Academic College Readiness Indicators of Seniors Enrolled in University-Model Schools® and Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® [UMS®] or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data of Christian school students from six Texas schools. The Stanford-10 controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, found school type to be a statistically significant predictor for the SAT Composite score, but not for the SAT Writing score or the ACT Composite score. Although the UMS® seniors averaged higher scores than traditional, comprehensive Christian school seniors on all three exams, only the SAT Composite score was found to be statistically significant. The standardized regression coefficient of the three scores did not find practical significance for the relationship between school type and academic college readiness

Developmental Delays in Executive Function from 3 to 5 Years of Age Predict Kindergarten Academic Readiness

Substantial evidence has established that individual differences in executive function (EF) in early childhood are uniquely predictive of children’s academic readiness at school entry. The current study tested whether growth trajectories of EF across the early childhood period could be used to identify a subset of children who were at pronounced risk for academic impairment in kindergarten. Using data that were collected at the age 3, 4, and 5 home assessments in the Family Life Project (N = 1,120), growth mixture models were used to identify 9% of children who exhibited impaired EF performance (i.e., persistently low levels of EF that did not show expected improvements across time). Compared to children who exhibited typical trajectories of EF, the delayed group exhibited substantial impairments in multiple indicators of academic readiness in kindergarten (Cohen’s ds = 0.9–2.7; odds ratios = 9.8–23.8). Although reduced in magnitude following control for a range of socioeconomic and cognitive (general intelligence screener, receptive vocabulary) covariates, moderate-sized group differences remained (Cohen’s ds = 0.2–2.4; odds ratios = 3.9–5.4). Results are discussed with respect to the use of repeated measures of EF as a method of early identification, as well as the resulting translational implications of doing so

Challenges to describe QoS requirements for web services quality prediction to support web services interoperability in electronic commerce

Quality of service (QoS) is significant and necessary for web service applications quality assurance. Furthermore, web services quality has contributed to the successful implementation of Electronic Commerce (EC) applications. However, QoS is still the big issue for web services research and remains one of the main research questions that need to be explored. We believe that QoS should not only be measured but should also be predicted during the development and implementation stages. However, there are challenges and constraints to determine and choose QoS requirements for high quality web services. Therefore, this paper highlights the challenges for the QoS requirements prediction as they are not easy to identify. Moreover, there are many different perspectives and purposes of web services, and various prediction techniques to describe QoS requirements. Additionally, the paper introduces a metamodel as a concept of what makes a good web service

Mathematics Course Placement Using Holistic Measures: Possibilities for Community College Students.

Background/Context: Most community colleges across the country use a placement test to determine students’ readiness for college-level coursework, yet these tests are admittedly imperfect instruments. Researchers have documented significant problems stemming from overreliance on placement testing, including placement error and misdiagnosis of remediation needs. They have also described significant consequences of misplacement, which can hinder the educational progression and attainment of community college students. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: We explore possibilities for placing community college students in mathematics courses using a holistic approach that considers measures beyond placement test scores. This includes academic background measures, such as high school GPA and math courses taken, and indicators of noncognitive constructs, such as motivation, time use, and social support. Setting: The study draws upon administrative data from a large urban community college district in California that serves over 100,000 students each semester. The data enable us to link students’ placement testing results, survey data, background information, and transcript records. Research Design: We first use the supplemental survey data gathered during routine placement testing to conduct predictive exercises that identify severe placement errors under existing placement practices. We then move beyond prediction and evaluate student outcomes in two colleges where noncognitive indicators were directly factored into placement algorithms. Findings/Results: Using high school background information and noncognitive indicators to predict success reveals as many as one quarter of students may be misassigned to their math courses by status quo practices. In our subsequent analysis we find that students placed under a holistic approach that considered noncognitive indicators in addition to placement test scores performed no differently from higher scoring peers in the same course. Conclusions/Recommendations: The findings suggest a holistic approach to mathematics course placement may improve placement accuracy and provide access to higher level mathematics courses for community college students without compromising their likelihood of success

Validation of the Registered Nurse Assessment of Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale

