Acoustical barriers in classrooms: the impact of noise on performance in the classroom

There is general concern about the levels of noise that children are exposed to in classroom situations. We report the results of a study that explores the effects of typical classroom noise on the performance of primary school children on a series of literacy and speed tasks. One hundred and fifty eight children in six Year 3 classes participated in the study. Classes were randomly assigned to one of three noise conditions. Two noise conditions were chosen to reflect levels of exposure experienced in urban classrooms (Shield & Dockrell, 2004): noise by children alone, that is classroom–babble, and babble plus environmental noise, babble and environmental. Performance in these conditions was compared with performance under typical quiet classroom conditions or base. All analyses controlled for ability. A differential negative effect of noise source on type of task was observed. Children in the babble and environmental noise performed significantly worse than those in the base and babble conditions on speed of processing tasks. In contrast, performance on the verbal tasks was significantly worse only in the babble condition. Children with special educational needs were differentially negatively affected in the babble condition. The processes underlying these effects are considered and the implications of the results for children’s attainments and classroom noise levels are explored

Whose job is it?: parents' concerns about the needs of their children with language problems

This study examined the perspectives of parents of children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD) in the UK and described the issues they raised when considering provision to meet their children's needs. The study utilised a mixed methods approach. Data from interviews were analyzed using a computer-based qualitative interview analysis method (ATLAS/ti), with reference to evidence from a parent-completed rating scale and assessments of the children’s language and educational development. The issues generated by the analyses were considered in relation to whether the child attended mainstream or special school. Results are discussed in the context of current educational policies for inclusive education and parental participation in meeting children’s educational and social needs

Children's naming and word-finding difficulties: descriptions and explanations

Purpose: There are a substantial minority of children for whom lexical retrieval problems impede the normal pattern of language development and use. These problems include accurately producing the correct word even when the word?s meaning is understood; such children are often referred to as having word-finding difficulties (WFDs). This review examines the nature of naming and lexical retrieval difficulties in these and other groups of children. Method: A review of the relevant literature on lexical access difficulties in children with word finding difficulties was conducted. Studies were examined in the terms of population parameters and comparison groups included in the study. Results and Conclusions: Most discussions of the cognitive processes causing lexical retrieval difficulties have referred to semantics, phonology and processing speed. It is argued that our understanding of these topics will be further advanced by the use of appropriate methodology to test developmental models that both identify the processes in successfully performing different lexical retrieval tasks and more precisely locating the difficulties experienced by children with such tasks

The effects of environmental and classroom noise on the academic attainments of primary school children

While at school children are exposed to various types of noise including external, environmental noise and noise generated within the classroom. Previous research has shown that noise has detrimental effects upon children?s performance at school, including reduced memory, motivation and reading ability. In England and Wales children?s academic performance is assessed using standardised national tests of literacy, mathematics and science. A study has been conducted to examine the impact, if any, of chronic exposure to external and classroom noise on the test results of children aged 7 and 11 years. External noise was found to have a significant negative impact upon performance, the effect being greater for the older than the younger children. The analysis suggested that children are particularly affected by the noise of individual external events. Test scores were also affected by internal classroom noise, background noise levels being significantly related to test results. The negative relationships between performance and noise levels were maintained when the data were corrected for socio-economic factors relating to social deprivation, language and special educational needs. These results provide further evidence of the detrimental impact of noise upon schoolchildren and of the need for appropriate acoustic design of schools to minimise these effects

Children with specific speech and language difficulties: the teachers' perspective

Children with specific speech and language difficulties are frequently placed in mainstream classrooms with varying degrees of support. Yet little attention has been paid to class teachers’ views about the children’s problems and educational needs. This paper reports the findings of a two-stage project in two local education authorities investigating the characteristics and needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD). Teachers, educational psychologists, and speech and language therapists in two local education authorities identified 133 eight year-old children who experienced primary difficulties with speech and language. Fifty-nine children and a subsample of 10 children of the same age who attended specialist regional schools participated in further investigations. Each of the children was assessed using a battery of instruments covering language, basic attainments and self- esteem. In addition, their teachers completed behaviour rating scales and an individual interview. The teachers comprised those working in specialist provisions, but also those in mainstream schools. In this paper data derived from the interviews with the teachers supplemented by information from the assessments of the children’s skills will be reported. The teachers faced three challenges: the additional difficulties experienced by the children, their own knowledge gaps, and the barriers to meeting the children’s needs. The implications of the results for inclusive education are addressed

