Recent research has come a long way in describing the linguistic features of large samples of written texts, although a satisfactory description of L2 writing remains problematic. Even when variables such as proficiency, language background, topic, and audience have been controlled, straightforward predictive relationships between linguistic…

Considerable evidence suggests that phonemic awareness is associated with the development of skilled reading. Consequently, it is recommended that beginning readers be assessed to ensure adequate development of phonemic awareness skills. When choosing an assessment method, reliability and validity, ease of administration and scoring, and…

Chapter 5 of DETYA's volume "The Impact of Educational Research" (Selby-Smith 2000) begins with an examination of the peculiarity of decision making in the VET sector, followed by an examination of the idiosyncratic consequences for the function of research in the sector. Having established the distinctiveness of VET in relation to these two key…

Searching for an adequate method to investigate human development (especially the development of theoretical thinking) Vygotsky and his collaborators developed the causal genetic method. The basic idea of this method consists in the investigation of psychic functions and structures by their formation under controlled conditions (for instance via a…

This project was initiated in order to evaluate two literacy and science integrated instruction units, "Shoreline Science" and "Terrarium Investigations," designed by the Lawrence Hall of Science "Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading" Project ("Seeds/Roots"). We examined how the integrated units affect student…

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite…

This paper provides an overview of the methods and results of alignment analyses and standard-setting procedures used in investigations conducted during the development of alternate assessments in two states: Wisconsin and Idaho. To meet the assessment and accountability mandates contained in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act…

Review of charts for 141 children who had undergone both a screening interview by an emergency department physician and an investigative interview for child sexual abuse evaluation found that perpetrator identification obtained during emergency department screening interviews usually agreed with information obtained at the subsequent investigative…

The purpose of this article is to report findings from an ethnographic study that focused on the co-development of science literacy and academic identity formulation within a third-grade classroom. Our theoretical framework draws from sociocultural theory and studies of scientific literacy. Through analysis of classroom discourse, we identified…

Through examination of 613 students' narratives about self-selected important decisions, I investigated the student and situation characteristics related to provocation and use of self authored ways of knowing. The findings gesture toward both particular skills students may need to develop in order to self-author, as well as suggest that movement…

Part One of this paper summarizes six years of investigations devoted to the study of the influence that a variable called teacher "wait-time" has on development of language and logic in children taking part in elementary science programs. It discusses the relation of wait-time to 10 outcome variables. Wait time at two locations was studied in…

We examined children's behavioral coping in response to an "in vivo" peer rejection manipulation. Participants (N = 186) ranging between 10 and 13 years of age, played a computer game based on the television show "Survivor" and were randomized to either peer rejection (i.e., being voted out of the game) or non-rejection control. During a five-min.…

A 10-month investigation by the City of New York Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District found widespread corruption and mishandling of the 1993 Community School Board election. School board elections are at the heart of school decentralization, and should enable local communities to exercise control over their…

Investigations with the computer can have different functions in the mathematical learning process, such as to let students explore a subject domain, to guide the process of reinvention, or to give them the opportunity to apply what they have learned. Which function has most effect on mathematical level raising? We investigated that question in…

Background: Unusual responses to sensory stimuli are seen in many children with autism. Their presence was highlighted both in early accounts of autism and in more recent first-person descriptions. There is a widespread belief that sensory symptoms characterize autism and differentiate it from other disorders. This paper examines the empirical…