A Cross-linguistic Comparison of Phonological Awareness and Word Recognition in Turkish and English Comparaison entre la reconnaissance phonologique et la reconnaissance des mots en turc et en anglais Una comparación lingüística cruzada de la Conciencia Fonológica y del reconocimiento de palabras en turco e inglés

Phonological awareness has been demonstrated by numerous researchers to be one of the most powerful predictors of subsequent reading success. By considering these predictors as a starting point, the relations between children's phonological awareness developed at the pre-reading stage and their reading skills were examined and the influences of the features of various language systems and orthographies upon children's phonological awareness and subsequent reading abilities were studied. The results are important for developing new methods for teaching reading. In this research, besides studying the relationship between the development of children's phonological awareness and their subsequent reading skills, how the children's linguistic and orthographic characteristics of English and Turkish effect phonological awareness and subsequent reading success were also analysed. The aim was to recommend the most appropriate method for teaching reading and writing to children acquiring literacy in Turkish. The research was designed as a survey model. The participants of the study were 94 Turkish students (46 girls and 48 boys) attending two public primary schools and two public kindergartens in Istanbul during the 1994-95 educational year and 44 American students (17 girls and 27 boys) at different ages attending a public primary school and its kindergarten in Duluth, Minnesota. In this study, their scores in letter identification tasks (upper-case and lower-case letter identification), letter usage tasks, decoding tasks and various phonological awareness tasks were compared. Turkish and American students' scores in all tasks, as to grade, language and language unit variables were also analysed, and two-way ANOVA and correlations were also obtained. Whether grade, language and language unit independent variables and their interactions cause significant distinctions between the groups' scores was examined. The results of this study indicate that while Turkish kindergarten students are less successful than American students in the decoding tasks, Turkish primary school students score higher compared with American children at the same grade level. When the scores of Turkish and American students in phonological awareness tasks were compared, it was found that Turkish students scored higher in both grade levels than American students and it was ascertained that, particularly as the children became literate, the phonological awareness ability of Turkish students increased considerably. These results point to how the spoken language affects the development of phonological awareness and the contribution of this ability to learning to read in alphabetic writing systems. Il a été établi par de nombreuses études que la reconnaissance phonologique est l'un des prédicteurs les plus puissants de la réussite ultérieure en lecture. En prenant ces prédicteurs comme point de départ, on a examiné les relations entre la reconnaissance phonologique développée par les enfants à l'étape de la pré-lecture et leurs compétences en lecture, ainsi que l'influence des caractéristiques phonologiques et orthographiques de certaines langues sur la reconnaissance phonologique des enfants et leurs compétences ultérieures en lecture. Les résultats sont importants si l'on veut élaborer de nouvelles méthodes d'enseignement de la lecture. Dans cette étude, en plus de l'examen des relations entre le développement de la reconnaissance phonologique des enfants et leurs compétences ultérieures en lecture, on a analysé les conséquences des caractéristiques linguistiques et orthographiques de l'anglais et du turc sur la reconnaissance phonologique et la réussite ultérieure en lecture. L'objectif était de recommander des méthodes appropriées d'enseignement de la lecture et de l'écriture aux enfants de l'enseignement primaire turc. L'étude a été conçue sur le modèle d'une enquête. Les participants étaient quatre-vingt quatorze élèves turcs (46 filles et 48 garçons) de deux écoles primaires publiques et deux écoles maternelles d'Istanbul pendant l'année scolaire 1994-1995, et quarante-quatre élèves américains à divers âges (17 filles et 27 garçons) d'une école primaire publique et sa section maternelle à Duluth, Minnesota. Dans cette étude, on a comparé les notes qu'ils ont obtenues lors de tâches d'identification des lettres (reconnaissance des minuscules et des majuscules), tâches d'emploi des lettres, tâches de décodage et diverses tâches de reconnaissance phonologique. On a également analysé les notes obtenues par les élèves turcs et américains pour toutes les tâches, par variable d'année d'études, langue et unité de langue, et des analyses de variance et des corrélations dans les deux sens ont été obtenues. On a étudié si les variables indépendants d'année d'études, langue et unité de langue et leurs interactions causaient des distinctions significatives sur les résultats des groupes. Les résultats de cette recherche indiquent que, bien que les élèves turcs de maternelle réussissent moins bien aux tâches de décodage que les américains, les élèves turcs de niveau primaire obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les américains de même année d'études. Lorsqu'on a comparé les notes des élèves turcs et américains en matière de reconnaissance phonologique, on a trouvé que les élèves turcs avaient de meilleures notes, aux deux niveaux scolaires, que les américains, et on a observé que, surtout à mesure que les enfants apprenaient à lire et écrire, la capacité de reconnaissance phonologique des élèves turcs augmentait considérablement. Ces résultats indiquent comment la langue parlée affecte le développement de la reconnaissance phonologique et le rôle joué par cette capacité dans l'apprentissage de la lecture dans les systèmes d'écriture alphabétiques. Numerosas investigaciones han demostrado que la conciencia fonológica es uno de los predictores más poderosos del éxito para leer subsiguiente. Teniendo en cuenta estos predictores como punto de partida, se examinaron las relaciones entre la conciencia fonológica de los niños desarrollada en la fase de prelectura y sus habilidades de lectura y se estudiaron las influencias de las características de los diferentes sistemas de lenguaje y de las ortografías en la conciencia fonológica de los niños y las habilidades de lectura subsiguientes. Los resultados son importantes para desarrollar métodos nuevos para enseñar a leer. En este trabajo de investigación, además de estudiar la relación entre el desarrollo de la conciencia fonológica de los niños y sus habilidades de lectura subsiguientes, también se analizó cómo las características ortográficas y lingüísticas del inglés y del turco de los niños afectaron a la conciencia fonológica y al éxito para leer subsiguiente. El objetivo fue recomendar el método más adecuado para enseñar a leer y a escribir a los niños que estuvieran aprendiendo a leer y a escribir en turco. El trabajo de investigación se diseñó como si se tratara de una encuesta. El número de participantes fue de noventa y cuatro alumnos turcos (46 niñas y 48 niños) de dos escuelas primarias del estado y de dos jardines de infancia también del estado de la ciudad de Estambul durante el curso académico 1994-1995 y de cuarenta y cuatro alumnos americanos (17 niñas y 27 niños) de diferentes edades que asistían a una escuela primaria del estado y a su correspondiente jardín de infancia en Duluth, Minnesota. En esta investigación, se compararon los resultados que obtuvieron en las Tareas de Reconocimiento de las Letras (Reconocimiento de las Letras Mayúsculas y Minúsculas), en las Tareas de Utilización de Letras, en las Tareas de Decodificación y en varias tareas de Conciencia Fonológica. También se analizaron los resultados de los alumnos americanos y turcos en todas las tareas, en lo que respecta al grado/curso, lenguaje y variables de la unidad de lenguaje y también se obtuvieron correlaciones y "two way ANOVA" (análisis de variaciones bidireccionales). Se estudió si el grado/curso, lenguaje y las variables independientes de la unidad de lenguaje y sus interacciones causaron diferencias importantes en los resultados de los grupos. Los resultados de esta investigación indican que aunque los alumnos turcos del jardín de infancia tienen menos éxito que los alumnos americanos en las tareas de decodificación, los alumnos turcos de enseñanza primaria obtuvieron mejores puntuaciones comparados con los alumnos americanos del mismo nivel de curso. Cuando se compararon los resultados de los alumnos americanos y turcos en las tareas de conciencia fonológica, se encontró que los alumnos turcos obtuvieron mejores puntuaciones en ambos niveles de curso que los alumnos americanos y se estableció que especialmente a medida que los alumnos aprendían a leer y escribir, la habilidad de la conciencia fonológica de los alumnos turcos aumentaba considerablemente. Estos resultados indican como el lenguaje hablado afecta al desarrollo de la conciencia fonológica y la contribución de esta habilidad para aprendar a leer en los sistemas de escritura alfabética.     

