SIG 15 meeting 2010 - Preliminary Programme

Biennial Meeting of EARLI SIG 15
Special Educational Needs
Conference Theme
Learning, Teaching and Diversity
Preliminary
Conference Programme
September 6 - 7, 2010
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
1
Dear colleagues,
We are very pleased to invite you to participate in the Biennial Meeting of
EARLI SIG 15 Special Educational Needs taking place at the University of
Frankfurt/Main (Germany) from Monday, September 6 until Tuesday,
September 7, 2010.
SIG 15 brings together researchers from across the globe who are involved
in the study of Special Educational Needs at all levels (classroom, school
and system), from first-graders to adults, for the purpose of meeting these
challenges. Among its objectives, SIG 15 includes research to improve our
understanding of the unique character of special educational needs as well
as to improve learning and instruction in a range of settings: the classroom,
the home, hospitals, institutions, wherever special education is available. In
accordance with these objectives Learning, Teaching and Diversity was
elected as general theme of the conference.
The biennial meetings offer a forum for the exchange of findings in
fundamental and applied research on special educational needs. The
meeting aims at extending our understanding of causes and conditions of all
kinds of special educational needs, advancing our knowledge on successful
prevention and intervention procedures as well as broadening our scientific
networks.
The meeting will include 3 symposia, 9 paper sessions, 2 poster sessions, 2
keynote speeches and a debate. We would like to present this preliminary
programme to you so that you can plan your conference visit. You will get
the final conference programme (including room numbers and other useful
information) with the conference materials at our registration desk.
As SIG coordinators and organisers of the biennial SIG 15 meeting in
Frankfurt, Germany, we would like to offer our hospitality to participants from
all over the world. We hope the meeting will be an exciting and enriching
scientific, personal, and social experience for all participants.
We are looking forward to meeting you in Frankfurt in September 2010!
Gerhard Buettner
Adina Shamir
Sebastian Poloczek
SIG Coordinator
University of Frankfurt
SIG Coordinator
Bar-Ilan University
Jure Assistant Coordinator
University of Frankfurt
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Time
08:00 - 08:30
Monday, 6 Sept
Registration
Tuesday, 7 Sept
Registration
08:30 - 09.00
09:00 - 09:30
09:30 - 10:00
Welcome
Symposium 3
Paper Session 8 & 9
Keynote 1
10:00 - 10:30
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee / Tea
11:00 - 11:30
11:30 - 12:00
12:00 - 12:30
Keynote 2
Symposium 1
Paper Session 1 & 2
Lunch
12:30 - 13:00
13:00 - 13:30
Lunch
13:30 - 14:00
Poster Session
A&B
14:00 - 14:30
14:30 - 15:00
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee / Tea
Symposium 2
Paper Session 3 & 4
Debate
Coffee / Tea
Coffee / Tea
15:30 - 16:00
16:00 - 16:30
16:30 - 17:00
17:00 - 17:30
Paper Session 5 – 7
17:30 - 18:00
18:00 - 18:30
18:30 - 19:00
19:00 - 19:30
SIG Meeting
19:30 - 20:00
20:00 - 20:30
20:30 - 21:00
Social Event
(Dinner)
21:00 - 21:30
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Keynote 1
Karin Landerl
Associations and Dissociations between Deficits in
Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic
Monday
09:30h-10:30h
In order to fully specify the complex profiles of risk and protective factors of
learning disorders, we need to better understand the conditions under which they
co-occur as well as the conditions under which they dissociate. In a recent
epidemiological study with a large sample (N = 2586) of German speaking primary
school children, the rates of deficits in reading, spelling, and/or arithmetic were
four to five times higher in children already experiencing marked problems in one
academic domain. Still, detailed comparisons of specifically selected subgroups of
children with isolated versus comorbid learning disorders suggest that each
disorder is associated with a characteristic cognitive profile. Dysfluent reading in
the absence of spelling problems is best explained by deficits in the fast access
from visual symbols to phonological representations (indicated by a marked deficit
in rapid automatized naming). Children with isolated spelling deficits (but adequate
reading performance) are characterised by deficits in phonological awareness
which probably hamper the amalgamation of phonological and orthographic
information. Isolated deficits in arithmetic development are typically associated
with a specific impairment in understanding, processing, and manipulating
numerical magnitudes. Comorbid learning disorders seem to be largely additive
from the cognitive profiles associated with each disorder.
Symposium 1
New Technologies for Enhancing SEN Students'
Performance in School and Daily Life
Organized by Adina Shamir
Monday
11:00h-13:00h
Orit Hetzroni & Juman Tannous
Evaluation VR vs. CAI as teaching strategies among students with ASD: A metaanalysis
Sarah Parsons & Sara Garib-Penna
Perspective taking and collaboration in multi-user Virtual Environments by young
people on the autism spectrum: a preliminary study
Sigal Eden
The effect of using laptops on the spelling capabilities of students in special
education classes
Adina Shamir & Inessa Shlafer
The effect of activity with e-book on vocabulary and story comprehension among
kindergarteners at risk for LD as opposed to typically developing children
4
Paper Session 1
Inclusion and Professional Development
Monday
11:00h-13:00h
Joel Santos & Margarida César:
Inclusion and professional Development: Concerns, attitudes and sentiments
Marina Santi & Elisabetta Ghedin:
Index for commitment to inclusion
Lio Moscardini:
“It’s to do with the teaching”: Developing an inclusive pedagogy through teacher
professional development in children’s mathematical thinking.
Maria Kypriotaki & George Manolitsis
Modification of typically developing preschoolers’ attitudes towards children with
special educational needs through story-reading and film-viewing
Paper Session 2
Language Impairments and Sign Language Tests
Monday
11:00h-13:00h
Lucy A. Henry, David Messer & Gilly Nash
Educational implications of deficits in executive functioning for children with
specific language impairment
Melanie Eberhardt, Christoph Michael Müller & Susanne Nußbeck
Language comprehension in autism – The explanatory power of theory of weak
central coherence and its implications for learning and instruction
Wolfgang Mann & Chloe Marshall
Measuring deaf children’s vocabulary knowledge in British sign language
Tobias Haug
Testing sign language development in deaf and hard-of-hearing children: The case
of the German Sign Language Receptive Skills Test
5
Symposium 2
The Quality of Experience of Children with Special
Educational Needs and Teachers in Inclusive Schools
Organized by Martin Venetz
Monday
14:00h-16:00h
Martin Venetz
Introduction to the basic concept of quality of experience and its measurement
Rupert Tarnutzer
The quality of experience of children with special educational needs in inclusive
and special classes
Mireille Audeoud & Emanuela Wertli
The experience of daily life of hard of hearing children
Carmen Zurbriggen
The quality of cooperation experienced by remedial and regular teachers in
inclusive schools
Matthias Grünke
Critical Synopsis
Paper Session 3
Preschool Intervention Studies and
Improving Reading
Monday
14:00h-16:00h
Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber & Tamara Fischmann
The evaluation of two prevention programs in day-care centers (EVA)
Andrea Lanfranchi
Long-term effects of early child care on the success of immigrant children at Swiss
schools
Telse Nagler, Marcus Hasselhorn & Sven Lindberg
Accelerating the reading and calculating process in German elementary school
children: An investigation of the acceleration phenomenon’s transferability
Inmaculada Fajardo, Vicenta Avila, Gema Tavares & Antonio Ferrer
Easy to read text for students with intellectual disability
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Paper Session 4
Emotion and Motivation
Monday
14:00h-16:00h
Greta Pelgrims
The role of special education teaching practices into learning disabled students’
motivational and emotional self-regulation
Chantal S. Rietz, Wolfgang Woerner & Andju Sara Labuhn
Dyslexia and co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems after controlling for
ADHD
Jürgen Wilbert & Matthias Grünke
The effect of activating the identity of being learning disabled on cognitive test
performance
Greta Pelgrims
Learning disabled students’ task commitment, persistence, and performances in
mathematics: A matter of general motivational components or situated motivational
processes?
7
Paper Session 5
Children with Learning Disabilities in Mathematics
Monday
16:30h-18:00h
Claudia Mähler & Kirsten Schuchardt
Working memory, basic arithmetics and numerical competencies in subgroups of
children with mathematical disabilities
Daniel Sinner & Jan Kuhl
Differential effects of a mathematical training of first-graders in elementary schools
and special schools
Elisabeth Moser Opitz, Okka Freesemann, Ina Matull, Susanne Prediger &
Stephan Hußmann
Fostering children with learning disabilities in mathematics in secondary school
Paper Session 6
Memory in People with Learning Difficulties
Monday
16:30h-18:00h
Sebastian Poloczek, Gerhard Büttner & Marcus Hasselhorn
The phonological short-term memory of children with intellectual disabilities: Are
their redintegration processes less efficient?
Michael Grosche & Matthias Grünke
Impact of deficits in phonological processing on functionally illiterate adults
Nadine Malstädt, Martin Lehmann & Marcus Hasselhorn
Rehearsal strategies in children with dyslexia
Paper Session 7
Special Needs of Adolescents and Adults
Monday
16:30h-18:00h
Amos Fleischmann & Erez C. Miller
Stories of adults with ADHD in the web: A grounded theory study
Kurt Haefeli & Claudia Hofmann
Youth at risk? Employment perspectives and job careers of young people after a
two-year basic training course with Swiss Basic Federal VET Certificate
Alexander Wettstein
Aggression in environments of adolescent boys and girls: Four single case studies
with camera—glasses
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Symposium 3
Cognitive Correlates of Mathematics Learning
Difficulties
Organized by Evelyn H. Kroesbergen
Tuesday
08:30h-10:30h
Liane Kaufmann, Thomas Scherndl, Guilherme Wood, Korbinian Moeller, HansChristoph Nuerk & Silvia Pixner
Domain-general and domain-specific abilities as predictors of complex arithmetic
skills
Maria Chiara Passolunghi
Cognitive and Emotional factors in children with developmental disorders in
arithmetic ability
Carmen Brankaer, Pol Ghesquière & Bert De Smedt
Symbolic and nonsymbolic number sense in children with mild intellectual
disabilities
Sylke W. M. Toll, Sanne H. G. Van der Ven, Evelyn H. Kroesbergen & Johannes
E. H.Van Luit
Executive Functions and Number Sense as Predictors of Math Learning
Disabilities
Paper Session 8
Inclusion
Tuesday
08:30h-10:30h
Margarida César & Ricardo Machado
Finding a voice in mathematics classes: Students’ inclusion process
Joaquim Melro & Margarida César
Learning and teaching within diversity: A case study about Deaf students’ inclusion
in a regular secondary school
Inês Borges & Margarida César
You talk, I see, we learn: Two Deaf students in a mathematics mainstream class
Cláudia Ventura, Margarida César & Nuno Santos
Participating in mathematics classes: Blind students experiences of inclusion
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Paper Session 9
New Measurement Instruments and Dynamic
Assessment
Tuesday
08:30h-10:30h
Jan-Henning Ehm, Telse Nagler, Marcus Hasselhorn & Sven Lindberg
Assessing the academic self-concept in German elementary school children: How
to identify children at risk?
Alexander Wettstein
The observation-system for the analysis of aggressive behaviour in classroomsettings BASYS
Marco G.P. Hessels, Katia Vanderlinden & Hildalill Rojas
Training effects in dynamic assessment: eye movement as indicator of problem
solving behavior
Floor van Loo & G.M. van der Aalsvoort
Interaction patterns leading to learning gains: How to measure and how to
interpret?
Keynote 2
Annemie Desoete
Dyscalculia: Can Metacognition make the Difference?
Tuesday
11:00h-12:00h
Most researchers currently report a prevalence of dyscalculia (DC) between 3-14%
of children. Five studies on the relationship between metacognition and DC will be
presented. In the first study the metacognitive profile of children with DC was
found not comparable on all aspects to the profile of other younger children. In
addition ½ of the children with procedural DC and 5% of the children with semantic
memory deficits had less developed metacognitive skills. Furthermore the
inhibition and working memory skills of children with DC were compared to those
of age-matched peers without learning disabilities. In addition, thematic analyses
on adults with DC revealed that many of them still had problems with planning and
keeping track of steps and that supporting surroundings were important protective
factors towards the chances of success. Finally metacognition was found to be
modifiable with value added to mathematical problem solving. Therefore since
several (but not all) average intelligent children with DC were found to show
inaccurate metacognitive skills, it may be advisable to assess these skills and
focus on these skills if less developed. These studies suggest that there is a
spectrum of DC with different metacognitive problems and strengths in young
children.
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Tuesday
13:30h-14:30h
Poster Session A
Ana Isabel Alves Silva & Helena Framrose Bilimória
Cooperative practices and cognitive training: An approach to improve memory and
attention in retarded students
Jasmin Warwas, Katja Adl-Amini, Gerhard Büttner, Sanna-K. Djakovic, Benjamin
Fauth, Ilonca Hardy, Silke Hertel, Lena Hondrich, Eckhard Klieme, Mareike Kunter,
Arnim Lühken, Susanne Mannel & Alexander Naumann
Project IGEL (Individual Development and Adaptive Learning Environments in
Primary School)
Catherine Plutecka
Effectiveness of various communicating methods used by deaf students with
additional developmental dysfunctions
Anton J.H. Boonen, Meijke E Kolkman & Evelyn H. Kroesbergen
Teacher related aspects influencing the acquisition of number sense within
kindergarten classrooms
Tuesday
13:30h-14:30h
Poster Session B
Maria - Efterpi Frangogianni
The emotional development of children with dyslexia
Johannes Gross, Katharina Hohn, Siebel Telli, Renate Rasch & Wolfgang Schnotz
Differences in the spontaneous use of various representations and further
elements of the problem solving process on complex story problems, comparing
students from two class levels and different ability groups
Matthias Grünke & Jürgen Wilbert
Teaching critical thinking skills to future special educators
Maria Kypriotaki, Maria Markodimitraki, Maria Ampartzaki & Michalis Linardakis
The interaction of twin autistic brothers with teachers and peers in a Special
Nursery Unit: A case study
Anna Wójcik
Family and school environments in the context of work with an ADHD child
11
Debate
Joe Elliott
Does Dyslexia Exist?
