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- Title
- Directive use in primary caregiver-toddler dyads: A comparison of no risk and at-risk children.
- Creator
- Babkie, Andrea Margaret, Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R.
- Abstract/Description
-
The development of child language within the framework of the family has received increased interest in the past decade. One recent premise is that the use of specific types of language by adults in parent-child dyads affects development. These types of adult language, labeled as directives , are verbal behaviors that communicate to the child that he or she should do, say, or attend to something, and are considered to be related to episodes of joint attention. Posited by this model is that...
Show moreThe development of child language within the framework of the family has received increased interest in the past decade. One recent premise is that the use of specific types of language by adults in parent-child dyads affects development. These types of adult language, labeled as directives , are verbal behaviors that communicate to the child that he or she should do, say, or attend to something, and are considered to be related to episodes of joint attention. Posited by this model is that episodes of joint attention lead to greater language development. One type of directive, follow-in, is hypothesized to lead to increased joint attention; while two others, redirectives and introductions , are seen to save either a negative or no role in joint attention, thus making them non-significant or negative in the development of language. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of these specifically defined directives by primary caregivers in adult-toddler dyads and to determine the role each played in episodes of joint attention. Additionally, child engagement outside joint attention episodes was examined with regard to adult directive use. Twenty primary caregiver-toddler dyads participated in the study, with two groups of ten dyads each (at-risk and no risk conditions). Dyads were videotaped at home for one 15-minute session, of which the last 10 minutes were coded for joint attention and child engagement using partial-interval recording. Additionally, each specific directive was tallied and the total number calculated. Results indicated one statistically significant result in the relationship between use of a specific directive (introduction) and number of intervals of child engagement. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the hypothesized model was significantly accurate with regard to the relationship between child engagement and follow-in and introductory directives; however, prediction of intervals of joint attention by type of directive was not significant (p = .487). Additionally, no significance was found in the correlation between directives and joint attention, contradicting the postulated relationship in the model studied. The results of this research suggest that, for use in measuring joint attention, the proposed narrow definitions of directives are not adequate.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1999
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12613
- Subject Headings
- Language acquisition--Parent participation, Children--Language, Developmentally disabled children--Language, Interpersonal communication in children
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The effects of disability labels on special education and general education teachers' referrals for gifted programs.
- Creator
- Bianco-Cornish, Margarita, Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R.
- Abstract/Description
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This study investigated the effect of the disability labels learning disabilities (LD) and emotional handicaps (EH) on general education and special education teachers' willingness to refer students to gifted programs. Referral differences between general education and special education teachers were also examined. Two hundred forty-seven teachers (195 general education teachers and 52 special education teachers) from one south Florida school district participated in this study. Participants...
Show moreThis study investigated the effect of the disability labels learning disabilities (LD) and emotional handicaps (EH) on general education and special education teachers' willingness to refer students to gifted programs. Referral differences between general education and special education teachers were also examined. Two hundred forty-seven teachers (195 general education teachers and 52 special education teachers) from one south Florida school district participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no label, LD, EH) and asked to read a vignette describing a gifted student. All vignettes were identical except for one statement added to the LD or EH group stating the student had a disability. After reading the vignette, teachers completed a survey instrument with six questions regarding possible referral options. One of the six questions asked if they would refer the student to their school's gifted program. Teachers indicated their responses by circling one of four choices: strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. Responses to the gifted referral question on the survey instrument served as the dependent variable. A 2 x 3 factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the main effects of labeled conditions (three levels), teacher certification type (two levels), and the interaction between labeled condition and teacher type. Results indicated that teachers were significantly influenced by the LD and EH label when making referrals to gifted programs. Both special education and general education teachers were much less willing to refer students with disability labels to gifted programs than identically described students with no disability label. Additionally, when compared to general education teachers, special education teachers were less likely to refer a gifted student, with or without disabilities, to a gifted program. Implications were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12076
- Subject Headings
- Special education, Children with disabilities--Education, Educational tests and measurements, Students with disabilities--Rating of
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A comparison of typicality judgments of learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled children.
