Teachers and researchers as co-designers? A design-based research on reading comprehension instruction in primary education

Insights from scientific reading research only partially resonate in Dutch teaching materials for reading comprehension, and hence in the classroom. As an attempt to bridge the gap between science and educational practice, a design-based research was conducted in which four primary school teachers translated four researcher-provided design principles into practice. In two successive design cycles, the teachers designed and implemented lessons on informational text structures, under supervision of two researchers. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the viability of the design principles and into the level of support teachers need in order to become effective co-designers. Based on data from lesson artefacts, teacher logbooks, panel interviews and lesson observations, we found that the teachers experienced several implementation difficulties. These difficulties were partially due to the fact that there was a tension between two design principles, and that one design principle needed refinement. However, in most cases, the implementation difficulties could be explained by teachers’ limited pedagogical content knowledge. As a result, the teachers needed a high level of support, especially in text selection and revision. Teacher beliefs and habits also interfered with the implementation of the design principles, especially when it came to the importance of working with authentic texts, and teachers’ views on effective modeling.Our study raises questions about the feasibility of equal participation of researchers and teachers at the start of a DBR project, but also shows how DBR can successfully contribute to teacher professionalization if researchers provide adequate support throughout the design process

What textbooks offer and what teachers teach: an analysis of the Dutch reading comprehension curriculum

In the Netherlands, the quality of the reading curriculum is currently under debate because of disappointing results on national and international assessments of students’ reading skills and motivation. In a mixed-method study, we analyzed the content of Dutch textbooks for reading comprehension instruction (i.e., the implemented curriculum) and teachers’ evaluation and use of these books (i.e., the enacted curriculum). A materials analysis of reading comprehension lessons (N = 80) in eight textbooks for grades 4 and 5 was complemented with semi-structured teacher interviews (N = 29) and lesson observations (N = 11), with a focus on the quality of reading strategy and text structure instruction in the curriculum. Main findings are (1) a lack of alignment between lesson goals, theory, and assignments, (2) a strong focus on practicing strategies, (3) limited declarative knowledge about strategies and text structure, (4) little opportunities for self-regulated strategy application. The teachers that were interviewed mention similar problems, but still hardly deviate from the textbook’s content and pedagogical guidelines. We make recommendations to improve the quality of the curriculum

Placebo Effects in the Neuroendocrine System: Conditioning of the Oxytocin Responses

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that placebo effects may influence hormone secretion. However, few studies have examined placebo effects in the endocrine system, including oxytocin placebo effects. We studied whether it is possible to trigger oxytocin placebo effects using a classical conditioning paradigm. METHODS: Ninety-nine women were assigned to a conditioned, control, or drug control group. In the two-phase conditioning paradigm, participants in the conditioned and drug control groups received an oxytocin nasal spray combined with a distinctive smell (conditioned stimulus [CS]) for three acquisition days, whereas the control group received placebo spray. Subsequently, the conditioned and control groups received placebo spray with the CS and the drug control group received oxytocin spray for three evocation days. Salivary oxytocin was measured several times during each day. Pain sensitivity and facial evaluation tests previously used in oxytocin research were also administered. RESULTS: On evocation day 1, in the conditioned group, oxytocin significantly increased from baseline to 5 minutes after CS (B[slope] = 19.55, SE = 5.88, p < .001) and remained increased from 5 to 20 (B = -10.42, SE = 5.81, p = .071) and 50 minutes (B = -0.70, SE = 3.37, p = .84). On evocation day 2, a trend for increase in oxytocin was found at 5 minutes (B = 15.22, SE = 8.14, p = .062). No placebo effect was found on evocation day 3 (B = 3.57, SE = 3.26, p = .28). Neither exogenous nor conditioned oxytocin affected pain or facial tasks. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that oxytocin release can be conditioned and that this response extinguishes over time. Triggering hormonal release by placebo manipulation offers various clinical possibilities, such as enhancing effects of pharmacological treatments or reducing dosages of medications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered as a clinical trial on www.trialregister.nl (number NTR5596)

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The news ombudsman: Lightining rod or watchdog?

The findings of this research project on news ombudsmen are mainly based on an overview of the Dutch situation, two surveys (in 2008 and 2011) completed by members of the international Organization of News Ombudsmen, an analysis of more than 400 columns of three Dutch ombudsmen and an analyses of about three hundred comments on the columns. Key questions were: do the ombudsmen and readers’ representatives have an independent position, a statute or a weekly column? What issues are mostly being complained about? What are the main topics of their columns? Do they have the opportunity to adopt an independent and critical stand towards the editorial staff

The news ombudsman: Lightning rod or watchdog?

&nbsp;The findings of this research project on news ombudsmen are mainly based on an overview of the Dutch situation, two surveys in 2008 and 2011 completed by members of the international Organization of News Ombudsmen, an analysis of more than 400 columns of three Dutch ombudsmen and an analyses of about three hundred comments on the columns. Key questions were: do the ombudsmen and readers&rsquo; representatives have an independent position, a statute or a weekly column? What issues are mostly being complained about? What are the main topics of their columns? Do they have the opportunity to adopt an independent and critical stand towards the editorial staff?&nbsp;The findings of this research project on news ombudsmen are mainly based on an overview of the Dutch situation, two surveys in 2008 and 2011 completed by members of the international Organization of News Ombudsmen, an analysis of more than 400 columns of three Dutch ombudsmen and an analyses of about three hundred comments on the columns. Key questions were: do the ombudsmen and readers&rsquo; representatives have an independent position, a statute or a weekly column? What issues are mostly being complained about? What are the main topics of their columns? Do they have the opportunity to adopt an independent and critical stand towards the editorial staff

Massamedia, maatschappelijk bindmiddel of splijtzwam?

Huub Evers behandelt de rol die de media spelen bij het bevorderen of juist het tegengaan van cohesie. Zijn de media in hun functie binnen de samenleving te vergelijken met godsdienstigheid? En hoe ‘doen’ zij het dan: bevorderen zij gemeenschapszin of bewerkstelligen ze juist het tegendeel

Uitzending Peter R. de Vries was ethisch dubieus

De geruchtmakende uitzending van Peter R. de Vries op 3 februari 2008 over de raadselachtige verdwijning van Natalee Holloway heeft naast psychologische en strafrechtelijke ook media-ethische vragen opgeroepen. Zo is er de vraag wanneer je in een informatief programma gebruik mag maken van de verborgen camera. En mag je iemand interviewen wanneer je merkt dat hij stoned is? Moet zo iemand niet tegen zichzelf in bescherming worden genomen? Wat te doen wanneer je als redactie tot de conclusie komt, dat iemand een pathologische leugenaar is? Moet je dat dan niet minstens expliciet in de uitzending melden? Zonder twijfel was er sprake van wat wel 'trial by media' genoemd wordt: los van de strafrechtelijke schuld en veroordeling is er de veroordeling door de media bij wijze van volksgericht. Voor het grote publiek is Joran van der Sloot de schuldige. De schandpaal staat niet meer op het marktplein, maar in onze huiskamers