Tuesday
14:30h-16:00h
Discussants: Annemie Desoete,
Marcus Hasselhorn & Karin Landerl
In his presentation, Joe Elliot will argue that attempts to distinguish between
categories of ‘dyslexia’ and ‘poor reader’ or ‘reading disabled’ are scientifically
unsupportable, arbitrary and thus potentially discriminatory. In putting forward this
position, he does not seek to veto scientific curiosity in examining underlying
factors in reading disability, for seeking greater understanding of the relationship
between visual symbols and spoken language is crucial. However, while stressing
the potential of genetics and neuroscience for guiding assessment and educational
practice at some stage in the future, he will argue that there is a mistaken belief
that current knowledge in these fields is sufficient to justify a category of dyslexia
as a subset of those who encounter reading difficulties. The implications of this
debate for large-scale intervention will be outlined.
Subsequent to the presentation Annemie Desoete, Marcus Hasselhorn and Karin
Landerl will discuss the issues raised by Joe Elliott.
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Symposia
13
Symposium 1: New technologies for enhancing
SEN students' performance in school and daily
life.
Adina Shamir
Bar- Ilan University
[email protected]
Computer-assisted learning and other new technologies that have been shown to
enhance performance in numerous academic areas (e.g., Goodwin, 2008; Hetzroni &
Shrieber, 2004; Snyder, 2002; Valmont, 2000) hold great promise for helping
promote the inclusion of SEN individuals into modern society.
The literature indicates that computerized environments, because they are
characterized by multiple representations of knowledge, may support the instruction
of SEN students faced with barriers that make learning a more complex process. The
use of multiple representations of knowledge in SEN instruction rests on the idea
that this approach facilitates learning by providing several mutually referenced
sources of information, each of which compensates for a different aspect of the
individual's specific needs (Mayer, 2003). In addition, computerized environments
(multimedia software, virtual reality (VR), etc.) may offer SEN individuals a range
of opportunities to practice participation in everyday life by simulating activities in a
motivating and adaptable yet neutral environment.
Yet, despite the multiplicity of new approaches and applications now available,
construction of the knowledge and databases needed to assess their significance with
respect to students’ characteristics, teaching goals and software design still await
expansion. In attempting to meet this challenge, the proposed symposium will focus
on the potential contributions of new technologies to the performance of SEN
students in school and in everyday environments.
New Technologies – Performance – SEN students
14
Evaluation VR vs. CAI as teaching strategies among students
with ASD: A meta-analysis
Orit Hetzroni & Juman Tannous
University of Haifa, Israel
[email protected]
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) demonstrate severe behavioral,
communicative, social, and cognitive deficits. Such deficits interfere with the
process of learning new skills and generalizing these skills beyond the learning
setting. Over the years, an overwhelming number of intervention strategies and
treatment methods were developed in order to increase the efficacy of the learning
process. Of these, the use of assistive technology (AT) as part of the intervention
strategy has become prevalent for teaching children with ASD
In this study a meta-analysis was performed, in order to determine what makes an
intervention strategy successful among students with autism. This meta-analysis
reviewed technology based intervention studies (virtual reality and computer based)
searching for basic efficient common factors, contributing to successful learning and
generalization. Results revealed that all components of practice were found both in
CAI and VR intervention strategies used for teaching individuals with autism. Data
and model will be presented.
15
Perspective taking and collaboration in multi-user Virtual
Environments by young people on the autism spectrum: a
preliminary study
Sarah Parsons & Sara Garib-Penna
University of Birmingham, School of Education
[email protected]
The ability to understand and interpret the perspectives of others is a wellestablished core difficulty for people on the autism spectrum. This preliminary study
from the European FP7 project COSPATIAL, aims to investigate the potential of
Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) for supporting children’s understanding
of others’ perspectives. One of the unique affordances of CVEs is the ability to
adopt different viewpoints within a task by two or more participants. Our ‘Block
Party’ task utilises this affordance to encourage children to work together to achieve
a shared goal; to do this they need to understand that the other person’s perspective
is different to their own and communicate effectively with their partner about which
block they need to choose. The study is currently being conducted and will
implement a pilot version of ‘Block Party’ with approximately 6 higher-functioning
young people on the autism spectrum and 6 typically developing peers aged 8-14
years. Performance on the task will be videotaped and analysed for quality and
nature of communication and collaboration to see whether children are able to work
together effectively on the task by taking the other player’s perspective into account.
Background measures of language and general cognitive ability will be taken and
the Social Communication Questionnaire administered to parents of the children
with autism. The results of the study will inform the project about the acceptability
and usability of the task within the CVE as well as ability levels of the children
required for successful completion. The study will also inform us about where and
how children’s understanding requires scaffolding within the game, either through
the facilitation of computer-assisted mediation by a virtual character (‘Professor
Blocks’) or via a human mediator (teacher). Results and their implications will be
presented and discussed at this conference.
Autism, Virtual Reality, Collaboration
16
The effect of using laptops on the spelling capabilities of
students in special education classes
Sigal Eden
Bar- Ilan University, Israel
[email protected]
The current study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling capabilities of
students in special education classes. The study was conducted as part of the Katom
Project (The Davidson Institute for Scientific Education). Ninety three students with
learning disabilities participated in this study aged 13-16, who study in 10 special
education classes in 5 junior high schools.
The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups; the experimental group,
which was using the laptops, included 54 students (46 males, 8 females). The control
group, which did not use laptops, included 39 students from (17 males, 22 females).
A spelling test was administered to all participants at a pre-intervention stage and
again at a post-stage.
Based on existing academic literature, we asked two research questions:
1) Do the results for the experimental group would show significant differences in
the amount of spelling mistakes between the two spelling tests (pre/post)?
2) Will differences be found between the two research groups in regards to the gaps
between the tests results?
The findings indicated that the participants in the experimental group significantly
improved their spelling capabilities as opposed to the control group while the
participants in the control group didn't. The findings will be discussed in light of
previous findings. It seems that the usage of laptops in special education classes can
enhance the spelling capabilities of students with learning disabilities.
17
The effect of activity with e-book on vocabulary and story
comprehension among kindergarteners at risk for LD as
opposed to typically developing children
Adina Shamir & Inessa Shlafer
Bar- Ilan University, Israel
[email protected]
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of e-book
activity for vocabulary acquisition and story comprehension among kindergarteners
at risk for LD as opposed to typically developing children. Participants included 136
children aged 5-7 (M=71.2; SD=5.64, in months), 75 at risk for learning disabilities
and 60 typically developing children. The children in each group were then
randomly assigned to either the e-book intervention or the control group,
which experienced the regular kindergarten program, a total of four groups. The
findings indicated significant improvement in vocabulary among both groups
exposed to the e-book intervention, especially among children at risk for LD.
Conversely, story comprehension among typically developing children was higher
than among children at risk for LD following the e-book reading. These findings and
their implications will be discussed.
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Symposium 2: The quality of experience of
children with special educational needs and
teachers in inclusive schools
Martin Venetz
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich
[email protected]
Momentary affective states like emotions or mood states are related to motivational
and cognitive processes and influence conjointly human behaviour. There are
numerous studies which investigated within school settings the effects of negative
affective states (e. g., test anxiety) on learning. As recent studies show, positive
affective states should equally be taken into consideration because they have an
important influence on learning motivation, formation of interests, and academic
achievement. However, these findings can be criticized because the quality of
experience has typically not been studied in situ, i. e. in the context of everyday life.
In addition, there are no empirical findings on how children with special educational
needs experience their schooling in regular classes.
A relatively new group of data collection techniques known as «Experience
Sampling Method» (ESM) or «Ecological Momentary Assessment» enables the
momentary capture of real-world data and offers a new approach to different types
of research questions.
In this symposium three empirical studies using the ESM technique will be
presented. They all capture school life as it is lived, and in particular, focus on the
affective states of pupils with special educational needs and teachers in regular
classes. The first study contrasts the quality of experience of pupils with special
educational needs in regular schools with their classmates as well with children in
special schools. The second study compares children with hearing impairments and
their hearing classmates with respect to their experiencing everyday life in general
and schooling in particular. The third study addresses regular and remedial teachers,
and deals with the question of how these teachers experience their cooperation.
The symposium will start with an introductory contribution in which the common
conceptual and methodological background of the three studies will be exposed. The
symposium will close with a critical synopsis by Prof. Dr. Grünke (University of
Cologne).
19
Introduction to the basic concept of quality of experience and its
measurement
Martin Venetz
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich
[email protected]
In the centre of the three empirical studies presented in this symposium is the quality
of everyday life as it is experienced by children with special educational needs in
inclusive schools on the one hand and their teachers on the other. Therefore, the aim
of the first symposium's presentation is to introduce to the concept and measurement
of the quality of experience of everyday life. Three features are characteristic for this
concept: current affective states, internal experiences and ecological validity.
Momentary affective states are related to motivational and cognitive processes and
influence conjointly human behaviour. From this point of view the experience of
positive affective states is of particular importance for children with special
educational needs in inclusive classes because compared to their classmates, these
children are in many respects at a disadvantage.
In order to get as close as possible to the transient momentary states in the natural
context, a new data collection technique, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM),
was developed. The basic idea of this method is to capture a representative sample
of «emotional snapshots» from everyday life as experienced by the study
participants. The main advantage of the Experience Sampling Method is the
systematic collection of the current, cognitive little processed affective experience in
the natural life context.
Quality of Experience – Everyday Life – Special Educational Needs
20
The quality of experience of children with special educational
needs in inclusive and special classes
Rupert Tarnutzer
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich
[email protected]
As a result of recent school development in the German speaking part of
Switzerland, inclusive classes have been introduced, with the aim to support as
many students as possible in terms of their learning and behavioural development. It
is the project’s intention to survey the quality of experience (affective and
motivational experiences, as states) as well as the motivational attitude (traits) of
students with behavioural or learning problems in inclusive classes. A second
intention is to compare their self-report measures with students without special
needs and with students in special classes. The quality of experience is described
with the circumplex model of affect and the flow concept. Trait measures of self
described motivational attitudes where described with the reference norm
orientation, the goal orientation and the dimensions of integration. The sample
consists of 6th-grade-students (712 students from 40 inclusive classes; and 102
students from 22 special classes). The experience sampling method was applied to
survey the quality of experience at 14 randomly chosen learning situations over the
period of one week.
Central findings are (1) that students with behavioural or learning problems in
inclusive classes differ from students without special needs in different relevant
aspects of their motivational attitude, but lesser in their quality of experience. (2)
They have a comparatively low, but realistic academic self-concept. (3) Inclusive
schooling brings, particularly to students with behavioural problems, a somewhat
higher amount of stress. The difference to students without special needs and to
students in special classes is considerable. (4) Students with learning problems
describe themselves as more motivated and content. (5) Students with behavioural
and learning problems in inclusive classes describe themselves as socially better
integrated compared to students in special classes.
Quality of Experience – Special Educational Needs – Schooling
21
The experience of daily life of hard of hearing children
Mireille Audeoud & Emanuela Wertli
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich
[email protected]
Since almost 50 years, hard of hearing children are taught in regular classes in
Switzerland. Well established assistance by specialist support for hard of hearing
students (Audiopädagogen) is given. These children school achievement seems to be
equal to their hearing peers. However it is assumed, that the hard of hearing children
still provide a great amount of additional work and expense. Daily (school) life is
based communication in different surroundings, in which especially hard of hearing
children are experiencing obstacles, which they have to overcome with extra effort.
The question rises: How do they experience then their daily life?
This section focuses on the capturing of subjective experiences in different
situational contexts of hard of hearing children (age 11-13 years) in comparison to
hearing classmates. The present empirical research project shows the experiences of
78 hard of hearing children and 78 hearing peers during 7 days; they were asked 5
times a day with Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to describe their actual
positive and negative activation, their flow, concentration and their stress in different
activities (at school or in leisure time; learning, discussing, hanging around, eating,
watching TV, etc.), in different social and physical contexts (outside or inside,
school, at home, in noisy surroundings, activities alone or in a group, etc.).
Multilevel analyses show how hearing impairment influence daily experience, how
much variance lies within the impairment, the situational contexts or personality
characteristics of the children.
Experience Sampling Method – Hard of Hearing Children – Quality of
Experience
22
The quality of cooperation experienced by remedial and regular
teachers in inclusive schools
Carmen Zurbriggen
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich
[email protected]
In order to guarantee participation of pupils with special educational needs in
inclusive schools, the collaboration of remedial and regular teachers is crucial.
Nevertheless a culture of collaboration between teachers is hardly established in
Switzerland. Empirical studies show that teachers perceive such a collaboration both
as helpful as well as difficult. However, there is little known about how teachers
experience instruction-centered teamwork in various situations of everyday school
life.
