Students with Disabilities Use of Various Options to Access Alternative Schools and Area Learning Centers

Alternative schools that were developed to encourage students experiencing difficulties in conventional schools to graduate from high school have been in existence since the 1970s. Alternative schools represent a form of school choice available to parents and students. This investigation focused on the extent to which students with disabilities are accessing Alternative Schools and Area Learning Centers (ALC) in Minnesota. More specifically, attention centered on (a) the option used by both students with and without disabilities to enroll in the school, (b) the extent to which students crossed district boundaries to attend the school, and (c) differential participation by category of disability. Results indicate that students with disabilities are accessing Alternative SchooVALC programs in ways similar to non-disabled students. Moreover, students with emotionalhehavioral disorders are heavily represented in these schools. It also was discovered that when students enter these programs, special education labels are often dropped and services discontinued. Implications for students with emotional and behavioral disorders are discussed.     

Beyond judgment bias: How students’ ethnicity and academic profile consistency influence teachers’ tracking judgments

Research on school tracking has provided evidence that students with immigrant backgrounds are overrepresented in the lower school tracks. As teachers are the main decision makers when it comes to tracking, we investigated whether teachers’ tracking judgments are biased by the immigrant backgrounds of the students and how teachers’ tracking judgments are affected by inconsistencies in students’ academic profiles. Drawing on dual process models of judgment formation, we conducted two experimental studies to investigate teachers’ judgments. The results of both studies showed less favorable teacher judgments of students with immigrant backgrounds than of students without immigrant backgrounds. Students with inconsistent academic profiles were also judged less favorably than students with consistent profiles. Think aloud data indicated careful processing of all information both for students with immigrant backgrounds and students with inconsistent profiles. Results are discussed with regard to their underlying mechanisms as well as with regard to their implications for teacher training.     

Who do students with mild disabilities nominate as cool in inclusive general education classrooms?

Examined the nominations that elementary students with mild disabilities made for peers they perceived as cool. The total sample was comprised of 948 students (496 girls, 452 boys) from the metropolitan Chicago area and North Carolina and included 107 (11.3%) students with mild disabilities. Overall, students with mild disabilities nominated prosocial and athletic peers who affiliate with students with mild disabilities. However, aggressive boys who are central in the social network were highly likely to view aggressive peers as cool. Results are discussed in relation to implications for social interventions for students with mild disabilities.     

Coventry university students’ experience of mental health problems

Growing numbers of university students are reporting mental health problems and using counselling services. The purpose of this study was to examine Coventry University students’ experience of mental health problems. The Department of Health (DoH) Mental Health Survey questionnaire (2003) was used to examine the experience of mental health problems and help seeking behaviour. Within the last 12 months nearly three quarters of students had experienced anxious or depressed moods, or, personal, mental, nervous or emotional problems, with a third of students failing to seek help. Ethnic minority students were more likely to report problems and less likely to seek help when compared to white students. Male students were less likely to seek help compared to female students. There are few existing studies that have focused on the mental health of students at universities established after 1992 from existing polytechnics. Coventry University exceeds the Government benchmark targets for recruiting students from non-traditional backgrounds. Our results show that it is these groups of students who are more likely to experience mental health problems.     

Cyberbullying Involvement of Adolescents with Low Vision Compared to Typical Adolescents,as Related to Perceived Social Support

This study examined adolescents with low vision (LV) compared to students without disabilities regarding their cyberbullying experiences, as related to perceived social support. Sample consisted of 407 students (61 with LV) who completed self-reported questionnaires. Findings revealed that students with LV are using the computer and the Internet as much as the typical students, but students with LV had less frequent Internet interactions with friends. Students with LV reported being more involved in cyberbullying as cybervictims, cyberperpetrators, cyberwitnesses, knowing someone and telling their online experience to another, and having lower social support compared to students without disabilities. Students with LV are more willing to report and to share their online experiences with another person. The findings add to our knowledge about students’ experiences of cyberbullying and suggest implementing effective coping strategies programs to raise the awareness of cyberbullying risky behavior.     

