Devising and implementing a card-sorting technique for a longitudinal investigation of the information behavior of people with type 2 diabetes     

Beth St. Jean 《Library & information science research》2014

Information behavior research has been conducted predominantly using single-method (often interviews or surveys/questionnaires), cross-sectional research designs. However, there are important benefits to triangulation and the use of longitudinal methods. In preparing to conduct an investigation into the information needs and information seeking and use practices of people with type 2 diabetes, a longitudinal research design was developed that included traditional data collection methods, such as questionnaires and interviews. However, an additional method was developed specifically for this study — a new type of card-sorting technique that would permit the elicitation of participants' judgments regarding the relative usefulness of different sources and types of diabetes related information at different points in time along their journeys with the disease. This technique was well-received by the study participants and it yielded quantitative data that could be analyzed to identify whether any statistically significant changes took place in participants' judgments across time. Furthermore, the incorporation of a think-aloud protocol within this technique yielded invaluable qualitative data that helped to shed light on the reasoning behind participants' usefulness judgments. This new data collection tool has many potential applications within LIS research and practice.  相似文献   

Emotional Support Consistency and Teacher–Child Relationships Forecast Social Competence and Problem Behaviors in Prekindergarten and Kindergarten     

Laura L. Brock  Timothy W. Curby 《Early education and development》2014,25(5):661-680

Teachers' ratings of conflict and closeness as well as observed emotional support are known predictors of children's social functioning. Consistency in emotional support represents an emerging line of research. The goal of the present study is to understand whether the relation between the consistency of teachers' emotional support and children's behavior is mediated by teacher–child relationships. The role of gender is also considered. Using MPlus, the present study examines the indirect effect of emotional support consistency in prekindergarten on children's social competence and problem behaviors. Outcomes are extended to kindergarten to test the lasting association between the prekindergarten social environment and child behavior in the kindergarten year. Multigroup models examine gender differences. Research Findings: Observations of 694 prekindergarten classrooms revealed that teachers' emotional support consistency had an indirect effect on social competence and problem behavior through conflict in the teacher–child relationship in prekindergarten and kindergarten. The indirect effect on prekindergarten problem behaviors through conflict was stronger for boys. For closeness, all outcomes were significant with the exception of the indirect effect on problem behaviors in the kindergarten year. Practice or Policy: Consistency in prekindergarten teachers' emotional support has an indirect effect on children's behavior in prekindergarten and the following year in kindergarten through teacher–child relationships. Improving teachers' emotional support consistency may be 1 avenue for strengthening teacher–child relationships.  相似文献   

Development of a Measure to Assess Youth Self-reported Experiences of Activity Settings (SEAS)     

Gillian King  Beata Batorowicz  Patty Rigby  Margot McMain-Klein  Laura Thompson  Madhu Pinto 《International Journal of Disability, Development & Education》2014,61(1):44-66

There is a need for psychometrically sound measures of youth experiences of community/home leisure activity settings. The 22-item Self-Reported Experiences of Activity Settings (SEAS) captures the following experiences of youth with a Grade 3 level of language comprehension or more: Personal Growth, Psychological Engagement, Social Belonging, Meaningful Interactions, and Choice & Control. Forty-five youth aged 14–23 years (10 with severe disabilities) completed the SEAS in 160 leisure activity settings. The SEAS has good to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha from 0.71 to 0.88) and moderate test–retest reliability (mean scale intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.68), as expected due to changes in activity settings over time. The SEAS was able to differentiate various types of activity settings and participation partners. The SEAS can be used to gain greater understanding of situation-specific experiences of youth participating in various types of recreation and leisure activity settings, including youth with different types of disabilities and those without disabilities.  相似文献   

The Transition to Kindergarten for Typically Developing Children: A Survey of School Psychologists’ Involvement     

Laura Lee McIntyre  Tanya L. Eckert  Lauren A. Arbolino  Florence D. DiGennaro Reed  Barbara H. Fiese 《Early Childhood Education Journal》2014,42(3):203-210

Research suggests that a large percentage of kindergarten children do not successfully transition to school (Rimm-Kaufman et al. 2000). As a result, a number of school transition initiatives have been developed by educators and policy makers to address the difficulties young children may experience upon kindergarten entry. Despite this attention, our review found no studies examining the involvement of school psychologists in kindergarten transition practices. The present study reports the outcomes of a national survey of the membership directory of the National Association of School Psychologists examining school-based involvement in kindergarten transition activities; school psychologists’ perceived involvement with and training in kindergarten transition activities; and school psychologists’ perceived barriers to engage in kindergarten transition activities. Results showed that most schools engaged in at least one kindergarten transition activity per year, with half of the responding sample reporting involvement. School psychologists were more likely to be involved in kindergarten transition activities if they were employed in an urban locale or a large to moderate-sized school setting. School psychologists most frequently reported involvement with kindergarten screenings and collaborating with kindergarten and preschool teachers. Implications and recommendations for practice among early childhood and other educational professionals are delineated.  相似文献   

