Matthew J. Taylor

Does Research Support Claims About the Benefits of Involving Parents in Early Intervention Programs

It is widely believed that early intervention programs that involve parents are more effective than those that do not. After discussing the types of parent involvement programs that have been implemented in previous early intervention research and defining the benefits which are allegedly associated with the involvement of parents in early intervention programs, this article presents an analysis of the evidence from previous research regarding the alleged benefits. This analysis shows that there is no convincing evidence that the ways in which parents have been involved in previous early intervention research studies result in more effective outcomes. Possible reasons for the lack of observed benefits are offered, and suggestions are made for future research and practice.

A meta-analysis of hooking mortality of nonanadromous trout

Abstract The results of 18 studies of hooking mortality of nonanadromous trout were integrated with meta-analysis. Studies were coded for all variables suspected of having a relationship to rates of hooking mortality. The analysis showed that trout caught on bait died at higher rates than trout caught on artificial flies or lures, that fish caught on barbed hooks had higher mortality rates than fish caught on barbless hooks, that brown trout Salmo trutta had lower mortality rates than other species of nonanadromous trout, and that wild trout died at higher rates than hatchery-reared trout. Other variables, including size of hooks, number of hooks, and water temperature, did not show a statistically significant relationship to hooking mortality. The results of this review should assist fisheries management agencies in refining and developing policies regarding fisheries regulations.

Improving Behavior through Differential Reinforcement: A Praise Note System for Elementary School Students

Schools are often in need of low-cost, high-impact strategies to improve student behavior in school common areas. While many behavior management programs exist, there are few resources available to guide the implementation of these programs and ensure they are grounded in evidence-based strategies. Therefore, the current study had two primary purposes: first, to demonstrate the effectiveness of a simple behavior management system, and second, to begin the process of providing some guidance for the application of similar systems. The study used a differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI) procedure in a multiple-baseline design across three target behaviors to decrease inappropriate and increase appropriate behaviors in an elementary school lunchroom. The intervention consisted of 1) teaching specific appropriate behaviors 2) providing opportunities for students to practice skills, and 3) implementing a Praise Note system to reward students for behaving appropriately. Students were taught appropriate behaviors, and the school staff was trained to recognize and reward students who kept the lunchroom clean, sat appropriately in their seats, and walked in the lunchroom. Data show significant decreases for each of three target behaviors. The average amount of litter left in the lunchroom decreased by 96%, the average number of instances of sitting inappropriately decreased by 64%, and the average number of instances of running in the lunchroom decreased by 75%. Beyond contributing to the effective intervention strategies available to reduce problem behaviors in common areas, this research also provide much needed guidance for effectively implementing the necessary components of a Praise Note system, namely, program intensity, and delivery.

Ethnicity and Parenting Stress Change during Early Intervention.

Parenting stress as it pertains to the families of medically fragile children of different ethnic backgrounds has been understudied. Possible correlates of change in parenting stress such as child development, family support, resources and income were examined in the families of 105 infants with intraventricular hemorrhage #opIVH#cp participating in an early intervention program between one and three years of age. Correlational analyses showed that slower developmental progress, along with declines in family resources and social support coincided with increases in parenting stress. Subgroup analyses separately examining these relationships in the 66 white and 39 nonwhite families revealed different correlates for the two populations. Unlike the full sample and the white sample, the non‐white families’ stress changes over the course of intervention seemed correlated only to income change, but not to childs developmental progress or changes in social support. Commonly cited findings regarding parents’ stre...

Why Covariance? A Rationale for Using Analysis of Covariance Procedures in Randomized Studies:

Analysis of covariance is a useful statistical procedure for data analysis even when carefully executed random assignment procedures are employed. Statistically adjusting for the effects of the covariates on the outcome can help account for pretreatment group differences—even with careful sampling. In addition, analysis of covariance can increase statistical power, thus reducing the Type II error rate. This paper uses diagrams to show how analysis of covariance manipulates data under a variety of conditions. Also discussed are the relationship between analysis of covariance and statistical power and issues related to covariate selection. Finally, a simulated data analysis is used to demonstrate the process of selecting covariates and to show the results with and without statistically adjusting for the effects of the covariate.

A Survey of Community Employment Placements: Where Are Youth and Adults with Disabilities Working?

This article describes the results of a national survey of high school transition and adult supported employment programs to identify community employment placements for individuals with disabilities. We designed the survey to examine (a) numbers of placements within specific types of employment, (b) differences in placements as a function of specific variables (i.e., high school versus adult programs, urban versus rural locations), and (c) emergence of new markets for job placement. Results from 7,553 placements indicated that the most frequent category for both high school transition and adult supported employment programs was food and beverage preparation services. We found statistically significant differences in 5 of 29 job categories as a function of youth/adult or urban/rural variables. Emerging markets for job placements included tourism, casino jobs, and others. We discuss implications of these data in relation to future research and practice in job placement.

An Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Computing Standardized Mean Difference Effect Size

Abstract Many research articles do not report means and standard deviations necessary to calculate the standardized mean difference effect size (SMDES). Consequently, many researchers resort to the use of indirect alternative methods of computing SMDES when using meta-analysis techniques to summarize the results of previous research. In this study, the results obtained with such indirect calculations were compared with the results obtained from direct calculations. The authors concluded that in most cases, alternative methods for calculating SMDES yield very comparable results and are beneficial to use.

Formative Assessment of Collaborative Teams (FACT) Development of a Grade-Level Instructional Team Checklist

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have become increasingly popular in schools. PLCs are groups of teachers, administrators, parents, and students who collaborate to improve their practices and focus on results (DuFour, 2004). Grade-level and department teachers participate in regularly scheduled collaborative team meetings; however, many school leaders lack suitable tools to evaluate fidelity to the PLC model. To address this deficit, we developed a tutorial checklist called the Formative Assessment of Collaborative Teams (FACT) through an action research approach. This article discusses the context of grade-level and department collaborative teams where much of the work of implementing the PLC model takes place. Working alongside practitioners in this context, we developed, implemented, and validated the FACT tool. This article discusses practitioners’ reactions to the tool during these processes, including observations conducted using FACT at several schools. The results of this process suggest that FACT is consistent with the elements of effective PLCs, confirming that it discriminates among collaborative teams within and across schools.