Christina E. van Kraayenoord

Reading Achievement, Metacognition, Reading Self-Concept and Interest: A Study of German Students in Grades 3 and 4.

This study examined the reading achievement, metacognitive knowledge related to reading and memory, reading self-concept, and interest in reading of 140 German school students in Grades 3 and 4. The results indicated significant correlations between the metacognitive variables, motivational variables, and amongst metacognitive and motivational variables, as well as with reading achievement variables. The examination of good and poor readers showed significant differences in metacognitive knowledge of reading and memory, reading self-concept, interest in reading, and in teacher judgements of reading achievement between the groups. Differences between Grade 3 and 4 students were found in their word decoding skills, metacognitive knowledge about reading and memory, and teacher judgements of reading achievement. Results of the regression analysis indicated that reading achievement was predicted by grade level, word decoding, and teacher evaluations of reading achievement. The causal modelling indicated that motivation and metacognition affect reading comprehension in different ways. The findings are discussed in terms of future research and their educational implications.RésuméCette étude vise à metre en relation des variables motivationelles et des capacités dites métacognitives d’autoévaluation dans les domaines de la lectureet de la mémoire avec la réussite dans l’acquisition de la compétence lexique. L’étude concerne 140 élèves allemands en 3ème et 4ème année d’école primaire. Les résultats indiquent de fortes corrélations entre les variables métacognitives et motivationelles (entre autres), aussi bien qu’avec des variables de compétence en lecture. La comparaison de “bons” lecteurs et des lecteurs dits “faibles” montre des différences significatives au niveau des connaissances métacognitives de lecture et de la mémoire, de l’image de soi, de la motivation et des jugements des professeurs de ces groupes. Quant aux deux niveaux (3ème et 4ème année), les auteurs trouve des différences en compétence lexique, en connaissance métacognitive de la lecture et de la mémoire, et en ce qui concerne les jugements des enseignnants sur la compétence. Les résultats de l’analyse de régression indiquent que les conclusions concordent avec hypothèses basées sur le niveau, la compétence lexicale et les évaluations des enseignants. Le modèle causal montre que la motivation et la connaissance métacognitive prédisent la compréhension à plusieurs niveaux. L’étude discute aussi les résultats en termes de recherche future et d’implications pédagogiques.

Parents’ attitudes to inclusion of their children with special needs

This study investigated the attitudes of 354 Australian parents who have a child with a disability and who attends a state school in Queensland. The types of disability of the children were broadly in accordance with accepted prevalence figures, except for a greater number reported as having autistic spectrum disorder and fewer students with a learning difficulty/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The children were in a range of classes, from special schools to schools where there was in-class help from a special teacher or teacher aide. Many of the parents favoured inclusion, some would if additional resources were provided, and a small group of parents favoured special placement. There were a limited number of negative attitudes to inclusion reported by the parents, and though some parents thought that some need existed for in-service education about inclusion, this was not a widespread view.

Australian Students' Self-Appraisal of Their Work Samples and Academic Progress.

In this article we describe the use of a classroom interview with students to assess and promote self-appraisal of their academic learning. The 10-item Worksamples Interview stimulates students to review and analyze their schoolwork on a variety of cognitive and motivational dimensions. Students are asked to select examples from their recent work that reveal different features of their accomplishments and to provide self-evaluations of the work. 93 students in years 4, 5, and 6 in 1 Australian school (equivalent to grades 3, 4, and 5 in the United States) participated in the Worksamples Interview as well as in a larger, longitudinal research project that yielded additional data that could be correlated with interview responses. Older students were able to explain their work samples in greater detail and with more insight. The total Worksamples Interview scores were correlated significantly with scores on measures of strategic reading, school attitudes, and literacy habits outside school. Thus, the interview assesses metacognitive abilities related to strategic and motivated learning. It is a promising assessment tool that teachers can use in student conferences, along with other performance and portfolio assessments.