The objective of this study was twofold: (1) to explore how teaching in general and
cooperation in particular – compared with overall workaday life – are experienced
proximately, and (2) to determine personal and situational factors which influence
the quality of experience of an activity. Using the experience sampling method, 19
teachers provided information about their affective states and experiences on 783
moments in their everyday life.
The results show that – in comparison to the individual average of the quality of
experience – teaching on the whole and situations of instruction-centered teamwork
are accompanied by high positive activation. Yet, the quality of experience of
remedial teachers differs in various settings significantly from those of regular
teachers. Worth mentioning is that cooperative teaching in the same classroom has
positive motivational effects –for collaborating remedial as well as regular teachers.
Quality of Experience – Cooperation – Teachers in Inclusive Schools
23
Symposium 3: Cognitive correlates of
mathematics learning difficulties
Evelyn H. Kroesbergen
Utrecht University, Langeveld Institute
[email protected]
Mathematical abilities are crucial for everyday life and represent an important part
of the curriculum in elementary education. Still, many children have difficulties with
learning math. Previous research has shown that two important underlying factors of
math are working memory (or executive functions) and number sense. However,
only a few studies have investigated the interlinked relations between these factors
in mathematical development. In this symposium, four studies will be presented that
studied the role of working memory and number sense in relation to children with
difficulties in learning math. In three of the four presented studies (1,2,4), the role of
domain-general abilities in math learning difficulties is studied longitudinally (firstthird grade). The studied domain-general abilities include verbal and visuo-spatial
working memory and short term memory, inhibition, and processing speed. Papers
1,3 and 4 also focus on the influence of domain-specific abilities, including
numerical magnitude comparison, number line estimation, counting, and basic
number skills. The studies show a significant role of both domain-specific abilities
and working memory in the development of mathematics. The main question
addressed in the symposium deals with the importance of domain-specific vs.
domain-general factors in the development of difficulties in mathematics.
Discussing the results of these studies will enlarge our insight in the development of
children’s math skills in general, and in the development of mathematical difficulties
in particular.
24
Domain-general and domain-specific abilities as predictors of
complex arithmetic skills
1
2
2
Liane Kaufmann , Thomas Scherndl , Guilherme Wood , Korbinian
3
3
1
Moeller , Hans-Christoph Nuerk & Silvia Pixner
1 UMIT University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Division of
Psychology
2 University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology
3 University of Tuebingen, Department of Psychology
[email protected]
Currently, the link between complex arithmetic performance and potential precursor
skills is poorly understood. Longitudinal studies investigating this interlink are
scarce and respective studies either focus on the influence of domain-general
cognitive abilities (e.g. working memory) or domain-specific abilities (e.g., basic
number skills). The present study fills this gap: We report longitudinal data from
128 (67 male) Austrian children. By employing structural equation modeling we
sought to disentangle potential differential predictive values of domain-general and
domain-specific abilities (in first grade) on complex arithmetic skills (in third
grade). The first study aim was to assess the construct validity of the constructs
“basic numerical abilities” and “complex arithmetic skills”. Secondly, path analyses
were conducted to create a model incorporating domain-general (nonverbal
intelligence, working memory components such as letter/Corsi span
forward/backward) as well as domain-specific abilities (number comparison, number
scale, transcoding) as predictors of arithmetic performance (two-digit addition,
subtraction and multiplication).
Results revealed that the constructs of basic numerical abilities and complex
arithmetic skills are meaningful and best represented as second-order models. Path
analyses disclosed two models with high overall fit (CFI>.97). In the first model,
direct paths between domain-general and domain-specific abilities and complex
arithmetic skills were calculated, while in the second model domain-general abilities
were modeled to indirectly influence arithmetic skills over domain-specific skills.
Findings showed that arithmetic skills in third grade are strongly predicted by
previous arithmetic achievement and basic numerical abilities but not by domaingeneral abilities in first grade. Finally, domain-general abilities were found to
influence domain-specific abilities. Overall, compared with domain-general abilities
domain-specific abilities (requiring the processing and manipulation of numerical
magnitudes) are generally better predictors of later arithmetic skills. However,
importantly, findings disclosed that (basic) number processing is not independent
from domain-general abilities, thus implying a close interplay between domaingeneral and domain-specific abilities throughout development.
Longitudinal Study – Domain-general and Domain-specific Skills – Structural
Equation Model
25
Cognitive and Emotional factors in children with developmental
disorders in arithmetic ability
Maria Chiara Passolunghi
University of Trieste, Faculty of Psychology
[email protected]
Emotional and cognitive factors were examined in 18 children with specific
developmental disorders in arithmetic ability (AD), compared with 18 normally
achieving children, matched for chronological age and school level, and vocabulary.
Working memory, short-term memory, inhibitory processes, speed of processing and
level of anxiety in mathematics were assessed in the two groups.
The results corroborated the hypothesis that children with AD are impaired in
working memory capacity, inhibitory ability, and speed of processing. However, no
impairment was found in short-term memory tasks requiring passive storage of
verbal or numerical information. Moreover, while children with AD showed higher
levels of anxiety in mathematics, their levels in other school subjects were similar to
those of normal achievers. Implications for identifying underlying emotional and
cognitive deficits in children with AD are discussed, along with possible approaches
for treatment.
Arithmetic Disorder – Working Memory – Math Anxiety
26
Symbolic and nonsymbolic number sense in children with mild
intellectual disabilities
Carmen Brankaer, Pol Ghesquière & Bert De Smedt
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
[email protected]
Mathematical abilities are crucial for everyday life and represent an important part
of the curriculum in primary school. Individuals with mild intellectual disabilities
appear to have difficulties with the development of these mathematical abilities.
Understanding the nature of these difficulties is crucial to design appropriate
interventions. Number sense or the ability to represent numerical magnitudes has
been put forward as a crucial correlate of children’s mathematical development. The
present study therefore aimed to investigate this cognitive factor in children with
mild intellectual disabilities. We investigated whether children with mild intellectual
disabilities have difficulties in the ability to represent numerical magnitudes and/or
difficulties in the ability to access numerical magnitudes from formal symbols.
Twenty-four children with mild intellectual disabilities completed a symbolic
(numbers) and a non-symbolic (dot arrays) numerical magnitude comparison task.
We compared their performance on these tasks with two control groups of typically
developing children: one control group (n = 30) matched on chronological age (CA)
and one control group (n = 30) matched on mathematical ability (MA). Children
with mild intellectual disabilities performed more poorly than the CA-control group
on both the symbolic and the nonsymbolic comparison task. However, children with
mild intellectual disabilities did not differ from the MA-control group on both tasks.
These findings suggest that the development of magnitude representation of children
with mild intellectual disabilities is marked by a delay in representing magnitudes
and in accessing numerical magnitudes from symbolic digits. This indicates that
intervention should foster both the development of magnitude representations and
the connection between symbols and the magnitudes they represent.
Number Sense – Mild Intellectual Disabilities – Mathematics
27
Executive Functions and Number Sense as Predictors of Math
Learning Disabilities
Sylke W. M. Toll, Sanne H. G. Van der Ven, Evelyn H. Kroesbergen &
Johannes E. H.Van Luit
Utrecht University
[email protected]
In the past years, an increasing number of studies investigated executive functions
and preparatory mathematical abilities as predictors of individual differences in
mathematical abilities. The present longitudinal study was designed to investigate
whether the executive functions shifting, inhibition and updating can be seen as
precursors of math learning disabilities in children, compared to preparatory
mathematical abilities. Two classifications were made based on (persistent)
mathematical ability in 1st through 2nd grade. Repeated measures analyses and
discriminant analyses were used to investigate which functions predict most of the
group classifications. The distinguished groups differed in their performance on
several math tasks. The updating tasks were predictors for children at risk for math
learning disabilities, even over and above the predictive value of preparatory
mathematical abilities. Therefore, this research implicates the use of updating tasks
at the beginning of first grade for identifying children at risk for persistent
mathematical difficulties.
Executive Functions – Number Sense – Mathematical Learning Disabilities
28
Paper Presentations
(Abstracts in alphabetical order)
29
You talk, I see, we learn: Two Deaf students in a mathematics
mainstream class
1
Inês Borges & Margarida César
2
1 Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Unidade de Investigação
Educação e Desenvolvimento
2 Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação
[email protected]
Schools became significantly more multicultural over the last two decades (Abreu &
Elbers, 2005; César, 2009) receiving students categorized as presenting Special
Educational Needs (SEN), including Deaf students (Borges, 2009; Freire & César,
2002, 2003). Teachers face new challenges like (re)thinking the curriculum and
adapting their practices to each student’s characteristics, needs and interests (César
& Santos, 2006). They should also follow the inclusive education principals
(UNESCO, 1994) and facilitate their access to academic achievement and the
transitions between cultures (Zittoun, 2006) in order to avoid exclusion (César &
Ainscow, 2006; Cobb & Hodge, 2007).
Assuming an interpretative approach (Denzin, 2002) we focus on two Deaf students
attending the 12th grade in a mainstream school. Each one of them constitutes an
intrinsic case study (Stake, 1995). Besides them, we considered as participants their
classmates, and their mathematics and special education teachers. The data
collecting instruments was the observation (registered in the researcher's diary; some
lessons were audio-taped), interviews, informal conversations, students' protocols
and documents. The data treatment was based in a narrative content analysis
(Clandinin & Connelly, 1998), from which inductive categories emerged (César,
2009; Hamido & César, 2009).
Through the analysis of some episodes and diverse empirical evidence we address
some adaptations made both by their mathematics teacher and classmates. These
adaptations facilitated these two Deaf students’ mathematics learning and inclusion,
helping them to become legitimate participants in these mathematics classes (César,
2009). Some excerpts illuminate different interactive patterns that emerged during
mathematical activities. They befit the Deaf students’ characteristics and needs.
They also facilitated the hearing students’ mathematics learning process and
therefore they allowed these students to overcome some communication barriers and
to become more included among their peers, in particular, and in the school
community, in general.
Deaf Students – Mathematics Performances – Inclusion
30
Finding a voice in mathematics classes: Students’ inclusion
process
1
2
Margarida César & Ricardo Machado
1 Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação
2 Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Unidade de Investigação
Educação e Desenvolvimento
[email protected]
At a technological and literate society inclusion plays a main role allowing people to
become critical and active citizens. School practices may promote - or create barriers
- to students’ access to literacy. Thus different types of exclusion can be addressed
and promoting inclusion is much more than merely allowing students in a Special
Educational Needs (SEN) situation to attend a mainstream school (César &
Ainscow, 2006).
Nowadays most policy documents states that school should provide the means to
develop each and every student’s competences, as assumed in the Salamanca
Statement (UNESCO, 1994). Collaborative work is also suggested in many of them.
Social interactions, namely among peers, play a main role in the learning process
(César, 2009).
Over 12 years we developed the Interaction and Knowledge project in Portuguese
classes (5th to 12th grades). Its main goal was to study and promote peer interactions
as a facilitator for knowledge appropriation and the mobilisation/development of
students’ competences. We assume a socio-critic approach and an action-research
design. The participants were students, their mathematics teachers, psychologists,
and significant others. The data was collected through participant observation;
questionnaires, interviews, tasks inspired in projective techniques, an instrument to
evaluate students’ abilities and competencies, students’ protocols, documents, and
reports. Special attention was given to paradigmatic cases. We will address one of
them related to a student categorised as presenting SEN and his inclusion process.
The analysis of peer interactions excerpts illuminates their role in students’
performances, change of attitudes, socio-cognitive and emotional development and
school achievement. Peer interactions are an effective way of avoiding students’
rejection of academic tasks. They contribute to the development of students’ positive
academic self-esteem, their ability to find solving strategies and to become more
autonomous and critical learners. They also play an essential role in order to
promote inclusive schooling principles.
Inclusive Education – Mathematics – Collaborative Work
31
Language comprehension in autism – The explanatory power of
theory of weak central coherence and its implications for
learning and instruction
1
2
Melanie Eberhardt , Christoph Michael Müller & Susanne Nußbeck
1
1 University of Cologne
2 University Fribourg / CH
[email protected]
Speech and language processing in people with autism was examined in numerous
studies over the past decades. Interestingly, compared to language production less
attention has been directed to language comprehension, although it is a crucial
prerequisite for successful learning. Further, the existing empirical results on this
topic currently are almost only interpreted within a framework of autistic deficits in
social cognition. At this point we examined in a theoretical approach, if the results
on language comprehension could also be explained by theory of weak central
coherence (Happé & Frith 2006). This account focuses on the informationprocessing of persons with autism and predicts a spontaneous bias towards details.
Although the theory has been mostly studied with a focus on visual perception, it
might also provide explanations for the specificities of language processing in
autism. In order to examine the model’s explanatory power in the verbal-semantic
domain, we arranged the pivotal findings on speech and language comprehension in
autism along a linguistic model (Bishop 1999) and compared them to the
assumptions of theory of weak central coherence. The results show that a detailfocused processing style can provide interesting explanations for the specific
language comprehension abilities in autism. This new perspective offers
implications for a better understanding of persons with autism and adequate
arrangements for learning and instruction.
Autism – Language Comprehension – Central Coherence
32
Assessing the academic self-concept in German elementary
school children: How to identify children at risk?
Jan-Henning Ehm, Telse Nagler, Marcus Hasselhorn & Sven Lindberg
German Institute for International Educational Research
[email protected]
Abstract:
A more positive, but also realistic self-concept is a pretty robust predictor of school
achievement. Self-concept influences the willingness for learning and enhances the
probability to make usage of adapted strategies for solving problems. Negative as
well as unrealistic levels of self-concept are often accompanied with learning
difficulties. Thus, the present study aims to develop a new scale in order to identify
children with different self-concept pattern (over- and underestimation, realistic selfconcept).
