Behavior problems of anglo and Mexican-American children

The present investigation compared Anglo (N=1,999) and Mexican-American children (N=192) on the four factors of the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPCL). Teachers provided general information and BPCL ratings. The Anglo children manifested more problems on three of the factors than did the Mexican-American children. Significant interactions of grade, sex, and social class with ethnic group were revealed for two of the factors.The authors wish to thank Dr. John Bowser, superintendent of the Alief Independent School District, for his support, encouragement, and cooperation in this study. In addition, they express appreciation for the assistance rendered by Mrs. Dorothy Schreiner, secretary to the superintendent, and for participation of the principals and teachers.     

Class size,pupil attentiveness and peer relations

Background: Despite a long‐running debate over the effects of class size differences on educational performance there is little evidence on the classroom processes that might be involved. Aims: The effects of class size differences are examined in relation to social and behavioural adjustment to school, in terms of two dimensions: attentiveness and peer relations. It was predicted that as class size increased there would be more inattentiveness in class and more signs of social difficulties between children in the form of more rejection, asocial, anxious and aggressive behaviour, and less prosocial behaviour. Samples: Data came from a large‐scale longitudinal study of children over KS1 (4‐7 years). The observation study was based on a subsample of 235 children in 21 small (average 19 children) and 18 large (average 33 children) reception classes (aged 5 years). The PBR sample involved over 5,000. Methods: There were two complementary methods of data collection: first, a systematic observation study of pre‐selected target children in terms of three ‘social modes’ — when with their teachers, other children and when not interacting — and in terms of work, procedural, social and off‐task activities; and, second, a teacher administered Pupil Behaviour Rating (PBR) scale comprising over 50 items rated on a 3‐point scale grouped into six ‘factors’: hyperactive/distractible, aggressive, anxious/fearful, prosocial, asocial, and excluded. Results: Observations showed that children in large classes were more likely to show off‐task behaviour of all kinds, and more likely to interact with their peers in terms of off‐task behaviour, social, and also on‐task behaviours. Connections between class size and PBR factors were not strong. There was no support for the view that peer relations are better in smaller classes; indeed, there was a slight tendency for worse peer relations, in terms of aggression, asocial and excluded, in the smallest classes. Conclusions: There was confirmation that children in large classes are more distracted from work and more often off task. The unexpected result, based on teacher ratings, that small classes may lead to less social and more aggressive relations between children is discussed, along with implications for teachers of a tendency for more peer‐related contacts in large classes.     

Prediction of Children's Academic Competence From Their Effortful Control, Relationships, and Classroom Participation

The authors examined the relations among children's effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence with a sample of 7- to 12-year-old children (N = 264). Parents and children reported on children's effortful control, and teachers and children reported on children's school relationships and classroom participation. Children's grade point averages (GPAs) and absences were obtained from school-issued report cards. Significant positive correlations existed between effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence. Consistent with expectations, the teacher-child relationship, social competence, and classroom participation partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in GPA from the beginning to the end of the school year. The teacher-child relationship and classroom participation also partially mediated the relation between effortful control and change in school absences across the year.     

Temperament, ADHD and peer relations among schoolchildren: the mediating role of school bullying

The goal of the study is to investigate the link between temperament, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, social preference, bullying and victimization. The study sample consisted of 195 children attending the fourth and fifth grade (age 8-10), their mothers and their teachers. A multiinformant approach was used: mothers were interviewed about the temperament of their children; teachers were asked about ADHD symptoms; children responded to a peer nominations inventory designed to investigate their roles as bullies and/or victims and their social preferences (liked and disliked peers). A Structural Equation Model multigroup analysis (males and females) was used to test the relationships among variables hypothesized by the authors. The analysis showed that temperamental variables have a direct relation to ADHD symptoms, that ADHD has a direct relation to bullying behavior in males and to victimization in females and that bullies and victims are less well accepted than peers who belong to neither category. ADHD has only an indirect relation to social preference through the mediating role of school bullying.     

