Evaluating the impact of feedback on elementary aged students' fluency growth in written expression: A randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate elementary-aged students' writing fluency growth in response to (a) instructional practices, (b) sex differences, and (c) student's initial level of writing fluency. Third-grade students (n = 133) in three urban elementary schools were randomly assigned to either an individualized performance feedback condition (n = 46), a practice-only condition (i.e., weekly writing practice; n = 39), or an instructional control condition (n = 48) for 8 weeks. Findings included support for use of performance feedback as an instructional component in general education classrooms (Hedges' g = 0.66), whereas simple practice with curriculum-based measurement in written expression did not produce growth significantly greater than standard instructional practices. The hypothesis that girls write significantly more than boys was supported. However, girls and boys did not differ in their rate of growth. Finally, students' initial risk status in writing fluency did not differentially predict growth in writing fluency over the course of the study. Implications for incorporating feedback as a basic component of intervention in writing are discussed.     

Le fonctionnement cognitif d’enfants atypiques à travers leur QI

The aim of this study is to find out whether atypical children – high potential children (IQ > 130, n = 10) versus intellectually delayed children (IQ < 75, n = 10) – present not only quantitative but also qualitative differences in regard to their IQ. Children are sampled according to school performance and paired with a control group (age, gender and socioprofessional context), therefore a total sample of 40 children. After analyzing individual and average profiles in the WISC-IV and two other cognitive tasks – a computerized version of Kohs’ Block Task (Samuel) and a cognitive version of Wechsler's Similarities – we suggest that the bases of intelligence are not the same depending on the IQ-level. Gifted children are not more heterogeneous as the control group, but their crystallised intelligence seems particularly well-developed due to a snowball effect of Gc. Moreover, they show better real-time learning abilities in Samuel. Profiles of intellectually delayed children are more homogeneous and imply a general deficiency, particularly in processing resources and the capacity for abstraction.     

Evolution of nurses’ social representations of hospital hygiene: From training to practice

Nurses’ social representations of hospital hygiene were analyzed. A cross-sectional method was used to compare and analyze the social representations of the concept domain of “hospital hygiene” across three independent groups of participants (n = 744). The groups included: (a) professional nurses (n = 114); (b) student nurses (n = 315); and (c) psychology students (n = 315). Comparisons were drawn: (a) between professionals and students; and (b) between student nurse cohorts at three different levels (years) of training. The results show an ongoing evolution of the social representations of hospital hygiene during training and in the course of professional practice. The representation of hospital hygiene is structured around the element “cleanliness” at the beginning of training and around “asepsis” at the end of training. An increased specialization of vocabulary pertaining specifically to hospital hygiene is also observed. A comparative analysis between students and professionals shows a lower number of common lexical associations in the student group. A discussion of how these results are related to other research in cognitive ergonomics and the analyses of dialogues involving professional interactions between experts and novices is provided.     

Body checking and avoidance in ethnically diverse female college students

Although body checking and avoidance behaviors are common in women with eating disorders, minimal research has examined the nature or correlates of these behaviors in ethnically diverse female college students without eating disorders. Self-identified European American (n = 268), Asian American (n = 163), Latina (n = 146), and African American (n = 73) women completed self-report measures of body checking and avoidance, thin-ideal internalization, eating pathology, and clinical impairment. Results indicated that European and Asian American women reported significantly more body checking and avoidance than African American and Latina women. Generally, correlates of body checking and avoidance were consistent across ethnic groups: Regression analyses indicated that type of ethnicity predicted body checking and avoidance; and ethnicity, body checking, and body avoidance predicted eating pathology and clinical impairment. These associations suggest that body checking and avoidance are not benign behaviors in diverse nonclinical women.     