A sample of 300 third grade children was investigated (mean age 9; 3). Subjects’
academic self-concept was assessed using an 18 items questionnaire with seven
stages. The stages were illustrated via small figures (ranging from “very poor” to
“very good”). The childrens’ task was to label one of the stick figures, representing
their own abilities regarding their own perceived reading, writing and math ability.
Additionally, standardized reading (ELFE 1-6), writing (DERET 3-4+) and math
school achievement tests (DEMAT 3+) were administered. Furthermore, non-verbal
IQ was assessed by using the SPM-Plus measurement. The individual German and
Math grades were provided by the teachers.
The hypothesis of a reciprocal effect of self-concept and school performance
(Helmke & van Aken, 1995), motivated our search to whether self-concept provides
information about children with difficulties in the area of reading, writing and math.
Indeed, significant correlation between self-concept and performance were found.
Children with poor self-concept showed significant lower levels of performance and
poorer grades comparing to children with better self-concept. In addition, a group of
children showed high, but unrealistic self-concept. Especially theses children, who
overestimated their abilities, are further investigated and compared to children with
a tendency to underestimate their abilities.
Self-concept – Elementary School – New Instrument
33
Easy to read text for students with intellectual disability
Inmaculada Fajardo, Vicenta Avila, Gema Tavares & Antonio Ferrer
University of Valencia
[email protected]
The aim of this study was twofold: 1) To test the reading comprehension levels of a
corpus of easy-to-read texts by intellectually disabled students 2) To examine the
relationship between texts’ linguistics variables, on the one hand, and reading
comprehension performance on the other. Our results indicate that the corpus of
easy-to-read texts tested is actually comprehended by our sample of intellectually
disabled students, especially to the literal level. The analyses of linguistics features
of the texts revealed that the number of connectives of the texts interfere with
readers’ literal comprehension. This result is discussed against previous studies
showing facilitative effects of connectives for poor readers (Sanders, Land and
Mulder, 2007).
Easy to Read Texts – Students with Intellectually Disabilities – Literal and
Inferential Reading Comprehension
34
Stories of adults with ADHD in the web: A grounded theory
study
Amos Fleischmann & Erez C. Miller
Achva College of Education
[email protected]
Adults with ADHD face many daily challenges in everyday functioning (Barkley,
Murphy & Fisher, 2007). The present study used Web sites as a source of
information of retrospective perception of adults with AD(H)D diagnosed in
adulthood. We examined how these adults perceived the influence of significant
others on their functioning and self-perception, and how the diagnosis of AD(H)D in
adulthood changed those perceptions. 71 life stories were analyzed using grounded
theory method. All narrators described difficulties with performing tasks, which led
many of them to experience failures and confusion. Significant others did not
understand why they were so challenged by everyday tasks, and thereby criticized
them. That constant criticism resulted in a loss of willingness to cope and their faith
in their ability to succeed. The conflict between the need to perform duties and
difficulty with performing these tasks took a toll. Many narrators became worn
under that toll and experienced depression. The diagnosis of AD(H)D led to and
understanding of the reason for their woes, to seek out solutions and to believe that
they could finally cope with their challenges.
Their burden was reduced following the use of psychopharmacological treatment
and coping strategies, which helped these individuals turn their lives into more
enjoyable, consistent and predictable. Our findings indicate that the sense of
overload had a central role in these individuals' difficulties in coping with AD(H)D.
The diagnosis enabled those narrators who were willing to adopt appropriate
strategies to reduce their overload, thus increasing their belief their ability to conduct
meaningful and successful life.
However, a few of the narrators did not manage to escape their sense of heavy load
and therefore found it difficult to seek proper treatment or implement useful coping
strategies.
The salutogenic theory (Antonovsky, 1987) demonstrates that successful coping
with difficulties is necessary for the individual to feel a sense coherence, i.e., living
with a sense of influence over one's life, of understanding of one's life
circumstances, and of leading a meaningful life.
ADHD – Adults – Internet
35
Fostering children with learning disabilities in mathematics in
secondary school
1
2
2
Elisabeth Moser Opitz , Okka Freesemann , Ina Matull , Susanne Prediger
2
& Stephan Hußmann
2
1 Universität Zürich, Institut für Erziehungswissenschaft
2 Technische Universität Dortmund
[email protected]
The data of PISA 2006 showed that every fifth 15-year-old in Germany can solve
math problems only on a primary school level. Further research indicated that some
of these pupils have not or have only partly acquired specific knowledge of primary
school mathematics, the so called “basic subject matter” (e.g., counting
competences, understanding of place value, problem solving). This is an important
indicator, since very low proficiency in math not only prevents students from
learning successfully but also could negatively affect their career opportunities.
Based on an
intervention study in Grade 5 (sponsored by “Bundesministerium für Bildung und
Forschung”), the purpose of this study is to evaluate a) if deficits can be remediated,
b) if special needs instruction leads to an improvement in mathematics achievement,
and c) if the type of instruction (small group instruction vs. classroom instruction)
has an influence on the learning outcomes.
The study is conducted with a sample of N = 143 pupils in Nordrhein-Westfalen
with two intervention groups (A – small group instruction; B – classroom
instruction) and a control group (groups matched by math achievement, IQ, age,
gender). Over a period of 14 weeks, pupils were taught basic concepts like counting,
place value, and basic operations. Post-tests will be carried out in March and July
2010. First results will be available in late summer 2010.
Learning Disabilities in Mathematics – Secondary School – Mathematics
Intervention
36
Impact of deficits in phonological processing on functionally
illiterate adults
Michael Grosche & Matthias Grünke
University of Cologne
[email protected]
Problem: In order to create effective interventions for functional illiterates in
literate societies, we must understand how adult basic education (ABE) learners
learn to read and write. Unfortunately, we do not have a clear understanding whether
the learning processes of ABE learners differ from the normal reading development
in children, or whether ABE learners suffer from learning disabilities. Therefore, we
test the hypothesis that reading problems of ABE learners are due to learning
disabilities.
Method: Since deficits in phonological processes are the primary cause of problems
in reading development, we assessed phonological awareness (vowel substitution,
phoneme categorization, and vowel length recognition), rapid automatized naming
(rapid naming of digits, letters, and colors), and verbal working memory
(pseudoword recall, word span of one- and three syllable words) in ABE learners
and modeled error free latent variables. To rule out that deficits in phonological
processing reflect a result of the lack of reading, we compared ABE learners not
only with adults matched on chronological age but also with much younger but not
reading impaired students in the same phase of reading acquisition.
Results: With regard to the chronological age match, ABE learners were strongly
impaired in phonological processing. In comparison with primary students, ABE
learners performed more poorly in tasks of phonological awareness and verbal
working memory, but outperformed primary students in rapid naming, probably due
to their neurological maturation.
Interpretation: Despite their heterogeneity, many ABE learners suffer from
massive learning disabilities. In order to create effective training methods, we should
use interventions concerned with learning disabilities. Such methods focus directly
on phonological and orthographic processing and teach these skills by means of
direct instruction.
Adult Basic Education – Learning Disabilities – Phonological Processing
37
Youth at risk? Employment perspectives and job careers of
young people after a two-year basic training course with Swiss
Basic Federal VET Certificate
Kurt Haefeli & Claudia Hofmann
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education
[email protected]
In Switzerland the old "VET elementary training" programme was replaced by a
two-year basic training programme with a Federal VET Certificate. It provides a
greater standardisation of training contents and objectives and should thus improve
the employability of graduates and increase passage to further training. Various
parties have suggested, however, that a number of youths are unable to meet the new
demands and their occupational integration is therefore at risk.
In a first longitudinal study (2006-2009) we investigated the vocational paths of
learners in the two occupational sectors of gastronomy and retails (N=319). In a
second, ongoing study we study two other sectors, home economics and joinery
(N=206).
The following questions were addressed:
What type of youth (with respect to school background, social background etc.)
graduates from a basic training programme with Federal VET Certificate?
How do they experience and gauge their training (pressure in school and training
establishment, level of satisfaction with training)?
How does their professional situation look following graduation from the training
programme (employability, mobility)?
The results of the first study prove that the two-year basic training in the retail sales
and gastronomy sectors increases passage to further training, most particularly to the
three year training programme with Federal VET Certificate. They exhibit greater
mobility than those elementary trainees in the same occupational field. Results of the
ongoing second study will be presented at the SIG Meeting.
Basic Vocational Training – Labour Market Integration – Students with
Special Needs
38
Testing sign language development in deaf and hard-of-hearing
children: The case of the German Sign Language Receptive
Skills Test
Tobias Haug
Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik Zürich (HfH)
[email protected]
The assessment of sign language development in deaf and hard-of-hearing children
has been a long neglected area within the fields of special education and sign
language linguistics. The increase in use of sign language as means of
communication and instruction in schools for the deaf over the course of the last
decades makes it necessary to test deaf children’s sign language skills and monitor
their development.. However, there is still a lack of reliable and valid sign language
assessments, as confirmed by the literature.
This presentation addresses methodological, theoretical, cultural, and linguistic
issues linked to sign language test development and -adaptation, drawing from
recent research on the adaptation of a test from one sign language (British Sign
Language) into another (German Sign Language).
A group of 54 deaf children aged 3;9 to 10;10 years (M = 7;0) were tested on their
comprehension of different morpho-syntactic structures in DGS, using a crosssectional design. 34 children came from deaf families, 20 from hearing families.
Results show sound psychometric properties (e.g., item and distractor analysis,
Cronbach’s alpha) of the adapted DGS test. Applying non-parametric statistics,
variables such as the lengths of exposure to DGS, parental hearing status, and
chronological age provided additional information explaining differences in
performance, which are important for a proposed standardization. Furthermore, the
findings entail important information on cultural, linguistic, methodological, and
theoretical issues related to the adaptation of sign language tests from one sign
language to another. All findings together contribute to a proposed model for test
adaptation and test development with the focus on construct validation.
Sign Language Tests – Sign Language Acquisition – Development –
Psychometric Properties – Test Adaptation
39
Educational implications of deficits in executive functioning for
children with specific language impairment
1
2
1
Lucy A. Henry , David Messer & Gilly Nash
1 London South Bank University
2 Open University - London
[email protected]
Background. Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is a common developmental
disorder where language proficiency does not match an individual’s other abilities.
SLI appears to have significant negative consequences for concurrent and future
functioning.
Aims. The two goals of this research were: (1) to identify whether children and
young people with SLI have significant impairments in a range of executive
functioning skills, in addition to their known difficulties with phonological shortterm memory; and (2) to suggest possible educational interventions that might deal
with the types of difficulties found.
Method. Forty children and young people with SLI, 10-14-years of age, were
included in the sample. The children and young people were assessed using a range
of EF measures: executive-loaded working memory, switching, inhibition, planning
and fluency. We also assessed simple measures of phonological and visuospatial
short-term memory. The performance of children with SLI was compared with the
performance of the same number of participants matched for chronological age (CA)
and language age (LA).
Findings. The children and young people with SLI showed significant deficits
relative to CA controls on four of the five areas of executive functioning: executiveloaded working memory; fluency; planning; and inhibition. These difficulties
occurred on both verbal and non-verbal measures. There was no evidence that
children and young people with SLI had difficulties with switching. On simple
measures of working memory, the children and young people with SLI showed
marked difficulties with phonological short-term memory as expected (word and
nonword span), but were not impaired on visuospatial short-term memory (Corsi
span).
Conclusions. When designing educational provision and treatment strategies for
children and young people with SLI, account should be taken of their: (1)
impairments in phonological short-term memory; and (2) broad difficulties with a
range of executive tasks that are not confined to language.
Executive Functioning – Children – Specific Language Impairment
40
Training effects in dynamic assessment: eye movement as
indicator of problem solving behavior.
Marco G.P. Hessels, Katia Vanderlinden & Hildalill Rojas
University of Geneva
[email protected]
Assessment of children with learning difficulties or intellectual disability with
traditional intelligence tests is often criticized for its lack of reliability and
(predictive) validity. Dynamic measures of learning capacity, on the contrary, have
shown to provide both reliable and valid measures of children general intellectual
abilities and prove to be good predictors of future learning. These measures, also
called learning tests or tests of learning potential, use different procedures. In the
present study we used a pretest – training – posttest procedure to evaluate the
changes in problem solving behavior of children with and without learning
difficulties as a result of the training. The training focuses on the rules and
procedures one needs to apply to be able to solve analogical problems, e.g.,
systematic inspection of the matrix and the response alternatives, comparison of the
different elements in the matrix and the inference and application of the relations
found. Such training proves to be necessary as many children do not understand
what is expected from them in such tasks and, as a consequence, do not use
analogical reasoning to solve them. This in turn affects the construct validity of the
measure. When applying learning test, it is generally assumed that children learn to
engage in the processes needed for analogical problem solving during the training,
and that the intra-individual variability in effective use of these processes at posttest
is indicative of children’s learning capacity. In this study we try to show that the
training indeed provokes children to engage in the appropriate processes for problem
solving by analyzing their visual behavior during such tasks. The data illustrate that
children with and without learning difficulties change their visual search behavior
after training, showing more structured inspection patterns, more “intelligent”
comparisons and spending more time on encoding the information in the matrix.