Metacognition in the classroom: The association between students’ exam predictions and their desired grades

Students are overconfident when making grade predictions, and worse, the lowest-performing students are generally the most overconfident. Because metacognitive accuracy is associated with academic performance, multiple studies have attempted to improve metacognitive accuracy with mixed results. However, these studies may be of limited use because we do not understand the types of information university students use to make performance predictions. The current studies examined the possibility that university students’ predictions are associated with their desires—the grade they want to receive. Studies 1–4 demonstrated that students’ desired grades were strongly associated with their grade predictions across different courses, universities, and measurement strategies. Study 4 also showed that, if warned about the previous results, students could reduce their reliance on their desired grades and improve the accuracy of their predictions relative to control. Together, results demonstrated that students’ exam predictions are associated with their desired grades.     

基诺族初中学生的性格特点和发展及其与当地汉生的比较

此项研究用研究者自己编制并通过专家鉴定的性格测量工具对１３９个基诺族和１１２个当地汉族初中生的性格进行测查。结果表明：基诺族初中生的性格确有许多特点,但和汉生也有共同性,而且共性多于差异。两个民族初中生的性格都在稳定中有部分变化发展,但变化的程度、内容、趋势、进程不同。两个民族初中生的性格,一年级差异较大,二年级以后差异明显减少。差异的减少和共同性的增加,有的是由于汉生向基诺生靠拢,有的是双方互相接近,更多是基诺生接近于汉生。     

Keeping Students in School

This paper examines strategies for the development of programs to prevent students from dropping out of school before graduation. The first set of strategies involves increasing the opportunities for students to succeed in school. This may be accomplished by setting standards that are challenging but within reach of students, by providing students with appropriate support to meet those standards, and by making the school curriculum relevant to the current and future lives of students. The second set of strategies involves increasing the opportunties for students to develop positive relationships in school. Such relationshps may be with adult staff members, with other students, or with the school as an institution.     

Normative MMPI-2 Profiles of Christian Counseling Students: An Investigation of Subculture in Standardized Testing

This research sought to explore whether a normative profile on the MMPI-2 emerged for counseling students in a counselor training program at a seminary in the Midwest and the extent to which this profile compares to those proposed for counseling students or those preparing for pastoral ministry. Normative profiles of master’s level counseling students were compared to profiles of similar samples. Findings indicated that profiles of the current student sample are similar to those of other religious students. Implications of these findings are explored regarding the use of the MMPI-2 with counseling students who are members of the Christian subculture.     

Students’ Attitudes Toward College Drinking: A Moral Intuitionist Approach

ABSTRACT

This study uses Moral Foundations Theory to examine the association between moral intuitions and college students’ attitudes toward drinking. The data consist of 1,447 college students sampled in 2017 at a large public university. Results show that students’ attitudes toward drinking are associated with their moral intuitions. Specifically, students whose moral intuitions emphasize purity are less favorable toward drinking, while students whose moral intuitions emphasize group loyalty are more favorable. Results also show that these moral intuitions are mediated by religiosity and (to a lesser extent) involvement in Greek life, respectively. The study suggests the importance of extending the conception of morality beyond individual-oriented concerns with harm and fairness to include group-oriented concerns with purity and loyalty.     

学习困难与一般初中生过度自信特点的比较

采用比较研究的实验范式,从偏离校准、优于常人、控制错觉和过分乐观三个效应上比较学习困难初中生和一般初中生的过度自信特点。结果显示:(1)在"偏离校准"效应上,学习困难初中生在困难任务中和学习一般初中生同样存在过度自信的认知偏差,但在简单任务中则存在不自信。(2)在"优于常人"效应上,学习困难初中生和学习一般初中生都存在过度自信的认知偏差。简单任务中,他们认为自己"优于常人",而困难任务中,他们认为自己"差于常人"。(3)在"控制错觉和过分乐观"效应上,学习困难初中生和学习一般初中生都存在过度自信的认知偏差。男生比女生的过度自信程度更大。     

A longitudinal assessment of early acceleration of students in mathematics on growth in mathematics achievement

