Elementary school students’ perceptions of stuttering: A mixed model approach

PurposePast research studies have focused on perceptions of stuttering by various age groups and only a few have examined how children react to a peer who stutters. All of these studies used a quantitative analysis but only one included a qualitative analysis of elementary school age children's responses to stuttering. The aim of this study was to further explore the perceptions of elementary school students toward a peer who stutters using both quantitative and qualitative analyses of three levels of stuttering.MethodsParticipants included 88 elementary school children between 8 and 12 years of age. Each participant viewed one of four audiovisual samples of a peer producing fluent speech and mild, moderate, and severe simulated stuttering. Each participant then rated five Likert statements and answered three open-ended questions.ResultsQuantitative and qualitative results indicated that negative ratings and the percentage of negative comments increased as the frequency of stuttering increased. However, the children in this study indicated that they were comfortable listening to stuttering and would be comfortable making friends with the peer who stutters.ConclusionThe findings of this study together with past research in this area should help clinicians and their clients appreciate the range of social and emotional reactions peers have of a child who stutters.Educational objectives: After reading this article, the reader will be able to: (a) discuss past research regarding children's perceptions of stuttering; (b) summarize the need to explore the perceptions of elementary-aged children toward a peer who stutters; (c) describe the major quantitative and qualitative findings of children's perceptions of stuttering; and (d) discuss the need for disseminating more information about stuttering to children and teachers.     

High school student-athletes’ perceptions and experiences of leadership as a life skill

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to gain student-athlete perceptions of: (1) the definition of leadership for high school student-athletes; (2) the process of leadership development in high school sport; and (3) the factors that have helped or hindered leadership transfer between high school sport and other life domains.DesignThis study was grounded in an interpretivist ontological perspective and used focus group interviews to gather insights of student-athletes’ leadership experiences.MethodPurposeful sampling identified 33 high-school student-athlete leaders who were members of student advisory councils for high school state athletic associations in the United States. The 15 females and 18 males participated in focus-group interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data was then conducted.ResultsResults revealed that student-athlete leadership was viewed as a skill-set and a mindset, driven by individual agency. As an on-going developmental process, student-athletes gained awareness of leadership skills, increased self-expectations and self-confidence in their use and application of leadership skills, and developed a transformational leadership mindset, as they encountered and engaged with critical learning opportunities in high school sport and gained support from coaches and peers. Leadership application outside of sport was a multidimensional psychological process, including both conscious and implicit elements, and facilitated or constrained by environmental opportunities and social influences.ConclusionsHigh school sport offers a unique context where self-agentic youth leadership development in sport and life can occur through experiential learning opportunities. To this point, future research directions and recommendations for practitioners will be provided.     

Exploring a sample of university students’ perceptions of menstruation

This study aimed to explore how a sample of young South African women constructed their perceptions of menstruation. The sample comprised 16 racially/ethnically diverse female university students (blacks = 4, whites = 2, coloured = 8; Christians = 11; Muslims = 5; aged 18 to 23 years). They participated in one of three focus group discussions on their constructions of menstruation. Findings from the discourse analysis indicated that the women perceive social control experiences of their menstruation—even in the context of medical understandings.     

Effect of syllabus tone: students’ perceptions of instructor and course

It is not uncommon for students to complain that faculty are unapproachable, while faculty complain that students are not engaged. Such perceptions, especially when formed at the start of a semester, can impact what students learn and how instructors teach; therefore, it is critical that these perceptions are prevented if a course is to be successful. A good starting point is the syllabus, which not only informs students about a course and its requirements, but creates a first impression about the instructor and his or her attitudes toward teaching. We conducted an experiment in which the course syllabus was manipulated to reflect a friendly or an unfriendly tone so that we could explore the perceptions students formed of the instructor and class. Results supported the hypothesis that a syllabus written in a friendly, rather than unfriendly, tone evoked perceptions of the instructor being more warm, more approachable, and more motivated to teach the course.     

Cancer survivors’ and partners’ key concerns and quality of life

Objective: Understanding the concerns of cancer survivors is essential for effective interventions. This study was designed to identify the primary concerns of dyads coping with cancer, how concerns differed by role and sex, and whether concerns expressed during counselling were associated with survivors’ psychosocial well-being and adjustment.

