Comparability of lexical corpora: Word frequency in phonological generalization

Statistical regularities in language have been examined for new insight to the language acquisition process. This line of study has aided theory advancement, but it also has raised methodological concerns about the applicability of corpora data to child populations. One issue is whether it is appropriate to extend the regularities observed in the speech of adults to developing linguistic systems. The purpose of this paper is to establish the comparability of lexical corpora in accounting for behavioural effects of word frequency on children's phonological generalization. Four word frequency corpora were evaluated in comparison of child/adult and written/spoken sources. These were applied post-hoc to generalization data previously reported for two preschool children. Results showed that the interpretation of phonological generalization was the same within and across children, regardless of the corpus being used. Phonological gains were more evident in low than high frequency words. The findings have implications for the design of probabilistic studies of language acquisition and clinical treatment programmes.National Institutes of Health DC00433, RR7031K, DC00076, DC001694 (PI: Gierut)This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics on June 2007, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02699200701299891

Relationship Between Coaches' Leadership Style and Burnout

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between leadership behavior and perceived burnout of coaches. Head coaches from high schools and from Southeast and Southwest Conference universities were included in the sample (N=302). Coaches completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, Social Desirability Scale and a demographic data sheet. Coaches were separated into two leadership behavior groups and classified as Consideration or as Initiating Structure. It was predicted that coaches in the Consideration Group would have a higher level of perceived burnout. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted and indicated significant differences in four subscales of the MBI. Specifically, coaches in the Consideration Group scored significantly higher in the frequency and intensity dimension of the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales (p<.001)

Utah\u27s Rural Communities: Planning for the Future

Two of the biggest concerns facing rural communities in the Intermountain West today are the contrasting problems of rapid growth and development as opposed to economic decline and stagnation

The impact of parents' demographic and psychological characteristics and parent involvement on young children's reading and math outcomes

Parents' involvement in children's education as a means to increase children's academic achievement has received national attention due to findings from studies and current educational legislation. The current study explores the impact of parents' demographic and psychological characteristics and their involvement in activities both school and at home on children's reading and math outcomes within the framework of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), a nationally representative sample of children and families, this study addresses the following research questions: what are the effects of parents' characteristics on child outcomes and on parent involvement, what is the effect of parent involvement on child outcomes, and to what extent does parent involvement mediate the association between parent characteristics and child outcomes. Results from the study revealed that parents' level of education and income were associated with both parent involvement and children's reading and math outcomes. In addition, parents' beliefs about their children's academic abilities also were strongly predictive of children's outcomes. Parent involvement in school was positively associated with children's reading and math outcomes, whereas parent involvement at home was negatively associated with children's outcomes. Lastly, parent involvement in school was found to partially mediate the association between parents' education and children's reading and math outcomes. This study highlights the impact parents have on their children's academic outcomes and findings suggest that programs aimed at helping parents build human capital is an important way to increase parent involvement at school and help children to succeed

Utah\u27s Great Outdoor Open Space Project

As our populations increase, and more and more development takes place, critical lands and waters are threatened or even lost in the ensuing rush for economic progress

Judicial Termination of Treaty Water Rights: The Snake River Case

This article criticized the Idaho district court\u27s resolution of the Nez Perce Tribe\u27s water rights in the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA). The scope of the tribe\u27s claims were considerable, since they included the right to maintain their fishing practices at the time of their 1855 treaty, The article examined the SRBA decision, the purposes of the 1855 treaty, the nature of the tribe\u27s off-reservation water rights, and the unprincipled termination of those rights by the 1999 SRBA court\u27s decision. The article\u27s call for a correction by the Idaho Supreme Court, which the epilogue to the article noted included a conflict-of-interest on the part of the SRBA court, was later obviated by a settlement between the tribe and the state

Comparability of lexical corpora : Word frequency in phonological generalization.

Abstract Statistical regularities in language have been examined for new insight to the language acquisition process. This line of study has aided theory advancement, but it also has raised methodological concerns about the applicability of corpora data to child populations. One issue is whether it is appropriate to extend the regularities observed in the speech of adults to developing linguistic systems. The purpose of this paper is to establish the comparability of lexical corpora in accounting for behavioural effects of word frequency on children&apos;s phonological generalization. Four word frequency corpora were evaluated in comparison of child/adult and written/spoken sources. These were applied post-hoc to generalization data previously reported for two preschool children. Results showed that the interpretation of phonological generalization was the same within and across children, regardless of the corpus being used. Phonological gains were more evident in low than high frequency words. The findings have implications for the design of probabilistic studies of language acquisition and clinical treatment programmes

Evaluation of the use of patient-focused simulation for student assessment in a surgery clerkship.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of simulated patients in conjunction with anatomic and tissue task-training models to assess skills. METHODS: Faculty reviewed the objectives of the clerkship to identify skills to be acquired. Three cases were developed related to rectal examination, suturing, and inserting intravenous lines and nasogastric tubes. Student scores were based on their ability to gather data from simulated patients and perform procedures on simulation models. RESULTS: A total of 670 students were assessed between 2006 and 2009. Alpha reliability coefficients were .97 for Communication/Interpersonal Skills, .71 for Procedures, and .58 for Data Gathering. Students receiving low ratings from faculty in the clerkship had significantly (P \u3c .001) lower simulation scores. There were significant (P \u3c .001) relationships between scores and grades in other clerkships. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of simulated patients and simulation models yielded reliable scores for procedural and interpersonal skills, and evidence of validity related to clinical ratings