The contribution of the Responsive Classroom Approach on children's academic achievement: Results from a three year longitudinal study

This paper reports the results of a quasi-experimental study on the contribution of the Responsive Classroom (RC) Approach to elementary school children's reading and math performance over one-, two-, and three-year periods. All children enrolled in six schools (3 intervention and 3 control schools in a single district) were the participants in the study. Children's test scores in math and reading were used as outcomes, and data on treatment fidelity were used to describe differences in use of RC practices between intervention and control schools. Findings showed that, after controlling for poverty and test scores from previous years, the RC Approach contributed to the gains in both reading and math, with math showing greater difference between the intervention and control schools. The contribution of the RC Approach appeared to be greater over a three-year period than over a one or two-year period. These findings provide early evidence for the positive contribution of the RC Approach to gains in academic achievement.     

Display polarity, stimulus exposure duration, and visual lobe shape

This study investigated the effects of visual display polarity and stimulus exposure duration on visual lobe shape. Analysis showed that regardless of display polarity and exposure duration combinations tested here, visual lobe contours were slightly irregular and asymmetric, of medium roundness, with a moderately rough boundary, and horizontally elongated with a mean length-width ratio of 1.53. Visual lobes mapped with negative display polarity were significantly rounder, slightly more regular and more symmetric along the vertical axis, compared with those mapped with positive polarity. Under the different polarity conditions, there were no significant differences in visual lobe area, perimeter, boundary smoothness, and elongation. When stimulus exposure duration increased from 200 to 400 msec. and from 200 to 300 msec., there were significant increases in the visual lobe area, perimeter, roundness, boundary smoothness, and regularity. No such changes were found when duration increased from 300 to 400 msec. Exposure durations did not have a significant effect on the shape categories of elongation and horizontal symmetry for the different stimuli. There were no statistically significant interactions between polarity and stimulus exposure duration for any of the lobe shape indexes used here.     

Terror management among Chinese: Worldview defence and intergroup bias in resource allocation

Management of terror of death and its subsequent reactions has been held to be universal. However, with only a few exceptions empirical efforts have so far been focused on people from North American and European countries. Would Eastern philosophical traditions render differential management of the terror of death? The present research aimed at testing the generality of terror management in Hong Kong Chinese samples. Across four studies, we found robust and consistent mortality salience effects, which attest to the generality of terror management. As in previous studies, compared to control participants, mortality salient participants displayed a stronger ingroup bias in person evaluation (Studies 1, 3). Additionally, we found a robust mortality salience effect on intergroup bias in resource allocation (Studies 2A, 2B, 3), which has not been examined in previous terror management research.     

Evaluating increased effort for item disposal to improve recycling at a university

An evaluation of increased response effort to dispose of items was conducted to improve recycling at a university. Signs prompting individuals to recycle and notifying them of the location of trash and recycling receptacles were posted in each phase. During the intervention, trashcans were removed from the classrooms, and one large trashcan was available in the hallway next to the recycling receptacles. Results showed that correct recycling increased, and trash left in classrooms increased initially during the second intervention phase before returning to baseline levels.     

Exploring Factors Related to Young Children’s Word-Meaning Derivations During Read-Alouds

This study explores how child and text clues were related to 31 kindergarteners’ word-meaning derivation outcomes for 372 words presented in books read aloud to children. Data were analyzed using a multilevel, cross-classification, ordered logit model. Children showed no word-meaning derivation 40% of the time, indicating a need for instruction. Better word-meaning outcomes were related to text factors (written text clues in close proximity to the word) and child factors (literal comprehension and metacognition). Thus, using text with written clues in close proximity to the word and building children's literal comprehension and metacognition may improve word-meaning derivation.     

Perceived Conflict Styles of Adult Children and their Parents: What Is the Connection?

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential genesis of conflict styles for couples by evaluating the association between parents’ conflict styles and those of their adult children and their adult children’s partners. Using Social Learning Theory as a theoretical foundation, the four conflict typologies from Gottman’s work (avoidant, validating, volatile, and hostile) were applied to study the participants’ conflict styles. Multinomial logistic regression was then conducted on a sample of 25,511 participants, testing the relationships between the conflict styles of parents, their adult children’s conflict styles, and their adult children’s partners’ conflict styles. All of the perceived parental conflict styles were linked to the same conflict styles in adult children. However, for adult children and their partners, the patterns were mixed. Whereas having validating parents predicted having validating partners, having avoidant or hostile parents predicted having hostile partners. The results suggest the possibility of the intergenerational transmission of conflict styles between parents and their adult children as well as contributing to the established research on assortative mating in that individuals may be more likely to select partners who are similar to them in terms of their approaches to conflict. The results of this study have important implications for intervening early in families with less functional conflict styles.     

Relationships between self-determination theory and theory of planned behavior applied to physical activity and exercise behavior in chronic pain

This study examined the relationships between self-determination theory (SDT) and theory of planned behavior (TpB) applied to physical activity and exercise behavior (PA&E) in people with chronic pain. Two hundred and eleven adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain (28 males and 183 females, age range 18 to 82 years, mean age 43 years) were recruited from online support groups and clinic networks in the United States. Participants completed SDT measures relevant to PA&E on perceived autonomy support, autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as TpB measures relevant to PA&E on intention, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Correlational techniques and canonical correlation analysis were performed to examine the relationships and variance within and between theoretical dimensions. Overall, the SDT set accounted for 37% of the TpB variance and the TpB set accounted for 32% of the SDT set variance. The results indicate there are statistical similarities and differences between concepts in SDT and TpB models for PA&E. Using both empirical guidance and clinical expertise, researchers and practitioners should attempt to select and integrate non-redundant and complementary components from SDT, TpB, and other related health behavior theories.     

Self-concept integration and differentiation in subclinical individuals with dissociation proneness

Dissociative pathology is characterized by an altered sense of self. Still, it remains unclear (a) whether the altered sense of self is also associated with non-pathological dissociation as well and (b) whether this potential association is an intrinsic connection or a consequence of other related constructs, including childhood trauma. This study addresses this question by examining how self-concept organization may differ among individuals with different levels of dissociation proneness. The structure of self-concept was operationalized by various indexes of self-concept integration and differentiation. Results showed that individuals high in dissociation proneness have lower self-concept clarity and compartmentalize self-aspects with more polarized evaluations. Notably, the association between dissociation proneness and evaluative self-compartmentalization held after controlling for childhood trauma, anxiety, and depression. This characteristic self-concept organization can be an attribute of non-pathological dissociation.     

Relationships among burnout, job involvement, and organizational citizenship behavior

R. Cropanzano, D. E. Rupp, and Z. S. Byrne (2003) found that emotional exhaustion (i.e., 1 dimension of burnout) negatively affects organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The authors extended this research by investigating relationships among 3 dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment) and OCB. They also affirmed the mediating effect of job involvement on these relationships. Data were collected from 296 paired samples of service employees and their supervisors from 12 hotels and restaurants in Taiwan. Findings demonstrated that emotional exhaustion and diminished personal accomplishment were related negatively to OCB, whereas depersonalization had no independent effect on OCB. Job involvement mediated the relationships among emotional exhaustion, diminished personal accomplishment, and OCB.