Individual differences in executive function partially explain the socioeconomic gradient in middle‐school academic achievement

Children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) earn lower grades, perform worse on achievement tests, and attain less education on average than their peers from higher‐SES families. We evaluated neurocognitive mediators of SES disparities in achievement in a diverse sample of youth whose data were linked to administrative records of performance on school‐administered tests of 7th grade reading and math proficiency (N = 203). We used structural equation modeling to evaluate whether associations between SES (measured at ages 8–9) and achievement (measured at age 13) are mediated by verbal ability and executive function (measured at age 10), a suite of top‐down mental processes that facilitate control of thinking and behavior. Children from relatively higher‐SES families performed better than their lower‐SES peers on all neurocognitive and achievement measures, and SES disparities in both reading and math achievement were partially mediated by variation in executive function, but not verbal ability. SES disparities in executive function explained approximately 37% of the SES gap in math achievement and 17% of the SES gap in reading achievement. Exploratory modeling suggests that SES‐related variation in working memory may play a particularly prominent role in mediation. We discuss potential implications of these findings for research, intervention programming, and classroom practice.     

A follow‐up study of the long‐term effects of counselling in a primary care counselling psychology service

Despite much recent work examining the short‐term effect of counselling in primary healthcare settings, to date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of such treatment programmes over the longer term. In this study, 58 participants underwent brief, time‐limited integrative counselling sessions, with symptoms being measured using the CORE‐OM immediately before, immediately after, and 30 months after counselling. It was found that in addition to participants reporting significantly lower levels of psychological distress immediately post‐counselling, a further significant improvement at 30‐month follow‐up was also apparent, indicating that the benefit from counselling was maintained. In addition to this reduction in symptoms post‐counselling, a significant reduction in GP visits was also detected in the 12 months following counselling when compared with the 12 months prior to counselling, indicating a lower reliance on the primary healthcare team after counselling.     

Stable same‐sex friendships with higher achieving partners promote mathematical reasoning in lower achieving primary school children

This study was designed to investigate friend influence over mathematical reasoning in a sample of 374 children in 187 same‐sex friend dyads (184 girls in 92 friendships; 190 boys in 95 friendships). Participants completed surveys that measured mathematical reasoning in the 3rd grade (approximately 9 years old) and 1 year later in the 4th grade (approximately 10 years old). Analyses designed for dyadic data (i.e., longitudinal actor‐partner interdependence model) indicated that higher achieving friends influenced the mathematical reasoning of lower achieving friends, but not the reverse. Specifically, greater initial levels of mathematical reasoning among higher achieving partners in the 3rd grade predicted greater increases in mathematical reasoning from 3rd grade to 4th grade among lower achieving partners. These effects held after controlling for peer acceptance and rejection, task avoidance, interest in mathematics, maternal support for homework, parental education, length of the friendship, and friendship group norms on mathematical reasoning.     

The long-term effects of ability grouping in mathematics: A national investigation

The complexities of school tracking have resulted in patchy explanations of how it might affect students’ academic success. We aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of tracking by investigating its long-term relationships with student outcomes. Our study is informed by sociological and social psychological theoretical perspectives that explain how this school practice may wield its influence. We use panel data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) for a comprehensive analysis of the associations between ability grouping in the eighth grade and subsequent social psychological and academic variables in the 10th and 12th grades, respectively. By covering three waves of data that monitor the mathematics progress of middle school youngsters as they go through high school, we present the durable relationships of tracking. Our method compares students in tracked and untracked schools, and further partitions these students into high and low ability groups. Our results reaffirm that tracking has persistent instructional benefits for all students. Yet, high-achieving students who are tracked in middle school may suffer considerable losses in self-concept that subsequently depress their achievement, and mathematics course-taking. Implications are for a broad range theory of tracking and for further empirical work on the viability of heterogeneously-grouped classes.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Sociological Association (ISA) XV World Congress of Sociology, Brisbane, Australia, July 7th through 13th, 2002     

小学儿童数学焦虑的潜在类别转变及其父母教育卷入效应：3年纵向考察

研究采用潜在转变分析考察小学儿童数学焦虑的类别转变以及父母教育卷入在小学儿童数学焦虑类别转变中的作用。以1720名三、四年级儿童为被试, 对其数学焦虑和感知到的父母教育卷入进行3次追踪, 每次间隔1年。结果表明：(1)小学儿童数学焦虑存在低数学焦虑组、高数学评估焦虑组和高数学获得焦虑组3种不同类别; (2)随时间的推移, 高数学评估焦虑组倾向于向低数学焦虑组转变, 高数学获得焦虑组倾向于向高数学评估焦虑组转变, 而低数学焦虑组稳定性较强; (3)父亲/母亲教育卷入对儿童数学焦虑类别转变的预测作用, 因不同的数学焦虑类别而异。上述发现为深入理解数学焦虑的形成机制以及干预措施的制定提供了重要参考。     

