bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wartime forest energy policy and practice in British West Africa: social and economic impact on the labouring classes 1939–45
Authors: Cline-Cole Reginald A.
Published: April 2006

The recent resurgence of interest in the impact of World War II on African populations has, to date, neglected the theme of forest energy (firewood and charcoal) production, consumption and exchange. This needs to be rectified, for several reasons: (1) wood fuel accounted for the lion's share of wartime forestry output by volume and value, prompting (2) an unprecedented degree of intensity in, and variety of, state emergency intervention in wood fuel ‘markets’ which had (3) important equity implications, which have gone largely unreported, with the risk that (4) current and future attempts at (emergency) wood fuel resource management may be deprived of the lessons of this experience. This article is thus an essay in the dynamics and consequences of crisis management in colonial forestry. It evaluates wartime forest energy policy and practice in British West Africa, with special reference to their ‘invisible’ social consequences. The regional political, economic and military context of forest energy activity is first summarised. This is followed by detailed case studies, which assess policy impacts on the labouring classes in the Sierra Leone colony peninsula and the Jos Plateau tin mines in northern Nigeria. The main aim of these studies is to show how war-induced demands on subsistence products like firewood and charcoal weighed inordinately heavily on the poor. Even those who belonged to sectors of society which benefited from preferential treatment in the allocation of scarce supplies of consumer products were not spared. Recently, concern has increased over the equity implications of current and proposed (peacetime) domestic energy policy and practice in Africa. This suggests that the issues of distributive justice raised by this study are of wider relevance than the specific historical context within which they have been discussed.
Toward a new understanding of Akan origins
Authors: Klein A. Norman
Published: April 2006

Recent evidence from archaeology and human population biology indicates two major demographic periods in the prehistoric and early historical settlement of the forest of southern Ghana. The earlier period began during the early part of the Common Era. The greatest material problem confronting early forest populations in West Africa was the need to counteract extraordinarily high rates of infant and childhood mortality and adult morbidity. This demographic drain resulted from the new disease ecologies—the relationship between the pathogens, notably malaria, their hosts and their mutual environment—that had confronted prehistoric and early historical peoples in the forest. The heavy price they paid in lives and productivity led these new forest communities to value the reproductivity of foreign women (slaves). The second period of demographic adjustment came between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries CE as West Africans responded to slaving, wars and Eurasian viral, bacterial and spirochetal diseases such as tuberculosis and syphilis, by developing a defensive clustering pattern of settlement. It was during this period, when refugees were being incorporated into forest communities in large numbers, including slave women brought in as reproducers, that the tradition of outsiders falsifying Akan genealogies probably became widespread and thus helped ensure the social reproduction of Akan lineages.
Music education in Ghana and Nigeria: a brief survey
Authors: Kwami Robert
Published: April 2006

This brief historical survey of music education in Ghana and Nigeria encompasses three periods—the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras. Its main aim is to search for explanations of an apparent dichotomy between African and Western musics in the curricula of schools in both countries. It shows that, during the pre-colonial and colonial eras, some missionaries, colonial administrators and teachers encouraged the use of indigenous musics in the formal, Western, education systems, whilst, in the post-colonial period, initiatives to include more indigenous African musics have put some pressure at lower levels of the curriculum. Consequently, it may be necessary to reassess the content, methods and resources of music education in both countries.
Fathering, mothering and making sense ofntamoba: reflections on the economy of child-rearing in colonial Asante
Authors: Allman Jean
Published: April 2006

This article explores the changing dynamics of child-rearing in Asante (Ghana) through the problematic concept ofntamoba. In the historical record, and in popular memory,ntamobahas survived in a number of forms—as a marriage payment, as a rite connected with birthing and naming and as an indemnification paid to a father by a child's matrikin to signify the termination of a father's rights in that child. This article seeks to historicise and explain the multiplicity of meanings and the eventual disappearance ofntamobaby examining the ways in which a father's rights of use in his children were transformed into rights of ownership. It foregrounds time and social place/status as key variables in its investigation, demonstrating how the disappearance ofntamobawas connected with the conflation of subordinate social categories in twentieth-century Asante.
Pastoralism, biodiversity, and the shaping of savanna landscapes in East Africa
Authors: Little Peter D.
Published: April 2006

