Differential ability and attainment in language and arithmetic of Dutch primary school pupils

Background . In preschool and primary education, pupils differ in many abilities and competences (giftedness). Yet mainstream educational practice seems rather homogeneous in providing age‐based or grade–class subject matter approaches. Aims . To clarify whether pupils scoring initially at high ability level do develop and attain differently at school with respect to language and arithmetic compared with those displaying other initial ability levels. To investigate whether specific individual, family, or educational variables covary with the attainment of these different types of pupils in school. Samples . Data from the large‐scale PRIMA cohort study including a total of 8,258 Grades 2 and 4 pupils from 438 primary schools in The Netherlands. Methods . Secondary analyses were carried out to construct gain scores for both language and arithmetic proficiency and a number of behavioural, attitudinal, family, and educational characteristics. The pupils were grouped into four different ability categories (highly able, able, above average, average or below average). Further analyses used Pearson correlations and analyses of variance both between‐ and within‐ability categories. Cross‐validation was done by introducing a cohort of younger pupils in preschool and grouping both cohorts into decile groups based on initial ability in language and arithmetic. Results . Highly able pupils generally decreased in attainment in both language and arithmetic, whereas pupils in average and below‐average groups improved their language and arithmetic scores. Only with highly able pupils were some educational characteristics correlated with the pupils' development in achievement, behaviour, and attitudes. Conclusions . Preschool and primary education should better match pupils' differences in abilities and competences from their start in preschool to improve their functioning, learning processes, and outcomes. Recommendations for educational improvement strategies are presented at the end of the article.     

Contribution of content, context, and process to understanding openness to organizational change: two experimental simulation studies

The authors examined the contribution of the content, context, and process of organizational transformation to employees' openness to change. The authors predicted that 5 factors would have a positive effect on openness to change: (a) threatening character of organizational change (content related), (b) trust in executive management (context related), (c) trust in the supervisor (context related), (d) history of change (context related), and (e) participation in the change effort (process related). The authors tested their hypotheses in 2 separate studies (N = 828 and N = 835) using an experimental simulation strategy. The first study crossed 4 variables in a completely randomized 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design. Results showed significant main effects for content, context, and process but no significant interaction effects. A second study, with a completely randomized 2 x 2 factorial design, crossed two context variables. Results showed a significant main and an interaction effect: Openness to change decreased dramatically only when history of change and trust in executive management were low.     

Modeling continuity and discontinuity in utterance length: a quantitative approach to changes, transitions and intra-individual variability in early grammatical development

The confluence of an anomaly such as a growth spurt or a temporary regression on the one hand and a temporary increase in intra-individual variability on the other hand, forms a strong indicator of a major transition in early language development. Data concern one-word (W1), two- and three-word (W2-3), and four-and-more-word (W4+) utterances from two French children during their second and third years. A dynamic growth model was fitted, based on a structure of supportive, conditional and competitive relationships. Using a statistical simulation method, we showed two striking peaks of variability in addition to a temporary regression or rapid growth in the proportions of W1, W2-3 and W4+ utterances. We argue that these phenomena show transitions corresponding to critical points in grammatical development, which could be indicative of the emergence of simple combinatorial and syntactic stages of language successively. Our results emphasize the relevance of time-serial data and of intra-individual variability in the study of developmental transitions in general.     

Studies on wild house mice VI: Differential effects of the Y chromosome on intermale aggression

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of different parts of the Y chromosome of wild house mice on aggression. To reach this goal, intercrosses were made between two selection lines for attack latency (SAL and LAL) and their congenic strains (SAL. LY and LAL. SY). This procedure resulted in F₁ hybrids that carried the same autosomes, but differed in their X chromosome and the two different parts of their Y chromosomes, the different parts of the Y chromosome being a recombining part called the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) and a non-recombining part (non-PAR). We conclude that both parts of the Y chromosome contribute slightly but significantly to variation in aggression. The major effect is accomplished by the PAR of the aggressive parent; a mirror effect is achieved by the non-PAR of the aggressive parent in interaction with the PAR. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Studies on wild house mice iv: On the heredity of testosterone and readiness to attack

An attempt was made to determine the role of the Y chromosome in the development of aggression in wild house mice. The aggression-eliciting property of testosterone depends not only on circulating adult testosterone, but also on perinatal sensitization of the central nervous system to this steroid. Results of crosses between aggressive (SAL) and non-aggressive (LAL) mice indicate that adult plasma testosterone in these mice is determined by the autosomes, high testosterone levels being dominant over low levels. Conversely, the Y-chromosomal effect seems related to perinatal processes that sensitize the brain for testosterone.