Change in Family Work Status: Effects on Parent-Adolescent Decision Making

The interactions of parental work status, family integration, and sex of child on parent-adolescent decision making were examined in a 4-wave study of 504 adolescents and their mothers. 3 work status groups were compared. Deprived families reported a layoff or demotion at Time 1 and no recovery by Time 4. Recovery families reported similar work status losses at Time 1 and reemployment by Time 4. Nondeprived families reported stable employment at both times. Adolescents in deprived households, especially boys, reported the highest conflict with parents. Adolescents in recovery families reported high conflict when parents were unemployed, but levels declined when parents were reemployed. According to mothers, daughters in deprived households enjoyed the highest level of autonomy of any adolescent group.     

A quasi-experimental study comparing learning gains associated with serious educational gameplay and hands-on science in elementary classrooms

Serious educational gameplay continues to gain traction in K-12 educational settings, as access to novel technologies increases. Increased access to computers and other devices has shifted the landscape of the classroom, increasing students' screen-time, as technology infused lessons replace other learning experiences. Amid this context, our research team created a serious educational game (SEG) designed for elementary science learners. Previous studies have linked serious gameplay to learning gains and changes in attitudes, yet the rigor of the studies often underwhelms, as the studies lack an adequate sample size, detailed student data, or quality comparison groups. These limitations are compounded in the study of science learning in elementary schools, due to structural difficulties and student variability that impede the implementation of this type of experimentation. This research attends to this knowledge gap, as our team conducted two quasi-experimental studies to explore the learning gains associated with Virtual Vet, a SEG designed to address the fundamental science concepts associated with the human body systems and the subsequent effect of diabetes and obesity related illnesses on the given body systems. In Study 1, students (n = 232) were randomly assigned to play Virtual Vet or participate in guided inquiry lessons that addressed the same objectives. Our study found that students in the game condition outperformed the non-game condition. Based on this finding, we designed Study 2 to compare learning outcomes associated with two conditions: students play only Virtual Vet or students play Virtual Vet and they participate in the guided inquiry activities, which doubled the instructional time for this group. Students (n = 166) were assigned to one of the conditions and we found no significant increase in learning gains for the students who participated in both activities. These results indicate that well-designed SEGs powerfully facilitate and support science learning in elementary settings.     

WIAT subtest and composite predicted-achievement values based on WISC-III verbal and performance IQs

Critical values tables for determining significant differences between Wechsler IQs and WIAT subtests and composites based on a predicted-achievement method are provided in the WIAT manual for the Full Scale IQ and have been constructed recently for Verbal and Performance IQs (Flanagan & Alfonso, 1993). In order to use these tables, however, a predicted achievement score(s) is required. The process of calculating predicted-achievement scores is time-consuming and may result in errors, especially when more than one ability-achievement comparison is warranted. The present paper provides tables of WIAT subtest and composite predicted-achievement standard scores based on WISC-III Verbal and Performance IQs. These tables allow examiners to determine quickly ability-achievement discrepancies based on WISC-III Verbal or Performance IQs when they are used in conjunction with the critical values tables provided in our earlier article. These tables are most useful for the accurate assessment and diagnosis of learning disabilities.     

Utility of a novel perceptual-motor control test for identification of sport-related concussion beyond current clinical assessments