学校心理环境对小学4～6年级学生学业表现的作用及条件

本研究基于具有良好全国代表性的中国儿童青少年心理发育特征数据库,使用多水平建模,分析了来自全国100个区县421所学校的心理环境特征对10826名小学4~6年级学生学业表现的影响途径及其发挥作用的条件。研究结果表明:(1)小学4~6年级学生学习动机和态度及学业成绩中分别有10.0%和33.3%的变异来自学生个体以外的学校因素。(2)在控制学生年级、性别、家庭背景和学校所在地、师资、学校学生总体家庭社会经济地位(SES)等基本特征后,学校总体和学生个体知觉两个层次的学校心理环境对学生学习动机和态度的影响均显著大于其对学生学业成绩的影响;与个体知觉到的心理环境相比,学校总体心理环境对学生学业成绩的作用相对较强。(3)学校总体心理环境对学生学业表现的影响受到学校所在地、学校师资水平、学校学生总体社会经济地位的显著调节。学校总体心理环境对处于师资水平较低、平均家庭年收入较低学校学生的学习动机和态度具有相对更强的保护作用;对处于农村、师资水平较低、平均家长文化水平较低学校学生的学业成绩具有相对更强的保护性作用。上述结果表明,学校总体心理环境对学生学业表现具有重要影响,个体知觉到的心理环境仅部分中介其作用;且学校总体心理环境对学生学业表现的作用强度受到学校所在地、师资水平和学校学生总体社会经济地位的调节。     

2010~2020中国内地小学生心理健康问题检出率的元分析

我国小学生心理健康问题的检出率莫衷一是, 为整合调查结果并分析其原因, 对2010~2020年来检索到的相关研究进行了元分析。结果显示：(1)小学生心理健康问题的检出率由高到低依次是睡眠问题(25.2%, 95% CI = [0.16, 0.37])、抑郁(14.6%, 95% CI = [0.12, 0.18])、焦虑(12.3%, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.23])、攻击行为(4.1%, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.10])、退缩(3.8%, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.06])、违纪行为(3.7%, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.07])、躯体化(3.6%, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.07])。(2)测量工具、检出标准、检出时间是导致小学生心理健康问题检出率不一致的关键因素。总体而言, 我国小学生除了睡眠问题、抑郁和焦虑检出率偏高外, 整体心理健康状况尚可。未来应开发适合中国小学生的心理健康状况测评工具及检出标准, 为心理健康问题的预防和精准干预提供支持。     

A group‐randomized evaluation of a theatre‐based sexual abuse prevention programme for primary school children in Germany

The study reports a group‐randomized trial of a theatre‐based intervention to prevent sexual abuse targeting first and second grade primary school children in Germany. A sample of 148 first and second graders saw a live performance of a play designed to promote skills in dealing with abuse‐prone interactions with adults, watched a recording of the play on DVD or were assigned to a no intervention control group. Both the live performance and the DVD groups showed significant increases in the target variables (distinguishing good/bad touch and secrets, getting help, rejecting unwanted touch) from baseline to post‐intervention and a follow‐up after 2 weeks, while the control group did not show changes. The live performance and DVD groups participated in a further follow‐up 30 weeks post‐intervention, which showed sustained effects of the intervention. The findings indicate that with appropriately culture‐sensitive measures, sexual abuse prevention programmes can have sustainable effects with young primary school children. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Promoting socioemotional competence in primary school classrooms: Intervention effects of the EMOscope

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of a brief, teacher-led intervention (EMOscope) developed to promote children’s socioemotional competence. Our sample consisted of 339 Polish pupils and their 16 teachers from 16 third grade classrooms. Teachers in the experimental condition (8 teachers) were trained to deliver the EMOscope intervention. Data were collected at pre-test and post-test. Performance tests were administered to measure children’s social understanding and emotional awareness. Furthermore, peer ratings were used to measure children’s cooperative behaviour and teachers’ reported on children’s prosocial behaviour, hyperactivity, emotional problems, conduct problems, and peer problems. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that children in the experimental condition improved significantly on emotional self- and other-awareness and on social understanding. Moreover, they decreased in teacher-rated hyperactivity, conduct problems, and total difficulties. No effects were found, however, on teacher-rated prosocial behaviour, emotional problems, peer problems, and peer-rated cooperative behaviour.     

