This article reports on research commissioned by the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED). It aimed to establish the range and extent of policy and provision in the area of specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and dyslexia throughout Scotland. The research was conducted between January and June 2004 by a team from the University of…

This paper proposes a methodology to calculate both the difficulty of the basic problems and the difficulty of solving a problem. The method to calculate the difficulty of problem is according to the process of constructing a problem, including Concept Selection, Unknown Designation, and Proposition Construction. Some necessary measures observed…

This study (a) provided a conceptual introduction to differential item functioning (DIF), (b) introduced the multifaceted Rasch rating scale model (MRSM) and an associated statistical procedure for identifying DIF in rating scale items, and (c) applied this procedure to previously collected data from American coaches who responded to the coaching…

As yet, psychoeducational practice lacks a reliable and valid set of established classifications of learning behaviors, which is an indispensable starting point for the diagnosis of a child's problems. This paper reports an epidemiologycal study in which we collected descriptive behavioral data from a fairly representative sample (N = 150) of…

The purpose of this study was to explore women's memories and feelings concerning their breasts and breast cancer screening experiences in relation to their current breast cancer screening behaviors. Twelve African American women shared stories that were generated in written narratives and individual interviews. Two core themes emerged from the…

Converging research has demonstrated the importance of early literacy intervention to prevent reading disabilities. However, no one program can meet the needs of all children. One proposed revision of current special education identification procedures is known as the response-to-intervention (RTI) model. RTI will require that early childhood…

This study explored the relationship between perceived stress and perceived need for social support among doctoral psychology students attending a distance education university. Although small sample size conceivably prevented identification of a direct correlation between these two factors, female doctoral students perceiving greater levels of…

The existing literature demonstrates that children who are referred by their teachers as presenting with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties in schools are least likely of all children with difficulties to be included in their community school. Two common obstacles to their inclusion have been identified and discussed in the literature: a…

Reliability and validity of three current instruments (Feminist Identity Scale [FIS], Feminist Identity Development Scale [FIDS]J Feminist Identity Composite [FIC]) used to operationalize Downing and Roush's model of feminist identity development were compared. A sample of 245 women completed all three instruments, and a separate sample of 35…

On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004). The revised law is different from the previous version in at least one important respect. Whereas practitioners were previously encouraged to use IQ-achievement discrepancy to identify children with learning disabilities…

This article offers video lessons that interweave visual and written materials in order to introduce university undergraduates (who may or may not be geography majors) to some recent shifts in geographic inquiry. What is often described as the "cultural turn" in human geography invites us to examine more closely the politics of representation,…

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine how the chronicity of stress affects psychological stress-responses, depressive symptoms, and "in vivo" immunocompetence in spouses of women with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: Participants were 34 spouses of breast cancer patients. Their wives had been living with a diagnosis of…

This paper reports on a project aimed at providing skills and resources to support nursery staff in identifying areas of strength and need in 3- to 5-year-old children. The six participating nurseries were all in areas of high socio-economic disadvantage. Staff were trained to administer, score and interpret a wide-ranging screening inventory.…

The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of tensions, conflicts, and difficulties a prospective elementary teacher paid special attention to in the process of interacting with others to learn to teach elementary science during the internship year, and to describe how the novice teacher responded to and finally negotiated those tensions…

Biracial students represent a growing number of students on many campuses and an increasingly significant segment of the population of the United States. Nevertheless, this group of students rarely has been studied with respect as to how their experiences affect persistence at colleges and universities. This case study reports on the experiences…