Who Volunteers to Provide Reading Instruction for Adults and What Do They Know?

Volunteer instructors make a substantial contribution to adult literacy, yet little research has been conducted to better understand not only who the volunteers are but what they know about reading instruction. This study describes a national sample of 124 volunteer instructors and their knowledge of providing reading instruction for adults

A Preliminary Study: Do Alternative Certification Route Programs Develop the Necessary Skills and Knowledge in Assistive Technology?

A large number of special education teachers in the United States are prepared in alternative certification programs and insufficient empirical information exists regarding their knowledge of assistive technology. The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of alternatively licensed special education teachers\u27 knowledge, experience, and confidence with assistive technology. One-hundred twenty-three special education teachers who were enrolled in an alternative license program were surveyed. The data indicated a significant positive relation between teachers\u27 knowledge/usage and their confidence with assistive technology (r = .74; p \u3c .01). In addition, the extent to which the teachers\u27 perceived barriers to integrating assistive technology in the classroom were moderated by their level of confidence. The results are presented in the context of building special education teachers\u27 knowledge and skills as well as affective issues regarding assistive technology

Public engagement with marine climate change issues: (Re)framings, understandings and responses

Climate change impacts on marine environments have been somewhat neglected in climate change research, particularly with regard to their social dimensions and implications. This paper contributes to addressing this gap through presenting a UK focused mixed-method study of how publics frame, understand and respond to marine climate change-related issues. It draws on data from a large national survey of UK publics (N = 1,001), undertaken in January 2011 as part of a wider European survey, in conjunction with in-depth qualitative insights from a citizens’ panel with participants from the East Anglia region, UK. This reveals that discrete marine climate change impacts, as often framed in technical or institutional terms, were not the most immediate or significant issues for most respondents. Study participants tended to view these climate impacts ‘in context’, in situated ways, and as entangled with other issues relating to marine environments and their everyday lives. Whilst making connections with scientific knowledge on the subject, public understandings of marine climate impacts were mainly shaped by personal experience, the visibility and proximity of impacts, sense of personal risk and moral or equity-based arguments. In terms of responses, study participants prioritised climate change mitigation measures over adaptation, even in high-risk areas. We consider the implications of these insights for research and practices of public engagement on marine climate impacts specifically, and climate change more generally

Handbook of reading assessment : a one-stop resource for prospective and practicing educators, 2nd ed./ Bell

xxi, 320 p.: ill, tab.; 25 cm

Handbook of reading assessment : a one-stop resource for prospective and practicing educators, 2nd ed./ Bell

xxi, 320 p.: ill, tab.; 25 cm

Examining the Writing Achievement & Self-Efficacy of Elementary Students At Risk

Participants will gain familiarity with two major types of writing achievement and how they relate to writing skills and narrative writing self-efficacy for upper elementary students (N = 61) who attended Title 1 schools and the majority of whom qualified for free/reduced lunch. Presenters and participants will discuss implications for researchers and educators. Target audience includes researchers and practicing teachers

Do Foreign Language Learning, Cognitive, and Affective Variables Differ as a Function of Exceptionality Status and Gender?

Relationships between foreign language learning and four characteristics— anxiety, aptitude, attitudes and attributions for success—were investigated for 95 students enrolled in introductory level Spanish classes at a large, southeastern university in the United States. Examination grades resulted in significantly positive correlation with an aptitude measure and significantly negative correlation with luck attributions for foreign language success (p \u3c .05). Students identified as gifted tended to score higher than those with learning disabilities on exams, though not significantly higher, perhaps as a result of the small sample size and highly variable performance of the gifted students (p \u3c .05). In addition, the gifted students reported less anxiety (p \u3c .04). Females reported higher anxiety (p \u3c .001) than males though they earned (non-significantly) higher scores (than males) on exams (p \u3e .05). Modern Language Aptitude Test Part IV and luck attributions significantly predicted exam grades within a multiple regression analysis. In a second multiple regression analysis, only effort and ability attributions significantly predicted anxiety. Results underscore the importance of understanding and addressing both cognitive and affective variables in learning a new language