1,545 research outputs found
Interpreting null findings from trials of alcohol brief interventions
No full textThe effectiveness of alcohol brief intervention (ABI) has been established by a succession of meta-analyses but, because the effects of ABI are small, null findings from randomized controlled trials are often reported and can sometimes lead to skepticism regarding the benefits of ABI in routine practice. This article first explains why null findings are likely to occur under null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) due to the phenomenon known as ‘the dance of the p-values’. A number of misconceptions about null findings are then described, using as an example the way in which the results of the primary care arm of a recent cluster randomized trial of ABI in England (the SIPS project) have been misunderstood. These misinterpretations include the fallacy of ‘proving the null hypothesis’ that lack of a significant difference between the means of sample groups can be taken as evidence of no difference between their population means, and the possible effects of this and related misunderstandings of the SIPS findings are examined. The mistaken inference that reductions in alcohol consumption seen in control groups from baseline to follow-up are evidence of real effects of control group procedures is then discussed and other possible reasons for such reductions, including regression to the mean, research participation effects, historical trends, and assessment reactivity, are described. From the standpoint of scientific progress, the chief problem about null findings under the conventional NHST approach is that it is not possible to distinguish ‘evidence of absence’ from ‘absence of evidence’. By contrast, under a Bayesian approach, such a distinction is possible and it is explained how this approach could classify ABIs in particular settings or among particular populations as either truly ineffective or as of unknown effectiveness, thus accelerating progress in the field of ABI research
Automated writing evaluation program\u27s effect on student writing achievement
No full textIn an ex post facto causal-comparative research design, this study investigated the effectiveness of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) programs on raising the student writing achievement. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) writing achievement scores from the 2010 administration were utilized for this study. The independent variable for the study was the usage of an AWE program. The dependent variable for the study was TCAP writing achievement scores. In this study, the TCAP writing achievement scores of two groups of eighth grade students from each school were analyzed and compared. School A was the experimental group that received AWE as a treatment, and School B was the control group that did not utilize AWE as part of its writing instruction. Both schools were from similar demographic backgrounds. This study took place in rural, upper middle Tennessee. Four research questions with corresponding null hypotheses guided this study. The first three null hypotheses related to the following variables: comparison of control group and experimental group, economically disadvantaged students, and gender. For these three null hypotheses, an ANCOVA test was performed at the 0.05 level of significance. The covariate for these tests was pre-test data. The first null hypothesis dealt with the comparison of the experimental group and the control group and was rejected due to the statistically significant difference in TCAP writing scores. The second and third null hypotheses dealt with economically disadvantaged students and the gender of students, respectively, with the use of AWE. Both of these null hypotheses were retained due to no statistically significant difference in TCAP writing scores between the comparison groups. The last null hypothesis pertained to special education students and the use of AWE. Non-parametric tests were utilized for this subgroup with no statistically significant difference being found between these two groups. Therefore, the fourth null hypothesis was retained. From the study, one may conclude that students who participate in AWE programs do increase in writing achievement more than students who do not participate in AWE programs as part of their writing instruction. One recommendation for practice is that teachers should understand the value of AWE programs when working with students of different ability levels. A recommendation for further research is that a longitudinal study should be considered to evaluate the long-term results and transferability of writing skills
Object drop in L3 acquisition
No full textThe topic of cross-linguistic differences regarding the overt or null expression of arguments has been considered both in first (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition. There is abundant literature on both subject and object drop with different language pairings but the issue has not been considered in third language (L3) acquisition. The main goal of this article is to analyse the L3 interlanguage of Basque-Spanish bilinguals regarding the acceptability and interpretation of null objects. The three languages involved in the study display different semantic requirements for the target structure, with Basque allowing for a null object option across-the-board, Spanish only under certain semantic conditions, and English disallowing it in the standard variety. Two trilingual, one bilingual and a control group (n = 119) rated experimental items embedded in context, presented in a written and aural format on a computer screen. Findings point to the successful acquisition of the target structure, as well as a clear influence of Spanish in the three experimental groups
The effects of a writing-to-learn process journal on sixth grade writing samples, 1989
No full textThis study investigated the effects of a Writing-To-Learn (WTL) Process Journal on the content/organization and style of sixth graders' writing performance as measured by the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Writing Test. The WTL Process Journal was developed as an advance organizer for the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Writing Test and was validated by a group of middle school teachers and sixth graders. Using an experimental design, 147 subjects from two Atlanta middle schools participated in the study. The experimental group used the WTL Process Journal and the control group used the Silver Burdett English text over a five-day treatment period. On the sixth day, all participants took the state writing assessment. Three null hypotheses were tested in the study. Analyses of the data were made using the T Test statistical tool to determine if there was a significant difference in the writing performance between the two groups on the content/organization and style domains of the state writing test. A third hypothesis sought to determine a significant difference between boys' versus girls' writing performance when both sexes used the WTL Process Journal. The study revealed