Classroom Age Composition and Vocabulary Development Among At-Risk Preschoolers

Research Findings: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between classroom age composition and preschoolers’ vocabulary gains over an academic year and also to examine whether these relations were moderated by classroom quality. In this study (N = 130 children in 16 classrooms representing a subset of all children enrolled in these classrooms), results showed a significant cross-level interaction between classroom age composition and children's age, suggesting positive effects of greater variance in classroom age composition for younger but not older children. The interaction between behavior management (1 dimension of classroom quality) and classroom age composition was also significant, indicating that a wider distribution of classroom age composition was positively related to children's vocabulary gains within classrooms characterized by better behavior management. Practice or Policy: Findings underscore the importance of children's social interactions with more knowledgeable conversational partners in promoting their vocabulary development and signify the need to help teachers learn how to manage children's behaviors so as to provide a classroom that is optimal for child learning.     

Association of physical fitness,body composition,cardiometabolic markers and adherence to the Mediterranean diet with bone mineral density in perimenopausal women. The FLAMENCO project

This study aimed to analyse the association of different components of physical fitness, body composition, cardiometabolic markers and the Mediterranean diet with bone mineral density (BMD) in perimenopausal women, and to test which of these components are independently associated with BMD. The sample comprised 197 perimenopausal women (52.6 ± 4.5 years). Physical fitness was assessed with the “Senior Fitness Test” battery and the handgrip strength and Bruce tests. Fat and lean mass and BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We analysed the markers of metabolic syndrome, C-reactive protein, and components of the Mediterranean diet. Handgrip muscle strength (β = 0.212, P = 0.005), body weight (β = 0.244, P = 0.001), BMI (β = 0.180, P = 0.011) and lean mass (β = 0.379, P < 0.001) were positively associated with BMD. No associations were observed between cardiometabolic markers or the Mediterranean diet with BMD (all P > 0.05). When all relevant indicators of BMD were simultaneously considered, lean mass was the only 1 showing an independent association with BMD (β = 0.392, P < 0.001), explaining 14% of the BMD variability. In conclusion, muscle strength might be a marker of BMD in perimenopausal women. However, lean mass was the only factor independently associated with BMD. Future research to determine whether increasing lean mass through specific exercise-based interventions contributes to increasing BMD is warranted.     

Changing Contexts in the Professoriate

The current reform movement in higher education involves efforts to alter the missions of universities and the forms of scholarship necessq to accomplish these missions. The authors explore the changing contexts in the professoriate based on this redefinition of scholarship and cite the impact of changes on faculty roles and responsibilities, faculty socialization, and faculty evaluation. They indicate that the current reform movement will lead to significant changes in the way faculty work Department faculty will be given the autonomy to determine the mission of the department, the kinds of scholarship needed to fulfill that mission, and how to evaluate scholarship in their discipline. Formalized, structured socialization processes will be needed to provide consistent formal and informal messages to faculty regarding their changing roles and responsibilities, especially since individual faculty may have very different roles and responsibilities. Faculty will work in interdisciplinary, collaborative groups to bring together the knowledge bases needed to solve current societal problems.     

The psychometric properties of the Bem sex‐role inventory: Questions concerning reliability and validity

This investigation examined criticisms of the Bem Sex‐Role Inventory, a measure of gender orientation, and further examined its reliability and validity. Study 1 produced a two factor solution which was similar to other analyses. Study 2 demonstrated what adjectives best described males and females in American society. From the two studies, a revision of the Bem Sex‐Role Inventory was proposed with 10 items each measuring masculinity and femininity.     

Children's Engagement Within the Preschool Classroom and Their Development of Self-Regulation

This study used an observational measure to examine how individual children's engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks was associated with gains in self-regulation. A sample of 341 preschoolers was observed, and direct assessments and teacher reports of self-regulation were obtained in the fall and spring of the preschool year. Research Findings: Children's positive engagement with teachers was related to gains in compliance/executive function, and children's active engagement with tasks was associated with gains in emotion regulation across the year. Engaging positively with teachers or peers was especially supportive of children's gains in task orientation and reductions in dysregulation. Practice or Policy: Results are discussed in relation to Vygotsky's developmental theory, emphasizing that psychological processes are developed in the context of socially embedded interactions. Systematically observing how a child interacts with peers, teachers, and learning tasks in the preschool classroom has the potential to inform the creation of professional development aimed at supporting teachers in fostering individual children's development within the early education environment.     

Effects of a professional development program on classroom practices and outcomes for Latino dual language learners

A randomized, controlled study was conducted to assess the effects of the Nuestros Niños professional development program on classroom practices and child outcomes related to language development and early literacy skills in both English and Spanish. Fifty-five teachers and 193 Latino dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in the North Carolina More at Four Pre-Kindergarten Program participated in the study. The content of the professional development program consisted of research-based instructional practices designed to complement the core curriculum and scaffold learning for DLLs, and the format included professional development institutes, individualized consultation, and community of practice meetings. The results showed that the intervention led to measurable improvements in both the overall quality of teachers’ language and literacy practices as well as those specific to working with Latino DLLs, and greater gains in children's phonological awareness skills in their primary language.