Differential contribution of personality to the explanation of variance in achievement in the first language and mathematics at high school level

This study assessed the differential contribution of personality to the explanation of variance in achievement in the mother tongue and mathematics at the high school level. The results indicated that personality, as measured by the HSPQ, aided the explication of variance in achievement in the mother tongue significantly, but had little influence on mathematics. Personality contributed as much to the explanation of variance in the mother tongue as did the composite cognitive variable. The influence of personality on achievement in mathematics was shown to be negligible. Some practical implications for the teaching of the first language are drawn.     

A methodology for the identification of glass panes of different origin in a single stained glass window: Application on two 13th century windows

The chemical composition of 11 glass panes originating from two 13th century non-figurative windows were analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersive X-ray system (SEM-EDX). The windows were discovered in the back-wall of the triforium during the restoration of the choir of the cathedral St. Michael and St. Gudule in Brussels (Belgium). In order to determine if these windows were fabricated with glass of different origin or not, the compositional difference between the panes were compared with the variation in composition as a result of the following causes: (1) compositional fluctuation between panes cut from the same sheet of glass, (2) compositional fluctuation caused when panes are cut from different sheets that were made with the same batch, (3) compositional fluctuation caused when the glass is made from different batches at the same production center, and (4) compositional fluctuation as a result of glass produced at different fabrication centers.     

CUE SYSTEM UTILIZATIONS AMONG OLDER READERS

The effects of writing style upon mature older readers’ reading comprehension are considered. Two narrative historical selections, the first emotive and abstract and the second nonemotive and concrete, were employed. Miscue analysis was used to evaluate the efficiency with which each reader used reading strategies across the five systems that cue meaningful comprehension. Miscues were analyzed at the word, clause, sentence, and intersentence levels. In addition, interview schedules were employed to identify readers’ perceptions of preferred reading strategies and to permit a comparison with actual performance. The findings indicate that mature older readers are consistent in cue system utilization. A preference for the word cue system influenced both the use of cues from other systems and comprehension. Use of the word‐level cue system is inversely related to the use of the other available cue systems. Preference for cues within words also appears to be inversely related to comprehending effectiveness. The subjects’ perceptions of the reading process and their actual reading performance appeared to determine patterns of cue system use more clearly than did the differences in materials. As a result, those developing materials intended for use in programs with older persons should not only be concerned with the content and quality of those materials but also the skills and perceptions of those who will use the materials.     

Creativity: A social approach

Early thinking in the modern era often regarded creativity as a somewhat asocial means of individual expression, self‐realization, and self‐fulfillment. However, it also is a socially influenced phenomenon that serves society. A social approach offers the opportunity of distinguishing between large and small amounts of novelty, as well as between “orthodox” and “radical” novelty. Disciplines, teachers, and students differ from one another on these dimensions. This explains some differences among teachers in the way they see creativity and creative students. The social approach also emphasizes the importance of groups, role models and mentors, and classroom climate, all of which teachers can influence. A social analysis suggests guidelines for instruction and assessment that differ from those derived from cognitive or personal approaches.     

An orthopedagogical method for children with a depression

ABSTRACT

An orthopedagogical method for teaching children with a depression is presented here. Relatively unknown in the English‐speaking world, orthopedagogy is a pedagogical discipline that is aimed at an entire action field. It does not target the child with handicap, but the entire problematic educational situation (PES). Orthopedagogy is the scientific study of assistance given to those concerned with a PES ‐ namely, the child, parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, and so on. To break through a PES or to get rid of it, the orthopedagogician has to listen to the orthopedagogical request for help of the child and give an appropriate answer to it. On the basis of a theoretical model of Paul Gilbert, an orthopedagogic request for helping children with a depression was formulated. Gilbert's model offers a perspective derived from evolution theory and argues for the adoption of a bio‐psychological approach. Children with a depression request a warm and loving climate, an attractive and simple education situation and close involvement on the part of the educator. To answer that request, we set orthopedagogical action on two tracks. On track 1 (dialogical action) we try to break through the PES by asking the educator to over‐accentuate the pedagogical climate, the education situation and his/her own presentation. On track 2 (technical action) we designed an approach aimed at children aged between 6 and 12 years with a depression.     

RIM: A Random Item Mixture Model to Detect Differential Item Functioning

In this paper we present a new methodology for detecting differential item functioning (DIF). We introduce a DIF model, called the random item mixture (RIM), that is based on a Rasch model with random item difficulties (besides the common random person abilities). In addition, a mixture model is assumed for the item difficulties such that the items may belong to one of two classes: a DIF or a non-DIF class. The crucial difference between the DIF class and the non-DIF class is that the item difficulties in the DIF class may differ according to the observed person groups while they are equal across the person groups for the items from the non-DIF class. Statistical inference for the RIM is carried out in a Bayesian framework. The performance of the RIM is evaluated using a simulation study in which it is compared with traditional procedures, like the likelihood ratio test, the Mantel-Haenszel procedure and the standardized p -DIF procedure. In this comparison, the RIM performs better than the other methods. Finally, the usefulness of the model is also demonstrated on a real life data set.