Using Complexity Metrics to Assess Silent Reading Fluency: A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Oral and Silent Reading     

Beth A. O’Brien  Sebastian Wallot  Anna Haussmann  Heidi Kloos 《Scientific Studies of Reading》2014,18(4):235-254

Reading typically undergoes a qualitative shift around Grade 4, becoming more fluent and silent, but there is no established measure for fluency in children’s silent reading. The present study presents a measure of self-paced reading in children, examining the use of complexity measures for time-series analyses recently established with adults. Cross-sectional groups of adults and children in Grades 2, 4, and 6 read the same passage of a Grade 2-level story, either silently or aloud. The dynamical structure of fluency in reading times was explored with fractal and recurrence quantification analysis. Results revealed that more fluent reading (with increasing age) was marked by greater structure and stability and that oral reading compared with silent reading showed less fractal structure, indicating silent reading as a more flexibly stable, adaptive coordinated behavior. The complexity metrics show promise for an alternate way to characterize reading fluency.  相似文献   

Development and application of the Elementary School Science Classroom Environment Scale (ESSCES): measuring student perceptions of constructivism within the science classroom     

Shelagh M. Peoples  Laura M. O’Dwyer  Yang Wang  Jessica J. Brown  Camelia V. Rosca 《Learning Environments Research》2014,17(1):49-73

This article describes the development, validation and application of a Rasch-based instrument, the Elementary School Science Classroom Environment Scale (ESSCES), for measuring students’ perceptions of constructivist practices within the elementary science classroom. The instrument, designed to complement the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), is conceptualised using the RTOP’s three construct domains: Lesson Design and Implementation; Content; and Classroom Culture. Data from 895 elementary students was used to develop the Rasch scale, which was assessed for item fit, invariance and dimensionality. Overall, the data conformed to the assumptions of the Rasch model. In addition, the structural relationships among the retained items of the Rasch model supported and validated the instrument for measuring the reformed science classroom environment theoretical construct. The application of the ESSCES in a research study involving fourth grade students provides evidence that educators and researchers have a reliable instrument for understanding the elementary science classroom environment through the lens of the students.  相似文献   

Innocence,knowledge and the construction of childhood. The contradictory nature of sexuality and censorship in children's contemporary lives     

Laura McGinn 《Sex education》2014,14(1):110-112

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Early Communicative Gestures Prospectively Predict Language Development and Executive Function in Early Childhood     

Laura J. Kuhn  Michael T. Willoughby  Makeba Parramore Wilbourn  Lynne Vernon‐Feagans  Clancy B. Blair  The Family Life Project Key Investigators 《Child development》2014,85(5):1898-1914

Using an epidemiological sample (N = 1,117) and a prospective longitudinal design, this study tested the direct and indirect effects of preverbal and verbal communication (15 months to 3 years) on executive function (EF) at age 4 years. Results indicated that whereas gestures (15 months), as well as language (2 and 3 years), were correlated with later EF (φ_s ≥ .44), the effect was entirely mediated through later language. In contrast, language had significant direct and indirect effects on later EF. Exploratory analyses indicated that the pattern of results was comparable for low‐ and not‐low‐income families. The results were consistent with theoretical accounts of language as a precursor of EF ability, and highlighted gesture as an early indicator of EF.  相似文献   

Something That Test Scores Do Not Show: Engaging in Community Diversity as a Local Response to Global Education Trends     

Laura A. Valdiviezo 《The Educational forum》2014,78(1):68-77

Abstract

At Smith Street Elementary School, the globalizing education trends that English language learner (ELL) teachers face focus on measuring student achievement through testing and the English mainstreaming of non-dominant students as opposed to the cultivation of the students’ linguistic and cultural diversity. The ELL teachers at Smith Street Elementary School decided to establish their research agenda by designing a project aimed at fostering ELL student success through reaching out to families to learn from them.  相似文献   

The Protective Role of Group Identity: Sectarian Antisocial Behavior and Adolescent Emotion Problems     

Christine E. Merrilees  Laura K. Taylor  Marcie C. Goeke‐Morey  Peter Shirlow  E. Mark Cummings  Ed Cairns 《Child development》2014,85(2):412-420

The protective role of strength of group identity was examined for youth in a context of protracted political conflict. Participants included 814 adolescents (M_age = 13.61, SD = 1.99 at Time 1) participating in a longitudinal study in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling, the results show that the effect of exposure to sectarian antisocial behaviors has a stronger effect on youth emotion problems for older adolescents. The results also show that youth with higher strength of group identity reported fewer emotion problems in the face of sectarian antisocial behavior but that this buffering effect is stronger for Protestants compared to Catholics. Implications are discussed for understanding the role of social identity in postaccord societies.  相似文献