The Effectiveness of Sentence Combining on the Reading, Writing, and Knowledge of Selected Aspects of English Grammar of Sixth Grade Students

Purpose This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of sentence combining exercises on the reading, writing, and knowledge of selected aspects of English grammar on sixth grade students. The experiment sought to discover whether or not transformational sentence combining activities could teach grammar more effectively than did the traditional approach of memorizing and identifying terminology. The experiment also sought to determine the possibility of teaching students traditional grammar terminology and at the same time illustrating through sentence combining the function of grammatical operations. Secondarily, this study sought to discover a connection between syntactic awareness through sentence combining and reading comprehension. The study further sought to validate the already established finding that practice in sentence combining would enable students to write syntactically more mature sentences. The null hypotheses formulated were: (1) As measured by Hayes Standardized Test on Parts of Speech and a teacher-made test on transformations, there is no difference in knowledge and understanding of grammar between students who have received sentence combining treatment and those who have not. (2) As measured by T-units in writing samples, there is no difference in syntactic maturity of writing between students who have received sentence combining instruction and those who have not. (3) As measured by the Nelson Reading Test (Form A), there is no difference in the Reading Comprehension scores between students who received sentence combining instruction and those who have not. Procedure Daily lessons were taught on sentence combining procedure and transformational grammar. Self-instructional worksheets and task sheets were used in conjunction with daily lessons. For the study, 47 students who composed two intact classes were assigned the control group and 47 students composing two intact classes were assigned the experimental group. The investigator was the instructor for both experimental English classes. Students in the-control group were taught by two separate instructors, one for each of the two classes. Control group students were taught grammar by the traditional method. At the end of a six-month period, subjects were asked to take two grammar tests, one standardized and one teacher-made, a reading test, and to produce a narrative writing sample. The T-test for independent samples was applied using group means and standard deviations for each of the three test instruments. Results Both hypotheses (1) and (2) were rejected. Since the ability level in control class 1 ( gifted and talented ) was significantly higher than control class 2 and the experimental classes, the control group was separated for comparisons. When comparing the experimental classes with control class 2, a class of students of equal ability with the experimental classes, the results of the data showed that the experimental classes were significantly higher than control class 2 using the t test of significance. There was no significant difference found on the standardized parts of speech test between the experimental classes and the control class 1 ( gifted and talented ), although the mean average was higher in control class 1. However, there was a significant difference on the transformation test between the experimental class and control class 1 in favor of the experimental classes. The experimental classes were also found to be significantly higher on both grammar tests than was control class 2. In comparing the writing samples there was no significant difference between the experimental classes and control class 1. The results, in fact, were nearly equal. However, when comparing the experimental classes with control class 2, the results were significantly higher at the .05 level of significance. Hypothesis (3) was not rejected. The scores for control class 1 were significantly higher than for the experimental classes, and there was no significant difference between the scores of the experimental classes and control class 2. However, the rate of growth in the experimental classes and control class 2 was four times as great as the control class 1 ( gifted and talented ). Conclusion It was concluded that there is a difference in knowledge and understanding of grammar between students who receive transformational sentence combining instruction and practice and those who are exposed to the traditional approach of memorizing terminology. It was further concluded that sentence combining practice does enable students to write syntactically more mature sentences. The investigation, however, did not find any difference in reading comprehension between students who had received sentence combining treatment and those who did not. The results in the reading comprehension suggest that the approach and instruments used in the control classes were equally effective in enhancing students\u27 reading comprehension as those used in the experimental classes. Therefore, according to the results of this experiment, while sentence combining practices are an effective approach to teaching English grammar and writing skills, they do not necessarily enhance reading comprehension

Influencing healthful food choices in school and home environments: results from the TEENS study.

