The present study investigated the neuropsychological predictors of auditory/verbal and visual/written arithmetic performance in a large sample of children with learning disorders. In addition, the efficacy of a cognitive based arithmetic problem solving model (Dinnel, Glover, & Halpain, in press; Dinnel, Glover, & Ronning, 1984) in accounting for neuropsychological functioning in arithmetic performance was considered. Subjects were from a small midwestern school district, and were identified as learning disabled in accord with state (i.e., Rule S-1) and federal guidelines (i.e., PL-94-142). Specifically, subjects' scores on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) (Reitan, 1969) for older children and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (Wechsler, 1974) were used to predict performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Arithmetic subtest, and WISC-R Arithmetic subtest. Analyses were conducted with criterion measures considered separately and as a composite. In an attempt to examine the utility of the Dinnel et al., (in press; 1984) model, a simple index was formed using the criterion measures. This index was then predicted using the HRNB and WISC-R variables. Neuropsychological variables were found to account for some 31%, and 36% of the variability in visual/written and auditory/verbal arithmetic performance, respectively. However, neuropsychological variables accounted for some 87% of the shared variance when arithmetic measures were considered as a linear composite. Neuropsychological variables predicted a mere 12% of the variability associated with the index designed to test the Dinnel et al. (in press; 1984) arithmetic problem solving model. These data offered some support to Dinnel and others' (Dinnel et al., in press; 1984) formulations accounting for arithmetic performance under visual/stimulus conditions. However, the present findings indicated a more complex neuropsychological underpinning for overall arithmetic problem solving. Moreover, the neuropsychological constructs predicting arithmetic scores varied as a function of the stimulus/performance modes required for problem solving.Auditory-verbal attention and short-term memory, remote verbal memory, symbolic language integration, mental flexibility, and nonverbal abstract reasoning were the common neuropsychological constructs underpinning both auditory/verbal and visual/written arithmetic performance. Verbal facility, verbal abstract reasoning, nonverbal short term memory, and nonverbal concrete concept formation were uniquely implicated in auditory/verbal arithmetic performance. Visual/written arithmetic performance was uniquely related to nonverbal attention and intermediate nonverbal memory functions. In overview, it would seem that neuropsychological measures would be clinically useful in identifying deficits underlying poor arithmetic performance. / Department of Educational Psychology

This study reports information received from basic writing instructors at colleges in the Christian College Coalition, a group of 77 Christian, liberal arts colleges in the U. S. and Canada. Respondents completed a questionnaire and submitted sample syllabi and writing assignments. The study compares data from the respondents to current theories of basic writing instruction, most notably those of Andrea Lunsford and Mike Rose. It also compares the results to a similar study of all colleges by Joe Trimmer.The study found that the Christian College Coalition population was similar to the national population with regard to placement methods, textbook choice, and course goals. However, the study showed that a significant portion of basic writing courses are taught by tenure track English department faculty members. This finding represents a strength of this population as the national study showed that almost no basic writing courses were taught by tenure track faculty. In addition, the atmosphere of the small, Christian liberal arts colleges encourages low teacher/student ratios and more contact between faculty members and students in writing classes. These are areas of strength the Coalition schools should develop further.This study also reports and analyzes actual writing assignments and syllabi, some of the course materials Stephen North calls "lore." The examination of these materials shows more clearly than survey responses the types of writing students are actually doing in basic writing classes. / Department of English

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Curriculum and Instruction. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

M.Ed. (Multicultural Education) / The study focuses on the process-deficit model (within child-approach) and the concept of learning disabilities within the framework of a changing South African educational system. The research questions concentrate on the appropriateness of the model and paradigm In a multicultural educational system. The following questions are researched: Which ct1teria have to be considered In orthodidactlcal Intervention procedures for cultural diverse learners? How can the problems within the field of learnlng difficulties be addressed In a unitary educational system? Primarily the study alms to determine the status of the process-deficit model In a multicultural school. Secondly It attempts to identify the problem areas within the existing system and to find acceptable alternatives. Thirdly, the aim Is to use the identified ct1terta as guidelines In the search for a model for effective orthodidactlcal strategy planning. To comply with the above mentioned requirements, the study consists of a perspective on the history and future prospects of the process-deflclt model and the paradigm of specific leamlng difficulties practical evaluation of the model a search for criteria for appropriate Intervention procedures which may lead to a model for orthodldadlc support In the unique South African circumstances. The research Indicates the failure of both the concept and the category of speclflc leamlng disabilities to comply with the demands of science and practice In the field. As a result of theoretical and scientific shortcomings, the Integrity of the process-deflclt model is questioned to the extent that specific learning disabilities cannot be Justified 81 a category In a multicultural South African educational system. The model which was derived from a sophistlcated monocultural phase In the American educational system of the sixties is not reconcilable with the cultural complexity of South African circumstances. Should the South African conceptualisation of specific learning disabilities continue, the following problems are foreseeable: Since process-deficits can only be proven In a miniscule number of learners, the number of children who qualify for this category is extremely limited. Literally millions of children with learning difficulties are / wilI be excluded from It. Since It Is virtually Impossible to distinguish consistently between Intrinsic and environmental causes of learnlng disabilities, fair assessment of culturally diverse children Is unattainable according to the criteria and the diagnostic procedures of the model. Should the American example be followed, and the criteria expanded, over ldentiflcation of children will be Inevitable. The number of children then entitled to this category, will be overwhelming. The Infrastructure and current mode of Intervention willbe confronted by Impossible demands, as Is already the case. The quest for optimal effectiveness leads to a thorough Investigation of the theory, practice (Including diagnostic and Intervention procedures), provisional measures and structural aspect subjacent to the current orthodidactlc support system. The need for change In all areas Is emphasised. Guidelines as to how these changes may be brought about are discussed and reflected In the tentative model for orthopedagogics-orthodidactlc support In mainstream education submitted by the Interest Group, Orthopedagogics, of the Education AssocIation of South Africa