Effects of a REBT Based Training on Children and Teachers in Primary School

Rational Emotive Education (REE) is a psychological educational program offering a preventative psycho-educational curriculum to children in order to teach them emotional literacy skills. REE helps children by teaching them to challenge irrational thinking, to minimize their reactions to disappointment and frustrations, to cope more effectively with problems, and to more fully accept themselves. The efficacy of REE training for children and teachers was examined in a sample of 211 third grade students from nine different classes and 26 teachers. Each class was randomly assigned to one of three different groups, two experimental groups and a control group, each receiving different training. First objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of a REE training based on storytelling in changing children’s irrational beliefs. Second objective of our study was to observe the efficacy of a teachers’ training similar to that applied in REBT-focused school consultation groups in enhancing their self-efficacy. Results show an improved tendency in children to think rationally and an enhanced perception of self-efficacy in teachers for those groups that underwent the training compared to the control group. Our results suggest that REBT based trainings for children and teachers should be integrated into the classroom curriculum in order to prevent mental health problems and encourage positive social and emotional well-being.     

Teacher and parent perceptions of behavior problems among a sample of African American,Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white studients

A multiracial/multiethnic sample of middle school adolescents and their teachers was used to assess whether teacher ratings of student behavior problems varied according to teacher-student racial/ethnic differences and students' perception of teachers' attitudes toward them. No significant mean score differences were found for Hispanic or non-Hispanic white students according to the race/ethnicity of the teachers doing the ratings. However, African American students rated by Hispanic and non-Hispanic white teachers had significantly higher mean total behavior problem scores than African American students rated by African American teachers. Teacher ratings were also compared to those made by parents. The percentage of students rated as cases by teachers but not by parents differed significantly by race/ethnicity of student. Other findings indicated highly significant relationships between student-perceived teacher disparagement and the assignment of high behavior problem scores to students by teachers. This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA05912; William A. Vega, Principal Investigator. The authors express their appreciation to Superintendent Octavio Visiedo, Dr. James Mennes, Dr. Sylvia Rothfarb, and the cooperating staff and teachers of the Dade County Public Schools for their support in the conduct of this research.     

Social reinforcement: A treatment component in verbal self-instructional training

This study investigated the effects of noncontingent social reinforcement on social and academic behaviors in grade school children. Twenty-four children in the second through fifth grades were selected on the basis of teacher ratings of disruptive behavior. Subjects were divided into (a) a high social reinforcement verbal self-instructional (VSI) training group, (b) a low social reinforcement VSI group, and (c) a no-contact control group. Children in VSI groups were removed from their classrooms during four 40-minute periods and given VSI training. Significant between-groups differences on measures of social reinforcement were found indicating its successful manipulation. While none of the dependent measures indicated significant differences between experimental groups, a consistent pattern of difference scores emerged giving limited support to the hypothesis that noncontingent social reinforcement contributed to behavioral gains. Results are discussed in terms of the need for future research on the effects of rapport on treatment outcome.Both authors wish to express their thanks to the Missoula public school administration, principals, psychologists, and teachers. Appreciation is also due to Matthew Firpo and Anita Fisher for their help in this project.     

School competence and emotional/behavioral problems among Norwegian school children as rated by teachers on the Teacher Report Form

Of 1,409 eligible children aged 6-13 years in grades 1 to 7 who were randomly selected from a national sample of Norwegian schools, 858 participated in the present study (60.9%). The sample was stratified by school centrality, region and size of grade cohort. The teachers assessed their children's academic performance, adaptive school functioning, and levels of emotional/behavioral problems using the 2001 version of the Teacher Report Form (TRF). Only one child was randomly selected from each grade cohort. Girls had significantly higher scores than boys in the Working Hard, Appropriate Behavior, Learning, and Total Adaptive Functioning domains. For girls, only the Working Hard domain was of medium effect size. While boys had significantly higher scores than girls on Attention, Thought Problems, Rule-Breaking, Aggression, Externalizing Problems and Total problems, only Attention Problems showed a medium effect size. Significant sex by age interaction effects were also found for Rule-Breaking, Externalizing, Internalizing, Anxious-Depressed and Total Problems. In all these comparisons, 10-13-year-old boys had significantly higher scores than 6-9-year olds, while girls had similar problem levels across age groups. Our mean Total Problems score (17.2) was lower than the grand mean (21.6) reported in a multi-country comparison but higher than in another Norwegian large-scale survey. Overall, our findings indicate that teachers in Scandinavia report, just as do parents, relatively low levels of emotional/behavioral problems among school-aged children.     