Functioning of peripheral Ia pathways in leg muscles of newly walking toddlers

Monosynaptic and polysynaptic spinal level reflexes in the leg muscles of infants show significant dispersion across muscles, high variability, and no change in response patterns over the first 10 months. Here we tested the hypothesized relation between early walking experience and the tuning of these responses in three primary gait muscles of participants in four subgroups: cruisers (n = 7) and toddlers with one (n = 5), two (n = 5), or three (n = 5) months of walking experience. Reflex responses in multiple Ia pathways – tendon reflex (T-reflex), vibration-induced inhibition of the T-reflex (VIM-T-reflex), and tonic vibration-induced reflex (VIR), were elicited by mechanical stimuli applied to the distal tendons of the quadriceps, gastrocnemius-soleus, and tibialis anterior of both legs. Walking skill was assessed via a GAITRite mat. Generally, walking experience seemed to be related to slowly emerging improvements and, depending on muscle tested and pathway, progress was quite varied. Amplitude and latency of reflex responses were more clearly impacted by age or leg length while the ratio or distribution pattern of reflex response among antagonist pairs of muscles was impacted by walking experience and skill. As walking experience increased, the ratio of reflex responses tended to increase for the stimulated and decrease for the antagonist reflex loops with distribution of the pattern shifting gradually toward a single type of reflex response in all tested muscles. The very slow tuning of these reflexes may underlie the many missteps and falls reported to occur during early walking and suggest that subsequent studies should continue to follow the developmental trajectory through the first year of walking experience.     

A randomized controlled trial of strong minds: A school-based mental health program combining acceptance and commitment therapy and positive psychology

To date, most early intervention programs have been based on emotion regulation strategies that address dysfunctional cognitive appraisals, problem-solving skills, and rumination. Another emotion regulation strategy, ‘acceptance’ training, has largely been overlooked. To examine the efficacy of this strategy, a school-based mental health program combining positive psychology with acceptance and commitment therapy (Strong Minds) was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial with a sample of 267 Year 10 and 11 high-school students in Sydney, Australia. Mixed models for repeated measures examined whether the program led to reductions in symptoms amongst students who commenced the program with high depression, anxiety, and stress scores, and increased wellbeing scores amongst all students. Results demonstrated that compared to controls, participants in the Strong Minds condition with elevated symptom scores (n = 63) reported significant reductions in depression (p = .047), stress (p = .01), and composite depression/anxiety symptoms (p = .02) with medium to strong effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.53, 0.74, and 0.57, respectively). Increased wellbeing (p = .03) in the total sample and decreased anxiety scores (p = .048) for students with elevated symptoms were significant for Year 10 students with medium effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.43 and 0.54, respectively). This study tentatively suggests that including the emotion regulation strategy of acceptance in early intervention programs may be effective in reducing symptoms and improving wellbeing in high school students. Further research to investigate the generalizability of these findings is warranted.     

Clinical functioning and cutoff of eccentricity dimension with psychiatric patients and non-patients

ObjectivesThis study investigated the Eccentricity scale's clinical functioning from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). Additionally, we sought to establish a cutoff for a screening scenario to be taken as the first indicator of Eccentricity characteristics’ possible clinically relevant functioning.MethodIn total, 2167 adults, aged from 18 to 90 years (M = 28.98, SD = 11.12), being 1244 women (63%), and the majority of undergraduate students (67.9%). Total sample was comprised into five groups, namely, outpatients diagnosed with both schizotypal and schizoid PDs (n = 3), outpatients diagnosed with schizotypal PD (n = 5), outpatients diagnosed with schizoid PD (n = 2), outpatients diagnosed with other PDs and clinical disorders (n = 172), and a general population-based sample (n = 1985). Not all participants answered all the items from IDCP-2; therefore, we used the equating procedure.ResultsThe groups were statistically different in ANOVA. For the −0.40 cutoff in the theta metric scale, equivalent to a total score of 38, the area under the curve was equal to 0.85, reaching 90% of sensitivity and 87.4% of specificity.ConclusionsFindings provide clinical data on the Eccentricity scale, supporting its professional use in a clinical setting; specifically, we suggested a clinical cutoff to the scale, helping the professional address typical characteristics from schizoid schizotypal functioning.     

Symptoms of Meares-Irlen/Visual Stress Syndrome in subjects diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Several diagnostic symptoms of the visual-processing deficit Meares-Irlen/Visual Stress Syndrome are remarkably similar to symptom manifestations reported by individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We surveyed the specific incidences of nine widely-recognised symptoms of visual stress (VS) in a group of subjects (n = 20) previously diagnosed with CFS. The presence of each symptom of VS in the CFS group was compared to its respective presence in both an age and sex matched healthy comparison group (n = 46), and an age and sex matched group comprised of individuals (n = 14) diagnosed with VS. Results showed the frequencies of all nine VS symptoms in the CFS-diagnosed group to be significantly higher (p = .032 – p < .0005) than in the comparison group, with only two symptoms being statistically less frequent in the CFS group than in the VS-diagnosed group. The average number of VS symptoms reported by the CFS group was also significantly higher than the comparison group, yet not significantly different from the VS group. Thus, the occurrence of VS symptoms in subjects diagnosed with CFS appears to be far greater than previously reported, which in turn may indicate the interplay of some yet to be identified underlying factor(s) common to both conditions.     

