A systematic review of interventions to promote growth following adversity

BackgroundAthletes experience adversity across many aspects of their lives. Challenging the dominant idea that adversity is just a negative experience, a significant body of research in sport has demonstrated that these adverse events can also act as catalysts for positive change (Howells, Sarkar, & Fletcher, 2017). Yet, a limited number of researchers have focused on how to promote growth following adversity in sport. To support this line of inquiry our aim in this study was to facilitate knowledge transfer from other psychology disciplines by systematically reviewing intervention studies that aim to foster growth following adversity.MethodsWe conducted the systematic review using PRISMA guidelines. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, we appraised the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (Pluye & Hong, 2014).ResultsThirty-six studies were included in the review. We synthesized the studies in relation to participant characteristics (i.e., sample size, age, gender, ethnicity, adversity), study characteristics (i.e., design, content, duration, delivery, outcome measures), intervention outcomes (i.e., statistical significance, effect size, qualitative indicators of growth), antecedents (viz. mediators, moderators), and quality appraisal.ConclusionIn the discussion we critically consider the lessons sport and exercise psychology researchers can learn from published intervention studies from other fields of research (e.g., the use of meaningful metrics, that there are different trajectories of growth, growth is a multidimensional phenomenon). Future researchers should seek to build on findings to advance knowledge and understanding in the most significant and meaningful ways.     

A review of competitive sport motivation research

ObjectivesThe purpose of this review was to synthesise contemporary research on competitive sport motivation (1995–2016) with a view to identifying trends and gaps in sample characteristics, research designs and analytical strategies, and classifying associated topics.DesignNarrative review.MethodFour databases were searched using a focused search strategy, leading to 63 studies that met the inclusion criteria. These were then evaluated in five sections: Theoretical Frameworks, Sample Characteristics, Research Designs, Analytical Strategies and Topics.ResultsA total of 63 studies comprising 12,440 participants were appraised. The average sample size and participant age were 197 and 22.6 years, respectively. Just over half of the studies described their sample as high-level. The majority of studies were quantitative and employed a cross-sectional design. A range of innovative statistical analyses were used, with structural equation modelling being increasingly adopted. In addition to studies focusing on motivation as a stand-alone topic, researchers in the area also investigated its relationship with motivational climate, burnout, doping, perfectionism, injury, and several other related variables.ConclusionsAfter reviewing the body of research on this specific topic area, promising directions for future research are presented. The focused approach particularly seeks to encourage researchers to employ different methodologies, and prioritise underused topics in future research on competitive athlete groups. Furthermore, the review points to several practical implications for competitive sport stakeholders.     

A New Method for Analyzing Data From Visual Artwork

ABSTRACT

This article presents a novel data analytic approach to collect detailed information from visual artworks. This new method provides researchers with a framework to compare, analyze, and review in a systematic way large quantities of data from visual productions. Drawing on principles of art historical criticism, our research team devised a comprehensive coding scheme that captures both technical and content attributes. The coding scheme is configured to record specific, fundamental features for each artwork, providing an instrument for collecting data and cross-examining codes to reveal content in a unique and unbiased manner. For example, detailed data collected through individual codes can reveal clear patterns in the artistic treatment of composition and medium, providing evidence that the method could be adapted and applied for use in a variety of settings. To illustrate the method, this article presents examples from an empirical research study that was conducted at Harvard University's Project Zero. In this study, the coding scheme was applied to 414 pieces of artwork published in a teen art and literary magazine between 1990 and 2011. The coding scheme is defined and applied to 2 sample artworks, allowing readers to understand how this method can be used to record nuanced information about each work. Applying this analytic approach to visual art created in museums and informal learning settings can yield insights into artworks, their creators, and nuanced changes in creative production over time.     

RITALIN UPDATE: IMPLICATIONS FOR READING TEACHERS

Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) is a powerful stimulant drug frequently prescribed for children exhibiting hyperactive behavior, poor attention span, and/or distractibility. Reading teachers and other educators have a particular interest in Ritalin since they frequently have students in their classes taking this medication. The researchers in this study were interested in determining how Ritalin is prescribed for children in educational settings, what dosages seem appropriate, and specifically, what effect Ritalin has on reading achievement. Implications for reading teachers are discussed.     