- Creator
- Willits, Paula P., Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R., Taylor, Ronald L.
- Abstract/Description
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Typicality judgments refer to the extent to which items are thought to be typical of their language categories. For example, an apple is a typical fruit, whereas a kiwi is an atypical one. Typicality judgments help reveal a person's level of word knowledge and concept development. The theory of category prototypes (Posner, 1969) gave rise to the assessment of the typicality judgments of children and adults. The two main purposes of this study were to provide typicality norms for learning...
Show moreTypicality judgments refer to the extent to which items are thought to be typical of their language categories. For example, an apple is a typical fruit, whereas a kiwi is an atypical one. Typicality judgments help reveal a person's level of word knowledge and concept development. The theory of category prototypes (Posner, 1969) gave rise to the assessment of the typicality judgments of children and adults. The two main purposes of this study were to provide typicality norms for learning disabled (LD) children, and to clarify the nature of the differences between learning disabled and nondisabled (NLD) students regarding their word knowledge and categorization skills. A total of 210 subjects participated in the study; 180 were public school children (grades 2, 4, 6) from Palm Beach County, Florida. Half of these students attended part-time classes for the learning disabled while the other half were enrolled in regular classrooms. All children had achieved IQs in the average range of intelligence. The remainder of the subjects (30) were adult college students at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. All subjects were asked to determine whether each of 125 words were category members, and if they were, how well each one exemplified the particular category in question. Categories included birds, clothing, vegetables, fruit, and four-footed animals. Results revealed that the LD children knew the meanings of fewer category items, included fewer appropriate words as category items, and were less adultlike in their rankings of words that were included as category members. Although both LD and NLD children's word rankings became more adultlike with age, the LD children's pattern of progression differed. For LD children, typicality ratings became significantly more adultlike between grades four and six, whereas the NLD subjects demonstrated significantly improved ratings between grades two and four. This different pattern illustrated a developmental lag in word knowledge for the LD children.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1991
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12279
- Subject Headings
- Categorization (Psychology) in children, Learning disabled children--Education--Language, Children--Language, Cognition in children
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A comparison of the reading characteristics of college student poor readers with and without learning disabilities.
- Creator
- Warde, Beverly Aileen, Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L., Smiley, Lydia R.
- Abstract/Description
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Fast, efficient reading skills are essential in college where the majority of learning comes from independent reading. However, reading college-level expository texts is a potential problem for college students with learning disabilities (LD) who classically have difficulty with reading. Since little is known about young adults with LD who attend college, the purpose of this study was to examine the reading abilities of this group. More specifically, reading comprehension scores, from both...
Show moreFast, efficient reading skills are essential in college where the majority of learning comes from independent reading. However, reading college-level expository texts is a potential problem for college students with learning disabilities (LD) who classically have difficulty with reading. Since little is known about young adults with LD who attend college, the purpose of this study was to examine the reading abilities of this group. More specifically, reading comprehension scores, from both oral and silent reading, as well as analyses of oral reading miscues were examined. Additionally, the influence of expository text structures on reading comprehension and oral miscues was explored. A total of forty undergraduate subjects from one state university participated in the study: twenty were upper class (junior/senior status) students with childhood diagnoses of LD in reading; twenty were upper class students without LD who were considered poor college readers. Four passages from a college textbook on social problems were selected for the reading assessment: two passages of an enumeration text structure, and two of an historical text structure. All subjects read two passages silently and two passages orally from each structure, The subjects' oral readings were analyzed for types of miscues. After reading each passage, the subjects then orally summarized the readings. A comprehension score was derived for each passage from the oral retellings. Results revealed that the college students with LD produced a greater total number of oral reading miscues and earned fewer comprehension points than their peers without LD. Text structure did not effect the comprehension scores of the students with LD; however, the type of text structure did effect the oral reading comprehension scores of the students without LD. The subjects with LD also produced a significantly higher percentage of miscues categorized as loss-of-meaning miscues. The results of this study indicated that college students with LD continue to have reading difficulties: difficulty decoding words; poor comprehension; and a lack of metacognitive awareness and use of strategies for comprehending various expository text structures.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1995
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12437
- Subject Headings
- Reading (Higher education)--Ability testing, Learning disabled youth--Education (Higher), Reading (Higher education), Reading comprehension, Reading disability
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A comparison of the metacognitive knowledge about reading of fourth-grade students with and without learning disabilities taught by two methods of reading instruction in inclusion classrooms.
