The significance of text in the teaching of reading in the early years

The goal of this study was (1) to investigate the development of decoding (efficiency), reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling during the elementary school years and (2) to determine the differences between poor, average and good performers with regard to the development of these skills. Twice each year two standardized tests for each skill were administered. For two successive periods, one of the tests for each skill was the same. To describe the development in terms of a latent variable evolving across grades, the structured-means version of the structural equation model was used. The growth was expressed in terms of effect size. With respect to the first question, clear seasonal effects were found for reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling, while the seasonal effect for decoding efficiency was restricted to the early grades. Progress tended to be greater from fall to spring than from spring to fall. For decoding efficiency, and to a lesser degree for vocabulary and spelling, growth showed a declining trend across grades. For reading comprehension, the progress in grade 2 was lower than the progress in grade 3, but progress was declining across higher grades. With respect to the second question, it appeared that initially low performers on reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling tended to show a greater progress, especially in periods where the largest amount of instruction was given. Although it was found that the low, medium and high ability groups remain in the same order, as far as their means are concerned, these findings do not confirm the existence of a Matthew effect for reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. For decoding efficiency no clear differential effect could be found: the gap between the poor and good performers did not widen over time for this skill

Waterbeheer en waterveiligheid - 39

Environmen

The 4^4He(e,e′p)(e,e'p) Cross Section at Large Missing Energy

The $(e,e'p)$ reaction on $^{4}{He}$ nuclei was studied in kinematics designed to emphasize effects of nuclear short-range correlations. The measured cross sections display a peak in the kinematical regions where two-nucleon processes are expected to dominate. Theoretical models incorporating short-range correlation effects agree reasonably with the data.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX, using espcrc1.sty and wrapfig.sty (included), two figures. Talk presented by J. Templon at the 15th Int. Conf. on Few-Body Problems in Physics, Groningen, The Netherlands, 22-26 July, 199

Prediction of word recognition in the first half of grade 1

Item does not contain fulltextEarly detection of reading problems is important to prevent an enduring lag in reading skills. We studied the relationship between speed of word recognition (after six months of grade 1 education) and four kindergarten pre-literacy skills: letter knowledge, phonological awareness and naming speed for both digits and letters. Our sample consisted of 178 pupils divided over seven classes. In agreement with the literature, we found that all four kindergarten tests were related to speed of word recognition in grade 1. We also performed a multiple regression analysis with a set of background variables and the four kindergarten tests. The model explained 53% of the variance in speed of word recognition. However, only letter knowledge and naming speed for digits had a significant direct effect. Our conclusion is, nevertheless, that all four kindergarten tests should be used to identify children at risk for reading problems.10 p

Brecha salarial de género: la penalización por maternidad

El objetivo fundamental de este trabajo es ofrecer una visión general de las diferencias salariales entre hombres y mujeres, prestando especial atención a la penalización por maternidad, que se traduce en la existencia de diferencias salariales entre madres y padres o entre madres y nomadres. Para estudiar estas brechas salariales se han utilizado distintos indicadores a partir de la Encuesta de Población Activa y Eurostat, así como numerosos artículos e informes científicos. Del análisis realizado se deduce que, entre las causas de esta penalización por maternidad, están la reducción de los días trabajados, así como de la jornada laboral y las pausas en la carrera profesional. Además, se concluye que la brecha salarial de género, explicada en gran medida por la penalización por maternidad, a pesar de haberse reducido a lo largo de los años, es una realidad que las autoridades ni la sociedad aún han conseguido erradicar.The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the gender pay gap, paying special attention to the motherhood wage penalty, which results in the existence of pay gaps between mothers and fathers or between mothers and non-mothers. In order to study these wage gaps, different indicators from the Labour Force Survey and Eurostat have been used, as well as numerous scientific articles and reports. The analysis shows that the causes of the motherhood wage penalty include the reduction of working days, working hours and career breaks. Furthermore, it concludes that the gender pay gap, which is largely explained by the motherhood wage penalty and although it has been reduced over the years, is a reality that neither the authorities nor society have yet succeeded in eradicating