The long‐term effects of counselling: The process and mechanisms that contribute to ongoing change from a user perspective

Aims: This qualitative study aimed to expand the limited evidence base about the long‐term effects of psychological therapies.Method: We conducted in‐depth interviews with 15 people, 1–3 years after primary care counselling, to investigate whether they could identify enduring benefits and the mechanisms that brought about and maintained them. From their narratives, we developed a model of the change process of counselling and mechanisms that were perceived as essential to produce lasting benefit. The model conceptualised movement through distinct phases: engagement; exploration of internal and external worlds; consolidation and negotiated ending. Results: Mechanisms integral to sustained impact were: the active engagement of people during and between sessions to work toward their own solutions; and acquisition through the change process of skills which could be further built on after the counselling ended. These enabled ongoing, dynamic change in the way people conducted their lives and relationships. Conclusion: A key concept in securing long‐term benefit was co‐production, both during counselling and in taking ownership of and using the ‘box of skills’ acquired. Support of the model was reinforced through comparison with the experience of three interviewees who reported no long‐term benefit.     

小学高年级学生创造力的发展：性别差异及学校支持的作用

对203名4年级学生进行3年追踪测试(到6年级),采用多水平分析法考察创造力的发展趋势、性别差异以及教师/同伴支持对创造力发展的影响。结果表明:(1) 4～6年级小学生的流畅性呈线性增长趋势,灵活性和独创性呈非线性增长趋势,初始水平与增长速度呈正相关。(2)女生灵活性和独创性的初始水平高于男生。(3)教师支持正向预测男生灵活性的初始水平,正向预测流畅性的初始水平和独创性的增长速度。(4)教师支持的发展正向预测流畅性的发展。     

家庭社会经济地位对小学生阅读自主性的影响:父母鼓励和阅读动机的中介作用

采用家庭社会经济地位问卷、学生阅读自主性量表、父母鼓励阅读问卷和阅读动机问卷,对313名小学生进行测查,并运用结构方程模型探讨家庭社会经济地位对阅读自主性的影响机制。结果表明:(1)家庭社会经济地位影响阅读自主性;(2)父母鼓励和阅读动机是上述影响关系的中介变量;(3)家庭社会经济地位通过父母鼓励影响阅读动机,进而影响阅读自主性,即父母鼓励和阅读动机起链式中介的作用。模型中两个中介变量父母鼓励和阅读动机一"外"一"内"协同作用,支持了家庭投资模型。     

小学儿童数学态度与数学成就的纵向联系：学业拖延和数学元认知的作用

为深入探讨小学儿童的数学态度、学业拖延、数学元认知与数学成就之间的纵向联系及内在作用机制,对515名三、五年级小学生进行为期半年的追踪研究。结果表明:(1)学业拖延在儿童的数学态度与数学成就之间发挥着即时和纵向中介作用;(2)不同水平数学元认知个体在纵向中介模型中“数学态度→数学成就”这一路径上存在差异。这意味着较积极的数学态度有利于减少小学儿童的学业拖延行为,进而提高其数学成就,而高数学元认知则能够监控和调节个体的数学态度,使其发挥积极作用,从而提高数学成就。该发现为有效促进儿童的数学学习提供了重要实践启示。     

The effects of torture‐related stressors on long‐term complex post‐traumatic symptoms in South Korean torture survivors

This study explored whether perceived distress from specific stressors during and after torture explain long‐term complex post‐traumatic symptoms of South Korean torture survivors. We conducted a cross‐sectional survey of survivors who had been tortured by the homeland regime from the 1970s to the 2000s. Data from 206 survivors were gathered by key informants using target sampling and snowballing techniques. Project staff designed scales to encompass the specific types of stressors related to torture techniques used in Korea. Frequencies and distress ratings of exposure to torture, post‐torture psychosocial stressors and physical damage related to torture were gathered. Psychological symptoms were assessed by the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised‐Korean version and subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90‐Revised‐Korean version. Perceived distress from torture stressors was mainly divided into factors representing physical, psychological and deprivation torture by adapting a principal axis factor analysis. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that distress from psychological torture explained post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that distress from deprivation explained PTSD and anxiety after controlling for demographic variables, psychological preparedness, time span since torture and distress from trauma other than torture. Among post‐torture stressors, distress from physical damage related to torture and social exclusion were strong indicators of complex symptoms.