ERICA– an instrument to measure individual and collective regulation of learning

IntroductionThis paper presents two studies that aimed at validating the Individual and Collective Regulation of Learning Scale – ERICA.ObjectiveThe scale was developed to measure learner perceptions of macro-level co-regulation strategies in conjunction with self-regulation strategies learners use.MethodStudies in two separate educational settings are presented. The first with undergraduate psychology students (n = 547) tested the factorial structure and reliability that confirmed its psychometric qualities. The second with undergraduate healthcare students (n = 191) provided for tests of convergent and discriminant validity.ResultsThe studies confirm a six-dimensional structure that stands up to tests of validity for structure, consistency and convergence.ConclusionThe scale is suitable for use in various educational contexts and environments with large cohorts to study perceptions learners have of the strategies learners use related to planning, monitoring, assessment and decision-making regulation phases.     

Factor structure of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in male and female college athletes

The study explored the psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among 1637 university students. Participants were divided into male (n = 432) and female (n = 544) competitive athletes, and male (n = 229) and female (n = 429) comparison groups comprised of individuals who had not engaged in competitive sports for at least one year. All groups were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the fit of the published factor structure in this population, and then exploratory FA (EFA). A three-factor solution was the best fit for three out of four groups, with a two-factor solution providing best fit for the male comparison group. The first factor for all groups resembled a combined Shape and Weight Concern subscale. The factor structure among male and female competitive athletes was remarkably similar; however, non-competitive athletic/low activity males appear qualitatively different from other groups.     

Promoting an equitable and supportive school climate in high schools: The role of school organizational health and staff burnout

In response to persistent racial disparities in academic and behavioral outcomes between Black and White students, equitable school climate has drawn attention as a potential target for school reform. This study examined differences in Black and White students' experiences of school climate and explored whether indicators of school organizational health and staff burnout moderated differences in students' school experiences by race. Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 18,397 Black students (n = 6228) and White students (n = 12,169) and 2391 school staff in 53 schools, we found a consistent pattern of racial inequalities, such that Black students reported less positive experiences than White students across three indicators of school climate (caring γ = − 0.08, p < .001; equity γ = − 0.05, p = .007; and engagement γ = − 0.05, p < .001). In addition, we found significant, positive associations between aggregated staff-report of school organizational health and student-reported school climate (e.g., staff affiliation and student-perceived equity, γ = 0.07, p < .001). Surprisingly, a number of school organizational health indicators were more strongly associated with positive perceptions of school climate among White students than Black students, translating into greater racial disparities in perceived school climate at schools with greater organizational health (e.g., supportive leadership by race on student-perceived engagement, γ = − 0.03, p = .042). We also found negative associations between staff-reported burnout and students' experience of equity, such that the racial gap was smaller in schools with high ratings of burnout (γ = 0.04, p = .002). These findings have implications for educators and education researchers interested in promoting school social contexts that equitably support student engagement and success.     

Personal values and unsanctioned aggression inherent in contact sports: The role of self-regulatory mechanisms,aggressiveness, and demographic variables

IntroductionTo date, research-examining factors related to the sociocognitive self-regulatory mechanisms governing unsanctioned aggression have received scant attention in applied sport psychology.ObjectiveA mediating model as influenced by various demographic variables was applied to explore the relationships between athletes’ personal values and their unsanctioned aggression directly and indirectly through the mediating role of resistive self-regulatory efficacy, moral disengagement, and aggressiveness.MethodA sample of 301 French competitors of different age (young: n = 200 and adult: n = 101), gender (male: n = 172 and female: n = 129), type of sport (high: n = 131 and low contact: n = 170), level of competition (beginner: n = 115, intermediate: n = 110, and advanced: n = 76), and length of practice (brief: n = 109, intermediate: n = 49, and extensive: n = 143) completed a questionnaire assessing the aforementioned variables.ResultsStructural equation modelling demonstrates that self-transcendence and self-enhancement values have only indirect negative and positive effects, respectively, on unsanctioned aggression through the full mediating effect of the mediators. Also, age, gender, and type of sport were predictive only of some personal values and mediators.ConclusionThese findings offer evidence that resistive self-regulatory efficacy, moral disengagement, and aggressiveness are mediators that fully govern the impact of athletes’ personal values and certain demographic variables on their unsanctioned aggression. Several limitations, implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Teaching in ethnically diverse classrooms: Examining individual differences in teacher self-efficacy