East Africa possesses a rich historical and archaeological record documenting the significant influences of pastoral land use on savanna habitats. In this article the author explores the heterogeneity of savanna landscapes and its effects on local resource use. It is suggested that fundamental misunderstanding of key resources—in this case, wetlands—and their importance to local social and economic systems has misdirected arguments about environmental degradation in pastoral savanna areas. By focusing on a region of northern Kenya—the Lake Baringo basin of Baringo District—where global concern about biodiversity loss and ‘desertification’ are both strongly voiced, the article argues that the causal connection of local social practice with either phenomenon has been vastly exaggerated. In the case of Baringo it shows (1) how the value of the basin's swamps is constantly misunderstood by the state and other outside interests, and (2) how the perceived role of African herding in creating environmental degradation (‘desertification’) contradicts the recent acknowledgement of pastoralism's positive contribution to maintaining biodiversity.
Agro-diversity on a farming frontier: Kofyar smallholders on the Benue plains of central Nigeria
Authors: Netting Robert McC. , Stone M. Priscilla
Published: April 2006

This article examines the proposition that levels of agro-diversity decline with increasing intensification of agricultural systems. Much of the literature on swidden farming highlights the great numbers of both cultivated and wild species of plants these systems incorporate, while descriptions of mechanised intensive agriculture point to the small number of species managed. The article reports on an agro-eco-system that is known for its intensity—that of the Kofyar of central Nigeria—yet which maintains high levels of diversity. The article explores more generally, the role of biodiversity in systems of smallholder agriculture and makes the case that these systems, like that of the Kofyar, foster biodiversity as part of environmental and economic sustainability even as they adapt to new agricultural conditions.
Diversity at different levels: farm and community in western Nigeria
Authors: Guyer Jane I.
Published: April 2006

The difficulty of applying the concept of diversity to empirical research can be mitigated by empirical specificity. By applying it to the particular question of how cropping patterns in a community within the food supply hinterland of Ibadan have changed over twenty years of increasing market orientation one can both illuminate agricultural dynamics and also subject the concept of diversity to critique. This Nigerian case study argues that individual farmers have developed more weighted (‘specialised’) production patterns, but differently from one another, so that the community as a whole has retained a similar diversity profile to that of the past. Yoruba concepts and practices with respect to individuation and social diversity should be at the heart of an understanding of these patterns of change.
African and Africanist biodiversity research in a neo-liberal context
Authors: Cline-Cole Reginald A.
Published: April 2006

This article situates African(ist) biodiversity research in its wider neo-liberal context. It argues that the ‘africanisation’ of biodiversity as concept and practice must, of necessity, take place within a neo-liberal context of globalisation and localisation, and against the background of continually evolving relations between civil society, the market and the state. For this reason, the article concludes, African(ist) biodiversity strategies need to be understood as attempts at ‘holding down the global’, although they must not be allowed to degenerate into crude Africa-centrism or potentially reactionary relativism.
The Potential of Nonverbal Communication Research for Research in Dance
Authors: Davis Martha , Andreasen Lois
Published: April 2006

There is a growing body of knowledge about movement behavior (as it is variously called--kinesics, nonverbal communciation, expressive movement, body language, etc.). Increasingly anthropologists, psychologists, researchers in child development, etc. are attending to body movement. One could argue that although this is still a relatively underdeveloped area of research and that studies we have now will probably be rendered quite obsolete in five years, there is enough of a picture of what can be done and may be discovered to talk about it as a field in its own right. Further, one could argue that the preliminary research techinques and findings of movement research may, even at this point, be useful and relevant to research in dance. As an introduction to the topic a survey of some of the most important behavioral studies of body movement will be presented, followed by a discussion of a dance film and then implications of a practical, methodological, empirical, and theoretical nature that may be of interest to dance researchers.

For purposes of discussion, this survey is divided into three parts according to those studies which deal with (1) movement and expression of emotions, (2) movement style (from individual to cultural), and (3) movement in interaction.

It seems that the most common assumption about body movement is that it reveals inner emotions or attitudes. Darwin first made this idea the subject of serious scientific study in 1872 when he published The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
Sensitivity to Text Structure in Reading and Writing: A Comparison Between Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students
Authors: Englert Carol Sue , Thomas Carol Chase
Published: April 2006

Text structures are considered important organizational schemes underlying effective comprehension and production of expository discourse. The present study examined the differential text structure skills in reading and writing of learning disabled students and two groups of regular class students. The results revealed significant differences between learning disabled students and their regular class peers in the use of text structure in both reading and writing expository discourse. The data support the notion that knowledge of discourse types underlies effective comprehension and production and that learning disabled students' conceptual understanding of these structures is limited.
Classroom Behaviors of LD, Seriously Emotionally Disturbed, and Average Children: A Sequential Analysis
Authors: Slate John R. , Saudargas Richard A.
Published: April 2006