Theory Competition and the Process of Change

The reasons why many educational change initiatives have little impact are often framed in terms of either a poorly designed process on the part of the change initiator, or in terms of problems with the attitudes, skills and/or knowledge of those responsible for implementation. In this paper, we seek to integrate these two perspectives more closely by focusing on their interface and the competing theories frequently held by the change initiators and implementers. This concept of theory competition is illustrated with a case of a national literacy initiative in New Zealand in which the change initiators wished to raise the achievement of low performing students through the development of “learning-centred” leadership in schools and evidence-based practice. The desired outcomes were not achieved because theories about what it means to be a successful leader in such a situation, the data needed to undertake the type of evidence-based analysis envisioned and school personnel beliefs about the target students were understood differently by those responsible for initiating the change and those responsible for implementing it.     

Curriculum Design of a Flipped Classroom to Enhance Haematology Learning

A common trend in higher education is the “flipped” classroom, which facilitates active learning during class. The flipped approach to teaching was instituted in a haematology ‘major’ class and the students’ attitudes and preferences for the teaching materials were surveyed. The curriculum design was explicit and involved four major components (1) the preparation of the students; (2) the weekly pre-class work; (3) the in-class active learning strategies and (4) closing the learning loop using formative quizzes. Each of these components is discussed in detail and was informed by sound pedagogical strategies. Several different sources of information and several freely available software tools to engage the students are discussed. Two iterations are reported here, with improved pass rate for the final examination from 47 to 48 % in the traditional class to 56–65 % in the flipped classroom approach. The majority of students (93 and 89 %) came to the class prepared, after viewing the screencasts and engaged fully with the activities within the face-to-face time. The students perceived that solving case studies (93 %) was the most beneficial activity for their learning and this was closely followed by the production of essay plans (71 %). The majority of students recommended that this approach be repeated the following year (69 and 75 %).     