Background. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of an intervention designed to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables and lower fat foods in homes and schools. This research is part of the TEENS study, a school-based intervention study. Methods. Sixteen schools in Minnesota were recruited to be in the study, and approximately 3600 middle school students in the eight intervention schools were exposed to a multi-component intervention. The TEENS intervention included classroom-based curricula, family newsletters, and changes in the school food environment including increasing more healthful options on a la carte and on the school lunch line. In addition to student-level outcomes, changes in availability of fruits, vegetables, and lower fat snacks in home and school environments were evaluated. The TEENS study was conducted from 1997 to 2000. Results. Parents of students in intervention schools reported making healthier choices when grocery shopping as compared to parents of students in control schools (P = 0.01). No intervention effects were evident from a home food inventory. Compared to control schools, intervention schools offered (P = 0.04) and sold (P = 0.07) a higher proportion of healthier foods on a la carte, but no effects were seen for fruit and vegetables sales as part of the regular meal pattern lunch. Conclusion. Our results show mixed results for positively influencing adolescents\u27 school and home environments

Predicting Adolescents’ Intake of Fruits and Vegetables

Objective To explore potential predictors of adolescent fruit and vegetable intake by expanding on current theory and drawing from other adolescent research. Design This research reports on the baseline and interim data from a school-based intervention study. Data were collected through surveys administered to students at the beginning and end of their 7th-grade year. Setting The students attended 16 public schools in Minnesota. Participants Data were collected on 3878 students; approximately half were female and 67% were white. All students in the 7th-grade cohort were invited to participate in the surveys and over 94% completed both surveys. Variables Measured Our dependent variable, fruit and vegetable intake, was assessed by a validated fruit and vegetable food frequency scale. Predictive factors assessed included parenting style, spirituality/religiosity, depressive symptoms, and other commonly assessed predictors. Analysis Generalized linear mixed model regression. Omnibus test of association using P \u3c .05 is reported. Results Subjective norms, barriers, knowledge, usual food choice, parenting style, spirituality /religiosity, and depressive symptoms were statistically significant predictors of intake. The model explained about 31% of the variance in fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusions and Implications To better understand adolescents\u27 fruit and vegetable intake, we must explore novel predictors. Our results need to be replicated, and more exploratory research in this field is needed

School-Based Approaches to Affect Adolescents’ Diets: Results From the TEENS Study

This article reports on the outcomes of the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS) study, a 2-year intervention study conducted in 16 middle schools with a goal of increasing students’ intakes of fruits, vegetables, and lower-fat foods. Despite positive interim results for students randomized to intervention schools, the positive effects of the intervention were not seen for the primary outcomes at the end of the 2nd year. Positive effects were seen only for a food choice score (suggesting that the students usually choose lower versus higher fat foods) and not for measures of food intake. Future studies may need to take a step back toward more controlled efficacy studies in working with this age group. In addition, future work may consider the use of peer leaders, more intensive teacher training, ongoing formative assessment, and the testing of more powerful environmental change intervention strategies

Age-dependent white matter disruptions after military traumatic brain injury: Multivariate analysis results from ENIGMA brain injury

Mild Traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a signature wound in military personnel, and repetitive mTBI has been linked to age-related neurogenerative disorders that affect white matter (WM) in the brain. However, findings of injury to specific WM tracts have been variable and inconsistent. This may be due to the heterogeneity of mechanisms, etiology, and comorbid disorders related to mTBI. Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a data-driven approach that detects covarying patterns (components) within high-dimensional data. We applied NMF to diffusion imaging data from military Veterans with and without a self-reported TBI history. NMF identified 12 independent components derived from fractional anisotropy (FA) in a large dataset (n = 1,475) gathered through the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Military Brain Injury working group. Regressions were used to examine TBI- and mTBI-related associations in NMF-derived components while adjusting for age, sex, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and data acquisition site/scanner. We found significantly stronger age-dependent effects of lower FA in Veterans with TBI than Veterans without in four components (q \u3c 0.05), which are spatially unconstrained by traditionally defined WM tracts. One component, occupying the most peripheral location, exhibited significantly stronger age-dependent differences in Veterans with mTBI. We found NMF to be powerful and effective in detecting covarying patterns of FA associated with mTBI by applying standard parametric regression modeling. Our results highlight patterns of WM alteration that are differentially affected by TBI and mTBI in younger compared to older military Veterans