- Creator
- Bunker, Melise Rankin, Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R.
- Abstract/Description
-
Although metacognition is an area that has been receiving considerable research interest in recent years, few studies have been concerned with metacognitive knowledge about reading. An even fewer number of studies have included students with learning disabilities (LD) as part of the subject pool. This reality is cause for concern. Increasingly, students with LD are receiving their reading instruction in general education classrooms. Because little is known about the effects of method of...
Show moreAlthough metacognition is an area that has been receiving considerable research interest in recent years, few studies have been concerned with metacognitive knowledge about reading. An even fewer number of studies have included students with learning disabilities (LD) as part of the subject pool. This reality is cause for concern. Increasingly, students with LD are receiving their reading instruction in general education classrooms. Because little is known about the effects of method of reading instruction on students with LD in general education classrooms, the purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference between the metacognitive awareness about reading of fourth-grade students with LD and without LD (NLD) taught by code-based (CB) and meaning-based (MB) instruction in inclusion classrooms. Further, the study was concerned with determining if there was an interaction between learning condition (LD, NLD) and instructional approach (CB, MB). A total of 88 fourth graders from seven elementary schools in a large south Florida school district participated in the study: 38 were students with LD; 50 were students without LD. Forty-five of the students received their reading instruction in CB classrooms and 43 were taught reading in MB classrooms. All students were given the silent reading section of an informal reading inventory, a metacognitive interview, and a metacognitive questionnaire. Results revealed that although there is a significant difference between the metacognitive knowledge about reading between students with and without LD, this difference did not appear to be influenced by their method of reading instruction. Students with LD consistently scored below students without LD, whether they were in code-based or in meaning-based classrooms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1997
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12511
- Subject Headings
- Reading (Elementary), Inclusive education, Learning disabled children--Education
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A comparison of language screening procedures in the identification of children with language delays in prekindergarten classes.
- Creator
- Goldstein, Peggy Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L., Smiley, Lydia R.
- Abstract/Description
-
There is presently an emphasis on the early identification of children with disabilities. Mild and moderate disabilities, such as language delays, have proven difficult to detect. Language delays are of concern because of the relationship between language abilities and other learning activities. Young children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are especially at-risk for difficulties in language and learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of various...
Show moreThere is presently an emphasis on the early identification of children with disabilities. Mild and moderate disabilities, such as language delays, have proven difficult to detect. Language delays are of concern because of the relationship between language abilities and other learning activities. Young children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are especially at-risk for difficulties in language and learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of various language screening procedures in the identification of language delays in prekindergarten classes composed of children from low SES backgrounds. More specifically, this study compared the accuracy of formal instruments and informal procedures (i.e., teacher referral) in the identification of language delays. Additionally, the influence of teacher training on the accuracy of teacher referral was explored. Three children from 30 randomly selected prekindergarten classes participated in this study. This resulted in a total of 90 subjects. Children ranged in age from 52 to 64 months. All subjects were administered the Brigance Preschool Screen, the language subtest of the Early Screening Profile (ESP), the language subtest of the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R), and the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test. The Preschool Language Scale-3 (PLS-3) was administered and used as the criterion measure. In addition, the 30 teachers of these selected classes were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received specific training in the identification of language delays in young children and were designated as trained teachers. The second group was the control group and designated as untrained teachers. Fifty-six percent of the children were identified as language delayed according to the criteria of 1 standard deviation below the mean on the PLS-3. The trained teachers were the most accurate of all screening procedures in the identification of language delays. Training significantly improved the accuracy of teacher referral. The ESP was found to be the most efficient of the formal instruments. This study resulted in an increase in the data base concerning the incidence of language delays in an at-risk population, the effectiveness of various screening procedures in identification of language delays, and the impact of training on the accuracy of teacher referrals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1994
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12381
- Subject Headings
- Language disorders in children, Preschool children, Learning disabilities, Children--Language--Testing
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The self-examination: A learning methodology, reexamined.
