Using Structural Equation Modeling and Multidimensional Scaling to Assess Female College Students’ Academic Adjustment as a Function of Perceived Parenting Styles

One understudied aspect of first-year students' transition to college is their relationship with their parents. This study investigated the relationship between three parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative) and adjustment to college life of Palestinian-Arab young females. The aims of the study were to measure Palestinian-Arab females' perceptions of their parents' parenting styles and the set of connections between these perceptions and adjustment to college constructs. This study used repeated measures analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) and smallest space analysis (SSA, a variant of multidimensional scaling MDS) statistical methods to compute the complex relationships indicated in previous research between the examined variables. Repeated measures analysis results showed that the participants perceived their parents as more authoritative than permissive or authoritarian. With regard to the authoritative parenting, the path model and the SSA solution indicated different results. Only the SSA has confirmed the postulated connection between authoritative parenting style and academic adjustment, for both parental structures. Both statistical methods showed a positive connection between the authoritarian parenting style and academic maladjustment. Permissive parenting style was not found to be related to positive or negative adjustment to college. Interpretation of these results, their congruence within the context of the theoretical frameworks and practical implications are discussed.     

Improving performance and increasing the use of non-positive testing in a rule-discovery task

A well-documented characteristic of rule discovery behaviour is subjects' infrequent use of negative testing. Previous attempts at increasing the use of negative testing have met with little success. In an evaluation task, we found that subjects appreciate the benefits of negative testing and disconfirmation (Kareev & Halberstadt, this issue). Further, when given the choice, subjects prefer to begin their inquiry by employing a reception mode of inquiry, and only later switch to a generative strategy (Halberstadt & Kareev, 1992). In the present study we had subjects solve two rule-discovery problems. For the training problem, 180 subjects were assigned either to the traditional generation mode, in which subjects had to generate number triplets, or to a reception mode, in which subjects were presented with number triplets by the experimenter. For the subsequent test problem both groups used the traditional generation mode. Results revealed that subjects trained by the reception mode were more likely to use non-positive tests and more likely to solve the second problem. Apparently, training under the less demanding reception mode enabled subjects to realize the potential relevance of nonpositive testing.     

A Comparison Between Homeschooled and Formally Schooled Kindergartners: Children's Early Literacy,Mothers’ Beliefs,and Writing Mediation

The study characterized children's literacy, mothers’ beliefs, and writing mediation of homeschooled compared to formally schooled kindergartners. Participants were 60 children (ages 4–6) and their mothers (30 in homeschooling). At the children's home, we assessed children's literacy, maternal beliefs, and video-recorded mother–child joint writing of a birthday invitation. Results showed that homeschooled children had lower literacy levels than those formally schooled. Homeschooling mothers reported lower levels of belief in learning activities and demands from their children and showed lower levels of writing mediation. Maternal writing mediation predicted children's writing, beyond the child's phonological awareness and schooling (home vs. formal).