This month Liv Inger Engevik (Post doctoral researcher in the DSL+-project) got her last article from her PhD research project accepted.
Here you can read the abstracts of her articles:
Research article
published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 30,
Part A, 1st Quarter 2015, Pages 140-151
Part A, 1st Quarter 2015, Pages 140-151
Re-conceptualizing
“Directiveness” in Educational Dialogues:
A Contrastive Study
of Interactions in Preschool and Special Education
Liv Inger
Engevik, Silje Hølland, and Bente E. Hagtvet
Dept. of Special Needs Education, University
of Oslo
Abstract
This study investigated the role of teacher directiveness in
educational dialogues as it relates to several types of dyads and child engagement.
The effect of directive teacher behavior, such as the use of instructions and
commands, on children’s engagement and learning is a controversial matter in
the field of educational research. Two types of dyads were examined: typically
developing children and their preschool teachers (PreschDyads) and children
with Down syndrome and their special education teachers (SpecEdDyads). Fourteen
Norwegian dyads participated in the study and were videotaped while solving a
construction task. The results indicated higher levels of teacher directiveness
in the SpecEdDyads. Children with Down syndrome showed lower levels of
engagement with the task than the typically developing children did. However,
closer examination of the results of the SpecEdDyads with the highest scores in
teacher directiveness revealed that these children scored above their group
average on engagement. The pattern differed in the PreschDyads, in which the
least directive teachers interacted with the most engaged children. A
qualitative analysis of dialogue excerpts suggested that in educational
contexts in which a child struggles with goal-oriented engagement, emotionally
supportive teacher directives may generate joint problem solving, thereby
enabling children to successfully complete cognitively demanding tasks that
they may not be able to complete independently. In the PreschDyads, the
children appeared to be more self-motivated and less dependent on directive
support. These findings extend our knowledge of the qualities and functions of
teacher directiveness in educational dialogues by illuminating how the
individually adapted use of directives may enhance child engagement and
learning.
Keywords: teacher
directiveness, child engagement, Down syndrome, educational dialogues
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Research article
published in Research in Developmental Disabilities, Volume 44, 2015,
Pages
287–300
Cognitive Stimulation
of Pupils With Down Syndrome:
A Study of
Inferential Talk During Book-Sharing
Liv Inger
Engevik, Kari-Anne B. Næss, and Bente Hagtvet
Dept. of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Dept. of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Abstract
In the education of pupils with Down syndrome, “simplifying” literal
talk and concrete stimulation have typically played a dominant role. This
explorative study investigated the extent to which teachers stimulated abstract
cognitive functions via inferential talk during book-sharing and how pupils
with Down syndrome responded. Dyadic interactions (N = 7) were videotaped, transcribed and coded to identify levels of
abstraction in teacher utterances and to evaluate the adequacy of pupil
responses. One-third of the
teachers' utterances contained high levels of abstraction and promoted
inferential talk. Six of the seven children predominantly responded in ways
which revealed inferential thinking. Dialogue excerpts highlighted individual,
contextual and interactional factors contributing to variations in the
findings. Contrary to previous claims, the children with Down syndrome in the
current sample appear able to draw inferences beyond the “here-and-now” with
teacher support. This finding highlights the educational relevance and
importance of higher-order cognitive stimulation of pupils with intellectual
disabilities, to foster independent metacognitive skills.
Keywords: Down syndrome,
intellectual disability, cognitive stimulation, inferential talk, book-sharing
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Research article accepted
for publication in
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2016
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2016
Quality of Inclusion and Related
Predictors:
Teachers’ Reports of Educational Provisions Offered to Students With Down Syndrome
Teachers’ Reports of Educational Provisions Offered to Students With Down Syndrome
Liv Inger Engevik, Kari-Anne B. Næss , and Line Berntsen
Dept. of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo
Abstract
The aims of this
study were to gain insight into the quality of inclusion in mainstream
classrooms involving students with Down syndrome and to reveal underlying predictors.
Thirty nine eight-year-olds with Down syndrome and their teachers participated.
Via a survey, the teachers were asked to rate key indicators of inclusion.
Their average rating corresponded to a moderate quality of inclusion, suggesting
that the students with Down syndrome participated as active and accepted class
members who learned with their peers. At the same time, the academic
instruction of the students tended to take place outside the mainstream
classroom. Regression analysis showed that teacher collaboration and the
children’s expressive language abilities explained a reliable portion of the
variation in the quality of inclusion. The implications for understanding and
facilitating inclusion in practice are discussed.
Keywords: Down syndrome, inclusion, teacher collaboration, expressive
language
