A quasi-randomized group trial of a brief alcohol intervention on risky single occasion drinking among secondary school students.

OBJECTIVES: To show the effectiveness of a brief group alcohol intervention. Aims of the intervention were to reduce the frequency of heavy drinking occasions, maximum number of drinks on an occasion and overall weekly consumption. METHODS: A cluster quasi-randomized control trial (intervention n = 338; control n = 330) among 16- to 18-year-old secondary school students in the Swiss Canton of Zürich. Groups homogeneous for heavy drinking occasions (5+/4+ drinks for men/women) consisted of those having medium risk (3-4) or high risk (5+) occasions in the past 30 days. Groups of 8-10 individuals received two 45-min sessions based on motivational interviewing techniques. RESULTS: Borderline significant beneficial effects (p < 0.10) on heavy drinking occasions and alcohol volume were found 6 months later for the medium-risk group only, but not for the high-risk group. None of the effects remained significant after Bonferroni corrections. CONCLUSIONS: Group intervention was ineffective for all at-risk users. The heaviest drinkers may need more intensive treatment. Alternative explanations were iatrogenic effects among the heaviest drinkers, assessment reactivity, or reduction of social desirability bias at follow-up through peer feedback.

Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: La Xarxa School plus

[cat] Aquest projecte és una continuació del programa de recerca iniciat amb el projecte de R+D "School+ more than a platform to build the school of tomorrow" (IST-2000-25162) parcialment finançat per la Unió Europea a través de la convocatòria L'Escola del Demà, del Programa de Tecnologies de la Societat de la Informació del 5è Programa Marc. Aquesta iniciativa va ser seguida i aprofundida amb el projecte "Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: la Xarxa School+", parcialment finançat pel DURSI a través de la convocatòria ARIE 2004. En aquest sentit, s'inscriu sota el mateix paraigües epistemològic (sociocultural) i metodològic (construccionista) dels projectes anteriors, i es basa en la utilització de diferents tipus d'evidències,en aquest cas però prestant especial atenció a la qüestió de l'avaluació de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit. En aquest context adquireix especial rellevància la idea del portafoli -o e-portafoli, webfoli, portafoli electrònic o digital- com a estratègia avaluadora de la comprensió i afavoridora de formes més complexes d'aprenentatge. En aquest informe, i d¿acord amb allò manifestat al projecte de recerca, es donen respostes a les següents qüestions: (a) quines són les possibilitats i les limitacions del portafoli electrònic com a sistema per avaluar processos d'aprenentatge de caràcter complex, orientats a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit; (b) com tenen lloc els processos d'innovació i millora a l'ensenyament secundari quan es fan servir entorns virtuals d'informació i comunicació, i es persegueix el desenvolupament d'un model pedagògic i curricular de caràcter interdisciplinari;(c) quins processos pedagògics, organitzatius, cognitius i emocionals estan implicats en les situacions d'aprenentatge orientades a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit, i no en la memorització i repetició de continguts; (d) com es desenvolupen experiències de col·laboració entre professors, estudiants i centres de secundària.

El portafoli electrònic com a procediment avaluador de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió als centres de secundària de la xarxa school+

[cat] El projecte que s'ha dut a terme sota el nom "El portafoli electrònic com a procediment avaluador de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió als centres de secundària de la Xarxa School +", s'ha desenvolupat a partir de tres eixos prioritaris que sintetitzen els objectius que ens havíem plantejat:1. Desenvolupar una experiència pedagògica que impliqués la perspectiva educativa delsprojectes de treball, i la utilització del sistema d¿ensenyament i aprenentatge virtualSchool+Microcosmos. 2. Afavorir una experiència de col·laboració entre el professorat de cada centre i entre elprofessorat dels diferents centres participants. 3. Realitzar una recerca sistemàtica, a partir de la utilització de diferents procediments de recollida d'evidències (observacions, entrevistes, anàlisis de materials, actes de reunió delgrup, informes finals,...) al voltant de les formes de comprensió que es poden produir per part dels estudiants, i com a camí per un replantejament de l'aprenentatge a l'educació secundària. La recerca desenvolupada ens ha mostrat com les possibilitats de promoure la comprensió des de la perspectiva educativa adoptada -els projectes de treball- són manifestes, però es troben limitades per les constriccions organitzatives -sobretot temporals i espacials- i curriculars que actualmentmediatitzen la capacitat innovadora dels centres de secundària. Aquest informe recull els processos i els resultats de la recerca i la innovació educativa realitzades, així com algunes de les seves conseqüències per a plantejar canvis en l'educació secundària.

Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: La Xarxa School plus

[cat] Aquest projecte és una continuació del programa de recerca iniciat amb el projecte de R+D "School+ more than a platform to build the school of tomorrow" (IST-2000-25162) parcialment finançat per la Unió Europea a través de la convocatòria L'Escola del Demà, del Programa de Tecnologies de la Societat de la Informació del 5è Programa Marc. Aquesta iniciativa va ser seguida i aprofundida amb el projecte "Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: la Xarxa School+", parcialment finançat pel DURSI a través de la convocatòria ARIE 2004. En aquest sentit, s'inscriu sota el mateix paraigües epistemològic (sociocultural) i metodològic (construccionista) dels projectes anteriors, i es basa en la utilització de diferents tipus d'evidències,en aquest cas però prestant especial atenció a la qüestió de l'avaluació de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit. En aquest context adquireix especial rellevància la idea del portafoli -o e-portafoli, webfoli, portafoli electrònic o digital- com a estratègia avaluadora de la comprensió i afavoridora de formes més complexes d'aprenentatge. En aquest informe, i d¿acord amb allò manifestat al projecte de recerca, es donen respostes a les següents qüestions: (a) quines són les possibilitats i les limitacions del portafoli electrònic com a sistema per avaluar processos d'aprenentatge de caràcter complex, orientats a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit; (b) com tenen lloc els processos d'innovació i millora a l'ensenyament secundari quan es fan servir entorns virtuals d'informació i comunicació, i es persegueix el desenvolupament d'un model pedagògic i curricular de caràcter interdisciplinari;(c) quins processos pedagògics, organitzatius, cognitius i emocionals estan implicats en les situacions d'aprenentatge orientades a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit, i no en la memorització i repetició de continguts; (d) com es desenvolupen experiències de col·laboració entre professors, estudiants i centres de secundària.

El portafoli electrònic com a procediment avaluador de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió als centres de secundària de la xarxa school+

[cat] El projecte que s'ha dut a terme sota el nom "El portafoli electrònic com a procediment avaluador de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió als centres de secundària de la Xarxa School +", s'ha desenvolupat a partir de tres eixos prioritaris que sintetitzen els objectius que ens havíem plantejat:1. Desenvolupar una experiència pedagògica que impliqués la perspectiva educativa delsprojectes de treball, i la utilització del sistema d¿ensenyament i aprenentatge virtualSchool+Microcosmos. 2. Afavorir una experiència de col·laboració entre el professorat de cada centre i entre elprofessorat dels diferents centres participants. 3. Realitzar una recerca sistemàtica, a partir de la utilització de diferents procediments de recollida d'evidències (observacions, entrevistes, anàlisis de materials, actes de reunió delgrup, informes finals,...) al voltant de les formes de comprensió que es poden produir per part dels estudiants, i com a camí per un replantejament de l'aprenentatge a l'educació secundària. La recerca desenvolupada ens ha mostrat com les possibilitats de promoure la comprensió des de la perspectiva educativa adoptada -els projectes de treball- són manifestes, però es troben limitades per les constriccions organitzatives -sobretot temporals i espacials- i curriculars que actualmentmediatitzen la capacitat innovadora dels centres de secundària. Aquest informe recull els processos i els resultats de la recerca i la innovació educativa realitzades, així com algunes de les seves conseqüències per a plantejar canvis en l'educació secundària.

Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: La Xarxa School plus

[cat] Aquest projecte és una continuació del programa de recerca iniciat amb el projecte de R+D "School+ more than a platform to build the school of tomorrow" (IST-2000-25162) parcialment finançat per la Unió Europea a través de la convocatòria L'Escola del Demà, del Programa de Tecnologies de la Societat de la Informació del 5è Programa Marc. Aquesta iniciativa va ser seguida i aprofundida amb el projecte "Aprenentatge per a la comprensió en entorns virtuals als centres de secundària: la Xarxa School+", parcialment finançat pel DURSI a través de la convocatòria ARIE 2004. En aquest sentit, s'inscriu sota el mateix paraigües epistemològic (sociocultural) i metodològic (construccionista) dels projectes anteriors, i es basa en la utilització de diferents tipus d'evidències,en aquest cas però prestant especial atenció a la qüestió de l'avaluació de l'aprenentatge per a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit. En aquest context adquireix especial rellevància la idea del portafoli -o e-portafoli, webfoli, portafoli electrònic o digital- com a estratègia avaluadora de la comprensió i afavoridora de formes més complexes d'aprenentatge. En aquest informe, i d¿acord amb allò manifestat al projecte de recerca, es donen respostes a les següents qüestions: (a) quines són les possibilitats i les limitacions del portafoli electrònic com a sistema per avaluar processos d'aprenentatge de caràcter complex, orientats a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit; (b) com tenen lloc els processos d'innovació i millora a l'ensenyament secundari quan es fan servir entorns virtuals d'informació i comunicació, i es persegueix el desenvolupament d'un model pedagògic i curricular de caràcter interdisciplinari;(c) quins processos pedagògics, organitzatius, cognitius i emocionals estan implicats en les situacions d'aprenentatge orientades a la comprensió i la dotació de sentit, i no en la memorització i repetició de continguts; (d) com es desenvolupen experiències de col·laboració entre professors, estudiants i centres de secundària.

