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This study aimed to describe 2nd-grade teachers' use of different forms of praise during English Language Arts (ELA) instruction and examine if teacher characteristics were associated with differences in the use of different types of praise. Investigators recorded 2nd-grade teachers' language use during randomly selected, 15-min excerpts (n = 912) of ELA instruction in 53 classes across 21 schools and coded for total praise, general praise, behavior-specific praise (BSP), classroom conduct praise, and academic praise. In addition, this study explored how teacher education, experience, and age were related to the frequency and type of praise used in the classroom. Results indicated that rates of both total praise and BSP were regularly low. Teachers praised academic work more often than they praised appropriate classroom behavior. Furthermore, there was a significant relation between teacher age and teacher use of BSP and classroom conduct praise. Post-hoc mediation analyses were also conducted. Findings suggest that whereas 2nd-grade teachers provide low levels of total praise, they provided especially low rates of specific, contingent forms of praise that have been proven to promote child behavioral outcomes. [This is the online version of an article published in "Education and Treatment of Children."]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to advance the analysis of written language transcripts by validating an automated scoring procedure using an automated open-access tool for calculating morphological complexity (MC) from written transcripts. Method: The MC of words in 146 written responses of students in fifth grade was assessed using two procedures: (1) hand-coding of words containing derivational morphemes by trained scorers and (2) an automated analysis of MC using Morpholex, a newly developed web-based tool. Correlational analysis between the different MC calculations was examined to consider the relation between hand-coded derivational morpheme counts and the automated measures. Additionally, all MC measures were compared to a previously gathered rating of writing quality to consider predictive validity between the automated Morpholex score and teachers' ratings of writing quality. Results: Automated measures of MC had a strong relation (r = 0.63) with hand-coding of the number of words with derivational morphemes. Additionally, the number of derivational and inflectional and derivational morphemes accounted for a significant amount of the variation in teachers' overall ratings of writing quality. Conclusion: Automated scoring of MC has potential utility as a valid alternative to hand-coding language samples, which may be valuable for progress monitoring of growth in complexity across repeated samples and measuring components that influence perceived quality of academic writing. [This is the online version of an article published in "American Journal of Speech Language Pathology."]

Purpose: The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the perspectives of students from underrepresented backgrounds on the graduate school application process and identify ways to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in communication science and disorders. Method: A novel 15-item survey was used to solicit information about the experiences and perspectives of the graduate application process from 39 senior undergraduate students in a communication science and disorders program. Semistructured interviews were then conducted with seven students from underrepresented backgrounds to further explore perceived barriers to graduate applications and potential resources and supports. Results: Results demonstrated a variety of factors, including financial demands, Graduate Record Examinations requirements, and program location and prestige, that influenced student decision making during the application process. Students from underrepresented backgrounds reported applying to more programs on average but engaged in numerically fewer hours of research and practicum experiences than peers from majority backgrounds. The most significant barriers to the graduate application process included learning and mentorship challenges during COVID-19, limited experiential learning opportunities, and difficulties forming social connections. Departmental support, application assistance, and mentorship initiatives were highlighted as potential levers of change. Conclusions: Based on reported barriers to the graduate application process, more research is necessary to further investigate the extent these factors influence achievement, retention, and overall success of students from underrepresented backgrounds. Additional resources and supports, especially those recommended by students in this study, may serve as potential action steps to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in communication science and disorders programs. [This is the online first version of an article published in "Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups."]