Connie K. Varnhagen

Is children’s spelling naturally stage-like?

Children’s spelling development is often described by researchers and educators as proceeding through a series of stages. Two properties of stages were analyzed in this study. If spelling development can be characterized by stages, then it should be possible to observe qualitatively different spellings at different points in development. In addition, spellings within a point of development must be consistent. Spelling samples were obtained from stories written by children in first through sixth grade. Stage classifications of spellings for (a) silent -e long vowel words (e.g., bake), and (b) regularly affixed past tense words phonologically represented as /t/ (e.g., helped), /d/ (e.g., opened), and /Ud/ (e.g., listed) were analyzed. Little evidence was found for either predicted qualitative differences in stage classification of errors or in stage constancy across grades. Implications for theories of spelling development and instructional practice are discussed.

Neurofibromatosis and psychological processes.

A minimal degree of mental handicap is commonly seen in neurofibromatosis (NF). Despite the prevalence, little is known about the nature of the mental handicap. In this study, schoolchildren with NF and unaffected siblings were studied clinically and given a series of psychological tests. The psychological battery consisted of standardized tests of intelligence and cognitive processing, laboratory tests of cognitive processing, and personality and mood questionnaires. Clinical data included a medical and family history, results of physical, audiological, and ophthalmological examinations, EEG, tissue biopsy when necessary, and (in NF individuals) a CT scan. Results demonstrate slightly deficient cognitive processing in the NF individuals, particularly in terms of visual-spatial integration. These deficits are related to age-independent severity with more severely affected individuals exhibiting more severe deficits. The findings are discussed in terms of their diagnostic and prescriptive implications.

There's More to Children's Spelling than the Errors They Make: Strategic and Automatic Processes for One-Syllable Words.

Researchers have attempted to understand the cognitive processing used in spelling by looking at childrens spelling errors. The authors examined 2 other types of data--childrens serf-reported verbal protocols and on-line measures of spelling latencies. Elementary school children spelled 3 types of common 4-letter words, consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant, consonant-vowel-consonant--consonant, and consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e. Correctly and incorrectly spelled words were analyzed as a function of word type, verbal report, and keystroke latencies. Different typing patterns emerged for strategic and automatic reports and for different word types. Children seemed to use a relatively sequential read-out from long-term memory when directly retrieving a spelling, whereas they used a consonant pair strategy for final consonant clusters when sounding out words. Implications for spelling instruction are discussed. A number of variables are correlated with spelling ability. There is little doubt that phonological ability, exposure to print, working memory capabilities, reading ability, and an understanding of spelling regularities are predictors of spelling ability (see Curmingham & Stanovich, 1991; Frith, 1980; Griffith, 1991; Stage & Wagner, 1992; Treiman, 1993). However, little is known about the cognitive processes in which children engage while spelling. The goal of the present research was to learn more about childrens thought processes during spelling. The information-processing framework provides one way to examine cognitive processing during spelling. Within this framework, the contributions of encoding, automatization, generalization, and strategy construction to childrens cognitive processing are emphasized. These mechanisms are hypothesized to work together to improve childrens thinking (Siegler, 1991). For example, the beginning speller may use a great deal of mental resources simply to encode words, perhaps resulting in a less efficient strategy choice when attempting to spell them. As knowledge of the phonological,

Understanding Fables in First and Second Languages

Children’s understanding of narrative fables was examined. Students learning two languages (Spanish and English) and monolingual English students in kindergarten through fifth/sixth grades were presented with modified versions of Aesop’s fables. Three tasks, each of which assessed somewhat different aspects of comprehension, were used: retelling the fables, responding to questions about the motives of the fable characters, and extracting a lesson from the fable. Bilingual program participants included students whose primary language is Spanish and students whose primary language is English. All three comprehension tasks provided evidence for transfer of prior knowledge across first and second language inputs. There was also a direct, positive relationship between performance in the first and in the second language. Comparisons with the monolingual students indicated that there was no difference in the developmental course of fable understanding. Discussion focuses on implications for instructional practic...

Age and Schooling Effects in Story Recall and Story Production.

