Family background and individual measures as predictors of Turkish primary school children's academic achievement

The primary purpose of this study was to predict academic grade point averages (GPAs) of Turki primary school children, using family background and individual measures (sociometric standing, self-reported loneliness, and social efficacy) as predictors. We hypothesized that these two measures would explain the wide variation in GPA for samples differing with respect to sex and paternal education. Regression analyses with male and female subsamples revealed that the background measures explained twice as much variance in GPA, popularity, and loneliness for girls as for boys. Another finding was that the background measures explained a greater proportion of the variance in GPA for children with less- versus more-educated fathers, whereas individual measures explained a greater proportion of the variance for children with more as opposed to less educated fathers.     

Power stress in primary school children

Motivation and Emotion - In this paper, we demonstrate that, in accordance with research on adults, children with high implicit power motive show power stress when their need for influence cannot...     

Father-absence and scholastic performance in primary school children

The relationship between father-absence and academic achievement in children was studied in a sample of 80 urban children of predominantly lower social status. Differences between the father-absent and father-present groups in IQ and family background were controlled by matching. Boys and girls from father-present homes were found to score higher on standardized reading tests than children from father-absent homes, regardless of the child’s age when the father became absent. Mediating variables by which father-absence may exert its influence (achievement motivation, absenteeism, parental attitudes, sex-role identity, life stress) were also examined. Contrary to predictions, children from father-absent homes scored higher on achievement motivation measures than children from intact homes. Girls from father-absent homes missed more school and scored lower on tests of “masculinity” than girls raised in father-present homes. No other mediating variables exerted a significant influence on the results. These data are discussed in the light of the “confluence” theory of cognitive development. This study is part of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the M.A. degree by the senior author. Preparation of this article was assisted by a grant from the Australian Research Grants Scheme to the second author.     

Friendship competence in kindergarten and primary school children

Aim of this study was to confirm the increase of friendship competence and its multifactorial nature in kindergarten and primary school children and to verify gender differences, parenting and socioeconomic status influences on friendship concept. A semi-structured interview was administered in a natural context to 3–8 years-old children (N = 99; mean = 6.1 years; SD = 1.35). The coding provides five sub-categories: (1) friendship; (2) social perspective taking; (3) emotions understanding; (4) social interaction strategies; (5) aggressiveness. Three parental style questionnaires were administrated to parents. Results confirm the increasing of friendship competence according to age. No gender difference was found. Father's involvement in son's activities was inversely correlated with son's aggressivity.     

Family characteristics and school achievements of type A children

We examined the familial characteristics of Type A children and the consequences of Type A behaviors for children's classroom achievements. A maximum of 156 boys and 190 girls enrolled in elementary and middle schools and their parents participated in various aspects of the data collection procedures and analyses reported in this article. Results showed that Type A children were not more likely to have families with a history of cardiovascular-related diseases or families of upper socioeconomic status. Young Type A boys, but not girls, had Type A mothers and fathers, suggesting an early modeling of Type A behaviors by boys. Competitive boys and girls and Type A girls had higher achievement test scores and classroom grades, independent of IQ test scores, than did relatively noncompetitive children and Type B girls, respectively. Thus, the competitive aspect of Type A leads to important early achievements, independent of ability, perhaps because care givers and teachers respond to Type A behaviors of children by encouraging them to continue to strive to achieve. Gender differences in the findings were also discussed and related to the adult literature.     

Family Resemblances in Personality Traits

(Résumé) Un Test Expérimental de Deux Théories du Sourire Social Chez les Enfants en Bas Âge

On a supposé habituellement que la forme et la voix humaines sont des stimuli instinctifs au sourire chez les enfants en bas ǎge ou qu'il y a quelque stimulus instinctif, peut-ětre la satiété ou le contact, auquel la présence humaine devient conditionnée. On a élevé deux enfants de sorte que la voix de l'adulte n'a pas été associée au sourire causé par d'autres agents. Dans ces conditions, la voix humaine n'a jamais causé de sourire. Le sourire à la vue de l'adulte s'est développé cependant à un haut degré. On a constaté qu'à partir du commencement de l'étude actuelle nul stimulus n'a été plus efficace que la présence de l'adulte. Aussi est-il difficile de nommer un autre stimulus comme plus primaire. On a constaté que le sourire social s'est montré le plus souvent comme l'adulte s'est penché vers l'enfant pour donner quelque soin mais avant que le soin soit donné. Ces faits ont fait la formulation de la théorie que le sourire devient une réponse conditionnelle à n'importe quel stimulus qui cause une cessation de l'irritation, de l'inquiétude et des pleurs. Il n'a pas de stimulus non conditionnel. Le fait que le sourire chez le nouveau-né suit pas n'importe quel stimulus avec beaucoup de fréquence est à l'état incomplet du conditionnement.