The regular classroom behaviors of LD, seriously emotionally disturbed, and average children were observed via a system that permitted sequential analysis of the data. A minimum of 80 minutes of classroom observational data was collected on each of 52 children. A lag sequential analysis was subsequently performed to determine regularities and differences in the sequential ordering of behaviors across time. The results revealed that the teachers behaved differentially toward the handicapped but not the average children. When the handicapped children were engaged in schoolwork, the teachers tended not to interact with them. However, when the handicapped students were not on task, the teachers tended to interact with them. These findings were not evident in the summary level analysis of the data. Lag sequential analysis appears to enhance our understanding of the organization of behavior within the classroom setting.
Multiple IQ-Achievement Comparisons: Effects on Severe Discrepancy Determination
Authors: Evans Larry D.
Published: April 2006

Increased Type I error resulting from multiple IQ-achievement comparisons may inflate learning disability identification rates for discrepancy models. The magnitude of such inflation was investigated with 87 referred students given the WISC-R and Woodcock-Johnson (R) Tests of Achievement. Five IQ-achievement comparisons were made for each student. Correction for multiple comparisons significantly decreased the number of students and achievement areas found to demonstrate significant IQ-achievement differences. However, less dramatic decreases were found for students and achievement areas determined to show discrepancies. It was concluded that the magnitude of inflation is a function of number of comparisons, degree of correction for multiple comparisons, and discrepancy model used.
Predictive Bias with Referred and Nonreferred Black, Hispanic, and White Pupils
Authors: Olivárez Arturo , Palmer Douglas J. , Guillemard Luisa
Published: April 2006

Predictive bias was examined using data obtained from ethnically diverse referred and nonreferred samples. Achievement and intelligence measures included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised, Kaufman Achievement Battery, Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery and the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery. The sample consisted of 236 subjects selected from a large urban district in Texas. Results revealed evidence of predictive bias in several sets of intelligence-achievement measures. For the most part, intercept bias was more evident than slope bias (differential validity). The need for test developers to assess predictive bias in new or revised tests is emphasized.
Effects of a Taped-Words Treatment Procedure on Learning Disabled Students' Sight-Word Oral Reading
Authors: Freeman Timothy J. , McLaughlin T.F.
Published: April 2006

The effects of modeling vocabulary words using a tape recorder on six high-school learning disabled boys' sight-word reading were examined in a multiple-baseline design. Response rates were first scored during the Baseline condition when no tape recorder was used. No teacher modeling was given. Later response rates were measured during the Taped-Words condition after a tape recording only provided a model for correctly pronounced words. Results indicated an increase in correct oral response rates of isolated word lists and a sharp decrease in each student's oral error rates. Implications of the findings are drawn both for practitioners working with learning disabled students and for others involved with reading tasks. The results indicate that the students were able independently to improve their response rates through the use of the tape recorder alone, thus freeing the teacher for other kinds of instruction.
Microcomputers versus Resource Rooms for LD Students: A Preliminary Investigation of the Effects on Math Skills
Authors: Trifiletti John J. , Frith Greg H. , Armstrong Stephen
Published: April 2006

The SPARK-80 Computerized Mathematics System1 was evaluated using children with learning disabilities. The computerized instruction group (n = 12) received 40 minutes per day of SPARK-80 instruction at Radio Shack terminals, whereas the resource instruction group (n = 9) received traditional resource room mathematics instruction from experienced teachers for 40 minutes per day. Mid-year assessment produced significantly greater results for the computerized instruction group compared to the resource instruction group in terms of number of math skills mastered and fluency of problem solving. Moreover, compared to the resource instruction group, the computerized instruction sample produced over twice the yearly gains in achievement and in number of math skills learned. Results were statistically significant at the .05 level.
Competencies for Professionals in Learning Disabilities
Authors: Newcomer Phyllis L.
Published: April 2006

Two hundred and sixty-one professionals in learning disabilities rated their proficiency on CLD competency statements in eleven areas. The evaluation included ratings of real competence, i.e., skills used on their jobs, and ideal competence, i.e., skills participants considered important for being able to function at maximum efficiency. The respondents were divided into subgroups based upon nine demographic conditions: Service Model, Teaching Level, Years of Teaching Experience, School Type, Years in Special Education, Degree, Location, Sex, and Age. Results revealed that reading was the most important competency area and that the majority of professionals felt most proficient in reading skills. At the other extreme, competence in cognition and career/vocational education was not viewed as particularly important. Other areas such as mathematics, written language, and oral language were regarded as important, but specific groups of professionals believed they were not fully competent in certain aspects of those areas. Other results suggested that teachers benefit from experience and academic degrees, and that they have little interest in research or professional organizations. Educational diagnosticians and supervisors believed that they had better training than other personnel; itinerant teachers viewed themselves as less competent than others in many areas.
Ecological Assessment and Intervention for Learning Disabled Students
Authors: Hardin Veralee B.
Published: April 2006