Design: Forty-three dyads with breast and prostate cancer (N = 86 participants) were enrolled in an interpersonal telephone counselling intervention. Audio recordings of 228 counselling sessions were transcribed and content analysed qualitatively to identify major themes and key concerns. A total of three 30-min sessions were coded for each study participant. Quantitative data and statistical analyses were used to predict changes in survivors’ quality of life.

Main Outcome Measures: Participants completed psychosocial well-being measures (depression, positive/negative affect, and relationship satisfaction), pre- and post-counselling.

Results: Survivors’ concerns focused on cancer- and treatment-related issues, whereas partners’ concerns centred on the well-being of their spouse/partner with cancer, and what they were doing to help their loved one cope with his/her illness. Key concerns for all consisted of relationship maintenance and communication issues. Further, discussion of these concerns was predictive of significant improvements in adjustment post-counselling for women with breast cancer.

Conclusion: Discussion of interpersonal concerns may play a more important role in the well-being of women, than men, coping with cancer.     

Do teachers’ cultural beliefs matter for students’ school adaptation? A multilevel analysis of students’ academic achievement and psychological school adjustment

Based on two large-scale studies from Germany, we examined how different types of teachers’ cultural beliefs are related to immigrant students’ school adaptation. Specifically, we investigated the relationship of teachers' multicultural beliefs appreciating cultural diversity, their egalitarian beliefs focusing on all students' similarities and their assimilationist beliefs that immigrant students should conform to the mainstream context with immigrant students' academic achievement and psychological school adjustment as indicators of their school adaptation. We also explored all of these associations for non-immigrant students. Study 1 used data on the multicultural, egalitarian, and assimilationist beliefs of German language (N_Teachers?=?220) and mathematics (N_Teachers?=?245) teachers and on students’ achievement and feelings of helplessness in German language classes (N_Students?=?2606) and mathematics classes (N_Students?=?2851) as well as students’ school satisfaction. Study 2 analyzed data on teachers’ multicultural and egalitarian beliefs (N_Teachers?=?456) and students’ achievement and self-concept in mathematics (N_Students?=?4722). Overall, multilevel analyses revealed no relationship between teachers’ cultural beliefs and any of the indicators of immigrant and non-immigrant students’ school adaptation. These findings challenge the notion that overall, teachers’ cultural beliefs effectively translate into students’ school adaptation.

     

Changes over time in head and neck cancer patients’ and caregivers’ illness perceptions and relationships with quality of life

Objective: This study investigated changes in illness perceptions from diagnosis to six months later in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and their caregivers. The study also examined whether discrepancy in patient and caregiver perceptions at diagnosis predicted patient health-related quality of life (HRQL) at six months.

Design: Forty-two patient–caregiver dyads completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) at diagnosis and again six months later. Patients also completed a HRQL questionnaire at both time points. Analyses were performed using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model.

Main Outcome Measure: Total patient HRQL assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-H&N).

Results: Perceptions of emotional impact and illness concern reduced over time in patients and caregivers. Perceptions of treatment control and identity increased in caregivers only. After controlling for the effects of baseline HRQL, and the individual contribution of patient and caregiver illness perceptions, greater discrepancy in perceptions of timeline, personal control, and illness identity among dyads at diagnosis predicted lower patient HRQL at six-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Patients’ and their caregivers’ perceptions of HNC are dynamic over time. Greater discrepancy between patients’ and caregivers’ illness perceptions at diagnosis predict poorer subsequent patient HRQL.     

The role of spousal relationships in fibromyalgia patients’ quality of life

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome that includes debilitating symptoms such as widespread pain and tenderness, fatigue, and poor physical functioning. Research has shown FM patients’ choice of coping style and relationship quality with their spouse can impact their mental quality of life (QoL), but no known study has examined the protective nature of relationship quality and coping behaviors on both patient physical and mental QoL in the context of chronic pain. We examined 204 patients with FM on the (a) roles of coping styles and relationship quality on patient quality of life, and (b) moderating effect of relationship quality on the association between negative coping style and patient QoL. A series of multiple regressions found patients’ coping styles were not significantly associated with physical QoL, but were significantly associated with mental QoL. Patients’ relationship quality with their spouse was significantly associated with mental QoL, but not physical QoL and no significant interactions with negative coping style were found. Our results emphasize the importance of coping styles and relationship quality between patients and their spouses in the context of chronic pain. Clinicians can incorporate the patient’s relationship as part of a more holistic approach to care and improving outcomes.     