Early acceleration of students in mathematics (in the form of early access to formal abstract algebra) has been a controversial educational issue. The current study examined the rate of growth in mathematics achievement of accelerated gifted, honors, and regular students across the entire secondary years (Grades 7–12), in comparison to their non-accelerated counterparts. Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, hierarchical linear models showed that early acceleration had little advantage among gifted students, small advantage among honors students, but large advantage among regular students. Equity issues, especially gender, racial, and socioeconomic equities, are not a concern once regular students were accelerated, but there are serious concerns about racial gaps among honors students and both gender and racial gaps among gifted students once they were accelerated. Schools played an important role in early acceleration, with school context rather than school climate affecting accelerated students. Students, particularly regular students, having high achievement and attending schools with high average achievement were advantageous in early acceleration. Overall, early acceleration of students in mathematics benefits regular students significantly in terms of growth in mathematics achievement.     

Trait Attributions About College Students With a Physical Disability: Circumplex Analyses and Methodological Issues1

Trait attributions concerning able-bodied college students and those with a physical disability were investigated in two studies. In Study 1, 194 able-bodied students completed extensive adjective checklists in one of four experimental conditions: stimulus person physically disabled (wheelchair user) male, disabled female, able-bodied male, or able-bodied female college student. To avoid self-presentation biases, subjects completed checklists not in terms of their own views but in terms of commonly held stereotypes. Results showed that not only were fewer socially desirable and more undesirable traits attributed to students with a disability than to able-bodied students, but when tested for “sameness” vs. “oppositeness” using two circumplex models, traits attributed to students who have a disability were clearly the “opposite” of those attributed to able-bodied students. In Study 2, 115 students completed a trait checklist based on the findings of Study 1 with reference to one of the four stimulus persons. Although subjects reported their own views, the results were consistent with those of Study 1. It was also found that stereotyping in the socially desirable direction was related to stereotyping in the undesirable direction; both were related to lack of ease with students with a disability. Common stereotypes of wheelchair user students are listed and the implications of the findings for the design of programs to reduce prejudice and integrate students with a disability into academic life are discussed.     

Functional reading for students with developmental disabilities who are linguistically diverse

Students with moderate and severe disabilities often have language deficits that make the acquisition of reading challenging. Sight word instruction of daily living skills is one method of intervention that benefits students with severe disabilities who have not achieved literacy. When students with developmental disabilities are also linguistically diverse, acquisition of reading skills becomes more complex. Sight words must be chosen that are relevant to the students own community. A critical decision in planning sight word instruction is whether to provide instruction in the student's primary language or in English. These issues are discussed and an illustration is given of the heterogeneity among students with developmental disabilities who are linguistically diverse.     

Breaks are Better: A Tier II Social Behavior Intervention

Multi-tiered systems of social behavioral support in schools provide varying levels of intervention matched to student need. Tier I (primary or universal) systems are for all students and are designed to promote pro-social behavior. Tier III (tertiary or intensive) supports are for students who engage in serious challenging behavior that has not responded to other efforts. In between Tier I and Tier III are Tier II (secondary or targeted interventions), for students at risk for developing more serious problematic behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Breaks are Better, a Tier II intervention designed for students who engage in problem behavior maintained by avoidance of instructional activities. Breaks are Better builds on an evidence-based Tier II intervention, Check-in/Check-out, but includes key components to enhance its effectiveness for students who avoid instruction. Working with three typically developing elementary school students, we documented changes in problem behavior during academic instruction following the implementation of Breaks are Better. Further, students and teachers rated the intervention as both feasible and valuable.     

Do academically gifted and nongifted students differ on the Big-Five and adaptive status? Some recent data and conclusions

This study examined a representative sample of academically gifted (N = 374) and non-gifted (N = 428) Israeli high-school students in order to compare these different student populations on the Big-Five and adaptive outcomes. Consistent with prior research, gifted students scored higher than non-gifted peers on Openness to Experience but scored lower on Neuroticism. In addition, gifted students scored lower on state anxiety facets and were not reliably different from their nongifted counterparts on mental distress or subjective well being. Overall, the empirical data are consistent with recent research suggesting that when gifted students are compared with nongifted students on various socio-emotional and personality characteristics, the results are not unfavorable to gifted students.     