Traditionally, the assessment of learning disabled children and youth focused on isolated factors such as deficits or strengths within the student, student learning style and interests, teacher variables, and the classroom setting. According to the “ecological” or “total” model described in this article, the assessment process must consider the interaction between all relevant factors in isolation. Such an inclusive approach to assessment has direct influence on the intervention strategies applied with the LD student. Specifically, components of the intervention will be designed to impact the setting as well as the student. Hardin presents a clear explanation of the basic principles of ecological assessment and its relevance for the assessment of the learning disabled.
The Concept of Intrinsic Motivation: Implications for Practice and Research with the Learning Disabled
Authors: Adelman Howard S.
Published: April 2006

Many children and youth with learning disabilities manifest behavior problems in addition to various learning disorders. Historically, the major focus in the learning disability field has been on behavior modification while largely ignoring the construct of intrinsic motivation. A basic assumption of intrinsic motivation is the student's innate need for feeling competent and self-determining. Adelman reviews the basic constructs underlying intrinsic motivation and discusses their implications for assessment, intervention, and research activities in learning disabilities.
A Meta-Analysis of the Validity of Wechsler Scale Profiles and Recategorizations: Patterns Or Parodies?
Authors: Kavale Kenneth A. , Forness Steven R.
Published: April 2006

The techniques of meta-analysis were used to arrive at a quantitative synthesis of the results of 94 studies of the validity of Wechsler regroupings for differential diagnosis of learning disabilities. The primary finding indicated that no recategorization, profile, factor cluster, or pattern showed a significant difference between learning disabled and normal samples. The learning disabled group revealed about average performance and demonstrated less variability than the normal comparison group. Although differences emerged within the learning disabled group, no regrouping scheme was found exhibiting a uniqueness for learning disabilities that might be useful in differential diagnosis. Based on these results it was concluded that profile and scatter analysis is not defensible and that use of the Wechsler Scales should focus only on global intelligence assessment.
Identifying Phonological Coding Problems in Disabled Readers: Naming, Counting, or Span Measures?
Authors: Torgesen Joseph K. , Wagner Richard K. , Simmons Karen , Laughon Pamela
Published: April 2006

This article focuses on assessment and diagnosis of phonological coding problems in young children. Phonological coding is defined as the representation of information about the sound structure of verbal stimuli in memory. Phonological coding deficits are tightly linked to difficulties in acquiring early word-reading skills. The task most widely used to assess phonological coding difficulties in disabled readers has been memory span for items like digits, words, or letters. However, naming-rate or simple articulation-rate tasks may provide more sensitive measures of coding difficulties. We propose that the best measure of phonological coding difficulties may be a combination of tasks currently being developed.
The Role of Special Education in LD Adolescents' Transition from School to Work
Authors: Okolo Cynthia M. , Sitlington Patricia
Published: April 2006

Despite increasing interest in the transition of handicapped youth from school to postsecondary training and employment, available data indicate that few secondary-school special education programs provide relevant services. This article gives a rationale for and a delineation of the types of services which can facilitate the transition process for learning disabled (LD) adolescents. First, the authors review recent studies of LD individuals' vocational adjustment and identify the skills needed for successful transition to the world of work. Current practices in secondary special education and vocational education are then discussed. The authors conclude that secondary special education programs should provide six types of vocationally relevant activities: (a) occupational awareness, exploration, and basic work experience; (b) indepth career/vocational assessment; (c) instruction in job-related academic skills; (d) instruction in job-related interpersonal skills; (e) support services to other disciplines involved in vocational programming; and (f) post-school placement and follow-up. Finally, recommendations for personnel preparation and future research are suggested.
Effects of Presentation Mode on the Comprehension-Monitoring Behaviors of LD Adolescents
Authors: Bowman Jan E. , Davey Beth
Published: April 2006