Reading, metacognition and motivation: A follow-up study of German students in Grades 7 and 8

This follow-up study to van Kraayenoord and Schneider (1999) examined the performance in reading, metacognition and motivation related to reading of students in Grades 7 and 8. Results showed significant correlations between all of the variables. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that “good” and “poor” readers differed in reading self-concept and metacognitive measures related to reading and memory. A stepwise regression analysis suggested that the metacognitive variables were the best predictors of reading. Furthermore, a comparison of the results of the previous study with those of the current investigation revealed that the findings were stable over time. Since the period between the two studies is the time during which students make important decisions related to enrolment in one of three distinct school-types in Germany, we examined the results of various groups of students: those in “Gymnasium” (high educational track), “Realschule” (middle educational track), and “Hauptschule” (low educational track). Students in the Gymnasium scored significantly better than students in the other two groups on almost all variables related to reading. A re-analysis of the data from our first investigation found that the results of the Gymnasium students in the second study could be predicted from their results obtained during elementary school.RésuméCe travail poursuit une étude de van Kraayenoord and Schneider (1999). Il examine les performances en lecture, les aptitudes métacognitives liées aux capacités de lecture et de mémoire et le niveau de motivation avec la fois une auto-évaluation des capacités de lecture et l’intéret pour la lecture de 59 jeunes participants de niveau scolaire 7 et 8. Les résultats montrent une corrélation significative entre toutes les variables étudiées. Une analyse de variance multivariée montre que ‘bons’ et ‘mauvais’ lecteurs diffèrent dans l’évaluation qu’ils ont de leurs capacités de lecture et dans les mesures méta cognitives en rapport avec la lecture et dans les mesures méta cognitives en rapport avec la lecture et la mémoire. Une analyse de régression suggère que les capacités de lecture peuvent être prédites par les variables métacognitives et, plus faiblement, par les mesures sur l’autoévaluation de la lecture. De plus, une comparaison des résultats entre l’étude précédente et celle présentée ici montre une stabilité au cours du temps. En outre, ces deux travaux encadrent la période au cours de laquelle, en Allemagne, les étudiants doivent prendre des décisions importantes d’orientation et choisir entre troid différents types d’école: le ‘Gymnasium’ (haut niveau d’éducation), la ‘Realschule’ (moyen niveau d’éducation) et l’Hauptschule (faible niveau d’éducation). Il était alors intéressant d’examiner plus spécifiquement les données de ces trois différents groupes d’étudiants. Les résultats indiquent que les étudiants du Gymnasium présentent des scores significativement meilleurs que ceux des deux autres groupes sur presque toutes les variables liée la lecture. Une analyse a posteriori des données de la première étude montrent que les résultats des étudiants du Gymnasium de la seconde étude pouvaient être prédits par leurs résultats obtenus durant l’école primaire. Par ailleurs, comme dans d’autres travaux, nous trouvons une différence de sexe, savoir que les filles obtiennent de meilleurs résultats que les grarçons la fois sur le niveau de lecture et sur les mesures en raport avec la motivation.

The Influence of Gender, Academic Achievement and Non‐school Factors Upon Pre‐adolescent Self‐concept

Abstract The influence of gender on the development of elementary school students’ (N = 390) general self‐concept was investigated along with academic achievement. Previous research into the construct of general self‐concept identified mathematics to be a significant influence on the formation of adolescent boys’ general self‐concept. In this study, pre‐adolescent boys’ and girls’ general self‐concepts were significantly influenced by peer and parent relationships and physical appearance; however, only boys’ general self‐concept was influenced by reading and general school dimensions. The absence of school‐related dimensions in the formation of pre‐adolescent girls’ general self‐concept is discussed in terms of gender stereotyping, achievement motivation and striving for success, with the findings contradicting the notion that boys value school and reading less than girls.

Story Construction from a Picture Book: An Assessment Activity for Young Learners.