Teacher Attitudes towards the Inclusion of Children with Mild Hearing Impairments into the Regular School Settings

The study examined the attitudes of a sample of Zimbabwean teachers towards the inclusion of children with mild hearing impairments. Two hundred and forty-six primary school teachers participated in the study. The teachers completed the modified Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Questionnaire (ATMQ) (Larrivee & Cook, 1979). In addition, they also completed four measures on implementation concerns of inclusive education of children with mild hearing impairments (i.e., academic, management, social, and knowledge concerns). Analysis related the scores from these four measures to teachers' attitudes, school type, class sizes, professional qualifications and position in the school. Compared with teachers with lower professional qualifications, teachers with higher professional qualifications had more favourable attitudes towards children with hearing impairment. Teachers who taught at ordinary schools with special needs resource units had more favourable attitudes towards students with hearing impairment than those at schools without such units. Resource unit teachers welcomed social inclusion of children with mild hearing impairments. School administrators were concerned about the practice of including children with hearing impairments in regular school setting before inducting teachers.     

Contributions of school classification,sex, and ethnic status to adaptive behavior assessment

This study investigated the contributions of school classification (regular, EMR) and sex and ethnic status to domain scores from the Public School Version of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale. For this investigation data were available from a sample of more than 1,600 regular and EMR subjects approximately equally distributed between the sexes among white, black, and Spanish-background subjects from ages 7 to 13. The results replicated earlier findings that domain scores were valid for differentiating among children of different adaptive behavior levels as inferred from school classification status. Ethnic status was not a unique contributor to Part One domain scores when the effects of classification were accounted for. On the Part Two domains, ethnic status was a significant contributor to some domain scores, but not at all age levels. Similarly, sex made few unique contributions to domain scores on Part One of the Scale, but it was a significant factor on some domains of Part Two at some age levels.the author concluded that the Scale was valid for differentiating among pupils assigned to regular and EMR classes from ages 7 to 12. The failure of sex and ethnic status to make contributions to Part One domain scores suggests that there are common expectancies for personal independence and responsibility between boys and girls from different ethnic groups.From the analysis of the contributions of sex and ethnic status to the Part Two domains, the author inferred that difference in environmental tolerance for affective or emotional responses to the school or community environment was a more reasonable explanation than the inference that girls and boys or children grom different cultural backgrounds were inherently different with respect to these behaviors. The Public School Version of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale is valid for assessing adaptive behavior of children in public school and relatively independent of effects attributable to sex or ethnic status.     

An examination of project aware: The effects on children's attitudes toward themselves,others, and school

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Project AWARE on children's attitudes about themselves, peers, teachers, principals, and school. Data were collected on children's sex, race, stanine score on achievement tests, and pretest performance in order to determine the differential effects of the treatment. Eighty students were included in the study, 40 in the experimental group and 40 in the control group. All were from fourth and fifth grade classrooms. The major findings were that children involved in the program achieved greater personal adjustment and accepted responsibility for negative outcomes in social situations (internal control). White children scored higher in personal and social adjustment. Black children evidenced more positive attitudes toward school. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on the social adjustment subtests and attitudes toward peers. Black children in the control group had less positive attitudes toward teachers than white children in the experimental group     

Characteristics of children who interact in groups or in dyads

Little research within the field of developmental or educational psychology has addressed teachers' perceptions of the characteristics of children who interact in different types of peer organizations. This study was designed to examine teachers' perceptions of the characteristics of boys and girls who interact in groups or in dyads. Participants (teachers and children) were recruited from 10 classes from all grade levels of 2 elementary schools. The children were asked to name those in their classes who played together frequently. On the basis of participants' responses, 2 categories of target children were identified: those who played with at least 3 other children (group) and those children who played with 1 other child (dyad). Two teachers then rated each target child on 6 characteristics. The results indicated that, compared with children who played in dyads, target children who played in groups were rated by teachers as being more competitive, receiving more attention from peers, valuing their friends more, and being more emotionally expressive. No differences were found between target children who played in groups or dyads in empathy or self-confidence. In addition, no interaction between sex and type of social organization was found for any of the measures. Results are discussed in terms of the relation between social organization and functions of peer relations.     