Narrative inquiry in sport and exercise psychology: What can it mean,and why might we do it?

ObjectivesNarrative inquiry is one form of qualitative research that is burgeoning within the human sciences. However, in sport and exercise psychology little attention has been given to this approach. In this article, we seek to rectify this situation by offering an understanding of what narrative inquiry can be.ResultsIn order to begin to better understand what narrative inquiry as a methodology can be, and gain some theoretical purchase on a difficult field without aiming for a final answer, we first define narrative. Next, a distillation of guiding assumptions and characteristics are offered. Finally, some reasons as to why narratives may be of benefit for the field of sport and exercise psychology are highlighted.ConclusionNarrative inquiry is a useful and important way of theorising and doing research in the domain of sport and exercise psychology. It should not, however, be taken up or practised simply because it is new or fashionable. Informed, principled, and responsible choices must be made by researchers and applied professionals about why and when they might engage with narrative inquiry should they wish to do so.     

Leaders in Reading Research and Instruction

For many years researchers in psychology and education have studied differences in the way individuals perceive, organize and “make sense” of environmental stimuli. These rather stable individual differences, termed cognitive styles, appear to relate to many aspects of reading behavior. This paper explores how findings from current cognitive styles research might enlighten researchers in reading process and reading instruction. Particular attention is directed toward reading comprehension processes and instructional task variables.     

A within-person theoretical perspective in sales research: outlining recommendations for adoption and consideration of boundary conditions

Abstract

In the sales literature it is standard practice for researchers to collect cross-sectional data from multiple salespeople, and to compare those salespeople on the data obtained. This between-person approach is suitable for research aiming to draw conclusions between salespeople. However, many salesperson processes are dynamic and vary within salespeople over time, requiring datasets with repeated-measures. This article highlights the need to adopt a within-person theoretical perspective in sales research. Critically, the article shows how our present understanding of boundary conditions may change depending on whether a between-person or within-person level of analysis is adopted. Using examples from the sales literature, we show how the practical implications from between-persons research designs do not necessarily generalize to the within-person level. Further, we explain the methodological and analytical considerations that researchers must account for when undertaking within-person research. Furthermore, the article provides decision criteria that help to identify when within-person analysis should be conducted, outlining analysis tools that are capable of correctly estimating within-person effects without bias. Examples of how within-person research can enhance theory within future sales research, and how within-person research may influence management implications are also discussed. Finally, potential remedies to within-person research barriers are given.     

Teaching and Learning in High School Reading Classes: Perspectives of Teachers and Students

This qualitative study investigated high school reading programs and participants focusing on the insider perspectives of teachers and their students. The study occurred in two sites, one in a Southern state and the other in an Eastern state. The participants, five high school reading teachers and two to three students in each of their reading classes, were interviewed individually by the researchers. Interview questions focused on reader identity, reading habits, reader strategies, content area reading, and the reading program. Findings indicate a disparity between teachers' and students' understanding about reading, variability in instruction, and need for engaged learning.     

Expository Texts in First-Grade Classroom Libraries: Issues in Teacher Selection

Abstract

In 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted by most states in the US. The authors of these standards called for a shift from previous standards by recommending that young children experience a 50-50 balance between informational and literary reading. For this mixed-methods study, researchers examined the contents of 23 first-grade classroom libraries 8?years after the implementation of the CCSS to determine the percentage of expository texts found in these libraries and if these percentages differed based on the SES of the school or the number of years a teacher had been teaching. In addition, researchers interviewed twelve selected classroom teachers to gain an understanding of how they selected books for their libraries and what influenced their decisions. Results indicated that 22.8% of the texts found in first-grade classroom libraries were expository and there was no difference based on SES of the school or years a teacher had been in the classroom. Teacher interviews indicated that book cost, reading level, student interest, and genre (both narrative and expository/nonfiction) influenced their library text selections. Only two teachers indicated that the CCSS impacted their book choices.     