Mainland Chinese students’ self-appraisals of their psychological dispositions at school

This paper reports mainland Chinese students’ self-appraisals about their psychological dispositions whilst at school. Increasing interest has turned to factors such as resilience, wellbeing, flourishing, happiness and satisfaction, which in turn are predicted to be associated with factors such as emotional stability, achieving personal goals, social fulfilment and quality of life. Such psychological dispositions are developed in conjunction with the influences of social systems such as schools. Although a number of researchers have collaborated with schools to investigate students’ dispositions in English speaking countries, similar research in mainland China is in its infancy. This is particularly the case for studies that seek students’ own perspectives. We administered a questionnaire about resilience, flourishing, wellbeing, self-concept, school satisfaction, mental health, and happiness at school to 2756 students in Years 5–9 in mainland China. As expected with a non-clinical population, most students reported positively across the various scales. However, dividing the sample into subgroups enabled the creation of stratified visual profiles that showed significant differences between students with different backgrounds, such as gender, age, and mental health. This study illustrates the importance of subgroup analyses to identify potential areas of concern for different types of students, which in turn may inform differentiated school-based intervention programs to support students to flourish.     

Are perceived school climate dimensions predictive of students’ engagement?

Students’ engagement is known to be associated with academic success and to prevent school dropouts. While many studies have considered this variable when examining school trajectories, more research is needed to investigate the factors that may sustain and promote engagement in school, regarded as a multidimensional construct (affective vs. cognitive vs. behavioral engagement). In the present cross-sectional study, associations between students’ perceptions of school climate dimensions and their level of engagement were explored. The differential effects on these associations of sex and social background were also examined. Results from a sample of 955 high-school students showed that a model incorporating six dimensions of perceived school climate explained a large proportion of the variance in students’ engagement, especially affective engagement. The perceived climate of relations between teachers and students appeared to be highly predictive of students’ engagement. Analyses also revealed that the predictiveness of school climate factors for affective, cognitive and behavioral engagement varied slightly according to sex and social background. These results highlight important levers associated with students’ engagement in school.     

Classroom-based programs of retrieval practice reduce middle school and high school students’ test anxiety

When retrieval practice is applied in classroom settings, do K-12 students experience changes in test anxiety? To answer this question frequently asked by educators, we surveyed 1408 middle school and high school students about their study strategy preferences and their reactions to a classroom-based program of retrieval practice. For classes in which retrieval practice occurred, 92% of students reported that retrieval practice helped them learn and 72% reported that retrieval practice made them less nervous for unit tests and exams. This study is the first to examine the relationship between retrieval practice and classroom test anxiety, and self-reported study strategy use in pre-college students. In light of our results, we encourage K-12 teachers to use retrieval practice in their classrooms to reduce test anxiety and improve learning.     

Students’ motivational responses toward school physical education and their relationship to general self-esteem and health-related quality of life

ObjectivesIn addition to encouraging a physically active lifestyle, the aims of school physical education (PE) also encompass the promotion and development of self-esteem and perceptions of health. Using self-determination theory [SDT; Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In: R.A. Dienstbier (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Perspectives on motivation (Vol. 38, pp. 237–288). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska] as a conceptual framework, we examined three competing models specifying relations among motivational processes toward PE, students’ general self-esteem, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).DesignA field correlational prospective design.MethodThree hundred British secondary school students (M age=13.51 years; SD=.76) responded to a multi-section inventory assessing their motivational processes toward school PE. One week later, data pertaining to general self-esteem and HRQoL were obtained.ResultsFollowing minor modifications, structural equation analysis showed the three competing models to provide excellent fit to the study data. All models showed (i) perceptions of autonomy support provided by the PE teacher to positively predict autonomy, competence, and relatedness, (ii) competence and autonomy to positively predict autonomous motivation toward PE, and (iii) direct paths from competence to general self-esteem and from relatedness to HRQoL. Model 1 showed autonomous motivation to positively predict general self-esteem, which in turn positively predicted HRQoL. Model 2 supported a positive path from autonomous motivation to HRQoL, with HRQoL positively predicting general self-esteem. Model 3 supported general self-esteem and HRQoL to be distinct, yet related, dependent variables that were positively predicted by autonomous motivation toward PE.ConclusionThese findings call for future work to examine the causal associations among motivational processes, self-esteem, and HRQoL. The theoretical contributions of SDT to such work are discussed.     