Background Statistical models for predicting readmissions have been published for high-risk patient populations but typically focus on patient characteristics; nurse judgment is rarely considered in a formalized way to supplement prediction models. Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine psychometric properties of long and short forms of the Registered Nurse Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RN-RHDS), including reliability, factor structure, and predictive validity. Methods Data were aggregated from two studies conducted at four hospitals in the Midwestern United States. The RN-RHDS was completed within 4 hours before hospital discharge by the discharging nurse. Data on readmissions and emergency department visits within 30 days were extracted from electronic medical records. Results The RN-RHDS, both long and short forms, demonstrate acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s alphas of .90 and .73, respectively). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated less than adequate fit with the same four-factor structure observed in the patient version. Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors, explaining 60.2% of the variance. When nurses rate patients as less ready to go home (\u3c7 out of 10), patients are 6.4–9.3 times more likely to return to the hospital within 30 days, in adjusted models. Discussion The RN-RHDS, long and short forms, can be used to identify medical-surgical patients at risk for potential unplanned return to hospital within 30 days, allowing nurses to use their clinical judgment to implement interventions prior to discharge. Use of the RN-RHDS could enhance current readmission risk prediction models

Predictors of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy for body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common and distressing or impairing preoccupation with a perceived defect in physical appearance. Individuals with BDD engage in time-consuming rituals to check, hide, or "fix" their appearance or alleviate distress. BDD is associated with substantial psychosocial impairment and high rates of depression, hospitalization, and suicidality. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for BDD, but not everyone benefits. We examined predictors of CBT-related improvement, an important topic that has received very limited investigation. Treatment was delivered in weekly individual sessions over 18-22 weeks. Results indicated that greater motivation/readiness to change (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Questionnaire), greater treatment expectancy (Treatment Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire), and better baseline BDD-related insight (Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale) significantly predicted better CBT response at posttreatment. Baseline BDD symptom severity and depression did not predict outcome, suggesting that even patients with more severe BDD and depressive symptoms can benefit from CBT for BDD. Efforts should be aimed at enhancing readiness to change and confidence in the treatment at treatment onset as well as addressing the poor insight that often characterizes BDD.R34 MH070490 - NIMH NIH HHSAccepted manuscrip

Формирование готовности будущих специалистов к дошкольному образованию при осуществлении профессиональной деятельности в условиях европейской интеграции

Мета статті – розкрити проблему формування готовності майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності в умовах євроінтеграції. Проаналізувати стан досліджуваної проблеми в сучасній теорії та практиці; з’ясувати особливості формування готовності майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності; визначити функції цінностей майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності; визначити сутність і структуру готовності майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності в умовах євроінтеграції, критерії та показники рівнів готовності майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності. Досліджуючи проблему формування готовності майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності в умовах євроінтеграції один з факторів є: перехід від продуктивних ідей до реальної зміни освітнього простору, здійснення результативного перенавчання майбутніх дошкільних педагогів, технологічно і методично осучаснювати навчальний процес, піднімати якість освіти, спиратись на внутрішню мотивацію майбутніх дошкільних педагогів. Нами з’ясовано, що специфіка професійної діяльності потребує від викладача закладу вищої освіти певних знань і вмінь, зокрема, знання форм і методів здійснення; володіння системою розвинених компетентностей у галузі технології моделювання, конструювання та реалізації педагогічного процесу на основі особливостей та ціннісних орієнтацій студентів; зміни традиційної технології взаємодії зі студентами. Під час підготовки студента-майбутнього фахівця з дошкільної освіти до організації професійної діяльності передбачається наявність у педагога як суб’єкта означеної діяльності комплексу спеціальних здібностей, серед яких – аналітичні, комунікативні, дослідницькі, рефлексивні, презентаційні здібності. Вони виявляються в умінні ефективно здійснювати професійну діяльність і навчати цьому студентів; активізувати їхню пізнавальну діяльність шляхом постановки освітніх проблем; організовувати дослідницьку діяльність різного рівня самостійності відповідно до індивідуальності кожного студента. Визначено сутність і зміст базових понять дослідження, а саме: підготовка, готовність, професійна готовність, професійно-педагогічна підготовка, охарактеризовані функції цінностей майбутніх фахівців з дошкільної освіти до здійснення професійної діяльності. Здійснений аналіз результатів досліджень, проведених науковцями за останнє десятиліття, дав змогу дійти висновку, що професійна діяльність майбутніх дошкільних педагогів є багатогранною, кожна складова якої взаємодоповнює і розширює її. Нами визначені компоненти готовності до педагогічної професійної діяльності (мотиваційний, змістовно-процесуальний та виконавський (дослідницький). Основною проблемою професійно-педагогічної діяльності є поєднання вимог і мети діяльності дошкільного педагога з можливостями, вміннями і бажаннями долучати дітей до різних форм діяльності. Успішне її здійснення зумовлюється рівнем професійної підготовки майбутніх дошкільних педагогів до загального, пов’язаним з формуванням професійних умінь, його прихильностей до певних ідеалів, професійної мотивації, озброєння певними знаннями, уміннями, навичками організації дослідницького пошуку, рефлексії.Цель статьи - раскрыть проблему формирования готовности будущих специалистов по дошкольному образованию к осуществлению профессиональной деятельности в условиях евроинтеграции. Проанализировать состояние исследуемой проблемы в современной теории и практике; выяснить особенности формирования готовности будущих специалистов по дошкольному образованию к осуществлению профессиональной деятельности; определить функции ценностей будущих специалистов по дошкольному образованию к осуществлению профессиональной деятельности; определить сущность и структуру готовности будущих специалистов по дошкольному образованию к осуществлению профессиональной деятельности в условиях евроинтеграции, критерии и показатели уровней готовности будущих специалистов по дошкольному образованию к осуществлению профессиональной деятельности.The purpose of the article is to reveal the problem of forming the readiness of future specialists in preschool education to pursue professional activity in the context of European integration. Analyze the state of the problem under study in current theory and practice; to find out the peculiarities of the formation of future specialists in preschool education for professional activity; to determine the value functions of future preschool education professionals before pursuing their professional activities; to determine the nature and structure of future preschool education professionals' readiness for professional activity in the context of European integration, criteria and indicators of the level of readiness of future preschool education professionals for professional activity