This study assessed the effects of presentation mode on the comprehension-monitoring behaviors of LD adolescents. Thirty LD students (grades 9–12) were presented comprehension-monitoring tasks under two presentation-mode conditions: verbalization and listening. Four expository passages about animals were utilized which contained two types of embedded errors (within-sentence and between-sentence). As an on-line measure of monitoring, subjects were asked to identify embedded passage inconsistencies that interfered with meaning. As post-reading measures, two statement identification tasks were used to assess the subjects' awareness of passage information and statement plausibility. While multivariate analyses revealed no significant main effects for the verbalization condition, significant effects were found for the listening condition with the embedded error tasks. In addition, significant interaction effects for detection of embedded errors and judgments of statement plausibility suggested that the multimodal presentations acted to depress scores. Implications are drawn for future research and ucational practice.
Articulating Learning Disabilities for the Public: A Case of Professional Riddles
Authors: Simmons Deborah C. , Kameenui Edward J.
Published: April 2006

This investigation examined, through a survey of popular periodicals, the types and quantities of information that have been disseminated to the general public about learning disabilities. It was speculated that an analysis of these mainstream periodicals would provide practitioners and researchers with an insight into the kind of information that is being communicated to the public and, therefore, is likely serving to shape common perceptions of learning disabilities. A two-step process was utilized: (a) identification and selection of the most widely circulated articles on learning disabilities published from 1963 through 1984, and (b) analysis of the information contained in the articles to determine prevailing positions on etiologies and remedial interventions. The examination revealed that learning disabilities are viewed to be of neurophysiological origin and that remedial interventions should include multiple instructional methods and accommodate the individual aptitudes of the learner.
Cognitive and Academic Performance of College Students with Learning Disabilities: A Synthesis of the Literature
Authors: Hughes Charles A. , Smith Judith Osgood
Published: April 2006

The literature pertaining to college students with learning disabilities was reviewed to arrive at a summary of empirical reports on the academic achievement and cognitive ability of this population. Of the more than 100 articles published over a 20-year time span, less than one third were data based and reported academic and cognitive performance. Nevertheless, there is evidence that college students with learning disabilities may present unique problems which adversely affect academic performance. Findings include levels of intellectual functioning, as well as performance in reading, math, writing, and foreign language. Research needs and implications for service provision are discussed.
Strategy Training and Teacher- vs. Student-Controlled Study Conditions: Effects on LD Students' Spelling Performance
Authors: Graham Steve , Freeman Sally
Published: April 2006

This study examined learning disabled students' spelling performance in response to strategy training and variations in study conditions. After training in the use of a five-step study strategy, subjects studied spelling words under one of three conditions: (a) directed study; (b) student-controlled; and (c) teacher-monitored. Students assigned to a control group studied words in any manner they chose. Results indicated that students who were taught the five-step study strategy recalled the correct spelling of more words than controls who devised their own study method. However, the spelling performance of students who received strategy training was not differentially affected by variations in study conditions. Results were interpreted to suggest that learning disabled students' spelling difficulties are associated with problems in self-regulation of organized, strategic behavior.
Social Skill Deficits and Low Peer Acceptance of Mainstreamed Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Gresham Frank M. , Reschly Daniel J.
Published: April 2006

Positive social behaviors and peer acceptance of 100 mainstreamed learning disabled and 100 nonhandicapped children were compared. Highly significant differences between the two groups were found in peer acceptance as well as the social skill domains of task-related, interpersonal, environmentally and self-related behaviors. Deficits were evident in both school and home settings and were consistent across teacher, parent, and peer judges. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of behavioral repertoires expected by teachers, the low priority assigned to social skills by teachers, and the conceptualization of behavioral ratings as mediators between actual behavior and important social outcomes for learning disabled children.
Impulsivity in Learning Disabled Children: Past Research Findings and Methodological Inconsistencies
Authors: Walker N. William
Published: April 2006

Literature which either supports or refutes a higher incidence of cognitive impulsivity in learning disabled (LD) children is critically reviewed to illustrate past inconsistencies in methodology and resulting interpretive distortions. Issues addressed include: the inappropriateness of generalizing from findings based on sample-specific methodologies with the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT), the lack of research incorporating MFFT norms, inconsistent administration of the MFFT, and inconsistencies in sample characteristics. Cognitive-tempo classification methodologies are also discussed. Although conclusions suggest some evidence of a cognitive impulsivity-LD link, such a connection is clouded by past methodological inconsistencies. Methodological changes are proposed to aid future researchers in clarifying the relationship between impulsivity and LD.
Social Skill Needs of Mainstreamed Students: Peer and Teacher Perceptions
Authors: Cartledge Gwendolyn , Frew Thomas , Zaharias Jane
Published: April 2006

