Autonomy,rights and children with special educational needs: the distinctiveness of Wales

ABSTRACT

Wales was the first UK country to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law and the first to appoint a children’s commissioner. Wales is distinctive in the strong links between education and the promotion of the Welsh language as evidenced in successive Welsh language strategies. With regard to children with special educational needs, the 2018 Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal Act makes provision for children’s voices to be heard in their own right. This paper examines the complexities in hearing the voices of children with severe and profound learning difficulties (SPMLD), and how these can be addressed in the language context of Wales. It concludes that there are cautious grounds for optimism about our ability to hear the views of children with SPMLD, as long as we are prepared to acknowledge the resource implications. However, there is a need for more debate about the potential tensions between the Welsh language strategy and making provision for children with special educational needs in their preferred language. This debate needs to be informed by research on the impact of immersion education on progress, access to the curriculum and inclusion for children with SPMLD, and on their views about all aspects of their provision.     

Publications of economists in relation to journals,schools, and dissertations

Many regional and state universities now regard research and scholarship as well as teaching as a focal activity of their faculty. However, as yet, their doctoral degree recipients have not displayed the research prowess of graduates of the major national universities. This longitudinal study of a random sample of 512 Ph.D. economists found that 34% have published at least one article in the 260 journals referenced in theJournal of Economic Literature. Those economists writing their dissertations in the field of general economics had a higher tendency to publish than those in other fields. Graduates of the 10 highest-ranked schools published 38.8% of all journal articles between 1969 and 1986, while graduates of the top 20 schools published 65.2% of the articles. Graduates of the top 20 schools published at least 20% more than other graduates. In addition, graduates of the top 20 schools published an average of 2.28 articles, which is at least 38% more than the average for graduates of lower-ranked schools. It is probable that the much better publication record of top-school graduates in academic careers is explained by a host of factors, including level of training, old school ties and contacts, as well as employment in top-ranked research-supporting schools.     

Comment devient‐on enseignant?

Sommaire Il y existe en Europe une grande diversité de conceptions de la fonction enseignante—et, par consequent, une diversité des voies de la formation. Mais l'important, c'est l'image que se fait le formé de sa future fonction, et la compatibilité de cette image avec la realité et avec l'attente des élèves.

Telles sont les grandes lignes des conclusions d'une enquête menée, dés 1978, par le premier groupe de travail de l'ATEE. L'auteur donne compte‐rendu de celte enquête, et trouve un certain écart entre les textes et la realité, même dans un même pays.     

The effects of an interactive dissection simulation on the performance and achievement of high school biology students

Educators, administrators, and students are reevaluating the value of animal dissection in the classroom and are taking a careful look at instructional alternatives. This research is an attempt to examine the performance, achievement, and attitudinal effects of a dissection alternative, an interactive videodiscbased (IVD) simulation, in two ways: as a substitute for dissection and as a preparatory tool used prior to dissection. Sixty-one high school students enrolled in three general-ability high school biology classes participated in this research over a 4-day period. On the substitution issue, findings suggest that the IVD simulation was at least as effective as actual dissection in promoting student learning of frog anatomy and dissection procedures. On the preparation issue, it was found that students using the IVD simulation as a preparation performed a subsequent dissection more effectively than students receiving no preparation and more effectively than students viewing a videotape as preparation. Students using the IVD simulation as preparation also learned more about frog anatomy and dissection procedures than those who dissected without preparation. Students in all groups evidenced little change in attitudes toward dissection. All students reported a significant gain in dissection self-efficacy, but no between-group differences were found. Findings are discussed relative to their implications for educational practice and future research.     

Mother-Child Relationships as Sources of Support or Stress: A Comparison of Competent, Average, Aggressive, and Anxious Dyads

We tested the proposition that mother-child relationships can be sources of support or stress, by comparing patterns of mother-child interactions in a problem-solving task that children completed with their own and with an unfamiliar mother. 4 groups of preschoolers (n = 30 in each group)—identified on the basis of teacher ratings as socially competent, average, aggressive, or anxious—participated. Mothers of competent and average children were highly positive and reciprocal toward their own and unfamiliar children. Mothers of aggressive and anxious children were only positive and reciprocal toward unfamiliar children but generally indiscriminate (aggressive group) or aversive and negatively reciprocal (anxious group) toward their own. Children in all 4 groups tended to be reciprocal toward their own mothers, but only competent and average children were reciprocal toward unfamiliar mothers also. Aggressive and anxious children generally responded to unfamiliar mothers by ignoring or actively rejecting their overtures. Results (1) indicate that the relationship with the primary caregiver may serve as a major source of support or stress in the preschool years; (2) focus attention on the dynamic organization of interactions rather than on the presence or frequency of particular behaviors, indicating that a dynamic of reciprocity enables children and mothers to adapt positively to the ever changing demands of new social situations; (3) point to the need to develop new means of assessing relationships to better understand how they influence development; and (4) highlight the importance of incorporating transactional models in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood dysfunctions rather than accounting for them solely in terms of limited skills in parents or children.     

Testosterone during Pregnancy and Gender Role Behavior of Preschool Children: A Longitudinal, Population Study

Levels of testosterone (T) and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in blood samples from pregnant women and related to gender role behavior in 342 male and 337 female offspring at the age of 3.5 years. Gender role behavior was assessed using the Pre–School Activities Inventory, a standardized measure on which a parent indicates the child's involvement with sex–typical toys, games, and activities. Levels of T, but not SHBG, related linearly to gender role behavior in preschool girls. Neither hormone related to gender role behavior in boys. Other factors, including the presence of older brothers or sisters in the home, parental adherence to traditional sex roles, the presence of a male partner in the home, and maternal education, did not relate to gender role behavior in this sample and did not account for the relation observed between T and behavior. Although other, unmeasured factors may explain the relation, the results suggest that normal variability in T levels prenatally may contribute to the development of individual differences in the gender role behavior of preschool girls.     

