A randomised control trial evaluation of a literacy after-school programme for struggling beginning readers

While there is evidence for effective in-school programmes
for struggling beginning readers, the evidence in relation to after-schools
interventions focusing on academic outcomes is particularly weak. This study
seeks to contribute to this body of evidence through a randomized trial (n=464)
of an after-school literacy programme (DoodleDen) for struggling beginning readers in a deprived area of Dublin, Ireland.

The programme based on a balanced literacy framework, was delivered in group
settings, and had a strong focus on staff development. Doodle Den was found to improve the children’s overall literacy (d=+0.17), teacher assessments of their literacy ability (d=+0.28) and to positively impact on problem behaviours in regular school class (d=-0.18). The implications for
the development of after-school programmes are discussed.

Facing up to binge drinking: Reducing binge drinking in adolescent males

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an oro-facial trauma-based brief intervention, designed to raise adolescent males’ awareness about the immediate dangers of binge drinking.
Design: Non-randomised controlled exploratory trial
Setting: Secondary level schools
Materials & Methods: Pre, post and follow up validated questionnaires were used to assess a variety of descriptive data and changes in behaviour. Sixty Year 12 students were recruited in the pilot study and 182 in the definitive study.
Intervention: A brief visual presentation containing salient information and anonymised photographs relating to oro-facial injuries.
Main Outcome Measures: Intention to binge drink.
Results: The majority of participants obtained alcohol from off-license or licensed premises. At the commencement of the study, 68% of the participants were regular drinkers. Whilst there was no change in drinking behaviour, the intervention group reported that it was significantly more likely (compared to the control group) that they would reduce their drinking to less than binge levels.
Conclusion: The intervention resulted in participants reporting a more negative attitude towards binge drinking and increased their intention to disengage from binge drinking.

Explaining binge drinking among adolescent males using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Binge drinking among adolescents in Northern Ireland is prevalent and has detrimental eff ects on public health. Health education interventions, based on valid explanatory models of health behaviour, are required to reduce binge drinking behaviour among adolescents. " is paper examines the utility of the " eory of Planned Behaviour in explaining binge drinking behaviour among adolescent males. Using questionnaire responses from 94 adolescent boys attending secondary schools in the Belfast area, logistic regression modelling suggested that the " eory of Planned Behaviour explained 36% of the variance in self-reported binge drinking behaviour. Attitudes towards binge drinking were the strongest predictor of binge drinking behaviour. Tackling attitudes about binge drinking is a challenge to be considered when designing interventions to reduce binge drinking among this population

Adolescent Substance abuse among young people excluded from school in Belfast

The lifestyles of young people excluded from school have received much attention recently, particularly in relation to illicit drug use. Commentators have acknowledged that they constitute a high-risk group to social disaffection and substance abuse. This paper reports on a group of 48 young people living in Belfast aged 13�14 years who are considered to be at a particularly high risk to substance abuse because they are excluded from school. The evidence in this paper suggests that many are already exhibiting potentially high-risk behaviours to problem drug use compared with their contemporaries in mainstream education. This paper examines the evidence within the context of a limited existing literature base on this group of young people. It suggests that a more focused approach is required for the development of appropriate drug-prevention strategies to meet their needs.

Prosodic Characteristics of Skilled Reading: Fluency and Expressiveness in 8- 10-year-old Readers

Statistical methods of describing prosody were used to study fluency, expressiveness and their relationship among 8-10-year-old readers. There were robust relationships between expressiveness and variables associated with pitch mobility; and between fluency and measures associated with temporal organization. Interactions indicated that the relationships were not simple. Differences between groups depended on sentence content and position. Some measures offer a basis for rules aimed at assigning individuals to skill categories. The effects suggest psychological hypotheses about the underlying mechanisms.

The validity of a latent class typology of adolescent drinking patterns

Objectives: This study examined the validity of a latent class typology of adolescent drinking based on four alcohol dimensions; frequency of drinking, quantity consumed, frequency of binge drinking and the number of alcohol related problems encountered. Method: Data used were from the 1970 British Cohort Study sixteen-year-old follow-up. Partial or complete responses to the selected alcohol measures were provided by 6,516 cohort members. The data were collected via a series of postal questionnaires. Results: A five class LCA typology was constructed. Around 12% of the sample were classified as �hazardous drinkers� reporting frequent drinking, high levels of alcohol consumed, frequent binge drinking and multiple alcohol related problems. Multinomial logistic regression, with multiple imputation for missing data, was used to assess the covariates of adolescent drinking patterns. Hazardous drinking was associated with being white, being male, having heavy drinking parents (in particular fathers), smoking, illicit drug use, and minor and violent offending behaviour. Non-significant associations were found between drinking patterns and general mental health and attention deficient disorder. Conclusion: The latent class typology exhibited concurrent validity in terms of its ability to distinguish respondents across a number of alcohol and non-alcohol indicators. Notwithstanding a number of limitations, latent class analysis offers an alternative data reduction method for the construction of drinking typologies that addresses known weaknesses inherent in more tradition classification methods.