Palestinians think their schools and educational processes should look like, what barriers present themselves to the realization of their ideas, and what the solutions may be to remove these barriers.     

Interscorer reliability of the modified version of the bender-gestalt test for preschool and primary school children

This study extended the reliability research of the Qualitative Scoring System for the Modified Version of the Bender-Gestalt Test (Modified B-G Test). The test was administered to 48 kindergartners and first graders by a licensed psychologist. The 48 test protocols were scored independently by two psychologists using the Qualitative Scoring System. The two sets of scores were significantly correlated. Results indicated that the scoring system for the Modified B-G is highly reliable.     

Comparison of the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic test-revised and Bender-Gestalt in predicting achievement

This study investigated whether the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test-Revised (MPD-R) or the Bender-Gestalt (BG) would most accurately predict achievement at the first-, third-, and fifth-grade levels. Both tests were administered to 84 children (28 at each grade level) in a counterbalanced order. Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations, t tests for significance of difference between dependent correlations, and partial correlations. Results indicated that the MPD-R is a better predictor of achievement than the BG, especially at the first-and fifth-grade levels. At each grade level, the MPD-R scores correlated more highly with more achievement than did the BG.     

Analysis of cognitive abilities for learning disabled children

The study investigated WISC-R subtest pattern scores of 58 learning disabled children (42 boys and 16 girls) ranging in age from 6 years to 15 years, 10 months. The variation in subtest scores was analyzed by a 1 X 10 analysis of variance with repeated measures on the single factor. Differences between individual subtest means were analyzed by the Newman-Keuls test for simple effects. The evidence indicates that the low subtest scores on Arithmetic, Coding and Information were characteristic of this group. The study did not support the verbal-Performance discrepancies as useful in the diagnosis of learning disabilities.     

A longitudinal study of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-revised over a six-year period

The study investigated the stability of the WISC-R IQ scores of 32 exceptional students (24 males, 8 females) over a six-year interval. The sample was composed of 20 learning disabled and 12 mentally handicapped students who ranged in age from 6–5 to 16–11. Analyses of variance for repeated measures and product-moment correlations were used to analyze the data. Test-retest findings indicated that the rs ranged from .53 to .87, with a median value of .74, with four of the nine values below .70. Implications for clinicians in terms of the importance of reevaluation of exceptional students are discussed.     

A comparison of three different measures of intelligence with preschool children identified at-risk

This study compares three different measures of intelligence used with preschool children identified “at-risk.” Seventy preschoolers were administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, and the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test. The sample consisted of 21 girls and 49 boys, of which there were 30% Orientals, 3% White, 20% Black, and 7% Native Americans. Pearson's product-moment correlation was used to analyze the data. Correlated t-tests were used to calculate the differences between the mean IQs for the tests. The PPVT-R and EOWPVT were found to be significantly correlated with the Verbal and Full Scale IQ scores of the WPPSI. In addition, the PPVT-R and EOWPVT correlated significantly with the Performance Scale IQ of the WPPSI. The results and their implication for the assessment of preschool children are discussed.     

Parent involvement and views of school success: The role of parents' Latino and White American cultural orientations

We examined ethnicity and cultural orientation as predictors of parents' views of and involvement in children's education, using data gathered from the Latino (n = 74) and non‐Latino (17 White and 13 ethnic minority) parents of children in an elementary school's dual‐language program. Parents completed a questionnaire that assessed Latino and White American cultural orientations, importance of children's academic and social success, and self‐ and significant other involvement in children's education. Results indicated that Latino (and other ethnic minority) parents valued academic and social success equally and more strongly than did Whites and that Whites valued social success more strongly than academic success. Latinos also reported greater involvement of significant others. These differences were largely accounted for by cultural orientations. Educational practices that take into account differences in cultural orientations and the involvement of significant others thus seem more likely to improve academic outcomes than do efforts intended to promote the valuing of education. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.