Sex, ethnic, and social differences in test anxiety among Israeli adolescents

The effects of sex, ethnicity, and social class on levels of test anxiety were examined among a sample of 416 adolescent students in Israel. Significant sex differences in mean levels of test anxiety were found, with girls scoring consistently higher than boys across ethnic, social, and grade categories. Pupils of low socioeconomic status (SES) also scored consistently higher than pupils of high SES across grades. Nevertheless, this study provides little support for the commonly held view that sociocultural or sex group differences in school achievement are due, in any meaningful way, to differences in test anxiety. The group differences, though significant for SES and sex, were of negligible magnitude, and the correlation between test anxiety scores and grade point average was minimal for the group as a whole and nonsignificant for students of Eastern background, who have been purported to be particularly affected by high levels of test anxiety. The findings do support other cross-cultural studies, which have found only a modicum of shared variance between test anxiety and grades. It is concluded that test anxiety is not a particularly valid predictor of achievement or ability.     

Prevalence and structure of behavior symptoms among children in special education and regular classroom settings

Studied the factor structure of the Behavior Problem Checklist using children from a middle to upper-middle-class suburban school system, determined the extent to which factors generated from children in regular classrooms approximated those generated from children in special education, and examined the effects of class placement, sex, and the interactions of these variables on the average rating children receive on the generated factors. One hundred children from 12 classes for the emotionally disturbed or learning disabled and 527 children from regular forst-through seventh-grade classes were rated by their teachers on the Behaviors Problem Checklist. Following a varimax factor rotation, coefficients of factor congruence and analysis of variance were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that although teacher ratings of special education and normal children are structurally similar, special education children scored higher on all three factors than did their regular class counterparts. Furthermore, almost all percentages of occurance for individual items were higher for special education children. Further research is suggested to deal with a possible expectancy effect in teacher ratings of problem behaviors.     

Congruence of parents' and teachers' ratings of children's behavior problems

This study compared parents' and teachers' perceptions of behavior disorders in 1,008 white children enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade. Data included background information and ratings on the Behavior Problem Checklist. For the most part, parents perceived more problems in their children than did teachers. Parents and teachers tended to agree that boys exhibited more deviant behavior than girls and that youngsters from the higher social classes had fewer disorders than those from the lower classes. Parent and teacher judgments were somewhat alike in that both groups tended to observe a pattern in the development of problems that first increased then decreased or first increased then decreased and leveled off across grades. Trends were more gradual for parents and sharper for teachers, or declines were not seen by parents that were seen by teachers. Bivariate correlations between parents' and teachers' evaluations were significant but low or low to moderate. Mother-teacher and father-teacher coefficients differed on Socialized Delinquency but were similar on the other behavioral dimensions. Although significant interactions of parentteacher relationships with sex and grade were infrequent, correlations between ratings by the two groups of informants were higher for boys than for girls; and correlations between parent and teacher judgments were lower for early grades than for later grades.     

The effects of peer-teaching on student perceptions of class environment,adjustment, and academic performance

This study explored the effects of a social studies peer-teaching intervention on student perceptions of class environment, adjustment, and academic performance. There were 45 students in the experimental group (E) and 46 controls (C) from four fifth-grade classes in a suburban, predominantly white, middle-class school. The Classroom Environment Scale (CES) and a School Opinion Survey were used to assess student views of the classroom. Students completed self-esteem and peer sociometric rating measures and teachers submitted adjustment ratings for all pupils. Report card and average monthly grades were recorded in social studies. After the intervention, Es compared to Cs came to see their classes as more Involved, Orderly and Organized, and Competitive, and reported being happier in class and enjoying aspects of their school work more. The groups did not differ in change in self-esteem. Both groups improved directionally in peer liking, though Cs did so more than Es. Teachers rated Es as having increased competence and decreased in problems after the program. Es did significantly better than Cs both on report cards and monthly social studies grades due primarily to the substantial improvement of Es with initially low academic status.     