Person‐Fit Statistics for Joint Models for Accuracy and Speed

Response accuracy and response time data can be analyzed with a joint model to measure ability and speed of working, while accounting for relationships between item and person characteristics. In this study, person‐fit statistics are proposed for joint models to detect aberrant response accuracy and/or response time patterns. The person‐fit tests take the correlation between ability and speed into account, as well as the correlation between item characteristics. They are posited as Bayesian significance tests, which have the advantage that the extremeness of a test statistic value is quantified by a posterior probability. The person‐fit tests can be computed as by‐products of a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Simulation studies were conducted in order to evaluate their performance. For all person‐fit tests, the simulation studies showed good detection rates in identifying aberrant patterns. A real data example is given to illustrate the person‐fit statistics for the evaluation of the joint model.     

Benefits of an Ed.D. program in deaf education: a survey

Ten graduates and 3 ABD (all but dissertation) students in Lamar University's doctoral program in deaf studies/deaf education were surveyed about their perceptions of the benefits of earning a doctorate of education (Ed.D.) in their field. The program comprised course work on current content information on deaf education, an educational research component, a cognate area, and electives. As part of the program, researchers and scholars in areas related to deaf education were invited to campus to consult with doctoral students. Graduates found jobs at universities, community colleges, and departments of special education. Graduates ranked program components on the basis of perceived value; they rank-ordered the courses on the basis of their value to them in their current work. Graduates also commented on how the program enhanced their professional growth.     

ECH-931长程治疗对老年性痴呆的分子基因药效学研究

阿尔茨海默病（AD）是最常见的与年龄有关的神经退行性疾病。全世界约15％的65岁以上人群和30％的80岁以上老人患有AD。AD的病因仍未明确，目前尚无有效的预防和治疗方法。随着人类社会的老龄化，本病已成为一个世界性的重大医学和社会难题。 许多证据显示β-淀粉样肽在阿尔茨海默病（AD）的病因学和／或病程发展中起着关键作用。很多研究提示β-淀粉样肽的神经毒性与氧的负荷和自由基损伤密切相关。最近的研究表明，NF-κB在神经元存活和突触的可塑性方面发挥重要作用，CREB是长时程记忆（LTM）和长时程增强效应（LTP）的必要基因开关。 本研究观察了科研新药ECH-931对β-淀粉样肽1-40，β-淀粉样肽25-35和H2O2所诱导的B104中枢神经系神经元细胞株神经毒性的预防和治疗作用。ECH-931的低，中，高实验浓度分别为50μg／ml，100μg／ml和150／200μg／ml，用ECH-931处理的方案如下：细胞经ECH-931预处理3天后，用ECH-931和H2O2（100-200μM）共同处理3—12小时，以观察ECH-931对H2O2神经毒性的防治效果；细胞经ECH-931预处理3天后，用ECH-931和Abeta 1-40（10μM）处理48小时来预防性治疗Abetal-40的神经毒性；在细胞暴露于Abeta25-35（25μM）8小时后再用ECH-931处理48小时（经ECH-931和Abeta 25-35共同处理48小时）以观察ECH-931对Abeta神经毒性的治疗作用：在NF-κB和CREB基因转染后以ECH-931处理5天，以观察ECH-931对NF-κB和CREB基因表达的影响；在NF-κB基因转染并加Abeta 1-40（5uM）后以ECH-931处理3天，以观察ECH-931拮抗Abeta 1-40对NF-κB基因表达影响的效果。 结果表明：经ECH-931（50-200μg／ml）预处理和共同处理B104神经元能完全拮抗β-淀粉样肽1-40（10μM）诱导的神经毒性（P〈0．05-0．01）；用ECH-931（50-200μg／ml）治疗性处理能显著阻止由β-淀粉样肽25-35（25μM）诱导的B104神经元细胞死亡／凋亡（P〈0．05—0．01）；用ECH-931（50—200μg／ml）预处理和共同处理能显著保护由H2O2（100—200μM）诱导的B104神经元细胞死亡／凋亡；用ECH-931（50-150μg／ml）治疗性处理能显著上调在B104CNS神经元细胞中转染基因NF-κB和CREB的表达（P〈0．05-0．01）；ECH-93150-150μg／ml能拮抗由β-淀粉样肽1-40诱导的NF-κB表达抑制（P〈0．01）。并且，所有ECH-931的处理效应都呈现剂量依赖性（P〈0．05-0．01）。 基于以上研究结果，我们认为ECH-931能保护（预防和治疗）神经元免受由β-淀粉样肽诱导的神经毒性。其机制与拮抗活性氧／氢氧根自由基损伤和激活NF-κB细胞存活信号通路有关。ECH-931治疗AD的另一个重要机理可能是它能调节CREB的表达，而CREB是长期记忆的基因开关。ECH-931的神经元保护效应尤其是其阻止β-淀粉样肽诱导的毒性和细胞死亡的效力显示出它治疗神经退行性疾病（如AD）的潜力，具有重要的研究开发价值和广阔的应用前景。     

Mentoring in schools: an impact study of big brothers big sisters school-based mentoring

This random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring involved 1,139 9- to 16-year-old students in 10 cities nationwide. Youth were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (receiving mentoring) or a control group (receiving no mentoring) and were followed for 1.5 school years. At the end of the first school year, relative to the control group, mentored youth performed better academically, had more positive perceptions of their own academic abilities, and were more likely to report having a "special adult" in their lives. However, they did not show improvements in classroom effort, global self-worth, relationships with parents, teachers or peers, or rates of problem behavior. Academic improvements were also not sustained into the second school year.