that: (1) the sample of sixth graders performed similarly to all other sixth graders in the Atlanta Public Schools in overall writing performance on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Tests; (2) the style variable had the largest percentage of students' papers rated inadequate or minimal for the state, system, and study sample; (3) no significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups on either the content/organization or style variable, and the control group showed slightly higher mean scores; (4) a significant difference was found between the experimental subgroups on the content/organization variable, and (6) a significant difference between the mean scores of boys' versus girls' writing performance was evident for the style variable, although girls tended to have the higher mean scores on overall writing performance, content/organization, and style. The conclusions of the research were that: (1) the WTL Process Journal had no significant effect on the writing performance of sixth graders on either the content/organization or style variable; (2) a positive effect on the writing performance of sixth graders that completed the WTL Process Journal suggested that a more significant effect might have been found, if larger numbers of students in the experimental group had completed the instrument; (3) there was an average or moderate relationship between reading and writing performance, and (4) although girls tended to do better than males on writing performance, significant differences were found by sex for the control group on overall writing performance and style when comparing the experimental group. Since the control group had the higher mean score (only one-tenth difference) for both variables in the study and the subgroups within each school performed so similarly, several possible conclusions could be drawn: (1) that the Silver Burdett materials produced better results than the WTL Process Journal, (2) that by having experimental and control subgroups in the same schools, the Hawthorne Effect might have taken place, (3) that the treatment period was too short to gain maximum benefit from the WTL Process Journal, and (4) that there were significant differences in the quality of the writing instruction that students received during and prior to the research investigation. Further investigation would be needed to make a final determination
What do Grade 1 learners write? a study of literacy development at a multilingual primary school in the Western Cape
No full textMagister Educationis - MEdResearch shows that there is a literacy crisis in many South African primary schools, especially in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases (Grades 1 – ). The latest Annual National Assessments (ANA) results released in 2011 indicate that learners performed below the acceptable literacy levels as the national pass rate for Grade 3 learners was 35% and was 28% for Grade 6 learners (ANA, 2011:6). Research on literacy focuses on reading and there is little known about how young learners develop writing skills. This qualitative ethnographic study investigated how writing skills are developed in Grade 1 learners by looking at the writing processes as well as the teaching methods used by teachers to develop learners’ writing skills. The research also analyzed the texts produced by Grade 1 learners and the languages used in their written texts. The sample group in this research was the Grade 1 learners to a multicultural school in Cape Town. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. The thematic arrative approach was used to analyze data and the analysis was informed by the Writing Developmental Continuum model and the Multimodal Approach to literacy in order to gain a better understanding of how young learners use language and other forms of writing such as visuals and gestures to onstruct and convey meaning. The findings of this research show that Grade 1 learners make use of semiotic resources including the language(s) available in their immediate context to create multimodal texts that incorporate both visual and written features. This shows that young learners represent their world experiences through interpersonal and experiential meanings in language(s) exposed to them. The teacher has a big role to play in developing learners’ writing skills and has to employ a variety of pedagogical strategies that support learners to move through the different writing phases before they develop into early writers. The study concludes that writing is not a linear process but it is a gradual process which depends on a variety of resources and factors which build on learners’ prior experiences and creativity.South Afric
What do Grade 1 learners write? a study of literacy development at a multilingual primary school in the Western Cape
No full textMagister Educationis - MEdResearch shows that there is a literacy crisis in many South African primary schools, especially in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases (Grades 1 – ). The latest Annual National Assessments (ANA) results released in 2011 indicate that learners performed below the acceptable literacy levels as the national pass rate for Grade 3 learners was 35% and was 28% for Grade 6 learners (ANA, 2011:6). Research on literacy focuses on reading and there is little known about how young learners develop writing skills. This qualitative ethnographic study investigated how writing skills are developed in Grade 1 learners by looking at the writing processes as well as the teaching methods used by teachers to develop learners’ writing skills. The research also analyzed the texts produced by Grade 1 learners and the languages used in their written texts. The sample group in this research was the Grade 1 learners to a multicultural school in Cape Town. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. The thematic arrative approach was used to analyze data and the analysis was informed by the Writing Developmental Continuum model and the Multimodal Approach to literacy in order to gain a better understanding of how young learners use language and other forms of writing such as visuals and gestures to onstruct and convey meaning. The findings of this research show that Grade 1 learners make use of semiotic resources including the language(s) available in their immediate context to create multimodal texts that incorporate both visual and written features. This shows that young learners represent their world experiences through interpersonal and experiential meanings in language(s) exposed to them. The teacher has a big role to play in developing learners’ writing skills and has to employ a variety of pedagogical strategies that support learners to move through the different writing phases before they develop into early writers. The study concludes that writing is not a linear process but it is a gradual process which depends on a variety of resources and factors which build on learners’ prior experiences and creativity.South Afric
Fast identification of biological pathways associated with a quantitative trait using group lasso with overlaps.