Learning Potential – Analogical Reasoning – Eye Movement
41
Modification of typically developing preschoolers’ attitudes
towards children with special educational needs through storyreading and film-viewing
1
Maria Kypriotaki & George Manolitsis
2
1 Gallos University Campus, Rethymno, Crete
2 University of Crete, Department of Preschool Education
[email protected]
The aim of the present study is to examine the effect representations of disability in
stories and films have upon preschoolers’ beliefs and attitudes towards children with
disabilities. The main hypothesis of the study was that non-disabled preschoolers
who were to be read stories or watched films referring to disabled children or
portraying friendships between disabled and non-disabled children would develop
more positive beliefs and attitudes towards the disabled children than preschoolers
who were not read similar stories or watched films in their class. Εighty four nondisabled preschool children (4-6 years old) took part in a 2-week intervention
program involving story-reading about disabled children and 41 non-disabled
preschool children (4-6 years old) took part in a 2-week intervention program
involving film viewing about disabled children. Both experimental group’s beliefs
and attitudes towards disabled children were compared to those of a control group of
108 non-disabled preschoolers who were read stories or watched films with no
reference to disabilities. Preschoolers’ beliefs and attitudes towards non-disabled
children were measured by the Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten–Revised (ASKR) before and after the intervention. The findings showed that after the end of
intervention based on story-reading and film-viewing, the beliefs and attitudes of
participants in both experimental groups were significantly modified in a similar
positive level.
Story Reading – Films – Attitudes towards Disabled Children
42
Long-term effects of early child care on the success of
immigrant children at Swiss schools
Andrea Lanfranchi
University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education (HfH Zürich)
[email protected]
Within the framework of the Swiss National Research Programme 39 in the field of
migration, a research group at the University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs
Education in Zurich investigated the supportive measures given to four- and sixyear-old children in three Swiss towns. A preliminary survey consisting of a spot
check of 876 Swiss, Albanian, Turkish, Portuguese and Italian children took place in
Winterthur, Neuchâtel and Locarno in 1998. One year later – the younger children
were now in kindergarten and the older ones in primary school first form -, the
teachers were questioned about the performance status of the researched children.
The results were compared to the former support forms (at home with their mothers,
crèches, play groups, child minders, relatives or neighbours). The main result
established that family-complementary supported children were significantly better
assessed by their kindergarten and teachers of the first primary school class in terms
of their linguistic, cognitive and special skills than children, who grew up
exclusively in the circle of their own family. In particular, thanks to the transitory
space of a family-complementary environment, children from migration families
managed the first days at school significantly better than children who were obliged
to manage in an alien environment without the benefit of the transitory period. – The
current research project (follow-up / Swiss National Science Foundation no. 100014113909) is intended to provide data about children from the sample acquired at the
time for the third time in order to review possible long-term effects: Does familycomplementary support in pre-school age (in child minders etc.) have any lasting
effects on scholastic success, i.e. can the positive effects established after the first
days at school continue to be observed after a period of eight years?
Our results show that family-complementary child care represents only 10 % of the
variance in scholastic success. The family remains the most important factor before
and during school, in particularly the parents’ expectations regarding the educational
achievement of their children. The positive effects found during the school entry
phase could thus no longer be substantiated with upper school transition, as they
were meanwhile covered by much more fundamental factors, first and foremost the
parents’ educational aspiration.
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) – Immigrants – Equal
Possibilities
43
The evaluation of two prevention programs in day-care centers
(EVA)
Marianne Leuzinger-Bohleber, Luise Läzer & Nicole Pfenning
Sigmund-Freud-Institut, Frankfurt
[email protected]
The longitudinal study EVA reviews the differential effects of two established
prevention programs – the violence prevention curriculum FAUSTLOS and the
psychoanalytically based prevention program of EARLY STEPS. Compared to a
previous representative field study carried out in Frankfurt 2003 until 2006 by the
Sigmund-Freud-Institute, where the EARLY STEP program proved to significantly
reduce aggression and hyperactivity in children, this follow-up study now tries to
more specifically address a „high risk sample“ of children with a problematic social
background. The selection of the sample is based on a representative survey of all
Frankfurt kindergartens, where then 14 kindergartens with a problematic social
structure were randomly allocated to both interventions (cluster randomized
controlled trial).
To grasp the interventions’ effects on the children’s development, diverse
psychopathological symptoms such as aggression, hyperactivity, anxiety,
oppositional behavior, psychosomatic and depressive symptoms as well as prosocial
skills are captured using questionnaire measures, filled in by parents as well as
teachers. Amongst others, these include the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form, the
perik and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. In order to capture the
attachment type and its possible modification, we apply the video-based attachment
instrument Manchester Child Attachment Story Task. First results of the premeasurement are discussed and related to the specific high risk population.
Psychoanalytic Prevention – High Risk Population – Attachment
44
Working memory, basic arithmetics and numerical competencies
in subgroups of children with mathematical disabilities
Claudia Mähler & Kirsten Schuchardt
University of Hildesheim
[email protected]
The study to present is dealing with cognitive characteristics in children with
mathematical disabilities. We examined domain-general working memory deficits
and domain-specific knowledge deficits, especially knowledge of basic facts and
number competencies. The main questions were a) What kind of deficits do children
with mathematical disabilities show? and b) Is there a difference between children
with pure mathematical disorders compared to children with combined disorders of
scholastic skills with respect to working memory and basic numerical knowledge? In
our study we carried out an extensive test battery (working memory tests assessing
central executive functions, phonological loop and visual-spatial sketchpad, basic
arithmetics like addition and subtraction, basic numerical competencies like
counting forward and backward, read and write numbers or estimate quantities) with
children showing either only mathematical deficits (n = 22) or mathematical and
verbal (reading and writing) deficits (n = 30) and a typically developing control
group (n = 30). The results indicated that children with mathematical disabilities
show significant deficits in working memory, basic arithmetical facts and numerical
competencies. However, children with pure mathematical disabilities clearly
outperformed children with combined arithmetic and reading disorders in the present
study.
Mathematical Disabilities – Working Memory – Numerical Competencies
45
Rehearsal strategies in children with dyslexia
Nadine Malstädt, Martin Lehmann & Marcus Hasselhorn
IDeA – Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at
Risk
[email protected]
The well-known overlapping waves theory provided by Siegler (1996, 2000) states
that at any given age children have a repertoire of diverse strategies and make use of
them when faced with learning demands. In recent studies variability in strategy use
was also found in rehearsal strategies. Rehearsal can be characterized as the inner
repetition of content that should be remembered and differentiated into qualitatively
different forms as passive (labeling, singular rehearsal) and active behavior
(cumulative rehearsal). In a longitudinal study by Lehmann and Hasselhorn (2007)
the classical assumptions on the stepwise development from passive towards active
forms were refined since a gradual shift from labeling to cumulative rehearsal was
present with increasing age.
Strategy development in children with learning disabilities, as for example with
dyslexia, seems to differ from unimpaired children but only few studies investigate
specifically their application of memory strategies like rehearsal or the respective
path of development. There is evidence that children with dyslexia display impaired
rehearsal since many studies highlighted phonological processing deficits and verbal
short-term memory impairment in those children. This leads us to the hypothesis
that children with and without dyslexia develop differently when using rehearsal
strategies.
In the present longitudinal study detailed analyses were used to detect differences in
rehearsal strategies and their possible factors. Forty-five children with and without
dyslexia are tested for the first time at the beginning of fourth grade and
administered in a free-recall and a working memory task. Testing will be repeated
four times, with measurement points separated by 6 months. Differences in children
with and without dyslexia are examined and results on age-specific behaviors in
rehearsal use and its consequences on performance are discussed. Finally, the
validity of Siegler’s overlapping waves theory (especially variability, adaptivity and
the efficiency in strategy use) in children with dyslexia is addressed.
Learning Strategies – Rehearsal – Dyslexia
46
Measuring deaf children’s vocabulary knowledge in British sign
language
Wolfgang Mann & Chloe Marshall
City University London
[email protected]
We investigated whether knowledge of British Sign Language (BSL) vocabulary
constitutes a hierarchy in which some degrees of knowledge are more advanced than
others and presuppose the less advanced degrees of knowledge. 24 native or nearnative signing children (aged 4-15 years) completed four web-based tasks which
measured different degrees of the strength of the mapping between form and
meaning of BSL signs: form/meaning association, form recall, form recognition, and
meaning recognition. Signers performed at significantly different levels of accuracy
on each task, with meaning recognition being the easiest and form/meaning
association the hardest. The results indicate that signers’ knowledge of mapping
between form and meaning in BSL signs is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon but
depends on what the learner is required to with the knowledge, as is the case for
spoken languages. By assessing participants’ knowledge of each sign in four
different ways, our methodology overcomes some of the limitations of conventional
vocabulary tests, which measure vocabulary size by focusing on only one area of
knowledge, usually meaning recognition or form recall. In this regard, our test
promises to be useful to teachers and speech language therapists, who are working in
a bilingual setting, for identifying deaf children’s level of vocabulary knowledge and
informing the development of suitable intervention measures.
Vocabulary – Form-Meaning-Mapping – Sign Language
47
Learning and teaching within diversity: A case study about Deaf
students’ inclusion in a regular secondary school
1
Joaquim Melro & Margarida César
2
1 Escola António Arroio
2 Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação
[email protected]
Inclusive education is a main topic in policy documents. But it is not always
implemented in daily school practices (César & Ainscow, 2006). The Salamanca
Statement (UNESCO, 1994) was a main step regarding inclusive education.
According to it all students must have access to a quality education and equity in
their educational opportunities. These ideals are particularly important for Deaf
students. Belonging to a minority culture and speaking a minority language
(Portuguese Sign Language), they face cultural and language barriers, because they
are taught in a second language. Those barriers do not encourage their academic
learning and their inclusion in the society.
Assuming and interpretative approach (Denzin, 2000), we developed a case study
(Stake, 1995) designed to know the social representations and feelings of all Deaf
adult students (N=9) from a school in Lisbon. This study aims at knowing how Deaf
students experience their inclusion process and if inclusive education is close or far
away from its ideals. The participants were these Deaf students, their teachers, the
researcher and other significant educational agents. Data collecting instruments
included interviews (audio or video taped), observation, documents and tasks
inspired in projective techniques. Data was treated through a narrative content
analysis (Clandinin & Connelly, 1998), from which inductive categories emerged
(Hamido & César, 2009).
We discuss examples based in students’ accounts. They allow us understanding how
the mediation of an oral language and of this school’s culture is distressing for
students’ acting and feelings, because it is in a language other than their own.
Instead of highlighting the richness of diversity, many of this school practices try to
promote homogeneity, adopting a cultural model as unique and forgetting curricular
flexibility (Melro & César, 2009a). Thus, these students still experience different
forms of exclusion in a system that was supposed to include them.
Inclusive Education – Deaf Education – Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
48
“It’s to do with the teaching”: Developing an inclusive pedagogy
through teacher professional development in children’s
mathematical thinking.
Lio Moscardini
University of Strathclyde
[email protected]
This paper compares the findings of two studies that investigated teachers’
knowledge and beliefs about supporting children in their mathematical learning
before and after taking part in a professional development programme, Cognitively
Guided Instruction (CGI), that focused on children’s mathematical thinking. The
first study was carried out with twelve teachers in three Scottish special schools for
primary-aged (elementary) children with moderate learning difficulties. The second
study, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation under the New Approaches to
Learning strand, Grant Reference Number 08-3662, replicated the first study, with
21 teachers in twelve mainstream primary schools.
CGI is a research-based professional development programme developed at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Carpenter et al., 2000). It involves supporting
teachers in building a deep knowledge of children’s mathematical thinking so that
this knowledge can be applied to practice in order to support mathematical learning
as a sense-making activity.
The research explored teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about learning and teaching
of mathematics with children of a wide range of ability. The study considers the
implications this professional development had on teachers’ capacity to support all
learners in learning mathematics with understanding and explores the relevance of
CGI as an inclusive pedagogy (McIntyre, 2009). Both studies found that, prior to
professional development in CGI, teachers had a fragmented knowledge of
children’s mathematical thinking. Following the development in CGI, teachers felt
better placed to support all learners. The findings support the view that there is not a
unique body of pedagogical knowledge required by teachers to support struggling
learners in mathematics. The studies conclude that a more inclusive pedagogy in
elementary mathematics teaching involves the development of pedagogical content
knowledge. This development is situated within classroom activity and involves
teachers reflecting on interaction with pupils.
Inclusive Pedagogy –
Mathematical Thinking
Pedagogical
49
Content
Knowledge
–
Children’s
Accelerating the reading and calculating process in German
elementary school children: An investigation of the acceleration
phenomenon’s transferability
Telse Nagler, Marcus Hasselhorn & Sven Lindberg
DIPF (Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung); IDeA (Individual
Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk)
[email protected]
This study aims to replicate the reading skill based acceleration phenomenon (for
overview see Breznitz & Berman, 2003) in the German language and focuses,
moreover, on the transferability of the phenomenon to basic calculation processing.
A sample of 80 children in grade 3 (20 with reading difficulties, 20 with calculating
difficulties, 20 with reading and calculating difficulties and 20 with normal reading
and calculating achievements) will be investigated in a classical acceleration
phenomenon set-up. Subjects reading speed, accuracy and comprehension
measurements will be determined in the normal and accelerated reading condition.