- Creator
- Weiner, Jutta., Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R., Courtney, David W.
- Abstract/Description
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This study extends and partially replicates an investigation by David W. Courtney, titled The Self-Examination: A Learning Methodology, conducted in 1974 with two groups of students enrolled in an interdisciplinary art course. The original study was adapted to an art appreciation course. The purpose of this study was to reexamine the efficacy of the self-examination (SE) to promote creative thinking and aesthetic perception as well as a favorable student attitude toward the course. The study...
Show moreThis study extends and partially replicates an investigation by David W. Courtney, titled The Self-Examination: A Learning Methodology, conducted in 1974 with two groups of students enrolled in an interdisciplinary art course. The original study was adapted to an art appreciation course. The purpose of this study was to reexamine the efficacy of the self-examination (SE) to promote creative thinking and aesthetic perception as well as a favorable student attitude toward the course. The study was conducted with two groups of students enrolled in an art appreciation course at Palm Beach Community College North in the Fall semester of 1989. The experimental group wrote two SEs and the control group wrote one comparison paper and took a multiple-choice examination. Both groups also took multiple-choice quizzes and final examinations. Pretest-posttest analyses of the test for creativity and aesthetic perception, using t-tests, and of the course evaluation, using multivariate tests of significance, indicated no significant difference between the experimental and control groups.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1990
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12261
- Subject Headings
- Study skills, Self-culture, Creative thinking
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Effects of a Fluency Intervention on the Oral Reading Fluency of First Grade Students At Risk for Reading Failure.
- Creator
- Ming, Kavin, Smiley, Lydia R., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
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Reading is an essential skill necessary for academic success. However, many children experience difficulties in acquirin,g essential reading skills necessary to support and enhance other areas of learning (Nes, 2003). One major area in which students fail to attain proficiency is in the area of reading fluency (Vaughn et al., 2000). Previous research has demonstrated that repeated reading is an effective intervention for increasing fluency in elementary age readers (Keehn, 2003; Rashotte &...
Show moreReading is an essential skill necessary for academic success. However, many children experience difficulties in acquirin,g essential reading skills necessary to support and enhance other areas of learning (Nes, 2003). One major area in which students fail to attain proficiency is in the area of reading fluency (Vaughn et al., 2000). Previous research has demonstrated that repeated reading is an effective intervention for increasing fluency in elementary age readers (Keehn, 2003; Rashotte & Torgesen, 1985). However, little research has specifically addressed the impact of repeated readings on first grade students. In addition, researchers have called for investigations of additional components (sight words and phonics) on repeated reading interventions (Vaughn et al., 2000). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of combining sight words and spelling pattern instruction with timed repeated readings on the word accuracy, words read correctly per minute and prosody of first grade students who are at risk for reading failure. An ANCOVA yielded significant effects on each of the three dependent variables, and these results demonstrated that the addition of components (sight words and spelling patterns) to timed repeated readings improved the oral reading fluency of low level readers, of which students at risk for reading failure are a part. The outcome of this study also confirmed that first grade students from low socioeconomic backgrounds can increase their oral reading fluency skills with research-based methods.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000681
- Subject Headings
- Reading (Elementary)--Ability testing, Reading comprehension, Language arts (Elementary), Literacy--Study and teaching (Elementary)
- Format
- Document (PDF)