Conflict, Social Competence, and Gender: Maternal and Peer Contexts

The current study was designed to address two major purposes. The first goal was to investigate the joint influence of children's sociometric status and sex on their conflict behavior, and the second goal was to explore the similarities and differences in children's conflict behavior across two contexts, specifically conflicts arising during interactions with mothers and with peers. Forty-two first-graders were videotaped playing with their mothers and then with an unfamiliar peer partner. Conflict behavior occurring in the mother-child context was quite different from that occurring between children, reflecting the contrast between the vertical and horizontal nature of these relationships. Most striking were the large number of sociometric status and sex differences in conflict behavior found across both contexts. Further, it appears that effective conflict behavior may differ for boys and girls. Implications for future research are discussed.     

“I never felt more uncomfortable in my life”: University students' discursive constructions of “the lesbian convention”

In this paper, we draw from the body of theories on the discursive construction of prejudice to examine the communicative strategies that university students employ to manage their talk about lesbian women who visited their campus during a women's music festival. We found that, although students used a number of strategies that communicate heterosexism subtly, the students relied more often on strategies that communicate heterosexism in blatant ways‐a finding that contradicts much of what has been written about the discursive construction of prejudice. We theorize that these findings are, in part, due to the methods we used to gather data: No researcher was present during the discussions. We conclude that this methodology may be useful for teaching students the powerful nature of discourse in the perpetuation of prejudice.     

Profiles of emergent literacy skills among preschool children who are at risk for academic difficulties

The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of within-group variability in the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who are at risk for academic difficulties. We used the person-centered approach of cluster analysis to identify profiles of emergent literacy skills, taking into account both oral language and code-related skills. Participants were 492 preschoolers (aged 42-60 months) enrolled in needs-based programs. In the fall of the academic year, children were administered eight measures of emergent literacy: four oral language measures (i.e., expressive and receptive grammar, expressive and receptive vocabulary) and four code-related measures (i.e., print concepts, alphabet knowledge, name writing, and rhyme). Controlling for age, hierarchical-agglomerative and K-means cluster analysis procedures were employed. Five psychometrically sound profiles emerged: highest emergent literacy (prevalence = 14%); three profiles with average oral language and differential code-related abilities (16%, 24%; 23%); and lowest oral language with broad code-related weaknesses (23%). Profiles were then compared on midyear teacher ratings of emergent literacy as well as end-of-kindergarten literacy performance; results provided convergent evidence of predictive validity. This study highlights the considerable heterogeneity of emergent literacy abilities within an “at-risk” group. The resulting profiles have theoretical and practical relevance when examining both concurrent relationships between oral language and code-related skills as well as longitudinal relationships between early patterns of performance and later reading achievement.     

Talented athletes and academic achievements: a comparison over 14 years

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the academic achievements of 200 talented athletes in 1992/1993 and 200 in 2006/2007, aged 14–16 years. When compared with the national average, the athletes in 2006/2007 attended pre‐university classes more often (χ² = 57.001, p<.05). Of the 2006/2007 athletes, a higher percentage participated in pre‐university programs compared with that of athletes in 1992/1993 (χ² (1, n = 400) = 32.003, p<.05), whereas the national averages showed stability (χ² = .325, p>.05). Investigating self‐regulation appears relevant, as talented athletes may have developed a high sense of self‐regulation in sports, which may enable them to optimally profit from their self‐regulatory skills in their academics.     

‘Experimental’ secondary modern education in Britain, 1948–1958

Studies of mid-twentieth century education in England and Wales have conventionally hinged on the 1944 Education Act, foregrounding policy over practice. This article considers the significance of the inter-war progressive educational movement for postwar educational developments. It presents a case study of one teacher who was active in the early ‘experimental’ years of secondary modern education, suggesting that this period was important in the making of ‘modern’ education. It seeks to complicate both negative and positive readings of ‘meritocracy’ in postwar educational history. This article also highlights the paucity of available source material for the study of the secondary modern school, arguing that attention should be paid to well-documented cases, placed in context.     

“偏”偏喜欢你——UNIS U89偏屏手机使用手记

太太的“索爱T618“该换了,趁周末赶紧陪她去商场看手机。原本要买一款带手写功能的“诺基亚”,可是就在准备付款的时候,旁边柜台的一款法拉利红的手机吸引了我们,于是忙上前询问,当营业员拿出这款眩目的手机时,我们才知道这是一款UNIS手机。　　“以前怎么没听说过这个牌子呢?”我咨询营业员。”这是清华紫光今年的全新产品。市场上唯一一款采用偏屏设计的手机,专门送给自己特别偏爱的人”。这句话让我们心头泛起了一丝甜蜜的感觉,于是欣然选择了这款时尚靓丽的手机。回到家中,我就迫不及待的翻开说明书,研究体验起来。而太太则悠然地坐在一旁等待我的“研究报告”。     

“How Come Nobody Told Me?” Fostering Self‐Realization Through a High School English Curriculum

Through collaboratively designed qualitative inquiry, we investigated the responses of high school students with learning disabilities to a teacher’s intervention intended to promote self‐realization, a fundamental component of self‐determination. Activities were embedded within the general English curriculum and delivered in a special education classroom over the course of an academic year. Several themes emerged from analysis of student interviews, student responses to writing prompts and surveys, a teacher journal, and student portfolio pieces. Silence and misconceptions were prevalent in student experiences. However, through the intervention students acquired information that helped them make sense of their school experiences, redefine themselves in positive ways, and take small steps toward greater self‐advocacy within their current school setting. The mediating influence of positive adult voices and concerns about social stigma were evident in students’ responses, which prompted us to question teachers’ and families’ responsibilities for engaging young people in dialogue about special education and disability.