No full textWhere causal SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) tend to accumulate within biological pathways, the incorporation of prior pathways information into a statistical model is expected to increase the power to detect true associations in a genetic association study. Most existing pathways-based methods rely on marginal SNP statistics and do not fully exploit the dependence patterns among SNPs within pathways.We use a sparse regression model, with SNPs grouped into pathways, to identify causal pathways associated with a quantitative trait. Notable features of our "pathways group lasso with adaptive weights" (P-GLAW) algorithm include the incorporation of all pathways in a single regression model, an adaptive pathway weighting procedure that accounts for factors biasing pathway selection, and the use of a bootstrap sampling procedure for the ranking of important pathways. P-GLAW takes account of the presence of overlapping pathways and uses a novel combination of techniques to optimise model estimation, making it fast to run, even on whole genome datasets.In a comparison study with an alternative pathways method based on univariate SNP statistics, our method demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of important pathways, showing the greatest relative gains in performance where marginal SNP effect sizes are small
Can the Buzz Group Strategy Unlock Potential? Exploring Its Impact on Enhancing Students’ Writing Skills Through a Quasi-Experimental Study
No full textWriting is a complex skill that poses significant challenges for students in their native or foreign languages. To address these challenges, educators must adopt effective teaching strategies. This study investigates the effectiveness of the Buzz Group strategy, a promising approach to enhancing students' writing skills. Conducted at a vocational school in Tuban, this quasi-experimental research compared the writing abilities of two groups of tenth-grade students: an experimental group taught using the Buzz Group strategy and a control group receiving traditional lecture-based instruction. The study involved 61 students randomly assigned to the experimental group (X TKJ A) or the control group (X TKJ B). Pre- and post-test scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, revealing significant improvements in the writing abilities of the Buzz Group participants. While both groups had similar baseline scores, the post-test results showed a marked improvement in the experimental group (mean score = 88.50) compared to the control group (mean score = 65.81). The p-value of 0.000 led to rejecting the null hypothesis, confirming the Buzz Group strategy's efficacy in improving writing skills. In summary, this study provides empirical evidence that the Buzz Group technique significantly enhances the writing capabilities of vocational school students. This finding supports the strategy's potential as an effective tool for writing education
Small Group Performance Compared To Large Group Performance In Remedial Writing At The Community College Level.
No full textIt was the purpose of this study to evaluate the effectiveness of small group instruction in remedial writing as compared to large group instruction for the same course at Cuyahoga Community College. Data was gathered in the following manner: Under normal college policy, students who register for remedial writing, English 091, were in either small groups of six students or large groups of approximately 28 students. Two of the large groups were randomly selected to serve as experimental groups which receive d traditional classroom instruction. Nine small groups were randomly selected to serve as control groups which were taught on an individualized basis. Final grades in English 091 were averaged for both the control group and the experimental group. The means was subjected to an independent t-test at the .05 level of significance to determine if a significant difference exists between them. It was found that no significant difference exists between the means of the two groups. Therefore, the Null Hypothesis was accepted: There is no significant difference in the mean English 091 final grades of students who were taught in small groups and of students who were taught in large groups. Recommendations based on the results of this study are as follows: elimination of small groups in English 091; continued scrutiny of grade point averages in English 091 for significant changes; continued research and evaluation of English 091
The Impact of Direct Writing Conventions Instruction on Second Grade Writing Mechanics Mastery
No full textThis applied dissertation was designed to determine the impact of direct writing conventions instruction on second grade writing mechanics mastery at an independent school in southeast Florida. The research study utilized a nonexperimental quantitative method. The design was pretest-posttest with a control. The pretest-posttest assessment was the Children’s Progress Academic Assessment. The score utilized in the analysis was the Phonics/Writing subtest. De-identified data were collected and analyzed from two separate second grade classes from two consecutive school years (i.e., 2011-2012, 2012-2013). The control group consisted of 43 second graders who received writing conventions instruction in the context of student writing during individual and small group conferences. The control group received no direct writing conventions instruction. The treatment group consisted of 39 second graders who received direct writing conventions instruction through the use of mini-lessons during the writing workshop. An analysis of the de-identified data revealed that, although the treatment group mean change score had a positive change greater than the control group change score, the change was not statistically significant. The researcher failed to reject the null hypothesis relative to a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Recommendations were made for future research
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