The relative influences of age- and schooling-related experiences on story memory and storytelling were examined. Forty kindergarten and 39 Grade 1 children whose birth dates clustered around the cutoff date for school entrance listened to and recalled short, 1-episode stories (story recall task) and completed other stories (story production task) for which they were given beginning information. Children were tested in fall (at 5.6 years) and spring (at 6.3 years) of the school year and in spring of the following school year (at 7.3 years)

Job satisfaction among Canadian orthodontists

Job satisfaction has been well researched for many professions, including general dentistry. The job satisfaction of orthodontists has not been adequately studied. The aims of this study were to describe job satisfaction among orthodontists and to determine characteristics associated with job satisfaction in the profession. A self-administered, anonymous survey was mailed to Canadian orthodontists. It included a modified version of the Dentist Satisfaction Survey, an overall occupational stress score, and items addressing various characteristics of the respondents. Of 654 mailed surveys, 335 were returned, for a response rate of 51.2%. Most orthodontists (79.3%) were classified as satisfied according to the overall job satisfaction scale of the Dentist Satisfaction Survey; however, some (2.5%) were classified as dissatisfied. The facets of orthodontics with the highest degree of satisfaction were patient relations (93%), delivery of care (86%), respect (84%), professional relations (80%), and staff (76%). The most dissatisfaction was associated with personal time (26%) and practice management (15%). Stepwise multiple regression analysis resulted in a model including overall occupational stress, membership in the Canadian Association of Orthodontists, total number of staff, and age to account for 27.1% of the variation in the overall job satisfaction scale. Based on accountable sources of variance, the overall job satisfaction scale seems to be more affected by other variables than the characteristics evaluated by this survey.

A memory-enhancing emotionally arousing narrative increases blood glucose levels in human subjects

To examine the contribution of glucose to the memory-enhancing effects of emotional arousal, we determined whether a memory-enhancing emotional narrative would increase blood glucose levels. Blood glucose was measured before and after participants viewed slides accompanied by a neutral or an emotionally arousing narrative. Prior to the slide show, the participants drank a beverage containing either glucose or saccharin. Participants who heard the emotionally arousing narrative had better memory of the narrative and slide show 2 weeks later than did participants who heard the neutral narrative. Blood glucose levels increased after the emotionally arousing narrative, but not after the neutral narrative. Glucose administration produced a larger increase in blood glucose levels than did the emotionally arousing narrative and prevented the memory-enhancing effect of emotional arousal. These findings indicate that small increases in blood glucose levels may contribute to the memory-enhancing effects of emotional arousal, whereas larger glucose increases may prevent its effects.

Children’s Spelling Strategies

Learning correct spelling is a complex developmental task. Children acquire numerous strategies for spelling English words in a short period of time. These strategies have been broadly defined as phonological, orthographic, morphemic, and/or mnemonic in nature. How children acquire and use these strategies is only poorly understood, however. Multiple methods of data collection, including analysis of spelling performance and strategy reports described in this chapter, provide a promising approach to investigating developmental and individual differences in children’s spelling strategies.

Occupational Stress Among Canadian Orthodontists

The occupational stress associated with many professions, including general dentistry, has been well researched. An anonymous, self-administered, mail-out survey was distributed to Canadian orthodontists. The survey included 67 potential stressors, an overall occupational stress score, an overall job satisfaction scale, and items addressing various characteristics of the respondents. The response rate was 51.2% (335/654). Pronounced differences were found between the respondents in the evaluation of potential stressors and the overall occupational stress score. The category of stressors with the highest mean severity of stress scores was time-related stressors. The stressors with high mean severity scores and high mean frequency scores were as follows: falling behind schedule, trying to keep to a schedule, constant time pressures, patients with broken appliances, and motivating patients with poor OH and/or decalcification. Stepwise multiple regression determined a model, involving overall job satisfaction, age, participation in a study group, hours worked per week, part-time academics, days of continuing education per year, and participation in stress management, to account for 35.9% of the variation in overall occupational stress scores. The results indicate the importance of time-management skills in reducing occupational stress, but other factors seem to have more effect on reported occupational stress than do the characteristics addressed by this survey.

CAI as an Adjunct to Teaching Introductory Statistics: Affect Mediates Learning

This study evaluates the effectiveness of two different computer assisted instruction (CAI) formats compared with traditional in-class instruction as a laboratory supplement to lectures in introductory statistics. The labs occurred during the first third of the course and dealt with descriptive statistics. One hundred and thirty-four students enrolled in an introductory statistics course in psychology were assigned to one of the three lab sessions. The evaluation consisted of affective responses to a questionnaire concerning the lab session, as well as student performance on three homework assignments and on a midterm examination. Lab format had a significant effect on attitude toward the lab; it did not, however, significantly influence performance. Path analysis revealed interesting relations between lab format, student attitude toward the lab, and performance on the midterm examination. These findings point to the need to further examine CAI as a supplement to introductory statistics instruction.