中小学生创造性倾向、智力及学业成绩的相关研究

本研究采用威廉斯创造性倾向量表和瑞文标准推理测验,结合中小学生语文、数学成绩,对524名中小学生进行创造性倾向、智力和学业成绩的相关研究.研究发现:(1)中小学生创造性倾向从小学到初中都处于发展阶段,高中以后基本趋于稳定,中小学生的智力一直处于发展增长趋势;(2)小学生的语文、数学成绩与创造性倾向总分有显著相关,初中生的数学成绩与创造性倾向总分以及四项行为特质都有显著相关,小学、初中和高中学生的语文、数学成绩与智力有显著相关;(3)小学中、低分段语文成绩和低分段数学成绩与其创造性倾向有显著相关,初中学生的语文成绩只有高分段与创造性倾向有显著相关,小学和高中语、数成绩三个分段学生的学业成绩跟智力显著相关.     

Curriculum tracking and teacher evaluations of individual students: selection, adjustment or labeling?

Past research into the consequences of tracking mainly documented on the impact of attending different tracks on students’ achievement and behavior. Less attention has been paid to the impact of track positions on teachers’ perceptions and expectations regarding students. By means of multi-level analysis of data of 6,545 students in 46 Flemish secondary schools with self-reported student measures and teachers’ evaluations of students, this study examines if teachers’ evaluations of secondary school students’ cognitive capacity, effort in class and diligence in doing homework vary by track, and whether teachers’ perceptions are informed (1) by the typical students’ background features; (2) by the students’ resistance to school; or (3) by labeling of students attending certain tracks. Teachers perceive lower track students as less able and less diligent in doing homework because of students’ social and cognitive characteristics and anti-school behavior. Accounting for the latter, teachers even evaluate lower track students as paying slightly more effort. The implications for future research and social policy are discussed.     

Implicit Theories of Creativity of Secondary School Students from Estonia and Russia: Effects of Collectivism,Individualism, and A Bilingual Educational Environment

Implicit theories of creativity provide an understanding of attitude towards among different populations, including students. Insights on how students see and define creativity might help to adjust educational settings and thus make it possible to provide students with better conditions to support their creativity. Although many studies have been conducted on creativity in different cultural settings, little is known on individualism or collectivism is connected to implicit theories of creativity. This study was carried out among secondary school students in Estonia and Russia to identify possible differences in how students from different cultural backgrounds (and varying in individualism and collectivism) define creativity. The results indicated that there were differences in how students from Estonia and Russia defined creativity: Although students from Russia tend to identify creativity more with novel ideas, students from Estonia defined creativity more in terms of self-expression (students from schools with Estonian as the language of instruction) and uniqueness (students from schools with Russian as the language of instruction). Implications and further research suggestions are discussed.     

Taiwanese College Students’ Perceptions of Plagiarism: Cultural and Educational Considerations

The present study investigates Taiwanese college students’ perceptions of plagiarism. Specifically, this study seeks to explore how perceptive students pursuing higher education in Taiwan are in recognizing plagiaristic writing, in what terms they perceive source use in writing as appropriate and inappropriate, and view why plagiarism occurs. The study included 30 high- and 30 low-achieving students selected out of 396 students in English writing classes at a university in Taiwan. Drawing upon evidence from a writing exercise and individual interviews with these 60 Taiwanese college students, the present study identified a variety of reasons why students may plagiarize. Most of the students participating in the study had some basic understanding of plagiarism. They had some familiarity with the Western notion of plagiarism, but based on the writing exercise, more often than not they were not able to recognize plagiarism when it actually occurred. Students’ understanding was generally, but not entirely, consistent with their source use behavior. More than half of the students considered that plagiarism is a cultural issue. However, there are also other factors that may lead to plagiarism. Finally, recommendations in terms of writing pedagogy are made.