Quality of Life Outcomes for Young Children with Disabilities: Legislative and Service Delivery Implications

Improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through early intervention has been a major focus over the past 20 years. However, much of the direction of intervention has been upon quality of process rather than upon quality of outcome. If early intervention is to have a significant impact upon the lifestyles of people with disabilities, it is important that a longitudinal perspective be adopted and quality of life defined and appropriate measures developed. In this paper a longitudinal perspective on early intervention is discussed along with quality of outcome and programmatic features of quality programs.     

The Development of Preschoolers’ Living Kinds Concept: A Longitudinal Study

Given limitations in the integrative scope of past research, basic questions about the organization and development of preschoolers’ living kinds concept remain open to debate. This study was designed to address past limitations through use of a longitudinal design, extensive stimulus set, and alternate indices of understanding. Thirty‐five English‐speaking 3‐year‐olds from middle‐class families in Albuquerque, NM participated in four testing sessions over 1 year. Indices of understanding included statements that preschoolers generated about various living and nonliving objects, biological properties they attributed to the objects, and their characterization of objects as “alive” or not. Results reveal a multifaceted picture of developmental change in preschoolers’ living kinds concept involving both the construction and elaboration of a core biological understanding.     

The role of guidance in computer-based problem solving for the development of concepts of logic

The effect of two instructional variables,manipulation of objects and guidance, inlearning to use the logical connective,conditional, was investigated. Instructions for72 first- and second year social sciencestudents were varied in the computer-basedlearning environment Tarski's World, designedfor teaching first-order logic (Barwise &Etchemendy, 1992). Guidance, which wasoperationalised by giving the learners problemsthat guided them to all different types ofbasic problem situations that could be derivedfrom the conditional by stimulating them tomanipulate or to imagine to manipulate thegeometrical objects, significantly influencedthe scores from pre- to post test.Manipulation, which was operationalised bygiving the learners a visual representation inwhich (concrete) geometrical objects could bemanipulated, yielded significant results frompost- to retention test. The results supportthe authors' view that guidance in combinationwith the possibility to manipulate objects in adomain, support the acquisition of knowledgeand skills in that domain. Guidance leads tothe students seeing all situations that arerelevant for the development of new knowledge,which has a positive effect directly afterinstruction. The possibility to manipulateleads to the students playing around in such away that they (systematically) experience theresults of their actions by the feedback given,having an effect after two weeks ofnon-instruction.     

Learning design for multiple modes of provision: the Zambian community school teacher development programme

Abstract

The use of technology to support learning is becoming ubiquitous in Africa. However, technology is more often used to distribute information rather than as a tool to mediate learning. The work presented here on a programme for Zambian community school teachers (non-traditional students) illustrates how learning design allied to appropriate theoretical concepts make use of technology to mediate learning. The objective of this course was to support Zambian community school teachers, with little formal teacher education, to use interactive methods to support their teaching practices. The research makes use of a constructivist-hermeneutic-interpretivist-qualitative paradigm to critically evaluate the learning design by experts. A social constructivist framework for learning design and technology mediation was used to create and evaluate learning resources. The work illustrates how a distance education paper-based course design is enhanced by the use of contemporary learning theory and digital technology to model good interactive classroom practice.     

Effectiveness of hand cooling and a cooling jacket on post-exercise cooling rates in hyperthermic athletes

This study compared the effects of a hand cooling glove (～16°C water temperature; subatmospheric pressure of ?40 mmHg) and a cooling jacket (CJ) on post-exercise cooling rates (gastrointestinal core temperature, Tc; skin temperature, Tsk) and cognitive performance (the Stroop Colour–Word test). Twelve male athletes performed four trials (within subjects, counterbalanced design) involving cycling at a workload equivalent to 75% ?O₂max in heat (35.7?±?0.2°C, 49.2?±?2.6% RH) until a Tc of 39°C or exhaustion occurred. A 30-min cooling period (in 22.3?±?0.3°C, 42.1?±?3.6% RH) followed, where participants adopted either one-hand cooling (1H), two-hand cooling (2H), wore a CJ or no cooling (NC). No significant differences were seen in Tc and Tsk cooling rates between trials; however, moderate effect sizes (d?=?0.50–0.76) suggested Tc cooling rates to be faster for 1H, 2H and CJ compared to NC after 5 min; 1H and CJ compared to NC after 10 min and for CJ to be faster than 2H at 25–30 min. Reaction times on the cognitive test were similar between all trials after the 30 min cooling/no-cooling period (p?>?.05). In conclusion, Tc cooling rates were faster with 1H and CJ during the first 10 min compared to NC, with minimal benefit associated with 2H cooling. Reaction time responses were not impacted by the use of the glove(s) or CJ.     

Inclusion of students with disability in physical education: a qualitative meta-analysis

Inclusive physical education (PE) for students with disability (SWD) evolved in line with ethical requirements and stakeholder morality. While inclusive PE is embraced at a conceptual level and desired at the classroom level, the complexity of successful implementation often remains overlooked in policy and curriculum guidelines. Qualitative studies on inclusive PE are generally small-scale, context-specific and limited in applicability to other settings, while current narrative reviews may indiscriminately select qualitative findings. To overcome existing limitations and extend understanding of world-wide teaching and learning experiences within inclusive PE, we conducted qualitative meta-analysis to systematically synthesise primary qualitative findings into secondary interpretations. First, 7 electronic databases were systematically searched to identify peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2016. Of 672 identified records, 12 met pre-set inclusion criteria. Second, an inductive-deductive hybrid analysis approach revealed two major and eight minor themes. Overall, themes indicated physical educators conceptually embraced inclusive PE with a creative outlook for collaboration, knowledge and support. Cooperative and supportive efforts between physical educators, SWD, parents and teacher aides are valued in creating PE environments that effectively respond to learner diversity. While access to practical teaching guidance remains scarce, this study may contribute to physical educator practice.     

Effects of feedback timing and motivational content on teachers' delivery of contingent social praise

This study examined the relative effects of feedback timing (delayed or immediate) and motivational content (goal-setting) on teachers' delivery of contingent social praise for on-task behavior. Two teachers of behaviorally disordered children and two youngsters from each class served as subjects. The study employed an adaptation of a single subject replication design. Teachers were exposed to four experimental conditions: baseline (no feedback), immediate feedback, delayed feedback, and delayed feedback plus goal-setting. These conditions were replicated either within or across teacher subjects. The results showed that all feedback tactics produced an increase in contingent social praise and student on-task behavior over baseline levels. However, the only statistically significant increases occurred when teachers were exposed to the delayed feedback plus goal-setting procedure.     

Direct and vicarous effects of social praise on mentally retarded preschool children's attentive behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social praise on the attentive behavior of reinforced and nonreinforced children. Two pairs of mentally retarded preschool boys served as subjects. Employing a reversal design, one child from each pair was differentially reinforced for attending to manipulative toys. The results revealed that: (a) The intervention procedure increased the attentive behavior of the target subjects. (b) Nonreinforced subjects also increased their attentive behavior during both reinforcement conditions. (c) This “spillover” of reinforcement effect was transient, as the non- target subjects level of attentive behavior decelerated during the final half of each 20-day rekforcement period.