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

It has been found that most at-risk students have a very low self-esteem, which contributes to the sense of failure these students feel about their academic life. This study explored the use of bibliotherapy with secondary students in an effort to raise their self-esteem to a level which would counteract the frustration these students feel as they continually find themselves in failing situations in school. Extensive review of available literature on the topics of self-esteem, motivation, at-risk students, and bibliotherapy resulted in the compilation of an annotated bibliography, complete with suggested uses for the works found therein, selected for the secondary student, with the understanding that at-risk students often function academically below grade level.

Zhang, Ziwen (2022). Ett specialpedagogiskt arbetssätt för att skapa motivation.Speciallärarprogrammet i Matematikutveckling, Institutionen för skolutveckling ochledarskap, Lärande och samhället, Malmö universitet, 90 hp. Förväntat kunskapsbidragDetta arbete förväntas ge kunskap om hur gymnasielärare kan arbeta för att skapamotivation att lära sig matematik hos elever i matematiksvårigheter. Syfte och frågeställningDenna studie avser att undersöka om hur fem gymnasielärare uppfattar begreppetmotivation och hur de utformar specialundervisning med målet att skapa motivation hoselever i matematiksvårigheter. Frågeställningar som behandlas i denna studie är: 1. Hur uppfattas begreppet motivation av lärarna?2. Vilka möjligheter/ svårigheter upplever lärarna i derasmotivationsarbete?3. Vilka motivationsstrategier anses vara framgångsrika? MetodDatainsamling sker i form av kvalitativa intervjustudie av fem gymnasielärare som harspecialundervisningsgrupper. ResultatStudien visar att elevens motivation till att internalisera och utföra kulturellt värderandeaktiviteter är nära förknippade med att tillfredsställa individens tre grundläggandepsykologiska behov, autonomibehov, samhörighetsbehov och kompetensbehov. Genom attläraren aktivt jobba med att förstärka elev-lärar relation, främja meningsfullhet och skapasammanhang och koppling har vi bättre förutsättningar för att väcka elevernas intresse ochengagemang som bland annat är en viktig faktor för stimulans av den inre motivation. Keywords: Mathematics, Motivational work, Remedial teaching, Semistructured interviews

Bartholomae contends that "a reading course is necessarily a writing course and a writing course must be a course in reading." At most community colleges, however, reading and writing are still taught as if they were independent of each other. The course on which this curriculum study is based, English 07, Writing and Reading Improvement, represents a revision of that traditional approach, for it combines instruction in reading and writing to create a comprehensive class in developmental English. This dissertation describes the salient pedagogical features of English 07, from its rejection of the skills approach to language instruction to its treatment of reading and writing as complementary activities. The results of this study indicate that teaching reading with writing in the same course can be a viable alternative to teaching these skills separately. Success rates of students in English 07 consistently exceeded those of students enrolled in more traditional classes in which reading and writing remained isolated from one another. English 07 students also enjoyed a relatively high rate of success in subsequent first year English classes, approaching a level of achievement equal to that of students in the general population of the college. In addition, the study revealed several curricular elements that seem to have been unusually important in helping students develop their literate abilities. The course's emphasis upon reading and writing as complementary processes of composition, its thematic focus upon the self, the structure and sequence of reading and writing assignments, and the social relations in the classroom all emerged as significant influences in students' attempts to transform themselves into literate members of the academy. Clowes notes that successful integration "little evidence exists of developmental theory for the into the practice of remediation," and Berthoff asserts that "we need more research in teaching reading and writing together." This study answers those calls by demonstrating how reading and writing can be melded together to create an effective developmental English course. This dissertation should thus provide other community-college practitioners with an immediate theoretical framework and a model curriculum for helping students become more proficient readers and more accomplished writers. / Ed. D.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a training program in summarizing textbook articles on developmental English community college students’ ability to summarize text. Although previous research has documented improvement in reading recall when subjects were taught a hierarchical summary procedure, the study constitutes the first attempt to test whether this procedure can be used to train students to write better summaries. Developmental English students were chosen for study because students in this population typically do poorly at this important academic task. Because summary notes are often considered an aid to recall, the study also measured recall protocols of students who were trained in summary writing in contrast to those who received alternative training. Experimental group students were taught to identify the top three levels of importance and had guided practice with feedback once a week for five weeks. Control group students were given training in vocabulary and comprehension techniques. Passages were at least 1200 words. Scoring was based on inclusion of information from the top three levels of hierarchical structure in each passage. The basic questions of the study were: (1) Is there an interaction between group status and cognitive abilities on summary writing posttest scores? (2) Are students who received training in summarization more proficient at summarizing text than students who received another type of training? (3) Are students who received training in summarization more proficient at recalling text than students who received another type of training? (4) Do students trained in summarization score higher than students trained with other methods on a standardized reading test? Regression analyses indicated the following results: (1) There was no interaction between type of training and cognitive abilities on summary writing posttest scores; high and low students profited equally from instruction. (2) Students trained in summarization performed significantly higher than control group students on the summary writing posttest. (3) Treatment group students did not score significantly higher than control group students on the delayed recall test, but there was a trend towards Significance. (4) There was no significant difference between treatment and control group students’ standardized reading test scores. / Ed. D.