Emerging School Refusal: A School-Based Framework for Identifying Early Signs and Risk Factors

A student’s academic and social-emotional development is increasingly jeopardized with mounting absence from school. School refusal (SR) is one type of school attendance problem (SAP) that is often associated with absence from school. Once established, it can sometimes be difficult to treat. To prevent established SR and associated problems, indicators of emerging SR and risk for SR should be efficiently identified and acted upon. Risk factors are often discussed in relation to SAPs generally rather than considering risk for specific types of attendance problems. Based on literature review, this paper provides an account of the likely signs and risks for emerging SR. A school-based framework is provided to support school personnel and parents in working together to identify these signs and risks. Several challenges associated with the implementation of the framework are discussed.     

Confidence judgments in syllogistic reasoning: the role of consistency and response cardinality

In two experiments, we examined the resolution of confidence judgments in syllogistic reasoning and their heuristic bases. Based on the assumptions of Koriat's Self-Consistency Model of confidence, we expected the confidence judgments to be related to conclusion consensuality, reflecting the role of consistency as a heuristic cue to confidence. In Experiment 1, the participants evaluated 24 syllogisms with conclusions that varied with respect to validity and consensuality. In Experiment 2, the participants produced conclusions to 64 pairs of premises. The correlation between confidence and reasoning accuracy was low. In both experiments confidence was related to the consensuality of the responses. For consensually correct items, correlation between confidence and accuracy was positive; however, for consensually incorrect items it was negative. In Experiment 2, confidence was lower for syllogisms with higher response cardinality, or syllogisms that elicited a greater variety of conclusions.     

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A QUALITATIVE ORIENTATION FOR READING RESEARCHERS

Abstract

This article examines the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative versus qualitative research methods in reading. While, until recently, the field of reading accounted for relatively few qualitative studies, the authors present ideas and methods that point the way for efforts in this direction. They conclude that the situation is changing, and because of recent trends at the Center for the Study of Reading qualitative designs in reading research may finally compete actively with quantitative measures.     

Correlations Between Handshape and Movement in Sign Languages

Sign language phonological parameters are somewhat analogous to phonemes in spoken language. Unlike phonemes, however, there is little linguistic literature arguing that these parameters interact at the sublexical level. This situation raises the question of whether such interaction in spoken language phonology is an artifact of the modality or whether sign language phonology has not been approached in a way that allows one to recognize sublexical parameter interaction. We present three studies in favor of the latter alternative: a shape-drawing study with deaf signers from six countries, an online dictionary study of American Sign Language, and a study of selected lexical items across 34 sign languages. These studies show that, once iconicity is considered, handshape and movement parameters interact at the sublexical level. Thus, consideration of iconicity makes transparent similarities in grammar across both modalities, allowing us to maintain certain key findings of phonological theory as evidence of cognitive architecture.     

Clusters of Suicidal Events Among Young People: Do Clusters from One Time Period Predict Later Clusters?

We sought to compare clusters of suicidal events between two different time periods and examine the extent to which earlier clusters predict later clusters. We included data on suicides and suicide attempts from New South Wales between July 2001 and June 2012 and Western Australia between January 2000 and December 2011. Suicide attempts included admissions to hospital for deliberate self‐harm and suicides were deaths due to deliberate self‐harm. We combined data on suicides and suicide attempts and grouped them into two equal time periods. We detected clusters in each period using Poisson discrete scan statistics adjusted for socio‐economic status. We estimated the predictive values of earlier clusters on later clusters. The results showed that clusters from earlier time period had a moderate power (36%) in predicting later clusters. During the later time period, some additional cluster areas (14%) were found and some earlier cluster areas subsided (64%). Historical clusters predict 36% of the subsequent clusters, which is probably not sufficient for targeting interventions. Our study highlights the need for other strategies to detect emerging clusters, for example, up‐to‐date data.