Subjects are asked to answer questions regarding the sentences for reading
comprehension measurements. The reading performance will be recorded via audio
file for analyses of reading quality and speed. Acceleration benefits are compared
within and across groups. The subjects will further solve simple calculation tasks in
their individual processing speed as well as in an accelerated speed condition. The
processing speed and accuracy will be measured and compared.
Earlier results show that normal and poor readers profit from the reading
acceleration. These studies show better results in reading fluency, accuracy and
comprehension in the accelerated compared to normal reading condition. We expect
German elementary school children to benefit from the reading acceleration in the
same way and further expect the poor readers to show increased improvement
compared to normal readers. Since the acceleration phenomenon has not been
applied to other cognitive areas, the results of the math acceleration are not yet
clearly foreseeable. The subjects are expected to profit from the math acceleration as
well, showing better results in the accelerated condition. The focus onto a group of
children with combined poor reading and calculating performances can further help
to detect possible transfer effects. The expected findings would therefore not only
have novel but also intervention implementation character.
Reading – Calculating – Acceleration Phenomenon
50
Learning disabled students’ task commitment, persistence, and
performances in mathematics: A matter of general motivational
components or situated motivational processes?
Greta Pelgrims
University of Geneva, Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l’éducation
[email protected]
With respect to learned helplessness theory, it is still frequently stated that students
with learning disabilities develop a helplessness response style to learning. This
general motivational deficit is presumed to increase the risk of ongoing failure,
uncontrollable attributions leading to low selfconcept, failure expectations, loss of
confidence, less engagement in learning tasks, and, consequently, to poor
performances reinforcing helplessness attributions. Nevertheless, these statements
and the presumed determining role of general motivational components lack of
evidence to understand task avoidance and coping strategies learning disabled
students show when faced to actual learning tasks in special education classrooms.
Adopting a situated approach to study learning motivation in school contexts, our
research contributes to clarify to what extend the influence of general motivational
components in mathematics (attributions, self-concept, fear of failure, affective selfregulation) on learning intention, persistence and performances, is mediated by the
way students appraise an actual mathematics task and self-regulate their motivation
and emotions during task achievement. Our study has been carried out with 9 to 12
years old learning disabled students attending selfcontained special education
classrooms. Self-reported motivational data have been submitted to path analyses.
Results confirm the mediating role of task appraisals, and contribute to question the
role attribution beliefs, as well as other general motivational components, actually
play into students’ task commitment and learning performances.
Learning Disabilities – Situated Motivation – Learning Commitment
51
The role of special education teaching practices into learning
disabled students’ motivational and emotional self-regulation
Greta Pelgrims
University of Geneva, Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l’éducation
[email protected]
Observational studies reveal that teaching practices into special education
classrooms have particular features compared to practices observed in regular
elementary classrooms: less instructional time devoted to main academic knowledge
and competencies in language and mathematics, less interactions fostering
comprehension, strategy use and metacognitive processes, more tasks focusing
specific knowledge, more hints and teachers’ intervention controlling the students
behavior and activity… Now, other observational studies show that students with
learning disabilities and behavioral disorders exhibit more learning task avoidance
and other coping strategies. Their engagement and persistence into learning mainly
rely on these external controlling interventions, and students insufficiently activate
self-regulation processes.
Research on self-regulated learning stress the importance of cognitive, affective and
behavioural self-regulation processes to learn and succeed at school. In this
perspective, avoidance and coping strategies might be associated with a lack of
motivational and emotional self-regulation. Our study examines to what extend
teaching practices frequently observed into special education classrooms affect the
development of affective self-regulation strategies in mathematics, and,
consequently self-efficacy and attribution beliefs. It is carried out with 10 to 12
years old students presenting learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Results
reveal that the habituation to the specific teaching practices and learning conditions
observed into special education classrooms harm the students disposition to selfregulate their attention, motivation and emotions when they are faced with
mathematics learning tasks.
Teaching Practices – Self-Regulation – Coping Strategies
52
The phonological short-term memory of children with intellectual
disabilities: Are their redintegration processes less efficient?
Sebastian Poloczek1, Gerhard Büttner1 & Marcus Hasselhorn2
1 Goethe-University, Frankfurt
2 DIPF (Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung)
In order to address special educational needs of children with intellectual disabilities
(ID), it is crucial to further the understanding of their memory functions and
limitations. The development of the visuospatial short-term memory and the central
executive loaded working memory seem to be broadly in line with their slowed
intellectual development. However, there might be some differences in their
development of the phonological short-term memory, since children with ID
perform slightly worse than mental age (MA) matched children on phonological
short-term memory (PSTM) task. But until now, it is not well understood why the
performance on PSTM tasks is impaired.
Memory traces quickly decay in the phonological store. At recall redintegration
seems to aid PSTM performance by reconstructing words from partially degraded
memory traces. The phonological similarity effect probably arises from confusions
in reconstructing degraded memory traces. Children with ID show a phonological
similarity effect (PSE), but the size of the PSE is could be reduced. Possibly
redintegration does not function as efficiently in children with ID as in typically
developing children.
In the present study, 56 children with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities (911year-olds) and 56 typically developing children matched for mental age (6-7 yearolds) completed serial and probed recall tasks with phonologically dissimilar as well
as similar sounding words.
All three recall conditions yielded a significant PSE for children with and without
ID, but the PSE was less pronounced in children with ID. However, this difference
between children with ID and MA matched children was only significant in the
verbal serial recall condition. The results indicate that redintegration seems to play a
role in the memory performance of children with ID. Because of the reduced PSE
verbal serial recall, the hypothesis of less efficient redintegration in children with ID
is partially supported and merits further research.
Intellectual Disabilities – Phonological Short-Term Memory – Redintegration
53
Dyslexia and co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems
after controlling for ADHD
Chantal S. Rietz, Wolfgang Woerner & Andju Sara Labuhn
Dipf, IDeA
[email protected]
About 7-8 % of all primary school children suffer from dyslexia. Dyslexia is
associated with increased risks of both externalizing and internalizing disorders
(Terras, Thompson, & Minnis, 2009). Severe behavioral and emotional problems
may also be associated with the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), which commonly co-occurs with reading problems (Kain,
Landerl, & Kaufmann, 2008). Therefore, emotional and behavioral problems
associated with dyslexia may in fact be a function of comorbid ADHD, rather than
being a correlate of dyslexia per se.
The purpose of this study is to examine the occurrence of emotional and behavioral
problems in children with dyslexia after controlling for ADHD. Our sample
consisted of 43 primary school children, all attending fourth grade. We compared
three groups: children with dyslexia, children with dyslexia and comorbid ADHD
(comorbid group) and a control group without any of the disorders. The occurrence
of emotional and behavioral problems was assessed with the Strengths and
Difficulties Questionnaire for parents (Goodman, 1997). ADHD was diagnosed by
the FBB-ADHS (Döpfner, Görtz-Dorten, Lehmkuhl, Breuer, & Goletz, 2008).
Children with dyslexia showed an enhanced total difficulties score; the comorbid
group showed an even higher total difficulties score compared to the other two
groups. Further analyses suggest that children with dyslexia and ADHD exhibit
more emotional problems and less prosocial behavior.
Dyslexia – Comorbidity – Problems
54
Index for commitment to inclusion
Marina Santi & Elisabetta Ghedin
University of Padua, Faculty of Educational Sciences
[email protected]
In the Italian context the children with special educational needs and disabilities are
included in mainstream schools since the Italian legislation had recognised the
importance of the process of inclusion to the activity and participation dimensions of
the child and the importance of the environmental factors to the determination of a
disability.
Starting from the “Index for inclusion” (Booth et al., 2000) the purpose of this study
is to modify this document by simplifying and compressing the items and to create
an instrument that can be more easy to use. The new “Index for Commitment to
inclusion” can be used by the schools in a double way:
- to recognise specific actions for inclusion in which schools are committed to, and
which could be observed, implemented and evaluated;
- to certificate and accredit their process of inclusion.
In the first phase of the study we have created three tools to which schools, students
and parents/carers give their responses (based on a 6-point scale) considering the
process to inclusion of their school. A representative group of schools (primary and
secondary schools) of the Veneto Region spread over all the different provinces is
involved, in collaboration with the Regional Instructional Office and an on line form
of the tools is provided. The second phase of the research will extend the
participation to all Veneto Schools. The implications of these findings are
considerable because the study provides results directly derived from the application
of a Commitment version of Index in which the corresponding actions for inclusion
made by teachers and schools politics in that direction are expressed and became
sharable and available among different institutions and evaluable also by families
and students. The data implementation is still in progress and will be presented and
discussed in the paper, as well as the main educational implications of the results.
Inclusion – Index – Commitment
55
Inclusion and professional Development: Concerns, attitudes
and sentiments
1
Joel Santos & Margarida César
2
1 Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada
2 Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação
[email protected]
In the 21st century, societies are characterised by their complexity and diversity.
Alike societies, schools are also characterised as complex and diverse spaces/times
(César, 2009). In Portugal we observe a growing diversity among students that
attend the mainstream schools. Therefore, developing inclusive practices is a
fundamental step for the construction of educational settings that welcome the
difference as a valuable resource for all (Ainscow, 1999; Armstrong, Armstrong, &
Barton, 2000; César & Santos, 2006; UNESCO, 1994). Thus, it is essential to study
changes promoted by pre- and in-service education on the sentiments, attitudes and
concerns of the educational agents towards inclusive education (IE) (Forlin,
Loreman, Sharma, & Earle, 2007; Loreman, Earle, Sharma, & Forlin, 2007). This
work is part of a broader project Educação Inclusiva e Processos de Formação
whose main goal is to study the sentiments, attitudes and concerns presented by
educational agents, before and after attending pre- and in-service education, and
curricular units regarding IE. We developed this study assuming an interpretive
approach. It was carried through a long panel survey. This study sub-sample
includes educational agents (N=81) attending higher education in the Lisbon area.
To collect data we used: (1) documents; and (2) the SACIE – Sentiments, Attitudes
& Concerns about Inclusive Education scale, by Loreman, Earle, Sharma, and
Forlin, (2006). This scale was answered in two moments: at the beginning and at the
end of the selected curricular units. When the results of these two moments are
confronted, a slightly increasing number of participants indicate more inclusive
sentiments and attitudes towards students characterized as presenting SEN (Special
Education Needs). The results also show a high level of concern towards IE.
Inclusive Education – Educational Agents – Attitudes
56
Differential effects of a mathematical training of first-graders in
elementary schools and special schools
Daniel Sinner & Jan Kuhl
Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Pädagogische Psychologie
[email protected]
Object: In Germany the construct “learning disability” refers to the group of
students lying between children with mental retardation and normal achievers.
Theoretically, learning disability is associated with failure in reading, writing and
math and an IQ at least one standard deviation below the mean. There are two forms
of schooling for learning disabled children: about 85 % visit special schools, 15 %
are integrated in conventional elementary school classes.
As one of the main deficits of learning disabled children is a lack of mathematical
performance, the aim of the following study was to compare training effects of a
Quantity-Number-Competencies (QNC)-training. Children with learning disabilities
from special schools and children from elementary school classes with similar IQ
and similar math performance were compared.
Method: 24 children aged 6.5 – 8.5 in their first or second school year participated.
12 children visited special schools and 12 children were from elementary schools. In
each school setting 6 children were trained for six weeks with a QNC-training
(experimental group) while 6 children got an inductive reasoning training (control
group). Right after intervention the post-test followed. Five months later 23 children
took part in the follow-up. The ability to solve arithmetical operations up to 10 was
also measured in all three dates.
The four groups were matched by intelligence and QNC-pretest. Mean IQ in each
group was about 85.
Findings: Post-test results showed that both QNC-training groups outperformed the
control groups in the QNC-test. The effects were similar in both school settings.
But like the result of the follow-up-study showed, this effect was not stable over
time. Here a significant effect of school setting appeared, showing that children in
the elementary school groups performed better than special school-students did.
A transfer to basic arithmetical performance failed. We could not find significant
differences in the post-test. In follow-up there was a main effect of school setting.
Elementary school children solved also more operations than special school children
did.
Learning Disability – Early Intervention – Mathematical Development
57
Interaction patterns leading to learning gains: How to measure
and how to interpret?
Floor van Loo & G.M. van der Aalsvoort
Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Education
[email protected]
Our research efforts aim at understanding what optimal circumstances are for the
training phase of a learning potential test. Our main question was: Can we detect
effective interaction patterns, i.e. patterns which lead to effective task behavior of
the child during the training phase?
We used data of the training phase of the Classification test. This is a subtest of the
Application of Cognitive Functions Scales (ACFS), a learning potential test
developed by Lidz (2000). As the administration was videotaped we were able to
observe more closely what happened. The training phase was transcribed and
analyzed. Based upon a dynamic systems approach a coding system was developed
and application of Mediacoder (Steenbeek, 2009) allowed us to test our first four
hypotheses by microgenetic analysis. The fifth hypothesis was tested by relating the
number of patterns to the post test measure.
We found successive interaction patterns with regard to focusing, asking for
explanation, positive feedback and teaching strategies of the diagnostician and taskrelated behavior of each child. Only the first hypothesis was accepted: there is an
interaction pattern with respect to focusing of the diagnostician and task-oriented
behavior of the child. However, we found different patterns with each child. These
patterns reveal the unique reciprocal processes that unfold during the training phase.
Our fifth hypothesis was also accepted: effective interaction is related to learning
gains.
A dynamic systems approach may assist us in understanding why children profit
from a training phase to allow learning from instruction in the zone of proximal
development. We aspire not only to measure interaction patterns, but also to develop
a dynamic system model that predicts changes in interaction patterns between
diagnosticians and children in relationship to learning gains.
