Readers Theatre: effects on word recognition automaticity and reading prosody

In this quasi‐experimental study, the researchers examined the effects of implementing Readers Theatre in a second grade classroom, comprised of seven and eight‐year‐old students. The 70 subjects were chosen as a non‐probability sample from two different classes and served as the treatment (n = 29) and comparison (n = 41) groups. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant interaction and time effects. The post hoc analysis of simple effects indicated that the Readers Theatre treatment yielded larger effects on word recognition automaticity and prosody. Practical implications of this study suggest that consistent implementation of Readers Theatre in grade two classrooms can have a large impact on students' reading fluency.     

Domain‐General Learning and Memory Substrates of Reading Acquisition

Prior research has demonstrated that linguistic skills and knowledge contribute to successful reading acquisition. In contrast, little is known about the influence of domain‐general learning abilities on reading. To investigate associations between general memory functions and reading during the early stages of learning to read, performance measures of word‐level reading and of declarative and procedural learning were obtained in a cohort of 140 children, annually during their first 4 years of school. We hypothesized that differences in learning task performance would relate to reading ability in the early years, when children are first learning to read. We employed a series of linear mixed effects models to test the relationships between learning abilities and reading across time. Declarative learning performance predicted reading ability in first grade, while procedural learning performance predicted reading ability in second grade. Our findings suggest that reading acquisition may depend in part on general capacities for learning.     

Rethinking the marginalizing discourses around teenage pregnancy

ABSTRACT

This article examines the literature on schooling for teenage mothers in order to expose the normalizing discourses that position young mothers as at risk for failure. Through an exploration of the historical and socio-cultural positioning of teenage mothers over the past few decades, the author illustrates the schooled responses to adolescent mothers and the responses of adolescent mothers to school structures and marginalizations. The article concludes with suggestions for further research that would address the achievements and the strengths of young mothers and may provide space for thinking about other groups of students who have traditionally been labeled at risk.     

Construct Validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R): Lessons Learned

Described herein is the academic lineage and independent validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R). Data from 334 K-12 science teachers were analyzed using Partial Credit Rasch models. Principal components analysis on the person-item residuals suggest two latent dimensions: Knowledge and Teaching Self-Efficacies. Item-fit statistics were used to select items for each subscale. Person and item separation (reliability) indices were quite low, and we noted disordered response patterns on the person-item maps that revealed problems with item content and/or scaling for both subscales. These issues include the presence of: verbal negatives, ambiguous modifiers, counter-intuitive scaling, and an “undecided/uncertain” option. The SETAKIST-R, in its current form, cannot be recommended as a measure of science teacher self-efficacy.     

Good Muslims,Bad Muslims,and the Nation: The “Ground Zero Mosque” and the Problem With Tolerance

The local controversy over Cordoba House or the “Ground Zero Mosque” peaked at a May 2010 Lower Manhattan Community Board meeting that was open to the public. Examining the tolerance rhetorics evoked both for and against Cordoba, this paper argues that both tolerance rhetorics function differently to re-center the white non-Muslim subject and to structure inclusion and belonging within the nation. Extending the literature of tolerance, which tends to focus on the discourse of normative subjects, I analyze the tolerance rhetorics of two Muslim-American rhetors whose testimonies reveal the tensions, contradictions, and complicities involved in claims of national belonging.     

A TALK ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The following article was written by Media program staff members of the Human Rights Commission of San Francisco.     

Fear of injury in gymnastics: Self-efficacy and psychological strategies to keep on tumbling

The aim of this study was to examine female gymnasts' fear of injury, their sources of self-efficacy and the psychological strategies used to overcome their fears. The participants were 10 female gymnasts aged 12?–?17 years. They had all taken part in competitive gymnastics and had experienced some type of injury during their careers. Individual interviews were conducted using a structured interview guide. Data were analysed using an inductive content analysis. The results indicated that gymnasts were most fearful of injuries because of the difficulty in returning from an injury and being unable to participate in practices and competitions while injured. Gymnasts described aspects of their past performance experience, such as success, consistency and communication with significant others, as important sources of self-efficacy. Some examples of psychological strategies used to overcome their fear of injury were mental preparation (e.g. imagery, relaxation), just “going for a skill” and the coaches' influence.     

Water,sanitation, and primary school attendance: A multi-level assessment of determinants of household-reported absence in Kenya

This cross-sectional analysis examined the influence of school and household water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions on recent primary school absence in light of other individual, household, and school characteristics in western Kenya. School latrine cleanliness was the only school WASH factor associated with reduced odds of absence. The marginal effect of household characteristics, such as distance to water source, child involvement in water collection, and presence of a latrine, differed by gender. Demographic features were more important predictors of absence, suggesting that interventions to improve attendance must consider existing differentials attributable to gender, socio-economic status, and other household characteristics.