Issues in phonological awareness assessment

Awareness of the internal phonological structure of words is a causal factor in success with the alphabetic principle in word recognition. However, findings with the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization (LAC) Test reveal 25–30% of the population show deficiency in a subtle component of phonological awareness termed comparator function. We argue that this comparator function—an ability to hold the phoneme and/or syllable segments of two phonological structures in mind and compare and represent any variations in the number, identity, or order of their segments—is a primary sensory-cognitive function underlying the secondary function of self-correction in word recognition and spelling. And since word recognition correlates highly with comprehension, comparator function also indirectly impacts this basic purpose for reading. We suggest that the needs of many individuals, including educators themselves, for development and refinement of phonological awareness/comparator function may be misdiagnosed and underaddressed unless more sensitive measures of phonological awareness are used. The consequence of inadequate assessment/remediation of these deficiencies in educators is that they may be less able to assess and address these deficiencies in their students. Standard phonics instruction is known to be ineffective in developing phonological awareness for many individuals. However, phonological deficits can be addressed both preventively and remedially using procedures that are fundamentally different from typical phonics instruction.     

Abusive head trauma in Maine infants: medical,child protective,and law enforcement analysis

OBJECTIVE: To collect and compare the results of medical, child protective, and law enforcement evaluation of a sample of Maine children who were victims of abusive head trauma (AHT) in order to describe the clinical and evaluative characteristics as they relate to victims, families and perpetrators of such trauma and to improve the professional response to AHT in Maine.METHOD: Retrospective chart review of medical, child protective, and law enforcement records of all AHT victims admitted to two tertiary care hospitals in Maine or seen by the state medical examiner from 1991 to 1994.RESULTS: Nineteen children (age range 2 weeks to 17 months) were identified as victims of AHT (out of a total of 94 head trauma admissions) accounting for 20 hospitalizations during the study period. There was a history of prior injury in 30%, history of prior medical evaluations for possibly abuse related problems in 65%, while, on presentation, 75% had evidence or history of prior injury. The hospitals notified child protective services (CPS) in all 20 cases and correctly identified abuse in 18 (90%). Parental risk factors for abuse identified in CPS records included substance abuse (53%), domestic violence (42%), criminal history (32%), unrealistic expectations (42%), and attachment problems (32%). However, risk factors were inadequately assessed in 53% of homes. Law enforcement identified a likely perpetrator in 79% of cases and in the majority the identified suspect was the father. In the 15 cases where a perpetrator was identified by law enforcement, that person was alone with the child at symptom onset in 14 (93%).CONCLUSIONS: The medical response, at least at the inpatient level, was generally well done with regard to suspicion and reporting. Cases are possibly being missed at the outpatient level. Child protective risk assessment was limited overall yet in a third of the homes where AHT occurred, few if any risk factors were present to aid in identification and prevention. Law enforcement results suggest that a primary suspect for AHT is the caretaker alone with the child at the time of symptom onset.     

Dyslexia and sequential order errors in reading

This paper reports a study of the antecedent-consequent model of reading dysfunction and possible relationships between verbal spatial order memory and sequence errors in word reading. It provides data on the nature and frequency of such errors. Performance by normal and dyslexic readers on a number of tasks was compared. The study supports the hypothesis that sequence errors of dyslexic readers are related to a developmental lag. This research was carried out in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ed.D. at the University of Rochester. The author would like to express appreciation to Drs. Keith Rayner, Harry Reis, Ellsworth Woestehoff, Frank Greene and Achilles de Berardinis for their advice and assistance in the study.     

Improving Groupworking Skills in Undergraduates Through Employer Involvement

Frequently undergraduate project work involves students working in groups. Such groupworking is often problematic owing to poor groupworking skills on the part of the students involved, yet ‘teamwork’ is one of those generic skills highly prized by employers. This study describes a pilot project to involve employers in the development of groupworking skills in undergraduate students, with the aims of increasing student awareness of group dynamics and processes and of promoting more effective groupworking. Students worked in small groups over a period of six to eight weeks on a problem associated with the module being studied. Employers observed students working in their groups and provided feedback to the students on their groupworking skills. The reactions (extremely positive) of students, staff and employers are presented. The procedures and methods used in the pilot are described and evaluated.     

The Wonderful World of Radio-TV

Kenneth R. Sparks' A Bibliography of Doctoral Dissertations in Television and Radio (School of Journalism, Newhouse Communications Center, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y. 13210, $3.50 paperback)

Joseph Keeley's The Left Leaning Antenna: Political Bias in Television (Arlington House, $8.95)

James Aronson's Packaging the News: A Critical Survey of Press, Radio, TV. (Little New World Paperbacks, available from International Publishers, 381 Park Ave. South, New York 10016, $1.45 paperback)

Walter Cronkite and Fred W. Friendly's I Can Hear It Now: The Sixties (Columbia Records M3X 30353, $9.95 for the set)

Phyllis Feinstein's All About Sesame Street (Tower T-075-19, 75¢)

Bruce F. Elving's FM Station Atlas (contact the author c/o WUWM Radio, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisc. 53201, $2.00)

Takeo Furo's The Function of Television for Children and Adolescents (Tokyo: Sophia University: available in this country from Charles E. Tuttle, Rutland, Vt., $9.50)

Richard Averson and David Manning White's Electronic Drama. Television Plays of the Sixties (Beacon Press, $9.95)

Bernard Wilkie's The Technique of Special Effects in Television (Hastings House, $16.50)

Action For Children's Television issued occasionally for a membership fee of $5.00 per year

Cable Television: Communications Medium of the Seventies (Samson Science Corp., Quantam Science Corp., 245 Park Ave., New York 10017, $195)     

Teachers reviewing Annual Reviews

Phyllis Jones, Senior Lecturer (Special Educational Needs), and John Swain, Reader in Disability Studies, at the University of Northumbria, report on the first stage of a qualitative investigation into participants' views of, and feelings about, Annual Reviews. Although this article was submitted before the publication of Special Educational Needs: Consultation Document on the Proposed Revision of the SEN Code of Practice (DfEE, 1999), both highlight the need 'to reduce the paperwork required of schools and of LEAs in relation to annual reviews' (p.4). The Document does not envisage any fundamental change to the current regulatory framework for Annual Reviews but this small-scale study highlights the pressing need for organisationalreform.     

Family Factors Related to Children's Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivational Orientation and Academic Performance

This study examined 3 familial factors—parental surveillance of homework, parental reactions to grades, and general family style—in relation to children's motivational orientation and academic performance. Family, parent, and child measures were obtained in the home from 93 fifth graders and their parents. Teachers provided a measure of classroom motivational orientation, and grades and achievement scores were obtained from school records. Higher parental surveillance of homework, parental reactions to grades that included negative control, uninvolvement, or extrinsic reward, and over- and undercontrolling family styles were found to be related to an extrinsic motivational orientation and to lower academic performance. On the other hand, parental encouragement in response to grades children received was associated with an intrinsic motivational orientation, and autonomy-supporting family styles were associated with intrinsic motivation and higher academic performance. In addition, socioeconomic level was a significant predictor of motivational orientation and academic performance.