Who Will Retweet This? Automatically Identifying and Engaging Strangers on Twitter to Spread Information

There has been much effort on studying how social media sites, such as Twitter, help propagate information in different situations, including spreading alerts and SOS messages in an emergency. However, existing work has not addressed how to actively identify and engage the right strangers at the right time on social media to help effectively propagate intended information within a desired time frame. To address this problem, we have developed two models: (i) a feature-based model that leverages peoples' exhibited social behavior, including the content of their tweets and social interactions, to characterize their willingness and readiness to propagate information on Twitter via the act of retweeting; and (ii) a wait-time model based on a user's previous retweeting wait times to predict her next retweeting time when asked. Based on these two models, we build a recommender system that predicts the likelihood of a stranger to retweet information when asked, within a specific time window, and recommends the top-N qualified strangers to engage with. Our experiments, including live studies in the real world, demonstrate the effectiveness of our work

Infant-mother attachment security, contextual risk, and early development: A moderational analysis

In light of evidence that the effects of attachment security on subsequent development may be contingent on the social context in which the child continues to develop, we examined the effect of attachment security at age 15 months, cumulative contextual risk from I to 36 months, and the interaction of attachment and cumulative risk to predict socioemotional and cognitive linguistic functioning at age 3 years, using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care. Results indicated that early attachment predicts both socioemotional development and language skills, but not cognitive functioning as indexed by a measure of school readiness, and that tire effect of attachment on socioemotional development and expressive language varied as a function of social-contextual risk. Insecure-avoidant infants proved most vulnerable to contextual risk, not children classified as secure or insecure more generally, although in one instance security did prove protective with respect to the adverse effects of cumulative contextual risk. Findings are discussed in terms of risk and resilience and in light of the probabilistic nature of the relation between early attachment and later development

Progressive stage transition does mean getting better: a further test of the Transtheoretical Model in recovery from alcohol problems

Aims To test two central assumptions of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) regarding recovery from alcohol problems: (i) individuals making a forward transition from pre-action to action stages will show greater drinking improvements than those remaining in pre-action stages; and (ii) individuals remaining in pre-action stages will not demonstrate improvements in drinking outcomes. Design and setting Large, multi-centre, randomized controlled trial of treatment for alcohol problems [United Kingdom Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT)]. Measurements Stage of change, drinks per drinking day and percentage days abstinent at baseline, 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Findings In support of TTM assumption 1, improvements in drinking outcomes were consistently greater among clients who showed a forward stage transition (Cohen's d = 0.68) than among those who did not (d = 0.10). Two tests of assumption 2 showed a significant improvement in drinking outcomes in non-transition groups, inconsistent with the TTM; one test showed a significant deterioration and the other showed equivalent drinking outcomes across time. An explanation is offered as to why, under the relevant assumption of the TTM, clients in non-transition groups showed small changes in drinking outcomes. Conclusions In contrast to a previous study by Callaghan and colleagues, our findings largely support the TTM account of recovery from alcohol problems in treatment. The discrepancy can be explained by the use in our study of a more reliable and valid method for assigning stage of change