The social skill needs of LD children were assessed based on the perceptions of their nonhandicapped peers and regular class teachers. A total of 450 elementary-aged pupils completed questionnaires on a nonhandicapped and an LD-labeled child. Items related to academics, kindness, communication, friendship, and play behaviors. Only the responses to the kindness items favored the LD-labeled child. On a Likert scale, teachers rated which of 136 social skills were most important for LD children's social integration into the regular classroom. Teacher ratings placed most emphasis on task- and order-related behaviors. The discrepancy between the two groups' social skill focus is discussed. Also addressed are the implications for future social skill instruction designed to facilitate handicapped students' integration into the regular classroom.
Relative Effects of Teacher-Directed and Taped Previewing on Oral Reading
Authors: Rose Terry L. , Beattie John R.
Published: April 2006

An alternating-treatments design was used to investigate the relative effects of two previewing procedures on oral reading: (a) listening previewing, in which the teacher read the assigned passage aloud while the student followed along silently prior to reading the passage aloud; and (b) taped previewing, in which the student listened to prerecorded reading passages while following along silently prior to reading the passage aloud. Subjects were four elementary-aged learning disabled (LD) boys. Compared to a no-previewing approach, systematic previewing procedures were found to be related to higher performance levels. In addition, the listening procedure was differentially related to higher rates of words read correctly. Neither previewing procedure was related to changes in error rates. Implications of results are drawn for research and instruction.
Direction-Setting Activities in Reading Comprehension: A Comparison of Two Approaches
Authors: Darch Craig , Gersten Russell
Published: April 2006

Two direction-setting activities designed to increase high-school LD students' comprehension of important concepts during content area instruction were compared. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two instructional groups. The first group was taught with prereading activities based on a basal approach to teaching comprehension. The major focus of this condition was on (a) developing student interest and motivation, (b) highlighting the relevance of the passage to the students' past experience, and (c) offering a general introductory discussion. The second group received instruction using an advance organizer in the form of a text outline designed to help students process information from the text. Daily instructional sessions lasted 50 minutes and continued for 9 school days. The dependent measures consisted of (a) three probe tests administered at the end of each 3-day unit and (b) a 12-item posttest. Results indicated that on both dependent measures the advance-organizer group significantly outperformed the basal group. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of teaching strategies for LD students.
Accessing Scripts before Reading the Story
Authors: Sachs Arlene
Published: April 2006

Research has demonstrated that prior knowledge effects reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on silent reading comprehension of learning disabled readers' participation in activities designed to access scripts before reading. Prior to silently reading basal stories, 24 school-identified learning disabled children were exposed to (a) a plans-and-goals activity and (b) a conceptual-overview statement activity. A two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures on all factors was used to analyze the data. The plans-and-goals activity was found to effect the children's reading comprehension significantly. Thus, the results support the purported importance of acquiring scriptual knowledge before reading.
Reanalysis of a Meta-Analysis of the Validity of the Wechsler Scales in the Diagnosis of Learning Disability
Authors: Inglis James , Lawson J.S.
Published: April 2006

A meta-analysis of Wechsler scale data on 9,372 LD children failed to distinguish these children from their normal peers on any of the ability patterns that have conventionally been held to characterize LD children's test performance. However, a reanalysis of their data using a learning disability index (LDI), derived from a principal-components analysis of the WISC-R, was found to discriminate reliably between the two groups of children.
Story-Mapping Training as a Means of Improving Reading Comprehension
Authors: Idol Lorna , Croll Valerie J.
Published: April 2006

In a multiple-baseline ABA design, five intermediate-level, elementary students with mild learning handicaps and poor comprehension were trained to use story-mapping procedures as a schema-building technique to improve reading comprehension. The primary dependent measure was a set of responses to 10 explicit and implicit comprehension questions. Secondary dependent measures were length of story retell, comparison of story retell responses to comprehension-question responses, standardized reading tests, generalization probes, and listening comprehension. All five students' performance improved on most of the dependent measures. Four students demonstrated increased ability to answer comprehension questions, maintained performance after intervention, and increased the tendency to include story-mapping components in their story retells. The remaining, and much slower, student improved marginally on most measures; however, his slow progress did not enable a maintenance phase to occur. In addition, three students' performance on comprehension of more difficult classroom reading materials also improved. The reason for the lack of improved generalization in the remaining two students is not known. It may have been due to classroom materials being more difficult than those used for instruction or an overall lack of generalization ability found in some learners.
The Field of Learning Disabilities: A Futuristic Perspective
Authors: Hammill Donald D.
Published: April 2006

