The Influence of Gender Differences on Story Retellings

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences between third and sixth grade female and male students when retelling orally a story read silently. The students' retelling of the story was analyzed by comparing how closely, both structurally and linguistically, they paralleled the T-units or communication units of the author. In general, female students performed significantly differently than did male students. The researchers examine these differences in light of recent research in the area of gender differences.     

Hemolysis from a nurses’ standpoint – survey from four Croatian hospitals

Introduction

Hemolysis can occur during sample collection, handling and transport. It is more frequent when the non-laboratory staff performs sampling. The aim of this study was to assess nurses’ knowledge on the causes of hemolysis and consequential impact on the laboratory tests results. Additionally, the differences in knowledge, related to work experience, professional degree and previous education about hemolysis were explored.

Materials and methods

An anonymus survey, containing 11 questions on demographics, causes of hemolysis, its impact on biochemical parameters and nurses’ attitude towards additional education in preanalytics, was conducted in four Croatian hospitals. The answers were compared by Chi-squared and Fischer exact test.

Results

In total, 562 survey results were collected. Majority of nurses declared familiarity with the term “hemolysis” (99.6%). There were 77% of correct answers regarding questions about the causes of hemolysis, but only 50% when it comes to questions about interference in biochemical tests. The percentage of correct answers about causes was significantly lower (P = 0.029) among more experienced nurses, and higher (P = 0.027) in those with higher professional degree, while influence of previous education was not significant. Also, higher percentage of correct answers about interferences was encountered in nurses with longer work experience (P = 0.039). More than 70% of nurses declared that additional education about preanalytical factors would be beneficial.

Conclusion

Croatian nurses are familiar with the definition of hemolysis, but a lack of knowledge about causes and influence on laboratory test results is evident. Nurses are eager to improve their knowledge in this field of preanalytical phase.Key words: hemolysis, nurses, survey, preanalytical phase     

Genetic and Environmental Etiologies of the Longitudinal Relations Between Prereading Skills and Reading

The present study explored the environmental and genetic etiologies of the longitudinal relations between prereading skills and reading and spelling. Twin pairs (n = 489) were assessed before kindergarten (M = 4.9 years), post‐first grade (M = 7.4 years), and post‐fourth grade (M = 10.4 years). Genetic influences on five prereading skills (print knowledge, rapid naming, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and verbal memory) were primarily responsible for relations with word reading and spelling. However, relations with post‐fourth‐grade reading comprehension were due to both genetic and shared environmental influences. Genetic and shared environmental influences that were common among the prereading variables covaried with reading and spelling, as did genetic influences unique to verbal memory (only post‐fourth‐grade comprehension), print knowledge, and rapid naming.     

Criminal Justice Students and Sexual Prejudice

This paper examines sexual prejudice against gays and lesbians by college students. The sample consisted of 325 undergraduate students at a mid-sized Midwestern university. Respondents completed Herek’s Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men scale (short form) to determine levels of sexual prejudice. Comparisons were then made by respondent major to determine whether criminal justice students displayed higher levels of sexual prejudice than other students. Unlike prior research on criminal justice students and sexual prejudice, the criminal justice respondents in this study were not significantly more prejudiced against gays and lesbians. Male and female students scored similarly on their attitudes toward lesbian women, but male students were more likely to have higher levels of prejudice against gay men. Students who had gay friends and/or family members held significantly lower levels of prejudice against both gay men and lesbians than those who had no gay friends or family members.     

Dynamic and static assessment of phonological awareness in preschool: a behavior-genetic study

The genetic and environmental overlap between static and dynamic measures of preschool phonological awareness (PA) and their relation to preschool letter knowledge (LK) and kindergarten reading were examined using monozygotic and dizygotic twin children (maximum N = 1,988). The static tests were those typically used to assess a child's current level of PA such as blending and elision, and the dynamic test included instruction in phoneme identity to assess the child's ability to respond to this instruction. Both forms were influenced by genes and by shared and nonshared environment. The static and dynamic versions were influenced by the same genes, and part of the total genetic influence was shared with LK. They were subject to both overlapping and independent shared environment influences, with the component in common also affecting LK. Nonshared environment influences were mostly independent. Scores from dynamic assessment added only minimally to variance explained in kindergarten reading after LK and static assessment had been factored in. Although one of the genetic factors that influenced both forms of PA also affected kindergarten reading, it was only the one shared with LK. The authors conclude that dynamic assessment of PA in preschool offers little advantage over the more commonly used static forms, especially if LK scores are available, although they acknowledge its potential in cases of preschool educational disadvantage.     

Somatotype and longevity of former university athletes and nonathletes

A longitudinal study was conducted on 398 athletes and 369 nonathletes who were born before 1920 and attended Michigan State University. The subjects were compared to determine if intercollegiate athletic competition accounts for significant variation in longevity when considered with somatotype. Because some of the subjects were still alive at the time of the study, the BMDP Statistical Software was used to do a survival analysis with covariates. Preliminary comparisons considered the differences in somatotype between athletes and nonathletes. Two sample t-tests indicated that athletes were more mesomorphic and less ectomorphic (p less than .05) than nonathletes. When comparing the relationship between somatotype and longevity, the pooled data of athletes and nonathletes indicated that endomorphs were shorter lived than the other three comparison groups. When only the athletes were considered, similar results were found. However, the nonathlete group exhibited differences only between the mesomorphic and endomorphic groups. The endomorphs were shorter lived. Longevity was examined by using the Cox proportional hazards regression method with somatotype and athlete/nonathlete status as covariates. Somatotype, by itself, was found to be significantly related to longevity, (p less than .001). Athletic status was not significantly related to longevity, either by itself or when entered into the model with somatotype.     

Writing in Mathematics: An Alternative Form of Communication for Academically Low‐Achieving Students

Abstract. Classroom communication figures prominently in current math reform efforts. In this study, we analyze how one teacher used writing to support communication in a seventh‐grade, low‐track mathematics class. For one school year, we studied four low‐achieving students in the class. Students wrote in journals on a weekly basis. Using classroom observations and interviews with the teacher, we developed profiles of the four students, capturing their participation in class discussions. The profiles highlighted an important similarity among the four students: marginal participation in both small‐group and whole‐class discussions. However, our analysis of the students' journals identified multiple instances where the students were able to explain their mathematical reasoning, revealing their conceptual understanding, ability to explain, and skill at representing a problem. In this respect, journals potentially facilitate another important form of classroom communication. The promise of writing is that it offers an alternative to the visions of classroom communication that are strictly oral in nature.