Real bad grammar: realistic grammatical description with grammaticality

Sampson (this issue) argues for a concept of “realistic grammatical description” in which the distinction between grammatical and ungrammatical sentences is irrelevant. In this article I also argue for a concept of “realistic grammatical description” but one in which a binary distinction between grammatical and ungrammatical sentences is maintained. In distinguishing between the grammatical and ungrammatical, this kind of grammar differs from that proposed by Sampson, but it does share the important property that invented sentences have no role to play, either as positive or negative evidence

Vocabulary skills of Spanish/English bilinguals: Impact of motherchild language interactions and home language and literacy support

Abstract Quantity and quality of home language use as well as home literacy resources are positively related to vocabulary knowledge among children growing up monolinguall

Are screen devices soothing children or soothing parents?Investigating the relationships among children’s exposure to different types of screen media, parental efficacy and home literacy practices

Abstract: Use of screen devices has become a standard practice in modern parenting. Research has shown that screen devices can be strategically used as tools, either for babysitting or for educational support. We surveyed 4,907 parents of preschool children from China to investigate how different devices (including TV, tablet, computer and paper-based books) may channel parental efficacy (or the lack of it) to home literacy practices. We found that parents with low parental efficacy were more likely to give their children all three kinds of screen devices, among which TV and tablet were detrimental to home literacy practices whereas computers, like books, were complementary to home literacy practices. Latent profile analysis showed that parents who allowed their children a high frequency of TV or tablet use had the poorest home literacy practices. In comparison, parents who provided fewer books but allowed high frequency of computer use while restricting TV or tablet use came from the lowest SES backgrounds in the sample, but they reported average levels of parenting efficacy and an average amount of home literacy practices. Only parents who felt efficacious about their parenting capabilities provided more paper-based picture books, thus generating optimal home literacy practices. Given the evidence from our finding that parents’ lack of efficacy is a predictor of increased child TV and tablet viewing time and decreased home literacy practices, we need to consider whether such practices arise from a chronic sense of anxiety about parenting effectively rather than efforts to temporarily soothe or entertain the children. More effort is needed to help parents manage their anxiety and to teach parents how to realize and exploit the educational values afforded by the advancing media technology

Shared book reading in preschool supports bilingual children’s second- language learning : a cluster-randomized trial

Abstract: This cluster-randomized controlled study examined dual language learners (DLLs) in Norway who received a book-based language intervention program. About 464 DLLs aged 3–5 years in 123 early childhood classrooms participated in the study. The children were acquiring Norwegian as their second language in preschool and spoke a variety of first languages at home. They received a researcher-developed intervention that was organized around loosely scripted, content-rich shared reading in school and at home. Receiving the intervention had significant impacts on the children’s second-language skills (effect sizes of d = .25–.66). In addition to supporting second-language vocabulary and grammar, the program with its focus on perspective taking during shared reading resulted in impacts on children’s ability to shift perspectives and understand others’ emotional states

Read-alouds in kindergarten classrooms:A moment-by-moment approach to analyzing teacher-child interactions

The aim of the study was to explore teacher–child interaction in 24 whole-class read-aloud sessions in Chilean kindergarten classrooms serving children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Fifteen sessions focused on story meaning, and nine focused on language coding/decoding. We coded teacher and child turns for their function (i.e., teacher initiation, child response, teacher follow-up), type (e.g., open/closed questions, directives; confirmation, elaboration), and complexity (i.e., literal/low vs. inferential/high language). We found considerable variability in reading approaches. Teachers in meaning-oriented sessions initiated more inferential conversations, whereas in code-oriented sessions the majority of initiations had low complexity. Confirmations were the most recurrent follow-up type, while elaborations occurred mainly during inferential conversations. Overall, teachers strongly determined the complexity of the conversation by means of their initiations. The study expands Anglo-American and European findings to the Latin American context, illustrating the commonality of read-alouds as early childhood education practice and underscoring that teachers can engage children from low socioeconomic backgrounds in cognitively challenging conversations

Modelling changing population distributions: an example of the Kenyan Coast, 1979–2009

Large-scale gridded population datasets are usually produced for the year of input census data using a top-down approach and projected backward and forward in time using national growth rates. Such temporal projections do not include any subnational variation in population distribution trends and ignore changes in geographical covariates such as urban land cover changes. Improved predictions of population distribution changes over time require the use of a limited number of covariates that are time-invariant or temporally explicit. Here we make use of recently released multi-temporal high-resolution global settlement layers, historical census data and latest developments in population distribution modelling methods to reconstruct population distribution changes over 30 years across the Kenyan Coast. We explore the methodological challenges associated with the production of gridded population distribution time-series in data-scarce countries and show that trade-offs have to be found between spatial and temporal resolutions when selecting the best modelling approach. Strategies used to fill data gaps may vary according to the local context and the objective of the study. This work will hopefully serve as a benchmark for future developments of population distribution time-series that are increasingly required for population-at-risk estimations and spatial modelling in various fields