Dennis

(Referat) EINE EXPERIMENTELLE PRÜFUNG VON ZWEI THEORIEN DES SOZIALEN LÄCHELNS BEI JUNGEN KINDERN

Es wird allgemin angenommen, dass die menschliche Gestalt und Stimme entweder instinktive Reize zum Lächeln bei jungen Kindern seien, oder dass es irgendeinen instinktiven Reiz gebe, vielleicht Sättigung oder Berührung, zu welchem die menschliche Gegenwart bedingt werde. Zwei junge Kinder, wurden so erzogen, dass die erwachsene Stimme nicht mit dem durch andere Quellen verursachten Lächeln assoziiert wurde. Unter diesen Umständen verursachte die menschliche Stimme nie das Lächeln. Das Lächeln bei der Ansicht des Erwachsenen entwickelt sich doch zu einem bemerkbaren Grade. Es stellte sich heraus, dass vom Anfang des vorliegenden Studiums kein Reiz wirksamer war als die Gegenwart des Erwachsenen. Folglich ist es schwierig, irgendeinen anderen Reiz als ursprünglicher zu nennen. Es fand sich, dass das soziale Lächeln am häufigsten vorkam, wenn der Erwachsene sich über das Kind beugte, um ihm irgendeine Aufmerksamkeit zu erweisen, aber bevor die Aufmerksamkeit erwiesen wurde. Diese Tatsachen führen zur Formulierung der Theorie, dass das Lächeln eine bedingte Antwort auf irgendeinen Reiz wird, der ein Aufhören des Verdrusses, der Unruhe und des Weinens veranlässt. Es gibt keinen unbedingten Reiz. Die Tatsache, dass das Lächeln beim Neugeborenen nicht auf irgendeinen Reiz mit Häufigkeit folgt, ist die Folge der Unvollkommenheit des Bedingens.

Dennis     

Cross-cultural cross-validation of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire among Zimbabwean school children

For 568 boys and 698 girls (ages 8 to 17 years), Neuroticism scores were reliable and factorially valid for both sexes but reliability and validity for Extraversion were modest and, while reliable, 45% of Lie scale items did not load on their factor of origin. Also, Psychoticism scores were unreliable and factorially invalid. Careful item analyses must be undertaken and the construct of psychoticism verified.     

Bullying experiences and literacy achievement amongst primary school children

This study investigated the association between school bullying and literacy achievements in a sample of primary school children from Johannesburg, South Africa. The children (n?=?443; females?=?56%, males?=?44%) attending six primary schools in the Soweto area suburbs, self-reported their experience of bullying by peers. In addition, they completed tests of literacy. The results indicate that learners who self-reported being bullied performed poorly in literacy tests when compared to their peers, who were not subjected to bullying. In particular, those who experienced bullying scored lower on tasks that required literacy skills in phonics, spelling, and word choice. The findings indicate that learner support for school bullying survivors should aim to address the deleterious effects of bullying on literacy development.     

Validity of the Rey Visual Design Learning Test in primary and secondary school children.

The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (Rey, 1964, cited in Spreen & Strauss, 1991, Wilhelm, 2004) assesses immediate memory span, new learning, delayed recall and recognition for nonverbal material. Two studies are presented that focused on the construct validity of the RVDLT in primary and secondary school children. In the first study, primary school children performed the RVDLT and the Biber Figural Learning Test, as well as the WISC-R Block design Test, Boston Naming Test, and the Trailmaking Test, to assess discriminant validity. In the second study, the age range was expanded and the subtest Visual Reproductions of the Wechsler Memory Scale with a Delayed recall phase was used to assess the construct validity. A test for visual-motor integration and a test for attention, concentration, and speed of information processing were also added to complete the test battery for assessing discriminant validity. Moderate to high correlations were found between scores on the RVDLT and the tests used to assess construct validity. The correlational pattern of RVDLT scores and the scores on the discriminant tests is discussed.     

Reduced looming sensitivity in primary school children with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder

Almost all locomotor animals are sensitive to optical expansion (visual looming) and for most animals this sensitivity is evident very early in their development. In humans there is evidence that responses to looming stimuli begin in the first 6 weeks of life, but here we demonstrate that as children become independent their perceptual acuity needs to be 50 to 100 times better than has been demonstrated in infants in order to be skilful at collision avoidance at a roadside. We have recently established that sensitivity to the detection of visual looming in 6- to 11-year-old children is significantly below that of adults (Wann, Poulter & Purcell, 2011). Here, using comparable methods, we explore looming detection sensitivity in children with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), who show broad patterns of impairment in visuo-motor control. We presented visual simulations of approaching vehicles, scaled to represent different approach rates, to children with DCD aged between 6 and 11 years (n = 11) and typically developing age and gender matched controls (n = 11). Looming detection thresholds were measured under foveal and perifoveal viewing conditions, for isotropic expansion and isotropic expansion with simulated viewpoint motion. Our results show that there are situations in which children with DCD may fail to detect vehicles approaching at speeds in excess of 22 km/h, suggesting a developmental immaturity in looming sensitivity. This provides one of the first clear demonstrations of low-level motion processing deficits in children with DCD. The decrement observed may give rise to potential errors in the road crossing behaviour of these children, whereby approaching vehicles could be perceived as stationary. These findings further contribute towards understanding the adverse statistic that children under 9 years of age are four times more likely than adults to be involved in a road accident as a pedestrian.     

Judged school problems and competencies of referred children with varying family background characteristics

The school adjustment problems and competencies of referred children with varying family background histories were compared. Children from homes characterized by low parent interest in education had more severe learning problems and fewer competencies than either matched referred controls without such a history or matched referred children under family pressure to succeed. The relationship of these findings to other studies of school adjustment and family background was considered.This research was done with grant support from the NIMH Experimental and Special Training Branch (MH 11820-06), which the authors acknowledge with gratitude.