ABSTRACT

Clinically feasible metrics, that can inform the concussion recovery decision making process by evaluating a unique domain beyond current testing domains (e.g., balance, neurocognition, symptoms, vestibular/ocular function) are still in need. The purpose of this study was to compare perceptual-motor control in adolescent athletes ≤21 days of sport-related concussion and healthy controls and evaluate the association of perceptual-motor control to the outcomes of commonly-used sport-related concussion clinical assessments. Athletes (age: 12-18 years) with sport-related concussion (n = 48) and healthy controls (n = 24) completed the Perception-Action Coupling Task (PACT), whose outcomes are mean reaction, movement, initiation, response time, and accuracy. ImPACT outcomes are verbal/visual memory scores, motor processing speed, and reaction time. Vestibular-Ocular Motor Screen (VOMS) outcomes are symptoms from: smooth pursuit, horizontal/vertical saccades, near-point of convergence, horizontal/vestibular ocular-reflex, and visual motion sensitivity. CONCUSSED demonstrated ~5% deficit in overall perceptual-motor accuracy during PACT compared to CONTROLS (p = 0.03). PACT accuracy negatively correlated with smooth pursuits(r = -0.29), and horizontal (r = -0.35)/vertical (r = -0.30) saccades. The C5.0 decision tree determined PACT accuracy was the most relevant predictor of sport-related concussion when no visual motion sensitivity symptoms were reported and Visual Memory was >66. Perceptual-motor control tests may complement current sport-related concussion assessments when neurocognition and vestibular/ocular motor system are not grossly impaired.     

Convergent validity of the BASC and SSRS: Implications for social skills assessment

The present study examined the psychometric relationship between two new rating scales, the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990), for a sample (N = 53) of minority kindergarten children using both parent and teacher ratings. The similarities and differences between these instruments were investigated through correlational and content analyses. In general, the results provide preliminary convergent validity evidence for the BASC and SSRS. In regard to the Social Skills subscale of the BASC, convergent validity evidence was demonstrated for the parent form of this instrument, but not the teacher form, when the SSRS Social Skills scale was used as the criterion. In addition, the correlations between the various scales of the BASC and SSRS were in the expected direction. That is, the correlation between the BASC Adaptive Skills Composite and the SSRS Social Skills scale was moderate in the teacher group (r = .44) and high in the parent group (r = .54). Similarly, correlations between the BASC Hyperactivity, Aggression, and Externalizing scales and the SSRS Problem Behaviors scale ranged from .50 to .60 and .50 to .56 in the teacher and parent groups, respectively. Implications regarding the practical utility of the BASC and SSRS for assessing social skills functioning, in particular, were presented. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A new model of collaborative action research; theorising from inter-professional practice development

The development of pedagogies to meet the needs of diverse communities can be supported through inter-professional practice development. This article explores one such experience, that of speech and language therapists developing a new video-based coaching approach for teachers and teaching assistants in multi-cultural settings with high numbers of children learning English as an additional language. To support them in developing and trialling the coaching approach, the expertise of a teacher-educator and educational researcher was provided through a university business voucher. It is this working relationship that the article has as its practical focus, as it transformed to one of collaborative action research. The action research is described, providing the context for a discussion of the characteristics of collaborative action research and the proposal of a new model. This model offers a way of conceptualising collaborative action research through time, and of recognising the importance of the partners’ zones of proximal, contributory and collaborative activities in sustaining change and knowledge-creation.     

Place-Based Stewardship Education: Nurturing Aspirations to Protect the Rural Commons

In this mixed-methods study, we examine the potential of place-based stewardship education (PBSE) for nurturing rural students’ community attachment and aspirations to contribute to the preservation of the environmental “commons.” Analyzing pre- and post-experience surveys (n = 240) and open-ended responses (n = 275) collected from middle school students in a Northeast Michigan school district, we found significant increases in students’ environmental sensitivity, environmentally responsible behaviors, community attachment, and confidence in their capacities for civic action. Analyses of open-ended responses pointed to the potential of PBSE to nurture students’ identification with their community and to increase their commitment to stewardship of their community's natural resources. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature on rural schools by focusing on the environmental commons and younger generations’ commitments to preserve it as an asset of rural communities. By linking students’ learning with collective action to preserve the environmental commons, PBSE can expand students’ aspirations for the kind of world they want to live in and the roles they might play in it.     

The relationship of theatre of revolution and theology of revolution to the black experience

The purpose of this study was to determine if nonrespondendents to speech communication survey research differ demographically from respondents. As a follow‐up investigation of a questionnaire study, 1,604 subjects were compared across six dimensions to establish if differences existed between respondent and nonrespondent populations.