What is behind the diagnosis of learning disability in Austrian schools?

Every school system has to deal with children with Learning Disabilities (LD). However, the concepts of LD, the assessment procedures, the diagnostic criteria as well as their interpretation vary widely from country to country. What they usually seem to have in common is that general cognitive abilities, as measured by standardized IQ tests, are seen as an important aspect of the label.. In Austrian schools the diagnosis of LD is largely based on expert opinions provided by special education teachers. The diagnostic procedure is quite unregulated and open to individual interpretation. As a rule, standardized tests are not used in this connection. In the present study the characteristics of children with a diagnosis of LD are evaluated in terms of standardized testing. Thiry-seven pupils diagnosed as having LD and 136 regular school children were assessed at the end of the 5th grade in Austrian schools using standardized tests of intelligence, reading, writing and arithmetic skills and questionnaires regarding social integration in class, emotional integration in school and cultural capital of their families. Compared with a group of pupils without LD, matched for IQ and age, the LD children showed significantly worse basic arithmetic and reading skills, inferior social integration in class and lower familial cultural capital. A stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that poor basic arithmetic and reading skills were the strongest predictors of having a diagnosis of LD. Other variables, including IQ, had significantly less weight. The results are seen as indication of the fact that precise guidelines for diagnosing LD in the school system and a transition to a system of evidence-based allocation of resources are urgently needed

Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in Austria

In der Arbeit wird über die Ergebnisse empirischer Studien zur Einstellung von LehrerInnen in unterschiedlichen schulischen Settings zur Frage der Integration von SchülerInnen mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf berichtet. Die Datensätze der Befragungen von insgesamt 578 LehrerInnen in der Grundschulstufe in Österreich aus den Jahren 1998 und 2009 wurden gemeinsam neu analysiert. Als Untersuchungsinstrument diente die Skala „Einstellung zur Integration in der Schule (EIS)“ von Reicher (1988). Hinsichtlich der Reliabilität und der faktoriellen Struktur entspricht die Skala den Anforderungen, die an ein Forschungsinstrument zu stellen sind. Die inhaltliche Auswertung der erhobenen Daten zeigte, dass die LehrerInnen die Integration von SchülerInnen mit einer geistigen Behinderung als schwieriger einschätzten als die Integration von SchülerInnen mit einer körperlichen Behinderung oder einer Lernbehinderung. In Bezug auf die generelle Einstellung zur schulischen Integration ergaben sich keine Unterschiede zwischen SonderschullehrerInnen und GrundschullehrerInnen, es zeigte sich aber ein moderater Effekt des Arbeitsfeldes, in dem die Befragten arbeiteten. LehrerInnen in integrativen Arbeitsfeldern gaben in Bezug auf jede Art der Behinderung eine positivere Einstellung zur schulischen Integration an als LehrerInnen in nicht-integrativen Settings. (DIPF/Orig.)The study reports the results of several empirical studies on teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with special education needs in different academic settings. The survey’s data sets of altogether 578 primary school teachers in Austria, queried in 1998 and 2009, were reanalyzed. The chosen instrument of investigation was Reicher’s scale “Einstellung zur Integration in der Schule (EIS) [attitudes towards inclusion in school]“ (1988). Concerning reliability and factorial structure, the scale fulfills the requirements which an instrument of investigation has to achieve. With regards to content, the analysis of the data showed that teachers evaluate the inclusion of pupils with mental retardation as a greater challenge than the inclusion of pupils with physical or learning disabilities. With reference to the general attitude towards academic inclusion, there were no differences between primary school teachers and special education teachers. However, the results revealed a moderate effect of the field of work the respondents were engaged in. Teachers working in inclusive fields declare a more positive attitude towards academic inclusion than teachers in non-inclusive settings, disregarding the type of disability. (DIPF/Orig.

Genetic analysis of loose cluster architecture in grapevine

Loose cluster architecture is a well known trait supporting Botrytis resilience by permitting a faster drying of bunches. Furthermore, a loose bunch enables a better application of fungicides into the cluster. The analysis of 150 F1 plants of the superior breeding line GF.GA-47-42 (‘Bacchus' x ‘Seyval blanc') crossed with ‘Villard blanc' segregating for compactness of the cluster was used for QTL analysis. Plenty of QTL were identified reproducibly for two years, QTLs stable over three growing seasons were identified for rachis length, peduncle length, and pedicel length. In a second approach ‘Pinot noir' clones showing variation for cluster architecture were analyzed for differential gene expression. Grown in three different German viticultural areas, loose versus compact clustered ‘Pinot noir' clones showed in gene expression experiments a candidate gene expressed fivefold higher in loosely clustered clones between stages BBCH57 and BBCH71