Fitting in a group: Theoretical development and validation of the Multidimensional Perceived Person–Group Fit scale

Despite the wide use of groups in organizations, research on individuals’ experiences of fit in their work groups has lagged due to lack of conceptual clarity of person–group (PG) fit and inconsistent measurement. To rectify these issues, we present an integrative definition of PG fit, which incorporates social- and task-related elements of group work, as well as supplementary and complementary conceptualizations of fit. Using this definition, we develop the Multidimensional Perceived Person-Group Fit (MPPGF) scale and validate it through five phases, across six samples. In Phase 1, we identified dimensions and generated items using a mix of deductive and inductive approaches. In Phase 2, we validated items yielding seven dimensions (value congruence, shared interests, perceived demographic similarity, needs-supplies match, goal similarity, common workstyle, and complementary attributes). In Phase 3, we examined how the dimensions combine to form an aggregate (formative) PG fit construct. The MPPGF scale showed convergent and discriminant validity with relevant constructs in Phase 4. In Phase 5, the MPPGF exhibited criterion-related and incremental validity with attitudes and performance beyond existing PG fit scales. Finally, we report dimension-specific results, demonstrating that MPPGF could be used to study questions regarding overall PG fit perceptions, as well as more narrow dimension-specific questions.     

A Study of the Effectiveness of a Small-Group Intervention on the Vocabulary and Narrative Development of At-Risk Kindergarten Children

This study investigated the effect of a small-group storybook-based intervention on kindergarten students’ vocabulary and narrative development, which is important to later reading achievement. Twenty-eight kindergarten children from a high-poverty urban school, all significantly behind their peers on standardized measures of language development (semantic and syntactic) and narrative (understanding and production), were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention students engaged in three 30-minute storybook-based lessons per week for 12 weeks, focused on vocabulary and narrative development. The intervention students made greater gains on both standardized and nonstandardized measures of vocabulary and narrative achievement than did control-group children.     

Standards of performance and aesthetics in counselling and beyond

ABSTRACT

In this article I discuss how drug counselling can be transformed through “aesthetic documentation”: a hybrid of art with narrative practice. After outlining the concepts of performance and standards, and a critique of “customising” counselling through formalised feedback, five claims are made about “aesthetic documentation”: The art works are prototypes rather than rigid standardisations; they represent collaboration rather than individualised performance; they both display and enact substantial meaning; they objectify and achieve recognition of clients and professionals; they facilitate flexible, diverse and transformative attributions of meaning and value; they address social problems rather than individualised malfunctions. This may help overcoming stigmatisation, and suggest a kind of trans-disciplinary knowledge that is different from the dominant scientific forms.     

Process Evaluation for Stressor Reduction Interventions in Sport

Stressor reduction interventions may have the potential to improve the well-being of those involved in sport. Organizational psychologists have used these primary interventions in various performance domains. The authors describe the stressor reduction design and implementation processes, and the contexts in which they occur, that impact on these interventions. The authors then examine how process evaluation methods can be applied during stressor reduction in sport settings. Process evaluation requires the frequent collection of data about intervention experiences and events from multiple sources using a mixed-methods approach. The article contains practical recommendations for sport psychologists who implement stressor reduction interventions.     

A preliminary validation of a Norwegian version of the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire

At present there is no validated tinnitus questionnaire available in Norway. The aim of the present study was to psychometrically evaluate and report on a Norwegian translation of the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire (TSCHQ). Furthermore, the results were compared to those of a recent Swedish validation of TSCHQ. More than two hundred (N = 218) participants with tinnitus participated in the study, of which 78% completed the Norwegian TSCHQ on two occasions so that test-retest reliability could be evaluated. Results show that the Norwegian TSCHQ has acceptable test-retest reliability with the exception of 10 items, which is slightly better than the recent Swedish validation of TSCHQ. At the item level, there were both similarities and differences between the Norwegian and Swedish validation studies. It is concluded that the Norwegian TSCHQ is an appropriate measure of patients’ history and experience of tinnitus, and while we recommend further validation of the Norwegian TSCHQ, we encourage Norwegian researchers and clinicians to use the Norwegian translation of TSCHQ.