Using data of 40 native Dutch teachers and their native majority (n = 112) and ethnic minority students (n = 180), this study examined to what extent teachers experience differences in self-efficacy in teaching individual majority and minority students. We hypothesized that teachers would feel less self-efficacious in relation to ethnic minority students and that the difference in self-efficacy would be more pronounced when ethnic group differences are more salient (i.e., in the context of behavioral problems, ethnically less diverse classrooms, and for teachers with high ethnic identification). Our results show that teachers feel somewhat less self-efficacious with ethnic minority versus majority students. And, the difference in self-efficacy with minority versus majority students was more pronounced in relation to internalizing problem behaviors and somewhat more distinct in classrooms with relatively few ethnic minority students. The findings indicate the importance of a student specific assessment of teacher self-efficacy in diverse school contexts.     

Enhanced retention of drop vertical jump landing technique: A randomized controlled trial

External focus instructions have been shown to result in superior motor performance compared to internal focus instructions. Using an EF may help to optimize current anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention programs. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of instructions on landing technique and performance by comparing an external focus (EF), internal focus (IF), video (VI) and control (CTRL) group. Subjects (age 22.50 ± 1.62 years, height 179.70 ± 10.43 cm, mass 73.98 ± 12.68 kg) were randomly assigned to IF (n = 10), EF (n = 10), VI (n = 10) or CTRL group (n = 10). Landing was assessed from a drop vertical jump (DVJ) in five sessions: pretest, two training blocks (TR1 and TR2) and directly after the training sessions (post test) and retention test 1 week later. Group specific instructions were offered in TR1 and TR2. Landing technique was assessed with the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) and jump height was taken as performance measure. The results show that males in the VI group and females both in the VI and EF groups significantly improved jump-landing technique. Retention was achieved and jump height was maintained for males in the VI group and females both in the VI and EF groups. It is therefore concluded that EF and VI instructions have great potential in ACL injury prevention.     

Match performance and physical capacity of players in the top three competitive standards of English professional soccer

The aim of this study was to compare the match performance and physical capacity of players in the top three competitive standards of English soccer. Match performance data were collected from players in the FA Premier League (n = 190), Championship (n = 155) and League 1 (n = 366) using a multiple-camera system. In addition, a selection of players from the Premier League (n = 56), Championship (n = 61) and League 1 (n = 32) performed the Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2) to determine physical capacity. Players in League 1 and the Championship performed more (p < .01) high-intensity running than those in the Premier League (Effect Size [ES]: 0.4–1.0). Technical indicators such as pass completion, frequency of forward and total passes, balls received and average touches per possession were 4–39% higher (p < .01) in the Premier League compared to lower standards (ES: 0.3–0.6). Players also covered more (p < .05) high-intensity running when moving down (n = 20) from the Premier League to the Championship (ES: 0.4) but not when players moved up (n = 18) standards (ES: 0.2). Similar Yo-Yo IE2 test performances were observed in Premier League, Championship and League 1 players (ES: 0.2–0.3). Large magnitude relationships (p < .05) were observed between Yo-Yo IE2 test performances and the total and high-intensity running distance covered in both Championship (r = .56 and .64) and Premier League matches (r = .61 and .54). The data demonstrate that high-intensity running distance was greater in players at lower compared to higher competitive standards despite a similar physical capacity in a subsample of players in each standard. These findings could be associated with technical characteristics inherent to lower standards that require players to tax their physical capacity to a greater extent but additional research is still required to confirm these findings.     

Evolution of match performance parameters for various playing positions in the English Premier League

This study aimed to investigate position-specific evolution of physical and technical performance parameters in the English Premier League (EPL). Match performance observations (n = 14700) were collected using a multiple-camera computerized tracking system across seven seasons (2006–07 to 2012–13). Data were analyzed relative to five playing positions: central defenders (n = 3792), full backs (n = 3420), central midfielders (n = 3200), wide midfielders (n = 2136) and attackers (n = 2152). High-intensity running distance increased in the final season versus the first season in all playing positions (p < .05, ES: 0.9–1.3) with full backs displaying the greatest increase (∼36% higher in 2012–13). Similar trends were observed for sprint distance with full backs demonstrating the most pronounced increase across the seven seasons (36–63%, p < .001, ES: 0.8–1.3). Central players (central defenders and midfielders) illustrated the most pronounced increases in total passes and pass success rate (p < .05, ES: 0.7–0.9) whilst wide players (full backs and wide midfielders) demonstrated only small-moderate increases in total passes and pass success rate (p < .05, ES: 0.6–0.8). The data demonstrates that evolving tactics in the EPL have impacted on the physical demands of wide players and the technical requirements of central players. These findings could be used for talent identification or position-specific physical and technical training.     

