Ann A. O’Connell

Obesity, High-Calorie Food Intake, and Academic Achievement Trends Among U.S. School Children

ABSTRACT The authors investigated childrens self-reported high-calorie food intake in Grade 5 and its relationship to trends in obesity status and academic achievement over the first 6 years of school. They used 3-level hierarchical linear models in the large-scale database (the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort). Findings indicated that frequency of eating fast food in Grade 5 was negatively related to mathematics and reading scores at Grade 5 and to the grow rate in both subjects. Frequency of obtaining salty snacks at school was moderately and negatively related to mathematics performance at Grade 5. School vending machines were not significantly associated with academic achievement patterns or obesity status. These results are informative of trends worth further investigation through prospective models.

The dimensionality of Spanish in young Spanish–english dual-language learners

PURPOSE This study examined the latent dimensionality of Spanish in young Spanish-English dual-language learners (DLLs). METHOD Two hundred eighty-six children participated. In their prekindergarten year, children completed norm-referenced and experimental language measures in Spanish requiring different levels of cognitive processing in both receptive and expressive language modalities. RESULTS The best-fitting model suggested a bifactor solution with a single general language factor L plus two additional factors word knowledge and integrative language knowledge. The general trait L reflects the proportion of common item variance for all of the items, and the group traits of word knowledge and integrative language knowledge explain additional domain-specific variance for those item subsets. CONCLUSION Results suggest that the Spanish language in preschool-age Spanish-English DLLs is not separable into content, form, and use, nor is it separable by higher- and lower-level language domains or processing demands. Instead it appears that a general language factor underlies oral language in Spanish in DLL preschoolers and that other factors account for additional variance over and above L. Findings are discussed in relation to a companion study of monolingual English-speaking prekindergarteners.

Vocabulary Gain Among Children With Language Disorders: Contributions of Children’s Behavior Regulation and Emotionally Supportive Environments

PURPOSE Behavior regulation is a positive predictor of language outcomes for children with typically developing language skills, and children with language disorders are at greater risk for difficulties with behavior regulation. This study investigated the unique role of behavior regulation on vocabulary gain for children receiving language therapy in the public schools as well as the unique and moderating influence of emotional support within therapy sessions on outcomes. METHOD A total of 121 kindergarten and 1st-grade students with language disorders, nested within 42 speech-language pathologists (SLPs), participated in the study. Direct child measures, indirect child measures, and therapy session videotapes were used for all analyses. RESULTS Hierarchical linear modeling indicated a positive association between childrens behavior regulation and vocabulary gain. The emotional support of therapy sessions was not a significant predictor of vocabulary gain. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study suggest that childrens behavior regulation is a significant predictor of vocabulary gain for children with language disorders; children with higher behavior regulation gain more over the academic year than do peers with lower behavior regulation. Findings highlight the importance of SLPs considering childrens behavior regulation when planning and implementing therapy.

Teachers’ Use of High- and Low-Support Scaffolding Strategies to Differentiate Language Instruction in High-Risk/Economically Disadvantaged Settings:

The focus of the present work was to examine teachers’ use of dynamic processes when implementing static language lesson plans that explicitly required teachers to employ scaffolding strategies so as to differentiate instruction. Participants were 37 preschool teachers and 177 children in their classrooms. Videotaped classroom observations were carried out and coded for the frequency of teachers’ use for six types of scaffolds. Children were assessed on measures of language skills. Study findings indicated that teachers utilized scaffolding strategies at relatively low rates and that they utilized low-support scaffolding strategies more frequently than high-support strategies. Furthermore, results suggested that the use of certain types of scaffolding strategies may be beneficial for children’s development of language skills. Findings from this work suggest that teachers may benefit from professional development opportunities focusing on the use of dynamic features of language interventions, such as scaffolding strategies, in the preschool classroom.

An empirical investigation of the dimensionality of the physical literacy environment in early childhood classrooms

This study investigated the dimensionality of the physical literacy environment of early childhood education classrooms. Data on the classroom physical literacy environment were collected from 245 classrooms using the Classroom Literacy Observation Profile. A combination of confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis was used to identify five separate dimensions of the physical literacy environment; including (a) variety and use of books, (b) variety and use of writing centre materials, (c) variety and use of technology, (d) variety of environmental print and (e) variety and use of other literacy-related materials. Overall, these five dimensions demonstrated reasonable reliability and validity. Implications for investigating the physical literacy environment and future directions for research are discussed.