The Arts (Music, Arts&Crafts and Drama) as a procedure for learning pre-school content: Grupo Edebé Project

There is nothing as amazing and fascinating as children learning process. Between 0 and 6 years old, a child brain develops in a waythat will never be repeated. At this age, children are eager to discover and they have great potential of active and affective life.Because of this, their learning capacity in this period is incalculable. (Jordan-Decarbo y Nelson, 2002; Wild, 1999).Pre-school Education is a unique and special stage, with self identity, which aims are:attending children as a whole,motivate them to learn,give them an affective and stable environment in which they can grow up and get to be balanced and confident people and inwhich they can relate to others, learn, enjoy and be happy.Arts, Music, Visual Arts and Drama (Gardner, 1994) can provide a framework of special, even unique, personal expression.With the aim of introducing qualitative improvements in the education of children and to ensure their emotional wellbeing, and havingnoticed that teachers had important needs and concerns as regards to diversity in their student groups, we developed a programbased on the detection of needs and concerns explained by professionals in education.This program of Grupo edebé, object of our research, is a multicultural, interdisciplinary and globalizing project the aims of which are:developing children's talent and personality,keeping their imagination and creativity and using these as a learning resource,promoting reasoning, favouring expression and communication,providing children with the tools to manage their emotions,and especially, introducing Arts as a procedure to increase learning.We wanted to start the research by studying the impact (Brice, 2003) that this last point had on the learning of five-year-old childrenschooled in multicultural environments.Therefore, the main goal of the research was the assessment of the implementation of a child education programme attending todiversity in a population of five-year-old children, specifically in the practice of procedures based on the use of Arts (music, arts andcrafts and theatre) as a vehicle or procedure for learning contents in Pre-school stage.Because children emotional welfare was a subject of our concern, and bearing in mind that the affective aspects are of vitalimportance for learning and child development (Parke and Gauvain, 2009), Grupo Edebé has also evaluated the starting, evolving andfinal impact in five-year-old children given that they finish Pre-school education at that age.

Basic Skill Assessment Requirements for Placement into Courses and Programs at Iowa Community Colleges, September 26, 2007

Iowa Department of Education surveyed Iowa’s 15 community colleges to gain information about each institution’s basic skill assessment requirements for placement into courses and programs. The survey asked what basic skill assessment(s) each institution uses, whether developmental course placement was mandatory, and what scores students needed to obtain to avoid being required or urged to take developmental courses in math, science, and reading. Additionally, staff members at each college were asked what the testing requirements are for students’ enrolled full time in high school that are taking community college classes.

Evaluación de la psicopatología del preescolar mediante el Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4): concordancia entre padres y maestros.= Assessment of psychopathology in preschool age children through the Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4): Agreement among parents and teachers

El objetivo principal de este estudio es conocer la concordancia entre informantes, padres y maestros,en cada una de las dimensiones o categorías diagnósticas del Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4).Además, se pretende analizar la influencia de la presencia de problemas de salud en los padres en ladescripción y valoración de la conducta de una muestra de 204 alumnos de preescolar (3 a 6 años) deperfiles socioeconómicos diferentes. Los resultados indican que los padres tienden a valorar con mayorseveridad los síntomas, observándose una mayor concordancia entre informantes en los relativos alos trastornos del desarrollo

Mutual feedback in e-portfolio assessment : an approach to the netfolio system

Peer-reviewed

Evaluación de la psicopatología del preescolar mediante el Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4): concordancia entre padres y maestros.= Assessment of psychopathology in preschool age children through the Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4): Agreement among parents and teachers

