Donald B. Yarbrough

Effects of Prereading Activities on EFL Reading by Brazilian College Students

This study investigated the effects of three prereading activities (pictorial context, vocabulary preteaching, and prequestioning) and a control condition on the reading comprehension of 40 undergraduate Brazilian EFL students. In a Latin square design, all subjects read four different reading passages, each passage under one of the four conditions. Immediately after reading a passage, subjects answered an 8-item open-ended test and a 10-item multiple-choice test. Multivariate analysis of variance tests on the two measures revealed significant effects for prereading and passage. Further investigation through Tukeys HSD revealed that all three prereading activities produced significantly higher multiple-choice scores than the control condition. Vocabulary preteaching resulted in increased comprehension compared with the control but was significantly less effective than the other two strategies. Results of the study are interpreted through a schema-theoretic view of the reading process.

Defining and Describing Medical Learning Communities: Results of a National Survey

Purpose To investigate what is meant by learning community in medical education and to identify the most important features of current medical education learning communities. Method After a literature review, the authors surveyed academic deans of all U.S. and Canadian medical schools and colleges (N = 124) to identify those that had implemented a learning community. Those with student learning communities (N = 18) answered a series of questions about the goals, structure, function, benefits, and challenges of their communities. Results The most common primary goals included fostering communication among students and faculty; promoting caring, trust, and teamwork; helping students establish academic support networks; and helping students establish social support networks. Most deans said that students remained in the same community for all four years of medical school and that communities were linked to specific faculty and/or peer advisors. For most schools, communities included students from many class years, and participation was mandatory. Curricular purposes included professionalism training, leadership development, and service learning. Almost all schools had social functions related to their communities, and most provided career planning, group mentoring, and personal counseling. Conclusions Learning communities in medical education demonstrate diverse approaches to achieving the general goal of enhanced student learning. Medical school leaders considering learning communities should determine the goals they want to accomplish and be open to adopting different approaches based on local needs. Evaluation and effective monitoring of evolution are needed to determine the best approaches for different needs and to assess impact on students and faculty.

Novice teachers' experiences of community service-learning

Abstract This study focuses on beginning teachers’ experiences with a currently popular curriculum strategy in the US: community service–learning. To determine the personal and contextual factors influencing novice teachers’ experiences, we surveyed over 300 early career teachers and interviewed 30 of the larger sample. The study provides evidence that some beginning teachers are willing to implement strategies they learned in their teacher education programs, and can do so successfully, in spite of being busy and unsupported. Results indicate that specific preparation features and school characteristics may play a large role in whether novice teachers implement service–learning activities in their classrooms.

Memory, attention, and school problems in children with seizure disorders

This study investigated memory and attention abilities in children with seizure disorders. First, children with different types of seizure disorders were evaluated for differences in memory (Rey Auditory‐Verbal Learning Test and Color Span Test) and attention (Continuous Performance Test‐2). From a total group of 51 children with seizure disorders, 35 children were classified into three subgroups based on seizure type and medication (Absence/Valproic Acid, n = 12; Complex Partial/Carbamazepine, n = 12; and Tonic‐Clonic/Carbamazep‐ine, n = 11). Results suggested no significant differences among the three subgroups on the memory or attention tasks, although trends toward lower memory scores for the absence subgroup and lower memory scores for all three subgroups compared with norms were noted. Second, the original group of 51 children were regrouped into two subgroups based on school problems (No School Problems, n = 17; School Problems, n = 26). Results indicated that children with school problems had more...

Comparison of Visual-Spatial Performance Strategy Training in Children with Turner Syndrome and Learning Disabilities

This study examined the effects of a verbal mediation strategy on three groups of subjects who had visual-spatial deficits. Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, who ranged in age from 7 to 14 years, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. Pretest and posttest performance differences on parallel forms of a visual-spatial orientation task were examined. All three groups showed significant improvement in visual-spatial task performance after the training. There were no significant differences in the degree of improvement among the three groups. The results suggest that children with Turner syndrome may benefit from problem-solving strategy training in a manner similar to children with nonverbal learning disabilities.

The reliability and validity of a measure of reported affinity for figurative language

Abstract: Figurative language, as the linguistic expression of metaphoric thought, occupies a central place in the study of human cognition and creativity. This article describes four initial investigations of the reliability and validity of a measure of affinity for figurative language. In Study 1, a factor analysis of the Language Preference Report (LPR) yielded three orthogonally rotated components of affinity for figurative language: Liking to Produce Figurative Language, General Dislike of Figurative Language, and Liking to Study Texts Which Include Figurative Language. The factors, based on 540 responses, accounted for 73% of the total variance and were correlated with each other (absolute values between .55 and .36). Study 2, based on repeated administrations to 103 students at 2‐week intervals, investigated the reliability of the LPR Internal consistency estimates ranged from .92 to .84, and test‐retest reliability estimates ranged from .86 to .69. In Study 3, 39 students responded to both the LPR...

Metaphor and the free recall of technical text

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of metaphors on the free recall of technical text. More information was remembered when the context did not contain metaphors and when the target paragraph was more important in the hierarchy of the passage. When the surrounding context contained no metaphors, recall of literal target information varied as a function of its importance in the passage structure. However, recall of the metaphoric target information did not change as a function of its position in the passage structure. Participants who read metaphoric target paragraphs often recalled the information in paraphrase form and sometimes recalled the metaphor without being able to integrate it into the rest of the paragraph. Data from this study suggest that metaphors in text are processed differently from literal language. A two‐step process of solving the metaphor in its context and storing the information in a nonmetaphoric representation equivalent to the representation of a corresponding...

The effects of text familiarity and cohesion on retrieval of information learned from text

This study examined the effects of familiarity of passage concepts and passage cohesion on retrieval of text information. In order to distinguish between comprehension and retrieval processes, subjects were equated on comprehension; therefore, any differences found could be attributed to differences in retrieval processes. The passages used varied on familiarity and cohesion, but syntax was held constant. Middle school students learned information in passages to an 85% correct criterion using a study-test procedure. The subjects were not told that they would be tested on the material. Two weeks later, they took a free recall test and reported their rehearsal of the passage information during the intervening time period. The results showed that although the original amount learned was equated, recall of propositions from passages with more familiar concepts was about 35% greater than the recall from passages with less familiar concepts. There were no significant differences due to cohesion or the interacti...

ANOTHER LOOK AT CHILDREN'S SYMBOL REVERSALS

In a previously reported longitudinal study of reversal errors for static and kinetic written symbols we found no compelling support for their academic importance in kindergarten (n = 201), Grade 1 (n = 156), or Grade 2 (n = 129); however, for Grade 3 (n = 105), kinetic reversals became a significant predictor of tested reading achievement. If reliable, this finding might have implications for the identification of children with long-term reading impairment.

Hands-on integrated CFD educational interface for introductory fluids mechanics

The development, implementation, and evaluation of an effective curriculum for students to learn integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) is described. The CFD objective is to teach students CFD methodology and procedures through a step-by-step CFD process using a CFD educational interface for hands-on student experience. The EFD objective is to teach students use of modern facilities, measurement systems including ePIV and Flowcoach, and uncertainty analysis (UA), following a step-by-step EFD process for fluids engineering experiments. Students analyse and relate CFD and EFD results to fluid physics and classroom lectures, including teamwork and presentation of results. Implementation is described based on results for an introductory level fluid mechanics course, which includes integrated CFD and EFD laboratories for the same geometries and conditions. An independent evaluation investigates and reports the learning outcomes and the effectiveness of the CFD educational interface, ePIV, Flowcoach and CFD and EFD laboratories.