Dynamic Interaction Patterns – Learning Potential Test – Learning Gains,
Microgenetic Data-Analysis
58
Participating in mathematics classes: Blind students
experiences of inclusion
1
2
Cláudia Ventura , Margarida César & Nuno Santos
3
1 Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
2 Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação
3 Escola Secundária de D. Dinis, Lisboa
[email protected]
Inclusive education principles were assumed in many countries since the Salamanca
Statement (UNESCO, 1994). This brought new challenges to the mainstream
schools, as many students categorized as presenting special educational needs were
included in mainstream classes (César & Ainscow, 2006). In order to befit students’
needs, characteristics and interests teachers must be aware of their communicative
processes. This is particularly important when we focus on blind students (Santos,
2008). They mainly use audition for communicating in mathematics classes. They
read and write in Braille. Thus, they use mathematical symbols that are not always
the same as the ones used by their non-blind peers (e.g., in fractions) (Santos &
César, 2007).
We developed a study that is part of the Interaction and Knowledge research project
whose main goal was to study and promote peer interactions in formal educational
scenarios. We focused in the mainstream classes that included blind students (Santos
& César, 2007; Santos, Ventura, & César, 2008). We assumed an interpretative
approach and developed an action-research project. The participants were the
students from those classes, their mathematics teachers, and significant others. These
students attended classes from 7th to 12th grades. The data collecting instruments
were the participant observation, questionnaires, tasks inspired in projective
techniques, an instrument to evaluate students’ abilities and competences,
documents and students’ protocols. An in-depth and successive narrative content
analysis was developed from which inductive categories emerged (César, 2009).
The analysis of some interactive patterns and examples of blind students
mathematical performances illuminate that teachers need to be aware of the
particularities of blind students’ interactive patterns and needs. They also illustrate
what can be done in order to overcome the barriers these students experience when
they try to appropriate cultural mathematical tools and to participate in mathematics
classes.
Inclusive Education – Blind – Mathematics
59
The observation-system for the analysis of aggressive behaviour
in classroom-settings BASYS
Alexander Wettstein
PHBern University of Applied Sciences Switzerland
[email protected]
Educational or therapeutic measures of aggressive student behavior are often based
on the judgments of teachers. Empirical studies show that the objectivity of these
judgments is generally low. Starting from an ecological and a situational perspective
we developed a context-sensitive observational system, BASYS, in order to assess
aggressive behavior in classroom settings. The observational system was developed
and tested in four field-studies in regular and special classes.
With the observation-system for the analysis of aggressive behavior in classroomsettings BASYS (Wettstein, 2008) aggressive behavior of 9 to 16 year old students
can be analyzed. BASYS exists in a version for teachers in action as well as a
version for the uninvolved observer. The BASYS-L, the adaptation for teachers,
allows categorizing aggressive behavior while teaching. The aim is to differentiate
the perception and the judgments of teachers, so that the judgments can serve as
trustable diagnostic information. BASYS-F, the version for an independent observer,
in addition contains categories to collect information about the context in which
aggressions take place. We show how the interactive observer training BASYS and
the program for an automatic statistical evaluation can be implemented in
diagnostics and in teacher training. The empirical results show, that after training,
teachers were able to make objective observations and that aggressive behavior
depends to a large extent on situational factors. BASYS allows identification of
problematic people-environment relationships and the derivation of intervention
measures.
Aggression – Behavior Observation – Diagnostics
60
Aggression in environments of adolescent boys and girls: Four
single case studies with camera—glasses
Alexander Wettstein
PHBern University of Applied Sciences Switzerland
[email protected]
Most individuals pass adolescence without excessive problems. However,
aggressive adolescents with severe behaviour disorders living in residential homes
are confronted with a difficult twofold task. Besides behaviour disorders, they might
have to cope with environmental challenges which, presumably, go beyond their
social-behavioural skills. Based on this hypothesis we introduced an ambulatory
methodology for recording environmental scenes in which aggressive behaviour
possibly arises. By means of glasses with a built-in camera, which were worn by two
adolescents with severe external behaviour disorders, aged between 11-13 years, we
recorded their daily environmental scenes and interactions. These recordings were
compared with environmental recordings of two adolescents without behaviour
disorders. The results indicate that adolescents in residential homes are more
frequently exposed to aversive settings. They have less peer interaction, a reduced
life space (Streifraum) and become more often victims of their peer’s aggressive
behaviour than the contrast group.
Aggression – Camera-Glasses – Ambulatory Assessment
61
The effect of activating the identity of being learning disabled on
cognitive test performance
Jürgen Wilbert & Matthias Grünke
University of Cologne, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department for Special Education
When membership to a negatively stereotyped group is activated and people are at
risk to confirm this stereotype, their self-worth is threatened. From this finding
Steele and colleagues developed the theory of stereotype threat. The effect of
negative stereotypes on cognitive performance has been shown repeatedly.
Up to now, research has focused primarily on women’s math performance and
intellectual test performance of African Americans. Croizet and Claire have
proposed that stereotype threat effects may be applicable to social classes as well.
They showed that activating the fact of belonging to a class of low economic status
led to diminished test performance. Less research has been done on the relation of
stereotype threat and disabilities.
German students with severe learning problems are mostly educated in separated
schools and are labeled “learning disabled”. They are broadly stereotyped to fail in
intellectual tasks. For this reason, we wanted to know whether or not attending a
school for learning disabled students may evoke stereotype.
In a first exploratory study, we tested for the general existence of stereotype threat
effects with learning disabled students. Therefore, we randomly assigned twenty-one
10th grade students from a school for learning disabled to two experimental groups.
Both groups performed intelligence test tasks. Ahead of this, the stereotype-group
was asked which school they attended, while the control-group was asked for the
weekday. As hypothesized, we found significant lower test performance in the
stereotyped group. In a second study we replicated these findings with 150 students
from 5th to 10th grade. We tested for two additional hypotheses. Firstly, following
self-concept research we expected stereotype threat effects not to be present in the
lower grades and secondly, we expected greater test anxiety in the stereotyped
group. Both hypotheses were corroborated. Results and their implication for
achievement diagnostics and school tracking are discussed.
Learning Disabilities – Stereotype Threat – Test Anxiety
62
Poster Presentations
(Abstracts in alphabetical order)
63
Early Intervention for children with hearing loss: Mothers'
involvement, maternal characteristics and context-based
perceptions
1
Michal Al-Yagon & Sara Ingber
2
1 Bar-Ilan University, School of Education
2 Tel-Aviv University, School of Education
[email protected]
This study examined the contribution of a model of maternal characteristics in
explaining mothers’ involvement in the early intervention of their 1- to 7-year-old
children with hearing loss. The model of maternal factors affecting their
involvement in intervention comprised: (a) four personal characteristics conceived
as exogenous (i.e., independent) variables – anxiety, curiosity, and anger traits as
well as motivation; and (b) two maternal context-based perceptions conceived as
mediating variables: mothers' perception of pessimism regarding the child’s
potential and perception of available informal support. The sample included 114
mother-child dyads (67 boys, 47 girls) who attended the Kesher early intervention
program in central Israel. Path analysis indicated a high fit between the theoretical
model and the empirical findings. Discussion focused on understanding the unique
value of mothers’ characteristics for their involvement in their children’s early
intervention.
Children with Hearing Loss – Maternal Involvement – Early Intervention
64
Teacher related aspects influencing the acquisition of number
sense within kindergarten classrooms
Anton J.H. Boonen, Meijke E Kolkman & Evelyn H. Kroesbergen
Utrecht University
[email protected]
An important precursor of advanced math skills is the understanding of numerical
quantities and numbers. Although these ‘number sense’ abilities are often viewed as
innate mathematical understandings, environmental input is necessary for sufficient
development of these innate potentials of number acquisition. An important aspect
that may stimulate the acquisition of number sense is the amount and diversity of the
mathematical input provided by the teacher (teachers’ math talk).
In our study we examined the mathematical input of 35 teachers with 9 different
input categories (e.g. counting, calculation, ordering, and exploration of the days of
the week). The results indicate that the role of each of these math talk categories is
not as straightforward as we had expected beforehand. Although positive significant
relations can be found for math talk categories like cardinality (stating the number of
things in a set without counting them) and conventional nominatives (the use of
numbers as labels for age, dates, or time), the associations between the math talk
categories calculation (cases in which a teacher performed a calculation or asked a
child to solve a calculation problem) and number symbols (instances in which a
teacher labeled a written number symbol or asked a child to identify, write, or find a
number symbol) and children’s score on specific number sense tasks are negative.
Moreover, a large diversity in math talk shows also a negative relation with
kindergartners’ number sense acquisition. These results suggest that the teacher’s
math talk is related to kindergartner’s number sense. However, teachers should be
careful and selective with the amount of math talk that is offered to young children,
especially for those at risk for mathematical difficulties.
Math Talk – Number Sense
65
The emotional development of children with dyslexia
Maria - Efterpi Frangogianni
University of Crete (Rethymno)
[email protected]
The focus of this study is to explore the emotional development of children with
dyslexia. The participants of this study were students from three mainstream schools
in South-West England. One of the most important reasons that the focus of this
study is the emotional development of children with dyslexia is that the literature is
very limited in this field. Much of the research is concentrated on the causes of
dyslexia and on the characteristics of children with dyslexia. The first tool that was
used in this study was the Joseph Picture Self-Concept Scale. This was used in order
to evaluate the self-concept of children with dyslexia. The next stage of the study
was to carry out semi-structured interviews. This tool was used in order to evaluate
where do children with dyslexia attribute their outcomes and what kind of
relationships children with dyslexia have with their peers. The last tool that was used
in the study was the Individual Educational Plans (IEPs). The IEPs were given out
by the Head Teachers and the Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) of
the schools. These plans are used by the teachers and have a focus on the difficulties
of the students and on ways that the school can help and support these difficulties.
The IEPs offer an opportunity to compare and contrast the needs that a child has
according to him/herself and according to the school. Results showed that children
with dyslexia neither have negative self-concept, nor have positive self-concept.
Children with dyslexia attribute their successes to external factors, and on the other
hand their failures with internal. Results did however reveal that children with
dyslexia have good relationships with their peers.
Children with Dyslexia – Self-concept – Attributions of Success and Failure –
Peer Relationships
66
Analysis of the use of different external representations and
further elements of the problem solving process while working
on complex story problems
1
1
1
2
Johannes Groß , Katharina Hohn , Siebel Telli , Renate Rasch & Wolfgang
3
Schnotz
1 University of Koblenz-Landau, DFG Graduate School “Teaching and Learning Processes”
2 University of Koblenz-Landau, Institute for Mathematics,
3 University of Koblenz-Landau, Department of Educational Psychology
[email protected]
The aim of this study was the examination and analysis of the differences in the
spontaneous use of various representations and further elements of the problem
solving process on complex story problems at primary school mathematics,
comparing students from two class levels and different ability groups. A total
number of 18 students of 2nd and 20 students of 4th grade participated in the study.
According to their results in a standardized intelligence test, they were divided into
two groups: One of Higher Competence (HC) and one of Lower Competence (LC).
In this study, students were given five complex story problems successively. In up to
40 minutes, they could work on these tasks. As for help the students got different
working materials, which they were allowed to use at all times. The students were
videotaped individually while working on the complex story problems. The video
analysis software VIDEOGRAPH (Rimmele, 2002) was used to analyze the videos.
The problem solving processes were analysed according to the solution schemes and
a newly developed system of categories for this study. These devices of analysis
complemented one another and together covered the entire problem solving process.
ANOVA and MANOVA were conducted to compare the different ability groups and
class levels. Our findings show that the ability groups and the class levels differed in
terms of representations they used, as well as in the time they needed to solve the
problems. Also, the total word problem score (the number of correctly solved tasks)
differed in class levels and ability groups. The importance of other variables (i.e.
mathematical and verbal skills) for the problem solving process are discussed, in the
course of the analysis.
Different Ability Groups – Elements of the Problem Solving Process – Complex
Story Problems
67
Teaching critical thinking skills to future special educators
Matthias Grünke & Jürgen Wilbert
University of Cologne, Department of Special Education & Rehabilitation
[email protected]
The ability to think critically is a vital aptitude for special educators. They need to
constantly analyze, compare, question and evaluate information. Their thinking must
be aimed at making judgments based on evidence rather than conjecture in order to
design appropriate individualized education plans and to prepare effective school
lessons for children and youth with disabilities. Undergraduate special education
teacher training programs at German Universities are designed to help college
students acquire many different skills and competencies. One of them is the
aforementioned ability to think critically. Prospective special educators at the
University of Cologne must attend three different lectures on philosophy of science,
evidence-based teaching, and applied research methodology during their first two
semesters. In all three lectures, students are constantly confronted with problems
which require a way of reasoning that helps one reach the best decision in given
circumstances through careful evaluation of clues and evidences related to the
subject matter. Critical thinking abilities are usually not an inherent outcome of
higher education. However, it can be expected that special education students are
better able to think critically upon attending the three lectures than those who just
started their undergraduate studies. The German version of the Watson-Glaser
Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) was administered to 107 freshmen and 102
sophomores who were enrolled in the BA special education program at the
University of Cologne. The results from a comparison between two groups indicate
that critical thinking abilities can be successfully taught within a rather short period
of time. Sophomores scored significantly higher in all subtests of the WGCTA than
freshmen. These findings are remarkable, because improvements in critical thinking
abilities usually don’t improve during one’s years of study.