Meaning-making is the foundation of literacy during childrens early years in school because it involves constructive comprehension from what is seen or read or heard. Most assessments of childrens literacy depend on their abilities to decode or write text, which may limit the complexity of understanding that can be assessed. We designed a novel activity, Story Construction from a Picture Book, to assess young childrens abilities to construct meaning independent of decoding skills. The task requires active processes of comprehending the relations among a series of pictures and composing orally a story that connects the meaning among events. This study describes the performance of 5- and 6-year-old children on the Story Construction activity and relates their skills to other measures of literacy development undertaken concurrently, as well as 2 years later. We suggest that activities like the Story Construction activity are valuable assessments of young childrens constructive comprehension processes that complement traditional assessments of emerging literacy skills.

Learning Difficulties in Numeracy in Australia

In this article, we provide an understanding of the term numeracy as it is used in Australia and a description of numeracy education in this country. In particular, we discuss the role of outcomes-based curriculum frameworks and outline the dominant teaching approaches. The focus is on students with learning difficulties and how they are identified and supported in schools. We create two vignettes based on real students with difficulties in numeracy, which highlight two of the most common problems. We report on the prevalence of learning difficulties in numeracy in Australia and describe some of the initiatives related to the assessment and enhancement of learning in numeracy that are being undertaken in various states in Australia. Finally, we identify some of the future challenges facing the Australian education system in this area. These challenges relate to teacher knowledge, mandated assessment, and the role of parents. We conclude the article by calling for the evaluation of current assessment and intervention initiatives as well as the development of a national program to support the goal of numeracy for all students.

The Proposed Changes for DSM-5 for SLD and ADHD: International Perspectives—Australia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States

This article presents an international perspective of the proposed changes to the DSM-5 for learning disabilities (LD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) across ten countries: Australia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We provide perspectives of the present situation for youth with LD and youth with ADHD and describe the legislation, prevalence rates, and educational systems that serve students with disabilities in the respective countries. We also present a discussion of the expected impact of the proposed changes for the diagnosis of LD and ADHD in each country.

School and Classroom Practices in Inclusive Education in Australia

E ducation in Australia is a state and territory concern (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2006a). Among the commonwealth, state, and territory legislation and agreements, ”The Adelaide Declaration on the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century” stands out as one of the key documents that directs both government and nongovernment schools (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2006b). This declaration, signed by all Government Ministers of Education in the city of Adelaide in 1999, identifies the “common and agreed goals for schooling” and aims to provide guidance to education authorities and schools about the desired learning outcomes for students. One of the central tenets of the Declaration is that ”schooling should be socially just” (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2006b, unpaged). Such a tenet is consistent with the principle of inclusive education that has been adopted by the commonwealth, state, and territory education departments throughout Australia (van Kraayenoord, Elkins, Palmer, & Rickards, 2000). This article describes practices in inclusive education in Australian schools and classrooms. In discussing the changes that schools have made in order to be inclusive and responsive to student diversity, the author refers to one Australian school and its re-organization and also to recent Australian research on building inclusive school cultures. With respect to the changes that need to be made to classrooms, the author highlights the work of Australian researchers and authors and their descriptions of teachers’ pedagogical practices of differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning that are consistent with delivering inclusive education. Differentiated instruction comprises modifications to the curriculum, teaching structures, and teaching practices in combination that take into account the individual differences and needs of students. Universal Design for Learning is defined here as the conscious and deliberate planning of units and lessons so that all students have access to, and can participate in, the curricula, and can grow in their achievement of learning outcomes.

Response to Intervention: New Ways and Wariness

This essay reviews and comments on Evidence-Based Reading Practices for Response to Intervention, edited by Diane Haager, Janette Klingner, and Sharon Vaughn, one of the earliest books published on an initiative in the United States to provide instructional support for students who experience difficulties with literacy and learning disabilities. The essay both identifies new ways likely to improve delivery of instruction and raises several concerns about Response to Intervention from the perspective of a wary outsider from Australia. The new ways include breaking down the barrier between special education and regular education, offering waves of instruction, and preventing difficulties through early assessment and intervention. Concerns include privileging reading, offering curriculum and instruction in constrained skills, and assessing students in restrictive ways. A comparison is made between the United States approach to Response to Intervention and an Australian model, whole-school intervention for improvement.