El objetivo principal de este estudio es conocer la concordancia entre informantes, padres y maestros, en cada una de las dimensiones o categorías diagnósticas del Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4). Además, se pretende analizar la influencia de la presencia de problemas de salud en los padres en la descripción y valoración de la conducta de una muestra de 204 alumnos de preescolar (3 a 6 años) de perfiles socioeconómicos diferentes. Los resultados indican que los padres tienden a valorar con mayor severidad los síntomas, observándose una mayor concordancia entre informantes en los relativos a los trastornos del desarrollo

The effectiveness of short-term literacy skills intervention on children at risk of reading and writing difficulties in Tanzania : a study of grade one children with dynamic assessment approach

The aim of the study was to create and evaluate an intervention programme for Tanzanian children from a low-income area who are at risk of reading and writing difficulties. The learning difficulties, including reading and writing difficulties, are likely to be behind many of the common school problems in Tanzania, but they are not well understood, and research is needed. The design of the study included an identification and intervention phase with follow-up. A group based dynamic assessment approach was used in identifying children at risk of difficulties in reading and writing. The same approach was used in the intervention. The study was a randomized experiment with one experimental and two control groups. For the experimental and the control groups, a total of 96 (46 girls and 50 boys) children from grade one were screened out of 301 children from two schools in a low income urban area of Dar-es-Salaam. One third of the children, the experimental group, participated in an intensive training programme in literacy skills for five weeks, six hours per week, aimed at promoting reading and writing ability, while the children in the control groups had a mathematics and art programme. Follow-up was performed five months after the intervention. The intervention programme and the tests were based on the Zambian BASAT (Basic Skill Assessment Tool, Ketonen & Mulenga, 2003), but the content was drawn from the Kiswahili school curriculum in Tanzania. The main components of the training and testing programme were the same, only differing in content. The training process was different from traditional training in Tanzanian schools in that principles of teaching and training in dynamic assessment were followed. Feedback was the cornerstone of the training and the focus was on supporting the children in exploring knowledge and strategies in performing the tasks. The experimental group improved significantly more (p = .000) than the control groups during the intervention from pre-test to follow-up (repeated measures ANOVA). No differences between the control groups were noticed. The effect was significant on all the measures: phonological awareness, reading skills, writing skills and overall literacy skills. A transfer effect on school marks in Kiswahili and English was found. Following a discussion of the results, suggestions for further research and adaptation of the programme are presented.

Cognitive Development of Very Low Birth Weight Children from Infancy to Pre-school Age

The survival of preterm born infants has increased but the prevalence of long-term morbidities has still remained high. Preterm born children are at an increased risk for various developmental impairments including both severe neurological deficits as well as deficits in cognitive development. According to the literature the developmental outcome perspective differs between countries, centers, and eras. Definitions of preterm infant vary between studies, and the follow-up has been carried out with diverse methods making the comparison less reliable. It is essential to offer parents upto-date information about the outcome of preterm infants born in the same area. A centralized follow-up of children at risk makes it possible to monitor the consequences of changes in the treatment practices of hospitals on developmental outcome. This thesis is part of a larger regional, prospective multidisciplinary follow-up project entitled “Development and Functioning of Very Low Birth Weight Infants from Infancy to School Age” (PIeniPAinoisten RIskilasten käyttäytyminen ja toimintakyky imeväisiästä kouluikään, PIPARI). The thesis consists of four original studies that present data of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants born between 2001 and 2006, who are followed up from the neonatal period until the age of five years. The main outcome measure was cognitive development and secondary outcomes were significant neurological deficits (cerebral palsy, CP, deafness, and blindness). In Study I, the early crying and fussing behavior of preterm infants was studied using parental diaries, and the relation of crying behavior and cognitive and motor development at the age of two years was assessed. In Study II, the developmental outcome (cognitive, CP, deafness, and blindness) at the age of two years was studied in relation to demographic, antenatal, neonatal, and brain imaging data. Development was studied in relationship to a full-term born control group born in the same hospital. In Study III, the stability of cognitive development was studied in VLBW and full-term groups by comparing the outcomes at the ages of two and five years. Finally, in Study IV the precursors of reading skills (phonological processing, rapid automatized naming, and letter knowledge) were assessed for VLBW and full-term children at the age of five years. Pre-reading skills were studied in relation to demographic, antenatal, neonatal, and brain imaging data. The main findings of the thesis were that VLBW infants who fussed or cried more in the infancy were not at greater risk for problems in their cognitive development. However, crying was associated with poorer motor development. The developmental outcome of the present population was better that has been reported earlier and this improvement covered also cognitive development. However, the difference to fullterm born peers was still significant. Major brain pathology and intestinal perforation were independent significant risk factors for adverse outcome, also when several individual risk factors were controlled for. Cognitive development at the age of two years was strongly related with development at the age of five years, stressing the importance of the early assessment, and the possibility for early interventions. Finally, VLBW children had poorer pre-reading skills compared with their full-term born peers, but the IQ was an important mediator even when children with mental retardation were excluded from the analysis. The findings suggest that counseling parents about the developmental perspectives of their preterm infant should be based on data covering the same birth hospital. Neonatal brain imaging data and neonatal morbidity are important predictors for developmental outcome. The findings of the present study stress the importance of both short-term (two years) and long-term (five years) follow-ups for the individual, and for improving the quality of care.