Malaria is an uncommon cause of adult sepsis in south-western Uganda

Malaria is often considered a cause of adult sepsis in malaria endemic areas. However, diagnostic limitations can make distinction between malaria and other infections challenging. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the relative contribution of malaria to adult sepsis in south-western Uganda

Substance use and dietary practices among students attending alternative high schools: results from a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Substance use and poor dietary practices are prevalent among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine frequency of substance use and associations between cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use and selected dietary practices, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, high-fat foods, fruits and vegetables, and frequency of fast food restaurant use among alternative high school students. Associations between multi-substance use and the same dietary practices were also examined.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A convenience sample of adolescents (n = 145; 61% minority, 52% male) attending six alternative high schools in the St Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area completed baseline surveys. Students were participants in the Team COOL (Controlling Overweight and Obesity for Life) pilot study, a group randomized obesity prevention pilot trial. Mixed model multivariate analyses procedures were used to assess associations of interest.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Daily cigarette smoking was reported by 36% of students. Cigarette smoking was positively associated with consumption of regular soda (p = 0.019), high-fat foods (p = 0.037), and fast food restaurant use (p = 0.002). Alcohol (p = 0.005) and marijuana use (p = 0.035) were positively associated with high-fat food intake. With increasing numbers of substances, a positive trend was observed in high-fat food intake (p = 0.0003). There were no significant associations between substance use and fruit and vegetable intake.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Alternative high school students who use individual substances as well as multiple substances may be at high risk of unhealthful dietary practices. Comprehensive health interventions in alternative high schools have the potential of reducing health-compromising behaviors that are prevalent among this group of students. This study adds to the limited research examining substance use and diet among at-risk youth.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01315743">NCT01315743</a></p

‘A Girl's Love’: Lord Alfred Douglas as Homoerotic Muse in the Poetry of Olive Custance

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Women: a Cultural Review on 15/09/2011, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09574042.2011.585045.This article explores the relationship between the poet Olive Custance and her husband Lord Alfred Douglas, arguing that Custance constructed Douglas as a male muse figure in her poetry, particularly the sequence ‘Songs of a Fairy Princess’ (Rainbows 1902). The introduction sets out Custance's problematic historical positioning as a ‘decadent’ poet who published nothing following the Great War, but whose work came too late to fit into strictly ‘fin de siècle’ categories. I suggest, however, that Custance's oscillating constructions of gender and sexuality make her more relevant to the concerns of modernity than has previously been acknowledged and her work anticipates what is now termed ‘queer’. The first main section of the article traces the cultural background of the fin de siècle male muse, arguing that Custance's key influences—male homoerotic writers such as Wilde and Pater—meant it was logical that she should imagine the muse as male, despite the problems associated with gender-reversals of the muse-poet relationship which have been identified by several feminist critics. I then move on to focus specifically on how Shakespearean discourses of gender performance and cross-dressing played a key role in Custance and Douglas's courtship, as they exchanged the fluid roles of ‘Prince’, ‘Princess’ and ‘Page’. The penultimate section of the article focuses on discourses of fairy tale and fantasia in Custance's ‘Songs of a Fairy Princess’ sequence, in which these fantasy roles contribute to a construction of Douglas as a feminised object, and the relationship between the ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ is described in terms of narcissistic sameness. My paper concludes by tracing the demise of Custance and Douglas's relationship; as Douglas attempted to be more ‘manly’, he sought to escape the role of object, resulting in Custance losing her male muse. But her sexually-dissident constructions of the male muse remain important experiments worthy of critical attention