A Grammar of Love

Abstract

Recently researchers in the family therapy field have encouraged a focus on aspects of therapy common across all models that are important to therapeutic change. The purpose of this study was to build on the “common factors” literature by exploring clients' perspectives of what was useful to their therapeutic experience. Quantitative and qualitative measures were used to collect data from 41 clients who participated in therapy at a university-based family therapy clinic. Quantitative results indicated that therapeutic relationship, client motivation, extratherapeutic factors, and hope and expectancy accounted for 49% of the variance of clients' perception of change and 73% of the variance of clients' perceptions of therapy helpfulness. Qualitative results indicated the therapeutic relationship to be the most helpful aspect of clients' therapeutic experience.     

Envelope stuffing at home: A quasi confidence game

A common consumer fraud is the work‐at‐home scheme which promises substantial earnings from “stuffing envelopes” in one's home. The purposes of this research were to describe this scheme in detail and to analyze the process by which the scheme persists. Upon purchasing materials advertised in National Enquirer the researchers found that the principal plan being sold involves a pyramid: those answering ads buy materials encouraging them to advertise in order to sell the same materials. For this study, the content of the materials was analyzed in terms of the elements found in traditional confidence games. It is evident that although their sequence differs, all the elements of confidence games are present in the envelope stuffing scheme. It is argued that the scheme is a quasi confidence game, and its persistence derives at least in part from the same factors that promote traditional confidence games.     

A cluster randomized trial to evaluate need-supportive teaching in physical education on physical activity of sixth-grade girls: A mixed method study

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of need-supportive teaching in physical education on girls' daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity using a mixed method evaluation.Methods507 sixth-grade girls aged 9–14 years of 33 single-sex physical education classes participated in the cluster randomized control trial. During the 16-week intervention period, trained teachers conducted enhanced physical education lessons which were designed based on self-determination theory. In a randomized process, independent researchers using a computer-based algorithm allocated classes to the trial groups (IG n = 19 classes, CG n = 14). These lessons were subject to repeated systematic observations. The students' perceptions of basic psychological need support and satisfaction in physical education were measured using repeated self-report questionnaires. Students' daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed by accelerometry. Semi-structured interviews provided a deeper understanding of how purposively sampled focus groups perceived teacher behavior in physical education. After a separate analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, results were merged to investigate the intervention's efficacy and treatment fidelity.FindingsThroughout the school year, the girls' MVPA levels decreased in both groups. Girls who reported their complete physical activity data had a lower body mass index than girls who reported no, or only one or two sets of physical activity data. Results of mixed measures converge on the finding that the teachers in the intervention group provided slightly stronger need support than the control teachers, however, intervention components were not delivered consistently. Therefore, a significant intervention effect on daily MVPA could not be quantified. Autonomy satisfaction significantly predicted MVPA.ConclusionQualitative insights of teaching behavior in PE underlined the importance of need support and revealed structural barriers, which compromised the implementation quality.Trial registrationEthics Committee of the Technical University of Munich 155/16S; Bavarian Ministry of Education IV.8-BO6106/52/12.FundingGerman Research Foundation grant DE2680/3-1.     

Reading and related skills in Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9: French normative data from EVALEC

IntroductionTo appropriately assess reading difficulties, tests designed according to an appropriate theoretical framework and based on normative data are required.ObjectiveWe used EVALEC (Sprenger-Charolles, Colé, Béchennec, & Kipffer-Piquard, 2005) to collect data on the word-level reading skills and reading-related skills (phonemic awareness, phonological short-term memory, and rapid naming) of middle school children (Grades 6 to 9, about 80 in each grade).MethodIn the tests focused on word-level reading skills, the effects of regularity (regular vs. irregular words), lexicality, and length (short vs. long irregular words and pseudowords) were examined. Accuracy and processing times were recorded for all tests.ResultsThe effects of both regularity and lexicality were significant, whatever the measure and independently of grade. Both accuracy and speed were lower for longer pseudowords, whereas length did not have a significant effect on irregular word latencies and, surprisingly, long irregular words were read more accurately than short ones. Reading level as assessed by a standardized test (Lefavrais, 2005) was not predicted by phonological short-term memory; rapid naming (color names) and phonemic awareness were both predictors but, in both cases, only response times predicted reading level.ConclusionThese results, and particularly those from the reading tasks, are discussed in relation to models of written-word recognition developed to account for the reading of multisyllabic items (Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2010) in orthographies shallower than English (Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2014).     