Positivity of the English language

Over the last million years, human language has emerged and evolved as a fundamental instrument of social communication and semiotic representation. People use language in part to convey emotional information, leading to the central and contingent questions: (1) What is the emotional spectrum of natural language? and (2) Are natural languages neutrally, positively, or negatively biased? Here, we report that the human-perceived positivity of over 10,000 of the most frequently used English words exhibits a clear positive bias. More deeply, we characterize and quantify distributions of word positivity for four large and distinct corpora, demonstrating that their form is broadly invariant with respect to frequency of word use.Comment: Manuscript: 9 pages, 3 tables, 5 figures; Supplementary Information: 12 pages, 3 tables, 8 figure

A controlled trial of Partners in Dementia Care: veteran outcomes after six and twelve months

Introduction: “Partners in Dementia Care” (PDC) tested the effectiveness of a care-coordination program integrating healthcare and community services and supporting veterans with dementia and their caregivers. Delivered via partnerships between Veterans Affairs medical centers and Alzheimer’s Association chapters, PDC targeted both patients and caregivers, distinguishing it from many non-pharmacological interventions. Hypotheses posited PDC would improve five veteran self-reported outcomes: 1) unmet need, 2) embarrassment about memory problems, 3) isolation, 4) relationship strain and 5) depression. Greater impact was expected for more impaired veterans. A unique feature was self-reported research data collected from veterans with dementia. Methods and Findings: Five matched communities were study sites. Two randomly selected sites received PDC for 12 months; comparison sites received usual care. Three structured telephone interviews were completed every 6 months with veterans who could participate. Results: Of 508 consenting veterans, 333 (65.6%) completed baseline interviews. Among those who completed baseline interviews, 263 (79.0%) completed 6-month follow-ups and 194 (58.3%) completed 12-month follow-ups. Regression analyses showed PDC veterans had significantly less adverse outcomes than those receiving usual care, particularly for more impaired veterans after 6 months, including reduced relationship strain (B = −0.09; p = 0.05), depression (B = −0.10; p = 0.03), and unmet need (B = −0.28; p = 0.02; and B = −0.52; p = 0.08). PDC veterans also had less embarrassment about memory problems (B = −0.24; p = 0.08). At 12 months, more impaired veterans had further reductions in unmet need (B = −0.96; p < 0.01) and embarrassment (B = −0.05; p = 0.02). Limitations included use of matched comparison sites rather than within-site randomization and lack of consideration for variation within the PDC group in amounts and types of assistance provided. Conclusions: Partnerships between community and health organizations have the potential to meet the dementia-related needs and improve the psychosocial functioning of persons with dementia. Trial Registry NCT0029116

Disseminating Research News in HCI: Perceived Hazards, How-To's, and Opportunities for Innovation

Mass media afford researchers critical opportunities to disseminate research findings and trends to the general public. Yet researchers also perceive that their work can be miscommunicated in mass media, thus generating unintended understandings of HCI research by the general public. We conduct a Grounded Theory analysis of interviews with 12 HCI researchers and find that miscommunication can occur at four origins along the socio-technical infrastructure known as the Media Production Pipeline (MPP) for science news. Results yield researchers' perceived hazards of disseminating their work through mass media, as well as strategies for fostering effective communication of research. We conclude with implications for augmenting or innovating new MPP technologies.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted paper to CHI 2020 conferenc

Why don't health workers prescribe ACT? A qualitative study of factors affecting the prescription of artemether-lumefantrine

BACKGROUND: Kenya recently changed its antimalarial drug policy to a specific artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), artemether-lumefantrine (AL). New national guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention were developed and disseminated to health workers together with in-service training. METHODS: Between January and March 2007, 36 in-depth interviews were conducted in five rural districts with health workers who attended in-service training and were non-adherent to the new guidelines. A further 20 interviews were undertaken with training facilitators and members of District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to explore reasons underlying health workers' non-adherence. RESULTS: Health workers generally perceived AL as being tolerable and efficacious as compared to amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyremethamine. However, a number of key reasons for non-adherence were identified. Insufficient supply of AL was a major issue and hence fears of stock outs and concern about AL costs was an impediment to AL prescription. Training messages that contradicted the recommended guidelines also led to health worker non-adherence, compounded by a lack of follow-up supervision. In addition, the availability of non-recommended antimalarials such as amodiaquine caused prescription confusion. Some health workers and DHMT members maintained that shortage of staff had resulted in increased patient caseload affecting the delivery of the desirable quality of care and adherence to guidelines. CONCLUSION: The introduction of free efficacious ACTs in the public health sector in Kenya and other countries has major potential public health benefits for Africa. These may not be realized if provider prescription practices do not conform to the recommended treatment guidelines. It is essential that high quality training, drug supply and supervision work synergistically to ensure appropriate case management