The impacts of friendship groups’ racial composition when perceptions of prejudice threaten students’ academic self-concept

Literature on racially prejudiced stereotypes suggests that students?? academic self-concepts (ASC) can be damaged when a stereotype demeans the intelligence of their racial or ethnic group. There is little research on how students overcome this burden, but there is some evidence that the racial composition of friendship groups play a role. One argument suggests having racially diverse friends could help students see the inaccuracy of stereotypes and another points out that racially homogenous friends could collectively resist the stereotypes as a support group. In this study I analyze a nationally representative and racially diverse sample of United States adolescents to examine these hypotheses. After estimating multivariate regression models for four separate racial/ethnic groups (Asian, African-American, Hispanic, white), results show that although perceptions of prejudice do predict decreases in ASC for African-American students, racially homogenous friendship groups have the opposite effect which lends credibility to the support group hypothesis. In addition, racial diversity of friendship groups predicts decreased ASC for African-American students, suggesting diverse groups could make prejudice more salient. The implications for these findings include the reminder that prejudice is still a valid concern in American schools and that peers can be a significant source of racial tension and/or support. In terms of students?? ASC, it is important for educators to be aware of these social conditions and to continue to seek a better understanding of race relations in schools so that more students are not psychologically burdened by racial tension.     

Primary school teachers’ perceptions of school children coping with changing family situations – a hybrid Hong Kong experience

The personal beliefs of teachers and the cultural traditions of society can have significant effects on the adjustment of children in changing family situations. This paper explores primary school teachers’ perception of children coping with difficult family situations and family changes in the hybrid context of Hong Kong, where Westernization meets with Chinese culture. A qualitative case study methodology was used. Thirty one teachers of different ages, experience, and roles at school were interviewed. The finding shows that teachers were on the whole quite traditional in their perception of children in difficult family situations despite the co-existence of modern ideas of marriage with traditional family values. Implications of the study for teacher education are discussed.     

The role of the degree of acquaintance with teachers on students’ interpersonal perceptions of their teacher

Some researchers suggest that the way a teacher is perceived during the first encounter with a classroom group resembles, and therefore is predictive of, later classroom processes as perceived by students. This study investigated the degree to which interpersonal ratings (i.e., control and affiliation), given by secondary school students to teachers unknown to them, are comparable to ratings given by students who are well acquainted with that teacher, by means of a quasi-experimental design. Ratings concerning a teacher students had not met before, based on a 5 min video vignette, were compared to ratings given by students who had been taught by the same teacher for at least a year (N $\,{=}\,$ 489). Students at no acquaintance perceived a teacher’s interpersonal traits in a similar way as students who were familiar with that teacher. It is concluded that students’ early interpersonal perceptions of a teacher largely resemble perceptions formed by students that know this teacher well.     

Always look on the bright side of students: does valence of teacher perceptions relate to students’ educational performance?

Social Psychology of Education - We studied the role of the valence of female teachers’ perceptions in predicting various student outcomes. Using a prospective design, at the beginning of...     

Primary school teacher interpersonal behavior through the lens of students’ Eysenckian personality traits

The present study investigates the association between students’ Eysenckian personality traits and their perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior. A sample of 273 Cypriot public primary school fifth and sixth graders, as well as their teachers participated in the study. Students completed a three-part self-report questionnaire of: (a) a demographic questions sheet, (b) the Greek adaptation of the Questionnaire of Teacher Interaction for Primary students and (c) the Greek Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Junior. Teachers rated students’ academic achievement in language and mathematics. Extraversion was associated with cooperative teacher behaviors, (i.e. leadership, helping friendly, understanding, and student responsibility freedom), whereas Neuroticism and Psychoticism, with teacher oppositional behaviors (i.e. dissatisfaction, strictness, and admonishing behavior). Regression analyses, run separately for each dimension of perceived teacher interpersonal behavior, revealed different predictors, with only Extraversion and Psychoticism explaining variance in students’ perceptions, whereas academic achievement was more likely to predict all but one of the dimensions of teachers’ interpersonal behavior.     

Teachers’ perceptions of middle schoolers’ social concerns: strategies and barriers to supporting students’ social success

Social Psychology of Education - Teachers are often at the forefront of efforts to help students struggling socially at school and their support may be particularly critical during the early...