Comparing the effects of incremental rehearsal and traditional drill on retention of mathematics facts and predicting the effects with memory.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Incremental Rehearsal (IR) and traditional drill (TD) on retention of multiplication facts with 29 students in third and fourth grades with low mathematical skills. Results indicated that IR led to significantly more facts being retained, and was essentially equal to TD for efficiency as measured by number of facts retained per instructional minute. Memory scores accounted for 34% of the variance beyond mathematics calculation scores in retention of multiplication facts for the TD condition, but only 2% of the variance for the IR condition. Thus, retention of multiplication facts seems largely influenced by a student's memory skills when using less effective instructional techniques such as TD, while approaches like IR are likely effective regardless of memory skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Meta-analysis of the effects of academic interventions and modifications on student behavior outcomes.

The current study examined the effect of academic interventions and modifications on behavioral outcomes in a meta-analysis of 32 single-case design studies. Academic interventions included modifying task difficulty, providing instruction in reading, mathematics, or writing, and contingent reinforcement for academic performance. There was an overall small to moderate effect (ϕ = .56) on behavioral outcomes, with a stronger effect on increasing time on task (ϕ = .64) than on decreasing disruptive behavior (ϕ = .42). There was a small effect for using a performance-based contingent reinforcer (ϕ = .48). Interventions completed in an individual setting resulted in a moderate to large effects on behavior outcomes. Results of the current meta-analysis suggest that academic interventions can offer both positive academic and behavioral outcomes. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are included. (PsycINFO Database Record

Peer reactions to early childhood aggression in a preschool setting: Defenders, encouragers, or neutral bystander.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to determine if peer reactions to aggression among preschool youth were consistent with those conceptualized in the adolescent bullying literature as defenders, encouragers, and neutral bystanders. RESEARCH DESIGN: Direct observations were used to document patterns for types of peer-directed aggression in early childhood settings to ascertain interaction differences between individuals involved within the bullying dynamic. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Observations of 50 students in preschool were conducted over 5.5 months. Event recording procedures were used to document aggressive behaviors and reactions from peers and teachers. RESULTS: Results indicated that the majority of aggression was physical. Additionally, peer reactions, as described in the bullying literature for school-aged youth, occurred very infrequently. CONCLUSION: Peer aggression tended to be more physical, suggesting that early childhood educators should attend to these physical interactions, and cultivate a classroom community that emphasizes social supports and appropriate interactions.

Accuracy of student performance while reading leveled books rated at their instructional level by a reading inventory.

Identifying a student's instructional level is necessary to ensure that students are appropriately challenged in reading. Informal reading inventories (IRIs) purport to assess the highest reading level at which a student can accurately decode and comprehend text. However, the use of IRIs in determining a student's instructional level has been questioned because of a lack of research. The current study examined the percentage of words read correctly with 64 second- and third-grade students while reading from texts at their instructional level as determined by an IRI. Students read for 1 min from three leveled texts that corresponded to their instructional level as measured by an IRI, and the percentage of words read correctly was recorded. The percentage read correctly correlated across the three books from r=.47 to r=.68 and instructional level categories correlated from tau=.59 to tau=.65. Percent agreement calculations showed that the categorical scores (frustration, instructional, and independent) for the three readings agreed approximately 67% to 70% of the time, which resulted in a kappa estimate of less than .50. Kappa coefficients of .70 are considered strong indicators of agreement. Moreover, more than half of the students with the lowest reading skills read at a frustration level when attempting to read books rated at their instructional level by an IRI. The current study questions how reliably and accurately IRIs identify students' instructional level for reading.

Contralateral suppression of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions in children with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVES: In previous studies, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) have been found to be larger in normal-hearing children with sickle cell disease (SCD). It was hypothesized that some dysfunction or reduction in the medial olivocochlear efferent suppression of outer hair cell activity was responsible for this phenomenon. To test this hypothesis, contralateral suppression of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) was examined in children with and without SCD. DESIGN: Thirteen African American school-aged normal-hearing children with homozygous SCD and 13 age- and gender-matched control children participated. TEOAEs were obtained bilaterally with 80 dB peSPL nonlinear click stimuli. To examine contralateral suppression, TEOAEs were obtained with 60 dB peSPL linear click stimuli with and without a contralateral 65 dB SPL white noise suppressor. RESULTS: Overall and half-octave band TEOAE levels were found to be larger in children with SCD relative to the normal control children (p < 0.05), consistent with previous reports of increased OAE levels. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the absolute or proportional amount of TEOAE suppression as a function of group and ear. There were also no significant correlations or linear predictive relationships between TEOAE suppression and TEOAE level for either ear or group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings do not support the notion that increased OAE levels in children with SCD are a consequence of abnormal medial olivocochlear system function as assessed with contralateral suppression of TEOAEs.