Timing precision and rhythm in developmental dyslexia

Current research on the etiology ofdevelopmental dyslexia is generally informed byeither of two major hypotheses. One of theseassumes that the phonological processing ofconsonants and vowels at a segmental levelidentifies the core deficit in developmentaldyslexia and that it cannot be reduced todomain-general deficits of temporal informationprocessing. The other hypothesis holds thatphonological processing deficits aresymptomatic of an underlying, domain-generaldysfunction; and that at least some dyslexiasubtypes are causally related to domain generaldeficits of temporal information processing forauditory and visual stimuli. This report startsfrom the assumption that the terms temporal information processing andphonological processing as applied in currentdyslexia research, are frequently conflated. Further, it assumes that the conflated termsmust be decomposed into their concretebehavioral referents before the causalsignificance of either can be investigatedsystematically.The studies to be summarized in thisreport represents one step toward suchdecomposition. The findings indicated thatduring a motor sequencing task, dyslexicstudents anticipated the signal of anisochronic pacing metronome by intervals thatwere two or three times as long as those ofage matched normal readers or normal adults.These group differences were significant whenparticipants tapped with the preferred indexfinger alone or with both fingers in unison.Dyslexic students also took significantlylonger than normal readers did to recalibratetheir tapping responses when the metronome ratewas experimentally changed in the middle of atrial.In addition, dyslexic students, bycontrast to normal readers, had inordinatedifficulty reproducing simple motor rhythms byfinger tapping, and similar difficultyreproducing the appropriate speech rhythm oflinguistically neutral nonsense syllables.These difficulties were exaggerated whenparticipants had to synchronize theirperformance to an external pacing metronome.The implications of the findings for temporalinformation processing deficits on one hand,and impaired phonological processing on theother, are discussed.     

Multiple dimensions of university teacher self-concept

Despite the recognised importance of positive self-concepts inmany settings, surprisingly little attention has been paid to teacherself-concepts – teachers' self-perceptions of their own teachingeffectiveness. We integrate research literatures on self-concept and onstudents' evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs), develop amultidimensional university teacher self-concept instrument, andevaluate its psychometric properties (factor structure, reliability,validity). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations betweenmultiple dimensions of teacher self-concept and corresponding SET ratingdimensions provides good support for the construct validity of teacherself-concept responses. In support of a priori hypotheses based onself-concept theory, agreement between teacher self-concepts and SETswas moderate (median r = 0.20) for teachers who had notpreviously received SET feedback, but substantially higher (median r= 0.40) for teachers who had previously received SET feedback.Implications for further research on teacher self-reflection and forimproving teaching effectiveness in higher education arediscussed.     

美德

甜美的白昼,如此凉爽、安宁、明媚! 天地间完美的匹配-- 今宵的露珠儿将为你的消逝而落泪; 因为你必须离去.     

Educational experience and cognitive development 1 , 2

This paper examines the relationship between general educational experiences and cognitive development during the school years, kindergarten through high school, and also the effects of focused instruction on learning across short time intervals. Children appear to acquire concepts and other outcomes of learning in the cognitive domain gradually, rather than abruptly, although qualitatively different cognitive operations are presumed to emerge which make possible successively higher levels of concept attainment. The quality of “general education” of the kind experienced by American children under compulsory, universal education appears to influence both the rate of cognitive development and also the maximum level of development that is achieved. Focused instruction clearly aids students to attain concepts to successively higher levels during short time intervals and also to use their concepts in understanding principles and in solving problems. From these conclusions and the results of other studies and analyses, the inference is drawn that the quality of educational experience exerts a strong influence on both the rate and the final level of cognitive development.     

Effects of network treatments on perceptions of a political campaign film: Can rhetorical criticism make a difference?

Presented here are the findings from a quasi‐experimental comparison of three network treatments of “A New Beginning,” a campaign film that aroused considerable controversy when the Republicans substituted it for a speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention as a way of getting the networks to air it. Of paramount interest in the study were the effects on viewers of one network's critical preview of the film. Of the three major networks, only NBC elected to air the entire film, but they preceded its showing with a commentary on the film that was far more critical than those by CBS and ABC. Surprisingly, Ss predisposed toward Ronald Reagan did not derogate the NBC treatment of the film, but neither did NBC's criticisms adversely affect perceptions of the film. To the contrary, ratings of the film and network treatments of the film were highest for NBC viewers. The findings are discussed with a view toward assessing the uses and limitations of rhetorical criticism in television coverage of political campaigns.     

Learning to teach STEM disciplines in higher education: a critical review of the literature

ABSTRACT

Enrolments in STEM disciplines at universities are increasing globally, attributed to the greater life opportunities open to students as a result of a STEM education. But while institutional access to STEM programmes is widening, the retention and success of STEM undergraduate students remains a challenge. Pedagogies that support student success are well known; what we know less about is how university teachers acquire pedagogical competence. This is the focus of this critical review of the literature that offers a theorised critique of educational development in STEM contexts. We studied the research literature with a view to uncovering the principles that inform professional development in STEM disciplines and fields. The key finding of this critical review is how little focus there is on the STEM disciplines. The majority of studies reviewed did not address the key issue of what makes the STEM disciplines difficult to learn and challenging to teach.