Last October the Division for Children with Learning Disabilities held its first national convention. To say the event was stimulating is an understatement. For the first time in the history of DCLD, state and national officers sat together and dealt with issue after issue for an entire day. Meeting halls and Informal sessions were overcrowded and attendance quadrupled the expected 500 persons. Congruent with the tenor of the event, Dr. Donald Hammill presented his keynote address that captured perfectly the spirit of the three-day convention. Dr. Hammill was kind enough to donate to DCLD the keynote presentation as well as the funds from the over 400 tapes sold to date. In response to our request, he has also been generous enough to transcribe the tapes and thus allow the LDQ the opportunity to make the speech available to all DCLD members and LDQ subscribers. The title and the speech say the rest … M.S.P.
Effects of Illustrations on Reading Performance: Implications for Further LD Research
Authors: Harber Jean R.
Published: April 2006

This article reviews available research findings on the influence of illustrations on the reading performance (i.e., word recognition and reading comprehension) of beginning readers in general and in specific subgroups of beginning readers (e.g., poor achievers, low-ability students). Findings suggest that the presence of illustrations interferes with poorly achieving and low-ability children's performance on word recognition tasks and that illustrations are of questionable value to such children's performance on reading comprehension tasks. The possibility that illustrations serve to distract the poor reader's attention from the printed word is discussed. The inability to filter out extraneous stimuli and focus selectively on a task frequently seen in learning disabled children is presented in terms of selective attention theory. Suggestions are offered for further research on the effect of illustrations on learning disabled youngsters' reading performance.
Detecting Learning Disabilities in the College-Age Student
Authors: Weller Carol , Strawser Sherri
Published: April 2006

This study involves the use of 20 subtests from various instruments designed to measure potential learning disabilities in college-age students. The data show mechanical writing conventions rather than conceptual language skills to be deficient in college freshmen with problems in English composition. Implications of the study are drawn for the implementation of Section 504, Subpart E, of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Adjustment Problems of Mexican and Mexican-American Students: An Anthropological Study
Authors: Trueba Henry T.
Published: April 2006

Adjustment difficulties have serious impact on children's academic achievement. Using an anthropological approach to data collection and analysis, the nature of Mexican and Mexican-American children's adjustment problems in school was investigated based on the hypothesis that their maladjustment stems from their inability to communicate and understand the school as a cultural unit. The focus was on specific manifestations of adjustment problems and the mechanisms used by the subjects to cope. A total of 16 distinct characteristics of maladjustment were identified. Coping mechanisms generally fell in three categories: underparticipation, overparticipation, and selective participation in academic tasks under protest. However, students were found to modify their behavior in response to different interactional contexts. A major influence on the children's responses to stressful situations and demanding tasks was found to be home socialization. Implications of the findings are drawn for school practices and future research directions. Basic to the suggestions to school personnel is the need to create humane and appropriate learning environments for Hispanic and other minority students including shared decision-making and closer home-school ties. Educational recommendations also include more effective teacher training at both the preservice and the inservice level as well as increased availability of aides. Identified research needs center around effective learning environments, impact of home environment, and basic skills acquisition.
Implications of Psychological and Educational Research for Assessment and Instruction of Culturally and Linguistically Different Students
Authors: Fradd Sandra , Hallman Clemens L.
Published: April 2006

This article contains suggestions for assessing and instructing culturally and linguistically different students. Special emphasis is placed on ways to distinguish those who are truly learning disabled from students who differ from the mainstream U.S. populations due to their unique cultural and linguistic background. The article focuses on how to reduce and circumvent the bias found in most widely used educational tests by paying increased attention to students' strengths and previously gained knowledge.
A Second-Language Approach to Mathematics Skills: Applications for Limited-English Proficient Students with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Cuevas Gilberto J. , Beech Martha C.
Published: April 2006

Learning disabled limited-English proficient (LEP) students' specific needs in learning the language of mathematics have not yet been clearly defined. Based on our knowledge about mathematics and learning disabled students, language comprehension, knowledge of syntax and vocabulary, and understanding of relational terms as they apply to mathematics appear to represent the areas which researchers and teachers must focus on when dealing with LEP students. A diagnostic/prescriptive approach to teaching mathematics with specific emphasis on needed language skills will be presented in this article.
The Effects of Distractible Child Behavior on Adults in a Problem-Solving Setting
Authors: Ianna Susan Osborne , Hallahan Daniel , Bell Richard Q.
Published: April 2006

