A Diagnostic Teaching Intervention for Classroom Teachers: Helping Struggling Readers in Early Elementary School

With the advent of “Response to Intervention” there has been emphasis on preventing reading disabilities. This study examined the effectiveness of a classroom teacher Tier II intervention for struggling readers in kindergarten and first grade called the Targeted Reading Intervention. Three rural schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions, with 8 experimental and 12 control classrooms. Five struggling and five non‐struggling readers were randomly selected from each classroom. With the support of biweekly coaching, experimental teachers instructed struggling readers in one‐on‐one sessions in the classroom. Intent‐to‐treat analyses revealed significant kindergarten gains for initial word identification but no significant gains in first grade. Discussion focuses on the use of classroom teachers to prevent reading disabilities.     

Reaction Time and Anticipation Time: Effects of Development

Abstract

The developmental nature of reaction time (RT) and anticipation timing (AT) performance, as well as the relationship between them, was investigated using 15 male and 15 female subjects at each of five age levels—7, 9, 11, 13, and 20 yrs. Each subject was given 40 trials for both RT and AT performance with task order counterbalanced. Results indicated that as age increased RT decreased, with males having more rapid RT than females. The two younger age groups differed from the three older groups on AT performance. RT was significantly correlated with AT (|CE| measure) for the 7, 9, and 11 yr old males but not in any other age by gender condition. Apparently neither young males nor young females have a good motor plan in memory to control AT performance. However, the more rapid RT (and thus better response initiation) of the males allows better AT performance at the younger ages. Beginning about 10–11 yrs of age, better motor plans are developed in children's memory system, leading to less reliance on rapid RT for good AT performance, and thus the correlation between RT and AT performance is not present.     

Persons Living with HIV: Disclosure to Sexual Partners

A central concern of persons in HIV education and prevention is whether a person testing positive tells sexual partners of this result. An accumulation of 51 studies across twenty years reveals that 40% of persons testing positive for HIV antibodies did not reveal this result to sexual partners (5287/8854). The impact of various factors (age, gender, date of the study, time since diagnosis, nature of the diagnosis, and sexual orientation) received consideration.     

Development of student–teacher relationships in rural early elementary classrooms

An increasing body of literature documents associations between student–teacher relationships, children's academic success, and children's social competence in school. Less is known about characteristics and processes involved in the quality of relationships between students and teachers, and little research has examined these issues with populations of young students and teachers living in rural communities. The current study examined the relationships between rural kindergarten and first-grade students and their teachers in spring of the school year, predicted by child demographic factors, child process factors, and teacher characteristics. Using a multi-level model to account for clustering of children in classrooms, children's behavior and literacy skills were examined as contributors to the teachers’ perceptions of the developing teacher–student relationship, focusing on their potential to mediate associations between more distal characteristics and teacher–student relationships. Controlling for relationship conflict in fall, boys and African American students were more likely to have relationships with teachers that were higher in conflict in spring. When behavior and literacy skills measures were added to the model, children's behavior mediated the effect of gender, such that behavior problems accounted for much of the variance in student–teacher conflict associated with gender. However, neither behavior problems nor literacy skills mediated the effects of minority status on conflict; African American students had poorer relationships with teachers regardless of behavior or literacy skills.     

Single‐Case Design in Child Counseling Research: Implications for Counselor Education

Counselor education programs are ethically bound to teach methods of research and evaluation so counselors may identify counseling methods that have a reasonable probability of success. Single‐case design represents rigorous research practice, is amenable to practice, and allows the practitioner the opportunity to explore interventions from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Key elements of single‐case methodology are reviewed, including benefits, specific details, and pitfalls related to conducting single‐case research with children. A case study and suggestions for implementation in counselor education are provided.     

Book Review

The following book is reviewed.     

Book reviews

Capturing the Mobile Internet Customer: the Convergence of Digital Content and Mobile Telecoms by Electronic Publishing Services Ltd and BRC Consultancy Ltd. 2000. £975 (£725 for clients). From EPS Ltd, 26 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 45X From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in the Networked World by Christine L. Borgman MIT Press, 2000. Pp. 324. Hardback, £27.95. ISBN 0‐262‐02473‐X