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This study investigated the effects of different versions of Web‐based instruction focused on text structure on fifth‐ and seventh‐grade students' reading comprehension. Stratified random assignment was employed in a two‐factor experiment embedded within a pretest and multiple posttests design (immediate and four‐month delayed posttests). The two factors were type of feedback provided by the Web‐based tutor (elaborated vs. simple feedback) and the motivational factor of choice of text topics in practice lessons (student choice of texts vs. no choice). These factors were examined to learn how they affected performance after the six‐month, 90‐minutes/week intervention. Students who received elaborated feedback performed better on a standardized test of reading comprehension than students who received simple feedback. Learning how to attend to errors from the elaborated feedback tutor yielded large gains in test performance. Simple feedback did not help the least skilled third of readers move from complete lack of competency to competency using the structure strategy with problem‐and‐solution text. Choice between two topics for practice lessons did not increase reading comprehension. Substantial effects sizes were found from pretest to posttest on various measures of reading comprehension: recall, strategy competence, and standardized reading comprehension test scores. Maintenance of performance over summer break was found for most measures. The study informs research and teaching about Web‐based reading tutors, feedback, comprehension, and top‐level text structure. [Note: Bonnie Meyer discusses the research presented in this article in a podcast at the “Voice of Literacy”: http://www.voiceofliteracy.org/posts/36682.] لقد فحصت هذه الدراسة تأثيرات أنواع مختلفة من التعليم المبني على الشبكة العالمية المركز على تركيب النص الذي يناسب طلاب الصفوف الخامسة إلى السابعة في استيعاب القراءة. ويتم توظيف واجباً عشوائياً مختلف المراحل في فحص ذات العنصرين يشمل تصميمه اختبار قبلي وعدة اختبارات بعدية (مباشرة وبعد مدة أربعة أشهر). وكان العنصر من العنصرين نوعاً من التغذية الراجعة المتوفرة من المدرس الخصوصي الموجود على الشبكة العالمية (التغذية الراجعة المفصلة مقابل المبسطة) وعنصر اختيار مواضيع النصوص الحافز في الدروس الممارسة (اختيار النصوص على يد الطالب مقابل عدم وجود الاختيار). وقد تم فحص هاذين العنصرين للفهم كيف أثرا في الأداء بعد التدخل الذي مضى 90 دقيقة في الأسبوع لمدة ستة أشهر. وقد أدى الطلاب الذين استلموا التغذية الراجعة تأدية أفضل في امتحان قرائي معياري من الطلاب الذين استلموا التغذية المبسطة. إن التعلم كيف يتم متناول الأخطاء من التغذية الراجعة المفصلة لدى المدرس الخصوصي أنتج تقدمات كبيرة في الأداء على الامتحان. وقد لم تساعد التغذية الراجعة القارئ ذا المهارة الأكثر انخفاضاً للانتقال من عدم وجود الكفاءة نهائياً إلى الكفاءة في استخدام الإستراتيجية التركيبية بالنسبة لمشاكل النص وحلها. ولكن لم يحسن الاختيار بين الموضوعين في الدروس الممارسة الاستيعاب القرائي. وقد تم إيجاد تأثيرات في بالغة الأحجام من الاختبار القبلي إلى البعدي من حيث مقاييس استيعاب القراءة المتنوعة: الاسترجاع والكفاءة الأستراتيجية والعلامات من اختبارات استيعا...

The authors assessed the impact of using the structure strategy as a base for an intergenerational Internet tutoring program in which older adults, with strategy training, provided Internet-based tutoring for 5th-grade students learning the strategy through an instructional Web site. Students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: structure strategy with tutors, structure strategy without tutors, and control. Both tutors and children in the structure strategy group with tutors increased strategy use, total and main idea recall, and self-efficacy. Program effects were apparent months after instruction. Posttest performance was related both to careful completion of Web lessons and amount of tutor feedback and content-related questions. Findings have implications for learning from computers, intergenerational tutoring, and reading instruction.

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This study investigates the cumulative impact of sexual abuse in childhood and adult interpersonal violence in the past year on depressive symptoms in a nonclinical sample of 265 primarily African American (74%) women. The frequency of depressive symptoms, measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), was highest for women who experienced both forms of victimization. Women who reported greater stress over life's daily hassles reported more depressive symptoms. Women with higher levels of family support and a sense of personal mastery reported fewer depressive symptoms. The final model explained 42% of the variance in CES-D scores. Implications for practitioners are discussed.

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The relation between parenting behaviour and poverty has been established, with impoverished parents' related experiences of stress and support typically implicated in the development of negative parenting behaviour. Additionally, differences in parenting behaviour have been identified for families with different ethnic backgrounds. However, whether ethnicity continues to effect similar differences in families' parenting behaviour in the face of the challenges associated with poverty or whether poverty leads to greater similarities or differences in parenting behaviour across ethnicity is not clear. Understanding how parenting behaviour is affected by the challenges of poverty is essential for identifying appropriate supportive programmes to enhance the development of children in these families. To better understand the parenting behaviours of lower income African American and European American mothers, this study identified levels of stress, family-and community-based support, and qualitative and quantitative measures of parenting for 30 African American and 30 European American mothers with children between 3 and 5 years of age. Both groups of mothers reported high levels of stress and low levels of support in their role as parents. Few differences in either mothers' ratings of how they parented or their descriptions of their parenting behaviours were identified suggesting similar parenting styles between these two groups of low-income parents. All mothers used less authoritarian parenting than expected based on poverty levels.

Aim: The emotional connection between mothers and infants born preterm has been associated with positive behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal association between emotional connection at six months of age and behavioural problems at three years. Methods:This study was carried out by the University of North Texas, USA and comprised 49 mothers and infants from a longitudinal investigation of family interaction and infant development conducted in 1994-1997. Face-to-face interaction and toy-based play were videotaped and coded at six months of age using the Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS), a brief screening tool for relational health. When the children were three years of age, the mothers reported on child behavioural problems.Results: The children from dyads that were rated as emotionally connected at six months of age had fewer externalising and internalising behavioural problems at the age of three. No links were found between emotional connection during toy-based play at six months and later child behavioural problems. Conclusion:We showed that when the WECS was used at six months of age it was a promising and valid relational screening tool for infants at risk of adverse behavioural outcomes at the age of three.