Twenty-four women enrolled in undergraduate special education classes interacted with a child confederate while solving three tasks in one of two conditions. In one condition, the child exhibited distractible behavior; in the other the child exhibited similar skill levels but remained on task. Based on videotapes of the sessions, eleven categories of adult behavior and five categories of child behavior were coded. Analysis of the data using multivariate analysis of variance techniques supported the hypothesis that adults respond differently to particular characteristics of child behavior. Adults interacting with the confederate in the distractible condition made significantly more demands on the child's attention, provided more instruction, and more often asked the child about his performance and the demands of the task. Educational implications of the effects of child behavior on adults are discussed.
Effects of Classroom Training on LD Students' Task Persistence and Attributions
Authors: Thomas Adele , Pashley Brian
Published: April 2006

A total of 36 teachers and 162 children in classes for specific learning difficulties (SLD) participated in a five-week classroom attribution training program. One experimental group received training with mildly frustrating material, another in a success-only context, while a third no-treatment group served as a control condition. Training procedures involved teacher modeling, student rehearsal of self-statements and effort attributions, and teacher reinforcement for student self-statements. At pretraining, compared to average achievers, SLD students displayed lower persistence, lower perceptions of ability, and a helpless learning style as rated by parents and teachers. Experimental training resulted in significant increase in task persistence; no changes were noted in achievement attributions. Implications for instruction of learning disabled children are discussed.
Basic Measurement Proficiency of Learning Disability Specialists
Authors: Bennett Randy Elliot , Shepherd Margaret Jo
Published: April 2006

Ninety-five learning disability specialists serving on pupil evaluation teams were given a 64-item test of basic measurement concepts important in test interpretation. The test was constructed to tap knowledge and ability to apply concepts related to reliability, validity, norms, measures of central tendency and variability, criterion-referenced interpretations, and interpretive aids. Results showed that, on the average, learning disability specialists answered only every other question correctly and performed significantly below a group of students' enrolled in an introductory measurement course. These results are interpreted to indicate a need to train learning disability specialists in basic measurement concepts. Recommendations for training and for further research are given.
Is Minimal Strategy Instruction Sufficient for LD Children? -Testing the Production Deficiency Hypothesis
Authors: Gelzheiser Lynn M. , Cort Rebecca , Shepherd Margaret Jo
Published: April 2006

To test a production deficiency view of learning disabilities, the performance of learning disabled and normally achieving children given minimal instruction to use organizing strategies was compared to the performance of students engaged only in practice with a free recall task. Groups were selected as having equivalent pretest recall. On a posttest where strategy use was not prompted, the instructed group showed higher levels of strategy use than the control group. No differences were found between learning disabled and normally achieving subjects' strategy use. The instructed group recalled more than the control group. In contrast to predictions based on a production deficiency hypothesis, learning disabled groups recalled less than the normally achieving group. Factors that may have contributed to this finding are discussed.
Spelling Ability of Reading Disabled LD Students and Able Readers
Authors: Carpenter Dale , Miller Lamoine J.
Published: April 2006

The present study investigated differences in the spelling ability of two populations of elementary pupils: reading disabled students receiving learning disability services and able readers. Subjects consisted of three groups totaling 107 children. Pupils were matched on reading recognition ability with intelligence controlled for. Results revealed that reading disabled pupils differed from able readers of the same chronological age in phonetic spelling ability, nonphonetic spelling ability, and recognition spelling ability. It was concluded that the spelling ability of school-identified students with severe reading deficiencies was significantly inferior to that of reading able students.
Referential Communication Abilities of Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Noel Margaret M.
Published: April 2006

Disorders of spoken language have long been associated with learning disabilities. Recent research has focused less on linguistic characteristics and more on general communication effectiveness. This study investigated the referential communication ability of LD and non-LD elementary students. Developmental research has indicated that this language function tends to be well developed by early childhood and is a major precursor of later communication competence. Results of the present study indicated that LD students were less effective in providing descriptive information about objects than non-LD peers. Further analysis of LD communication revealed that such a lack of effectiveness was due to the LD students' limited use of labeling in their verbal descriptions.
Early Identification — An Analysis of the Research
Authors: Mercer Cecil D. , Algozzine Bob , Trifiletti John
Published: April 2006

The early identification of children who are at risk of experiencing school problems has become a major area of interest within special education. Teacher perception, test batteries, and single instruments are presented as the major types of prediction procedures. The authors discuss general considerations relative to using various prediction models as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the various early identification approaches.