Attribution in sport psychology: seeking congruence between theory,research and practice

ObjectivesThis paper urges revision of the way attributions are conceptualised, investigated, and applied in sport psychology. There has been a recent decline in attribution research in sport psychology, despite the generally accepted relevance of attributions in applied settings. In seeking closer links between attribution theory, research, and practice, we argue that there is a mismatch between research and practice in sport psychology.MethodsRelevant literature is reviewed and theoretical arguments offered within seven sub-headings: attribution theory in practice; linking consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information to attribution dimensions; controllability as the primary attribution dimension; the generalisability of controllability; assessing attributions; implications for practice; and the social context.Results and conclusionsResearch within sport psychology should focus on the central issue of how controllability attributions generalise across time, situations, and people. Measurement should reflect this approach to research within the field of attributions and, to this end, researchers might consider using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry. Practitioners should use consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information to challenge clients' attributional thinking and help them attain adaptive perceptions of controllability. Practitioners should also help clients to be their own psychologist. Future research and practice should include a consideration of the social context in which attributions are shaped.     

Anxiety-linked attentional bias: backward glances and future glimpses

ABSTRACT

This brief reflection considers some of the important developments in anxiety-linked attentional bias research that have marked the three decades since the launch of Cognition and Emotion, and also identifies several challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I suggest that the steady increase in our capacity to distinguish differing facets of attentional bias and alternative dimensions of anxiety vulnerability, together with the advent of attentional bias modification techniques that can illuminate causality, has enriched theoretical understanding and created the exciting potential for clinical translation. In order to fully capitalise on this potential, I propose that researchers should address the challenge of enhancing the psychometric properties of our assessment measures, and developing training procedures that not only modify attentional bias more effectively, but that motivate sustained patient engagement. I end with some personal advice to young investigators developing their research careers within this stimulating and rewarding field of scientific inquiry.     

Performance of disabled and normal readers on the continuous performance test

Twelve-year-old reading-disabled children of normal intelligence were compared on the Continuous Performance Test with two control groups of normal intelligence and reading ability either of the same age or of the same reading age as the reading-disabled group. Signal-detection analysis showed that the reading-disabled were more conservative than chronological-age controls in their willingness to identify the target letter sequence. Although this conservative performance was shared by the reading-age controls, the readingdisabled suffered an additional handicap of relatively frequent anticipatory errors. Groups also differed on a sensitivity measure, suggesting a deficit in working memory in the reading-disabled children.This research was supported by the New Zealand Neurological Foundation. We thank the children and school staff for their willing cooperation. We are indebted to the research students who found the subjects and helped collect the data.     

A PHYSIOGNOLINGUISTIC APPROACH TO READING ASSESSMENT: AN ALTERNATE FORM OF MISCUE ANALYSIS

This article is a good natured parody of an area of controversy, informal classroom reading assessment, which has been receiving a great deal of journal coverage in recent years. Any similarity between this article and actual research being conducted is completely gratuitous.     

Considering methodological integrity in counselling and psychotherapy research

Within the field of counselling and psychotherapy research, qualitative methods have been a longstanding tradition of inquiry due to the mutual interest of therapists and researchers in both internal experiences and intersubjective processes. Methodological integrity is a conceptual framework that has been advanced to increase the rigor of these methods. In this paper, we consider the value of this concept for counselling and psychotherapy researchers and reviewers. This framework guides investigators and reviewers to consider how procedures can be adapted to meet the goals of specific studies, given their characteristics and approach to inquiry. In this brief article, we exemplify the relevance and application of this concept to this field by describing the decision‐making process within the designing of a qualitative research project to investigate clients' needs within rape crisis counselling. Through this exemplar, we also provide guidance to counselling and psychotherapy researchers on considerations during the process of research review and reporting.     

RATIONALE AND RESEARCH CONCERNING PREREADING STUDY STRATEGIES WITH SECONDARY AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

Reading and content area teachers frequently teach secondary and college students to use prereading study strategies in the belief that the strategies will facilitate reading comprehension. This article, a review of the literature published from 1960 to 1981, reveals many articles extolling the use of a particular prereading activity, but failing to support the use of the strategy with research. Regardless of the prereading strategies reported in the literature, it is clear that there is a dearth of conclusive research in this area. Careful, well‐designed experiments need to be conducted to determine the degree that prereading strategies expedite comprehension.