Critical Thinking – Teacher Training – Undergraduate Students
68
The interaction of twin autistic brothers with teachers and peers
in a Special Nursery Unit: A case study
1
2
2
Maria Kypriotaki , Maria Markodimitraki , Maria Ampartzaki
2
Linardakis
& Michalis
1 Gallos University Campus, Rethymno, Crete
2 University of Crete, Department of Preschool Education
[email protected]
The aim of the present study is to explore interactions between dizygotic autistic
twins of preschool age with their teachers and peers in a Special Nursery Unit. We
observed interaction episodes in a naturalistic setting for four days (one day per
week for a whole month). Data analysis was carried out by non-parametric tests due
to the small size of the sample. Results showed significant differences between the
twins: proximity to the teachers during interaction is higher for the first born in
comparison to that of the second born twin. The first born displays negative feelings
before interaction episodes which usually turn into positive during the episodes. The
second born twin displays a rather stable emotional condition before, during and
after interactions. Besides, he involves in interaction episodes more frequently than
the first born (65% in comparison to 35% of the first born). There were no
significant results regarding interactions with peers. It is more likely that the twins
are going to take the initiative in order to come into contact with peers although it is
the teachers who always initiate interactions with the two brothers. Besides, both
teachers initiate interaction more frequently with the second born twin which results
in a higher involvement with interactive play (75%). When the first born is involved
in an interaction episode, this takes the form of solitary play in a dyad, or interactive
play.
Twin Autistic Brothers – Interaction – Teachers and Peers
69
Effectiveness of various communicating methods used by deaf
students with additional developmental dysfunctions
Catherine Plutecka
Pedagogical University, Cracow
[email protected]
This empiric research aims at drawing attention to various means of communication
used by the subjects of the research in the communication process. The International
Bureau for Audiophonology has classified dysfunctions which most frequently
coexist with deafness. The authors listed e.g. such developmental dysfunctions as:
dysphasia, personality disorders (autism, psychosis), intellectual disabilities,
impairment of musculoskeletal system, blindness, and somatic diseases. In the
research the diagnostic poll method was used together with such techniques as:
analysis of documents and interview with a pedagogue, psychologist, teachers,
parents and caretakers from the school dormitory. The interview questionnaire
prepared by the author was used as the research tool. The research subject was a
group of 39 students from Special School for Deaf Children in Kraków. According
to the analysis of the empirical material one can notice that in the communicative
activity of the students in question there are non-verbal codes that dominate; among
which the following ones can be mentioned: gestures (39 subjects, 22,5%), facial
expression (30 subjects, 17%), Polish Sign Language (PJM), visual – spatial
language, without inflection (28 subjects, 16%), dactylography (25 subjects, 14%),
body arrangement (15 subjects, 8,5%). Supplementary means for exchanging
information are: writing (12 subjects, 7%), SJM, i.e. Language and Sign System, so
called sign Polish which is a variety of spoken mother tongue (10 subjects, 6%),
speaking (8 subjects, 4,5%), hearing (8 subjects, 4,5%). Educational and therapeutic
activities should take into consideration the following forms of supporting the child's
development:
- complex and multi-dimensional diagnosis taking into concern the evaluation of
cognitive and emotional processes of the child,
- training of social and interpersonal abilities,
- cooperation with the family and encouraging to communicating in an uniform
way, according to strategies prepared by the therapist,
- supporting the communicating process with alternative and auxiliary
communication methods.
70
Means of Communication – Multimodal Communication –
Deaf ChildrenCooperative practices and cognitive training: An
approach to improve memory and attention in retarded students
Ana Isabel Alves Silva & Helena Framrose Bilimória
Instituto Piaget- ESE Jean Piaget Gaia
[email protected]
Attention and Memory are two central cognitive functions in learning. Deficits in
these functions interfere with learning.
Students with mental retardation have difficulty in retrieving information from longterm memory as well as retaining information in short- term memory (Bray et al.,
1997; Nielsen, 1999). On the other hand, students with mental retardation often have
problems attending to relevant features of a learning task, frequently focusing on
distracting irrelevant stimuli (Heward, 2006). These individuals can also have
difficulty sustaining attention to learning tasks. These attention problems contribute
to students’ difficulties in acquiring, remembering, and generalizing new knowledge
and skills.
The aim of our study is to explore how cooperative practices, namely peer mediated
learning, imbedded in a cognitive training program, contribute to the development of
cognitive functions of memory and attention on retarded children.
The participants were 22 students with mental retardation, of a public, mainstream
Portuguese school, aged 13 to 17. They were distributed by two groups:
experimental and control group.
There were two assessment moments- pretest and postest – in which the same
memory and attention tasks were presented to the students with mental retardation.
Also, there was a short program between them, with a range of tasks regarding
attention and memory, with different contents: verbal, numerical and figural.
Both groups were submitted to the program, however, in the experimental group, the
tasks were solved based upon cooperative practices with students without
educational needs; in the control group, the tasks were solved alone, by the student
with mental retardation.
The results will be presented, involving non-parametric comparative data analysis.
The study contributes to the cognitive promotion of retarded students and to the
inclusion theoretical debate.
Inclusion – Cooperative Learning – Cognitive Promotion
71
Project IGEL (Individual Development and Adaptive Learning
Environments in Primary School)
1
1
2
1
Jasmin Warwas , Katja Adl-Amini , Gerhard Büttner , Sanna-K. Djakovic ,
2
2
1
1
Benjamin Fauth , Ilonca Hardy , Silke Hertel , Lena Hondrich , Eckhard
1,2
2
2
2
Klieme , Mareike Kunter , Arnim Lühken , Susanne Mannel & Alexander
1
Naumann
1 German Institute for International Educational Research
2 Goethe Universität Frankfurt
[email protected]
Schools and teachers are challenged every day to serve children's individual
developmental needs in the context of heterogeneous learning environments. If
children are not supported adequately, they face the risk of an unfavourable
development and fewer chances of a successful participation in society. Thus,
teachers have to assure that (a) each child is able to reach his or her full potential as
well as that (b) all children meet the common curricular standards. In such
successful classrooms, "adaptive learning environments" are created. Addressing
this issue, the project IGEL (Individual Development and Adaptive Learning
Environments in Primary School) of the IDeA Research Center, Germany, focuses
on the development and the support of children at risk of school failure. Several
adaptive teaching strategies which support children's development can be outlined.
We focus on the following three strategies which are expected to be especially
effective for children at risk of school failure: (1) Scaffolding, (2) Peer Learning,
and (3) Formative Assessment. According to Raudenbush (2009, p. 176), we focus
on the domain of science education to assess the effectiveness of the selected
adaptive teaching strategies. Do children in adaptive learning environments develop
more favourably in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive aspects compared to those
in regular learning settings? And do trainings on adaptive teaching strategies in
science education render particular support to the development of children at risk of
school failure? We will address these questions within the context of a quasiexperimental intervention study with a treatment control group (parental
counselling). We will implement teacher trainings on the selected adaptive teaching
strategies, which focus on science education in the third grade of primary schools,
and investigate their influence on teachers and pupils. To examine sustainable
effects, we will perform concluding assessments at the end of the term.
Adaptive Teaching Strategies – Children at Risk of School Failure – Science
Education
72
Family and school environments in the context of work with an
ADHD child
Anna Wójcik
Pedagogical Univeristy of Cracow, Department of Special Education
[email protected]
Behaviors related to hyperactivity, impulsiveness and attention deficit seriously
disturb or make an individual’s functioning in various environments impossible,
strongly interfering in the systems which one participates in, forcing its members to
an intensified care over a child. The systems perspective is fundamental to
understand the child’ functioning in various environments, coexisting through
interaction and exchange of information. To describe the school and family systems
in the context of an ADHD child, I applied the case study method.
Symptoms characteristic of ADHD influence the family system, its organization,
structure, tasks completion, etc. They construct the type and quality of the
individual’s interactions with family members, which may result in different image
of relationships they create. Therefore, both the child and individual family members
(siblings, parents) are particularly vulnerable to negative experiences.
For a number of teachers, a hyperactive student constitutes a significant part of their
professional and personal space. Professional, since the symptoms of ADHD
influence considerably the process and organization of education, and they require
adapting the work forms and methods to the child’s abilities. Personal, as the work
with a child with difficulties in question is frequently accompanied by anger,
irritation, nervousness and helplessness. Moreover, teachers and parents of a
hyperactive child are frequently in conflict, accusing each other, for instance, of
using inappropriate work methods and incomprehension of the problem, revealing in
this way their helplessness in the face of the child’s difficulties. School and family
environments interact, and a change of one of the elements influences the rest of
them.
School – Teachers – Family – ADHD
73
List of authors and co-authors
Hußmann, Stephan
p. 36
Ingber, Sara
p. 64
Kaufmann, Liane
p. 25
Klieme, Eckhard
p. 70
Kolkman, Meijke E
p. 65
Kroesbergen, Evelyn H. pp. 24, 28, 65
Kuhl, Jan
p. 57
Kunter, Mareike
p. 70
Kypriotaki, Maria
pp. 42, 69
Labuhn, Andju Sara.
p. 54
Lanfranchi, Andrea
p. 43
Läzer, Luise
p. 44
Lehmann, Martin
p. 46
Leuzinger-Bohleber, Marianne p. 44
Linardakis, Michalis
p. 69
Lindberg, Sven
pp. 33, 50
Lühken, Arnim
p. 70
Machado, Ricardo
p. 31
Mannel, Susanne
p. 70
Manolitsis, George
p. 42
Mähler, Claudia
p. 45
Malstädt, Nadine
p. 46
Mann, Wolfgang
p. 47
Markodimitraki, Maria
p. 69
Marshall, Chloe
p. 47
Matull, Ina
p. 36
Melro, Joaquim
p. 47
Messer, David
p. 40
Miller, Erez C.
p. 35
Moeller, Korbinian
p. 25
Moscardini, Lio
p. 47
Moser Opitz, Elisabeth
p. 36
Müller, Christoph Michael
p. 31
Nagler, Telse
pp. 33, 50
Nash, Gilly
p. 40
Naumann, Alexander
p. 70
Nuerk, Hans-Christoph
p. 25
Nußbeck, Susanne
p. 31
Parsons, Sarah
p. 16
Adl-Amini, Katja
p. 70
Al-Yagon, Michal
p. 64
Ampartzaki, Maria
p. 69
Audeoud, Mireille
p. 22
Avila, Vicenta
p. 34
Bilimória, Helena
p. 71
Boonen, Anton J.H.
p. 65
Borges, Inês
p. 1
Brankaer, Carmen
p. 27
Büttner, Gerhard
pp. 53, 70
César, Margarida pp. 1, 31, 56, 59, 47
De Smedt, Bert
p. 27
Djakovic, Sanna-K.
p. 70
Eberhardt, Melanie
p. 31
Eden, Segal
p. 17
Ehm, Jan-Henning
p. 33
Fajardo, Inmaculada
p. 34
Fauth, Benjamin
p. 70
Ferrer, Antonio
p. 34
Fleischmann, Amos
p. 35
Frangogianni, Maria - Efterpi p. 66
Freesemann, Okka
p. 36
Garib-Penna, Sara
p. 16
Ghedin, Elisabetta
p. 55
Ghesquière, Pol
p. 27
Grosche, Michael
p. 37
Groß, Johannes
p. 66
Grünke, Matthias
p. 14, 37, 62, 68
Haefeli, Kurt
p. 38
Hardy, Ilonca
p. 70
Hasselhorn, Marcus pp. 33, 46, 50, 53
Haug, Tobias
p. 39
Henry, Lucy A.
p. 40
Hertel, Silke
p. 70
Hessels, Marco G.P.
p. 41
Hetzroni, Orit
p. 15
Hofmann, Claudia
p. 38
Hohn, Katharina
p. 66
Hondrich, Lena
p. 70
74
Pelgrims, Greta
Pfenning, Nicole
Passolunghi, Maria Chiara
Pixner, Silvia
Plutecka, Catherine
Poloczek, Sebastian
Prediger, Susanne
Rasch, Renate
Rietz, Chantal S.
Rojas, Hildalill
Santi, Marina
Santos, Joel
Santos, Nuno
Scherndl, Thomas
Schuchardt, Kirsten
Shamir, Adina
Shlafer, Inessa
Silva, Ana
Schnotz, Wolfgang
Sinner, Daniel
Tannous, Juman
Tarnutzer, Rupert
Tavares, Gema
Telli, Siebel
Toll, Sylke W. M.
van der Aalsvoort, G.M.
Vanderlinden, Katia
Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.
van Loo, Floor
Van Luit, Johannes E. H.
Venetz, Martin
Warwas, Jasmin
Ventura, Cláudia
Wertli, Emanuela
Wettstein, Alexander
Wilbert, Jürgen
Woerner, Wolfgang.
Wójcik, Anna
Wood, Guilherme
Zurbriggen, Carmen
pp. 51, 52
p. 44
p. 26
p. 25
p. 70
p. 53
p. 36
p. 66
p. 54
p. 41
p. 55
p. 56
p. 59
p. 25
p. 45
pp. 14, 18
p. 18
p. 71
p. 66
p. 57
p. 15
p. 21
p. 34
p. 66
p. 28
p. 58
p. 41
p. 28
p. 58
p. 28
pp. 14, 20
p. 70
p. 59
p. 22
pp. 60, 61
p. 62, 68
p. 54
p. 73
p. 25
p. 23
75