The nature of written language deficits in children with SLI

Children with Speech and Language Impairment (SLI) have associated difficulties in reading decoding and reading comprehension. To date few research studies have examined the children's written language. The aim of the present study was to provide data, which would evaluate the nature and extent of the children?s difficulties with writing, and to investigate the relationship between oral and written language. Eleven children with SLI were identified, with a mean age of 11 (age range 9:8-12:1) and were compared with a group of children matched for chronological age (CA) mean age 11:2 (age range 10-12.3) and language age (LA), with a mean chronological age of 7:3 (age range 6-9:8). All groups completed a language measure, the Bus Story Test of Continuous Speech (Renfrew, 1985), a standardised measure of writing, the Picture Story Language Test (Myklebust, 1965), and a reading assessment, the Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions (Rust, Golombok & Trickey, 1993). The writing assessment revealed that the SLI group wrote fewer words and produced proportionately more spelling and syntax errors than the CA group. There was no difference between the groups on a measure of the content of written language. The SLI group also produced proportionately more syntax errors than the LA group. The relationships between oral language, reading and writing differed for the three groups. The SLI group revealed specific difficulties in the omission of verbs and verbal morphology. The nature and extent of the children's written language problems are considered in the context of difficulties with spoken language

Measuring and understanding patterns of change in intervention studies with children: implications for evidence-based practice

Purpose: Comparisons across studies of the effects of intervention are problematic. Such analyses raise both methodological and statistical challenges. A single data set was examined to investigate whether different established approaches to measuring change in children with specific language impairments alter the conclusions that can be drawn regarding the efficacy of an intervention. Methods: Measures of cognitive and language skills were collected at baseline and at six months following an intervention. Reliable and valid psychometric measures were used. Data from the intervention study were used to explore the patterns of results obtained using four different measures of change: change of diagnostic category, differential improvement across assessment measures, item specific changes and predictors of individual change. Results: Associations between different tests purporting to measure similar constructs were modest. The measures identified different children as impaired both at baseline and follow-up. No effect of intervention was evident when a categorical analysis of impairment was used. Both treatment and comparison children changed significantly across time on the majority of measures, providing evidence of development, but specific effects of the intensive intervention were evident using ANCOVAs. Item analysis indicated that one of the standardized language tests adopted in the evaluation was insensitive to change over a six month period. Change in individual children's performance was predicted by language level on entry to the project. Conclusion: The implications of the results are discussed in terms of the range of analytic approaches available to intervention researchers and the need to consider combinations of methods when analysing outcome data. †We would like to thank ICAN, the health trusts involved and the two research officers, Kerry Williams and Belinda Seeff, who collected the data. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Identifying the educational and social needs of children with specific speech and language difficulties on entry to secondary school

Movement from KS2 to KS3 creates a number of challenges for pupils. For children with additional learning needs the change of academic pace, social contacts and, typically, school may pose additional problems. This change may be particularly problematic for children with specific speech and language difficulties (SSLD). This study examines the ways in which parents, pupils and teachers appraise this transition prior to secondary transfer (Year 6) and during the first year of secondary school (Yr7) for a cohort of children with a history of specific language impairment. The use of comparison groups provides the opportunity to discriminate between factors related to a) change of school b) special educational needs generally and c) language difficulties specifically. Children with SSLD were initially identified in Year 3 (N=69), with the majority of pupils in mainstream settings. In Year 6 (mean age 10; 3) children were assessed on a range of language literacy and cognitive measures and the views of their parents’ and teachers’ about needs, curriculum differentiation and support established. Teachers were also asked to consider the difficulties that the children might experience on entry to secondary school. During Year 7 data were collected from form tutors, SENCOs and secondary subject specialists. Perceptions of need are compared with level of need as evidenced by standardised assessments. A critical analysis of the ways in which these children’s needs are addressed in the secondary school system is provided and the paper outlines current strengths and gaps in provision

Masters' courses in the education of adults in the UK

This is a paper from the Academic Papers Online series from ESCalate, written by John Field, Richard Dockrell, Peter Gray in 2005. Universities provide a range of advanced qualifications for professionals who support adult learners. Describing and evaluating this body of work, though, poses something of a challenge. The field of continuing education is a broad one, which has been widened further by current government policies promoting lifelong learning, as well as by increased concerns for quality improvement among providers in further and higher education. Qualifications are accordingly offered under a variety of different titles: many universities now offer taught postgraduate courses in areas such as lifelong learning, continuing education, post-compulsory education and training or adult education. This report examines the background against which these courses developed, and explores a number of curricular and organisational issues associated with them. It includes, as an appendix, a list of courses currently offered in British higher education institution

Lexical acquisition in elementary science classes

The purpose of this study was to further researchers' understanding of lexical acquisition in the beginning primary schoolchild by investigating word learning in small-group elementary science classes. Two experiments were conducted to examine the role of semantic scaffolding (e.g., use of synonymous terms) and physical scaffolding (e.g., pointing to referents) in children's acquisition of novel property terms. Children's lexical knowledge was assessed using multiple tasks (naming, comprehension, and definitional). Children struggled to acquire meanings of adjectives without semantic or physical scaffolding (Experiment 1), but they were successful in acquiring extensive lexical knowledge when offered semantic scaffolding (Experiment 2). Experiment 2 also shows that semantic scaffolding used in combination with physical scaffolding helped children acquire novel adjectives and that children who correctly named pictures of adjectives had acquired definitions