The social competence of very-low-birthweight children: Teacher,peer, and self-perceptions

Whether very-low birthweight (VLBW 1500 gm) children differ from normal birthweight (NBW > 2500gm) children with respect to social (as opposed to intellectual) competence has been a relatively neglected issue. The social competence at school age of 183 VLBW children was therefore compared with that of 183 NBW children born at the same hospital matched for age, gender, social class, parity, and maternal age. A multi-informant, multidefinilional approach to social competence was adopted involving teacher, (same-gender) peer, and self-ratings of the 366 children's levels of social maladjustment, social skill, and peer acceptance. VLBW children from the upper, middle, and lower social classes received significantly higher mean sadness/unhappiness scores (even with IQ covaried) than their NEW counterparts. Mean scores for the VLBW group were also higher for social withdrawal, and lower for both social skill and peer acceptance. Possible antecedents and consequences of such group differences in affect and sociability are suggested.This study was supported by grants from the Department of Health and Social Services, the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, the Perinatal Trust Fund (all of Northern Ireland), and the Medical Research Council (U.K.) for the investigation of The cognitive, social, and behavioral adjustment of very-low-birthweight infants at school age. The resources provided by the Northern Ireland Department of Economic Development ACE scheme arc also gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank all 15 research assistants on the Very Low-Birthweight (VLBW) Team, and especially those parents, children, and school personnel who participated so willingly in the NI VLBW project.     

Family and ability correlates of academic grades: social status group differences

In a continuation of work by Marjoribanks (2003), using a sample of 150 seventh grade students, relationships among Parent Involvement as defined by factor scores of four measures of parents' involvement completed by teachers: teacher-parent contacts, teacher-parent communication, parents' involvement at home, and parents' participation in school, Intellectual Ability as defined by Verbal Intelligence using the Yuste's Differential and General Aptitudes Battery-M, and Academic Grades as defined by the average grade for all subject matter were examined. Analysis showed different predictive models for children's academic achievement as a function of social status. For children of low and middle social status, Intellectual Ability was the single predictor. For children of high social status the predictors were Parents' Involvement and the interaction of Parents' Involvement and Intellectual Ability.     

Acculturation,Economic Stress,Social Relationships and School Satisfaction Among Migrant Children in Urban China

Rural to urban migration has become a prominent phenomenon in China. In linking migration to children’s school trajectories, this mixed-methods study explored a range of cultural and contextual factors that contribute to Chinese children’s school wellbeing in the migratory process. The key variables included acculturative attitudes, economic stress, and relationships with family, teachers and peers. The study drew upon survey data from a sample of 301 Chinese migrant students (4th–9th grade) together with in-depth interviews involving ten selected students focusing on how migrant children’s school happiness and productivity are influenced by acculturation, economic hardship, and social relationships. The quantitative analysis indicated the critical role of integrative states in promoting school satisfaction and achievement. Migrant children with better social relations scored higher levels of hope, which in turn contributed to better school outcomes. Contrary to previous findings, economic stress did not hinder school outcomes for these Chinese migrant children, but appeared to act as a positive motivational factor for pursing academic success. The qualitative analysis echoed the quantitative findings, and provided further explanations for the complexity and particularity of these phenomena.     

Do self-fulfilling prophecies accumulate, dissipate, or remain stable over time?

The authors examined whether self-fulfilling prophecies accumulate, dissipate, or remain stable over time by using data from more than 500 6th- through 12th-grade students in public school math classes. The authors used multiple regression analyses to assess the extent to which teacher perceptions predicted students' final math marks and standardized math-test scores from 6th through 12th grade. Control variables included 5 measures of student motivation and 2 measures of previous achievement. The results were consistent with both the dissipation and stability hypotheses. Implications for understanding the extent to which social perception creates social reality and the role of expectations in social problems are discussed.