Pain symptoms and sleep problems among school-aged children. Long-term prevalence changes, and pain symptoms as predictors of later mental health

Children’s pain symptoms and sleep problems are among the most common health complaints. They distract children from activities, decrease the quality of life, contribute to a significant economic burden, and have shown continuity into adulthood. The main aims of this thesis were to investigate long-term changes in the prevalence of pain symptoms and sleep problems among Finnish school-aged children, and the later mental health of those who in childhood experience pain. Prevalence, co-occurrence, and associated psychosocial factors of pain symptoms and sleep problems were also assessed. In study I, prevalence changes in eight-year-old children’s pain symptoms and sleep problems were investigated in three cross-sectional population-based samples (years 1989: n=1038, 1999: n=1035, and 2005: n=1030). In study II, cross-sectional associations between pain symptoms, sleep problems, and psychosocial factors were assessed among 13-18-year-old adolescents (n=2476). In studies III and IV, associations between pain symptoms at age eight (n=6017), and register-based data on antidepressant use and severe suicidality by age 24, were examined in a nationwide birth cohort. Pain symptoms and sleep problems were common and often co-occurred. A considerable number of children’s pain symptoms remained unrecognized by the parents. The prevalence of pain symptoms, sleep problems, and multiple concurrent symptoms approximately doubled from 1989 to 2005. Psychiatric difficulties or demographic factors did not explain the increase. Psychosocial factors that were associated with pain, sleep problems, and a higher number of symptoms, were female sex, psychological difficulties, emotional symptoms, smoking, victimization, and feeling not cared about by teachers. In longitudinal analyses, the child’s own report of headache, and to a smaller degree the parental report of the child’s abdominal pain predicted later antidepressant use. Parental report of the child’s abdominal pain predicted severe suicidality among males. If one of the symptoms is present, health care professionals should inquire about other symptoms as well. Questions should be directed to the children, not only to their parents. Inquiring about psychiatric difficulties, substance use, victimization, and relations with teachers should be included as a part of the assessment. Further studies are needed to clarify the reasons that underlie the increased prevalence rates, and the factors that may increase or decrease the risk for later mental health problems among pain-suffering children.

Developmental norms for eight instruments used in the neuropsychological assessment of children: studies in Brazil

Norms for a battery of instruments, including Denckla's and Garfield's tests of Motor Persistence, Benton's Right-Left Discrimination, two recall modalities (Immediate and Delayed) of the Bender Test, Wechsler's Digit Span, the Color Span Test and the Human Figure Drawing Test, were developed for the neuropsychological assessment of children in the greater Rio de Janeiro area. Additionally, the behavior of each child was assessed with the Composite Teacher Rating Scale (Brito GNO and Pinto RCA (1991) Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 13: 417-418). A total of 398 children (199 boys and 199 girls balanced for age) with a mean age of 9.3 years (SD = 2.8), who were attending a public school in Niterói, were the subjects of this study. Gender and age had significant effects on performance which depended on the instrument. Nonachievers performed worse than achievers in most neuropsychological tests. Comparison of our data to the available counterparts in the United States revealed that American children outperformed Brazilian children on the Right-Left Discrimination, Forward Digit Span, Color Span and Human Figure Drawing Tests. Further analysis showed that the neurobehavioral data consist of different factorial dimensions, including Human Body Representation, Motor Persistence of the Legs, Orbito-Orobuccal Motor Persistence, Attention-Memory, Visuospatial Memory, Neuropsychomotor Speed, Hyperactivity-Inattention, and Anxiety-Negative Socialization. We conclude that gender and age should be taken into account when using the normative data for most of the instruments studied in the present report. Furthermore, we stress the need for major changes in the Brazilian public school system in order to foster the development of secondary cognitive abilities in our children