Carol T. Wren

University Faculty Perceptions of Students with Learning Disabilities: Correlates and Group Differences

This investigation examined faculty attitudes, beliefs, and practices with regard to students with learning disabilities (LD). An instrument was designed to measure attitudes and administered to all faculty in a large urban, private university. Responses from 192 faculty members were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis; results indicated that the instrument contained 12 reliable factors. Further, correlational analyses provided preliminary support for the instruments construct validity by showing that major constructs were associated with each other in expected directions. Descriptive analyses indicated that faculty generally had positive perceptions about students with LD and were willing to spend time supporting students with LD. Consistent with prior research, faculty expressed greater willingness to provide minor, rather than major, accommodations. Group comparisons by faculty gender, academic unit, and rank are reported. The implications of these findings for future research and training efforts are discussed.

The Effects of Disability-Focused Training on the Attitudes and Perceptions of University Staff

This investigation examines the relationship between prior disability-focused training and university staff members’ attitudes toward students with learning disabilities (LD). A survey containing items pertaining to prior disability-focused training experiences and attitudes about students with LD was administered to 300 university staff members. Responses from 112 participants indicated that staff who had not received any form of prior training had greater interest in receiving training regarding LD and had insufficient knowledge to support students with LD. In contrast, staff who had received some form of prior training reported greater scores on general knowledge and sensitivity toward university students with LD. Analyses of training type indicated that staff who had previously participated in disability-related workshops and coursework reported the most positive attitudes, followed by staff who had participated in other forms of training (i.e., reading books and articles or visiting websites). Total number of training types experienced, time spent engaged in training activities, and the amount of time elapsed since training experiences predicted different aspects of staff members’ attitudes and perceptions as well as their satisfaction with prior training. The implications of these findings for future disability-focused professional development efforts within postsecondary settings are discussed.

Collecting Language Samples from Children with Syntax Problems.

Although it is important that children produce enough spontaneous language to be analyzed, length is not the only criterion to be considered when collecting language samples. This article suggests ...

Acquisition of prepositions in language‐delayed preschoolers: Is intervention effective?

Many language-delayed children experience difficulty with prepositions, but few instructional guidelines exist. A group of 25 language-delayed preschoolers made significant gains on a test measuring comprehension of 20 prepositions following five months of systematic instruction by classroom teachers in a preschool setting. They continued to improve on a second post-test after four additional months of instruction. The instructional method is discussed in detail, and an analysis of the order of difficulty of the prepositions is presented.

Identifying Patterns of Syntactic Disorder in Six-Year-Old Children

SummaryThis study analyzes profiles of syntactic usage among six-year old language disordered children. By means of the LARSP categories, the syntactic structures of 30 language disordered and 15 normal children were grouped, by a Q-Factor analysis into clusters of mathematically similar profiles. Two groups with imbalanced syntactic development, in contrast to the normal pattern of balanced development were discerned. These appear to be similar to patterns found by Crystal. The first group (A) reveals normal clause development but inadequate phrase and word structures. The second group (B) exhibits a pattern of depressed word and phrase structure but even lower ability in the area of clause structure, with the added features of inconsistent performance and a wide gap between maximum and typical performance. The relationships between profiles found in this study and those found by Crystal, as well as implications of the research are discussed.

Book reviews : Assessing and teaching language: literacy and oracy in schools Mary Neville London: Macmillan Education, 1988. xi + 267pp

Assessing and Teaching Language is the report of a 32-year research project that assessed a broad range of language skills of pupils in Scottish schools. The research was funded by the Scottish Education Department and focused entirely on the oracy and literacy skills of normal children. By sampling the language skills of over 5000 Scottish school children at the Primary 4, Primary 7, and Secondary 2 levels, and using a carefully designed set of tests, Neville and her staff have produced information that is thought-provoking, sensible, and eminently usable in the classroom. She makes a good case for oracy and literacy assessment in the normal classroom, provides sufficient information for others to replicate the tests used in the study or to

Book reviews : Parents and teachers together Peter Smith, editor Basingstoke: Macmillan Education, 1987. 262 pp

means of read-aloud, booksharing, discussion and appetite-whetting sessions, with a laudable plea that topics could be prompted by novels and not the reverse, which is usually the case. ’Problems and Assessment’ echoes Young and Tyre, and also Meek, by claiming that ’children with reading problems need more exposure than others to realistic, not clinical, reading situations’. I would quibble with ’than others’, but the most unfortunate feature of this section is the piece on assessment.

Book Reviews: 3 Assessment and intervention : Communication skills and classroom success: therapy methodologies for language learning disabled students Charlann Simon, editor San Diego: College-Hill Press; London: Taylor and Francis, 1985, xii + 424 pp

with language and learning disabilities. The next two chapters (by Marshall, and Knepflar and Laguaite) discuss the general strategies of cognitive behaviour modification and relaxation therapy, which can be used to help children become more positive, active learners. The following chapters (by Pickering, Lasky, Simon, Westby, Bourgault, O’Brien, Tunmer and Cole, Baldwin and Henry, Stewart, and Montague) focus on the cognitive and metacognitive uses of language and discuss techniques for teaching oral comprehension, expression, thinking skills, reading, writing and verbal mathematics problems, all with a focus on direct teaching. The chapters are somewhat uneven, in that some offer only broad guidelines, while others present specific suggestions and materials. Further, among the chapters there is some confusion over the notions of