Reader, Word, and Character Attributes Contributing to Chinese Children’s Concept of Word

ABSTRACT Concept of word—the awareness of how words differ from nonwords or other linguistic properties—is important to learning to read Chinese because words in Chinese texts are not separated by space, and most characters can be productively compounded with other characters to form new words. The current study examined the effects of reader, word, and character attributes on Chinese children’s concept of word in text. A total of 164 fifth-grade Chinese children participated in this study. Concept of word was measured by children’s lexical decisions about words and nonwords embedded in strings of characters. Cross-classified multilevel logistic models showed that reader attributes, including reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and morphological awareness, interacted with certain word or character attributes in predicting children’s lexical decisions about words or nonwords. This study sheds light on the complex relationships between reader, word, and character attributes in the formation of concept of word in Chinese.

Early Childhood General and Special Educators: An Examination of Similarities and Differences in Beliefs, Knowledge, and Practice:

In this study, we provide a contemporary examination of the similarities and differences between early childhood general educators (ECEs) and early childhood special educators (ECSEs) within a theoretically driven model that accounted for the associations of beliefs and knowledge with practice. We used structural equation modeling to examine the associations among these multifaceted constructs, controlling for background characteristics, for 147 ECEs and 78 ECSEs. Univariate analyses revealed differences between ECEs and ECSEs on measures of beliefs, knowledge, practice, and background characteristics; yet, when examining these variables in a complex model, this pattern of difference did not hold. ECSE status was predictive of differences in knowledge and one component of practice; however, in most cases, the differences between ECEs and ECSEs were not statistically significant. Implications of the findings and the importance of examining the associations of beliefs, knowledge, and practice within a complex system are discussed.

Relationship between serostatus disclosure and categories of HIV transmission risk in men who have sex with men living with HIV

In prior studies, the relationship between serostatus disclosure and reduced HIV transmission risk has been mixed. The demonstration of a clear connection may be restricted by three main methodological limitations. This study evaluates the relationship between (1) more refined measures of serostatus disclosure and (2) eight categories of HIV transmission risk (lowest to highest risk) among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV, while (3) considering a number of control variables. Results demonstrate that disclosure is more likely in sexual encounters involving no intercourse or involving protected and unprotected anal intercourse with HIV-positive partners than unprotected insertive anal intercourse with HIV-negative/unknown status partners. Additionally, substance use prior to sexual encounters is less likely in lower risk categories than the highest risk category. Results of this study are important to the design of future studies, prevention, and intervention programs for MSM and to the methods used to evaluate their effectiveness.

Assessing Learning Behaviors in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study reports on the dimensionality and validation of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS) for use in a sample of preschool children in early childhood special education classrooms. The PLBS is a teacher-report instrument that characterizes children’s approaches to learning. The sample included 600 preschool-age students in 97 classrooms. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses uncovered 2 reliable and valid dimensions: Competence Motivation and Learning Strategy. Scale scores were produced using item response theory and Bayesian scoring methods. Competence Motivation and Learning Strategy scores were moderately related to children’s performance on language and literacy measures. Practice or Policy: The potential use of this tool in early childhood special education classrooms is explored.

What Happens During Language and Literacy Coaching? Coaches’ Reports of Their Interactions With Educators

ABSTRACT Research Findings: This study investigated coaches’ interactions with educators in the context of a large-scale, state-implemented literacy professional development (PD). We examined log data and open-comment reports to understand what coaches found salient about their interactions with educators as well as how those reports aligned with the initial design of the PD. Coaches reported spending a large proportion of their interactions with educators completing administrative tasks. Our findings also indicate that coaches disproportionally targeted instructional content from the PD while also adding unrelated instructional content to their coaching. Although coaches reported focusing on relationship building, they reported using less efficacious coaching strategies (e.g., observation and discussion) more frequently than coaching strategies demonstrated to be more efficacious (e.g., modeling and coteaching). Practice or Policy: Our findings suggest an explanation for the mixed evidence around coaching, as coaches in the study seemed to move beyond the specifications of the PD in their coaching interactions. This work has implications for the design of PD for both improving coach training and allowing some flexibility to meet educators’ learning needs that may be secondary to the content of the PD. Findings also support the need for more nuanced mechanisms for investing in coaching and coaching outcomes.