Association of Elevated Serum Lipoprotein(a), Inflammation,Oxidative Stress and Chronic Kidney Disease with Hypertension in Non-diabetes Hypertensive Patients

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular risk factor. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], inflammation, oxidative stress and chronic kidney disease (CKD) exacerbate the response to tissue injury and acts as markers of the vascular disease, especially in glomerulosclerosis. We compared the clinical characteristics of 138 non-diabetes hypertensive women (ndHT) patients with 417 non-diabetes normotensive subjects and tested the association of hypertension with Lp(a), inflammation, CKD and oxidative stress by using multiple logistic regression. BP, BMI, waist circumference, creatinine, Lp(a), inflammation and malondialdehyde levels were significantly higher and CKD state in the ndHT patients (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed hypertension associated with increased Lp(a), inflammation, ORs and 95 % CIs were 2.52 (1.33, 4.80), 2.75 (1.44, 5.27) after adjusting for their covariates. Elevated serum Lp(a) and inflammation levels concomitants with increased oxidative stress and CKD were the major risk factors associated with hypertension and implications for the increased risk of HT and vascular disease.     

The effect of extremely high glucose concentrations on 21 routine chemistry and thyroid Abbott assays: interference study

Introduction

Extremely high glucose concentrations have been shown to interfere with creatinine assays especially with Jaffe method in peritoneal dialysate. Because diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the world, laboratories study with varying glucose concentrations. We investigated whether different levels of glucose spiked in serum interfere with 21 routine chemistry and thyroid assays at glucose concentrations between 17-51 mmol/L.

Materials and methods

Baseline (group I) serum pool with glucose concentration of 5.55 (5.44-5.61) mmol/L was prepared from patient sera. Spiking with 20% dextrose solution, sample groups were obtained with glucose concentrations: 17.09, 34.52, and 50.95 mmol/L (group II, III, IV, respectively). Total of 21 biochemistry analytes and thyroid tests were studied on Abbott c8000 and i2000sr with commercial reagents. Bias from baseline value was checked statistically and clinically.

Results

Creatinine increased significantly by 8.74%, 31.66%, 55.31% at groups II, III, IV, respectively with P values of < 0.001. At the median glucose concentration of 50.95 mmol/L, calcium, albumin, chloride and FT4 biased significantly clinically (-0.85%, 1.63%, 0.65%, 7.4% with P values 0.138, 0.214, 0.004, < 0.001, respectively). Remaining assays were free of interference.

Conclusion

Among the numerous biochemical parameters studied, only a few parameters are affected by dramatically increased glucose concentration. The creatinine measurements obtained in human sera with the Jaffe alkaline method at high glucose concentrations should be interpreted with caution. Other tests that were affected with extremely high glucose concentrations were calcium, albumin, chloride and FT4, hence results should be taken into consideration in patients with poor diabetic control.Key words: assay interference, glucose interference, preanalytical phase, creatinine, Jaffe kinetic assay, thyroid function tests     

IPv6: The next generation Internet Protocol

IPv4, the workhorse protocol of the currently popular TCP/ IP protocol suite, is fast becoming obsolete. The exponential growth of the Internet is the main reason that has required the creation of the next generation of Internet Protocol-IPv6. IPv6 is much more flexible and promises to take care of the address space and security issues in the foreseeable future. Part 1 of the paper lays the foundation of the various issues involved in designing the Internet Protocol and motivates the need for an upgraded version of this protocol.     

Practical Applications as a Source of Credibility: A Comparison of Three Fields of Dutch Academic Chemistry

In many Western science systems, funding structures increasingly stimulate academic research to contribute to practical applications, but at the same time the rise of bibliometric performance assessments have strengthened the pressure on academics to conduct excellent basic research that can be published in scholarly literature. We analyze the interplay between these two developments in a set of three case studies of fields of chemistry in the Netherlands. First, we describe how the conditions under which academic chemists work have changed since 1975. Second, we investigate whether practical applications have become a source of credibility for individual researchers. Indeed, this turns out to be the case in catalysis, where connecting with industrial applications helps in many steps of the credibility cycle. Practical applications yield much less credibility in environmental chemistry, where application-oriented research agendas help to acquire funding, but not to publish prestigious papers or to earn peer recognition. In biochemistry practical applications hardly help in gaining credibility, as this field is still strongly oriented at fundamental questions. The differences between the fields can be explained by the presence or absence of powerful upstream end-users, who can afford to invest in academic research with promising long term benefits.