Impact of Incredible Years® on teacher perceptions of parental involvement: A latent transition analysis

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) training on teacher perceptions of parental involvement. A cluster randomized design was used to assign 42 classroom teachers to either an IY TCM training (n = 19) or a control condition (n = 23). Teachers rated parental involvement (i.e., bonding with teacher, parental involvement at school) for the families of 805 low income students (IY TCM = 504, control = 301). A latent profile transition analysis framework was used to model the effect of IY TCM on teacher perceptions of parental involvement from pre to posttest. Four profiles consisting of various patterns of high, medium, and low teacher perceptions of bonding with and involvement of parents emerged. Analyses of teacher profiles at baseline revealed teachers who felt parental involvement and bonding was low were also likely to rate students as having more externalizing behaviors, fewer social competencies, more attention deficit symptoms, and disruptive behaviors towards adults and peers compared to teachers with more adaptive profiles. Further analysis revealed that parents of teachers randomly assigned to IY TCM were more likely to transition to a more adaptive view of parental involvement at follow-up compared to teachers in the control condition. Because teacher perceptions of parental involvement may adversely impact teacher attitudes towards difficult students, findings from the present study support the promise of teacher training as an avenue for conferring protections for struggling students.     

Examining the effects of adult and peer mediated goal setting and feedback interventions for writing: Two studies

The current study investigated the effects of goal setting and performance feedback on Curriculum Based Measurement in Written Expression (CBM-WE). This two-study investigation examined the utility of the intervention using two different delivery mechanisms. In Study 1, fourth grade students (n = 114) were provided both with (a) feedback from their teachers regarding their performance on CBM-WE probes and (b) new weekly goals or no feedback and goals, once a week for a ten-week intervention period. Study 2 examined the effects of this intervention with a sample of fifth grade students (n = 106) when feedback and individual goals were provided by peers within their classrooms twice weekly over the course of eight weeks compared to a practice only control condition. Results in both studies indicated that students receiving the goal setting and feedback intervention performed significantly higher on production-dependent writing indices post-intervention than control groups (ES = .12–.28). Implications regarding the usefulness of goal setting and feedback utilizing CBM procedures are discussed.     

Neuroticism and momentary differentiation of positive and negative affect

Affective differentiation is the degree to which positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) are uncorrelated. The dynamic model of affect (Zautra, Potter, & Reich, 1997) posits that the link between PA and NA should be stronger when stress is high. Because neuroticism relates to more negative everyday stress perceptions and therefore higher daily stress, we hypothesized that neuroticism should be associated with lower affective differentiation on a daily basis. We examined how neuroticism impacts momentary affective differentiation in undergraduate students (n = 126) using an experience sampling design with mood monitored four times daily for one week. We found that neuroticism moderates the within-person relationship between PA and NA: those who are higher in neuroticism experience less affective differentiation. This effect was not mediated or moderated by recent major life stress. We replicated the main finding in two subsequent samples (n = 102 and n = 120, respectively), and thus present the first large set of studies to demonstrate consistently that neuroticism moderates the within-person link between PA and NA.     

Multidimensional body image comparisons among patients with eating disorders,body dysmorphic disorder,and clinical controls: A multisite study

Body image disturbance is considered a core characteristic of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), however its definition has been unclear within the literature. This study examined the multidimensional nature of body image functioning among individuals with either anorexia nervosa (AN; n = 35), bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 26), or BDD (n = 56), relative to female (n = 34) and male (n = 36) psychiatric controls. Participants were recruited from 10 treatment centers in the United States and England and completed psychometrically validated and standardized self-report measures of body image. Overall, the AN, BN, and BDD groups were characterized by significantly elevated disturbances in most body image dimensions relative to their gender-matched clinical controls. There was variability, however, in the comparisons among the three groups of interest, including foci of body dissatisfaction and body image coping patterns. On omnibus indices of body image disturbance and body image quality of life, patients with BDD reported more body image impairment than those with eating disorders. Although AN, BN, and BDD are characterized by body image disturbances, similar and partially distinctive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional elements of body image functioning exist among these groups. The study's empirical and clinical implications are considered.