Are your cross‐ethnic friends ethnic and/or national group identifiers? The role of own and perceived cross‐ethnic friend's identities on outgroup attitudes and multiculturalism

We investigated how own ethnic and national identities and perceived ethnic and national identities of close cross‐ethnic friends may predict outgroup attitudes and multiculturalism among Turkish (majority status, N = 197) and Kurdish (minority status, N = 80) ethnic group members in Turkey (M_age = 21.12, SD = 2.59, 69.7% females, 30.3% males). Compared with Turkish participants, Kurdish participants were more asymmetrical in rating their cross‐ethnic friend's identities relative to their own, reporting higher ethnic identity, but lower national identity for themselves. Own ethnic identity was negatively associated with attitudes and multiculturalism, whereas own national identity was positively associated with only attitudes. Perceived cross‐ethnic friend's national identity was positively related to both outgroup attitudes and multiculturalism. Shared national identification (high levels of own and friend's national identity) led to most positive outgroup attitudes and highest support for multiculturalism. Findings were discussed in the light of social identity and common ingroup identity models.     

A model of academic enablers and mathematics achievement in the elementary grades

The purpose of this study was to test a model of the relations between specific academic enablers (motivation, interpersonal skills, engagement, and study skills) and mathematics achievement. Using teacher judgments of academic enablers and achievement, we examined the fit of this model for primary (Grades K-2) and intermediate (Grades 3-6) samples of elementary students. The results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that prior achievement and interpersonal skills predict motivation, which then predicts study skills and engagement. These latter skills, in turn, are positively associated with academic achievement. Differences in magnitude of specific model pathways, however, were noted between the primary and intermediate samples. Implications of the findings and directions for future research regarding models of academic enablers are discussed.     

Metacognition in the classroom: The association between students’ exam predictions and their desired grades

Students are overconfident when making grade predictions, and worse, the lowest-performing students are generally the most overconfident. Because metacognitive accuracy is associated with academic performance, multiple studies have attempted to improve metacognitive accuracy with mixed results. However, these studies may be of limited use because we do not understand the types of information university students use to make performance predictions. The current studies examined the possibility that university students’ predictions are associated with their desires—the grade they want to receive. Studies 1–4 demonstrated that students’ desired grades were strongly associated with their grade predictions across different courses, universities, and measurement strategies. Study 4 also showed that, if warned about the previous results, students could reduce their reliance on their desired grades and improve the accuracy of their predictions relative to control. Together, results demonstrated that students’ exam predictions are associated with their desired grades.     

Sex segregation in friendships and normative contexts across the life span

Sex segregation (the separation of boys and girls into same-sex groups in their friendships and casual encounters; [Thorne, B., & Luria, Z. (1986). Sexuality and gender in children’s daily worlds. Social Problems, 33, 176–190]), has typically been viewed as a childhood phenomenon. In the present paper, we review research that suggests the phenomenon of sex segregation persists across the life span. We draw from a social-constructionist model to synthesize literature documenting sex segregation in friendships and aspects of individuals’ socio-cultural contexts in childhood, adolescence, and early and later adulthood. We consider developmental continuities in mechanisms that may be associated with sex segregation, including behavioral compatibility, communication styles, third-party resistance to other-sex relationships, and institutional barriers to other-sex relationships. We discuss how these factors may, through a reciprocal process, contribute to and result from sex segregation. Finally, we offer recommendations for future research.     

小学教师选择注意与洞察力对课堂信息知觉的影响

选择注意和洞察力在教师课堂信息加工过程中起着十分重要的作用.本研究基于以往教师教学专长发展的理论,对选择注意与洞察力对教师课堂信息知觉加工速度与辨别力进行探讨.研究结果表明:选择注意与洞察力呈现显著正相关;选择性编码与选择性比较对课堂信息加工速度起着重要的作用;选择注意对教师课堂信息判断的正确率起着重要的作用;选择性联合对三类课堂信息加工速度与辨别力的影响均不显著.     

Discussions of Diversity in a Classroom: A Phenomenological Study of Students in an MFT Training Program

Discussions about diversity, particularly race, gender, religion and spirituality, and sexual orientation, in marriage and family therapy courses can generate emotional responses in students and professors that vary from shame to anger. These discussions are necessary to help students understand diverse families as well as how one’s biases can affect his/her clinical work. Our qualitative study consisted of phenomenological interviews, which focused on discussions of diversity by six students from a marriage and family therapy program. Findings revealed that the ability of students to be aware of and discuss their reactions to these discussions is complex and influenced by their families of origin, their perceptions of other students, their views of the professor, and their race. Teaching implications are discussed in light of these findings.     

Home Environment and Classroom Climate: An Investigation of their Relation to Students’ Academic Self-Concept in a Streamed Setting

Many studies concur that students’ perceptions of their home and school environments, such as relationships with parents and teachers, are related to their academic self-concept (for example, Chang et al., Int J of Behav Dev 27(2):182–189, 2003; Ireson and Hallam, Br J Educ Psychol 75:297–311, 2005; Jang, J Kor Home Econ, 39:101–114, 2001; Lau and Leung, Br J Educ Psychol, 62:193–202, 1992; Lau and Pun, Social Behav Pers, 27(6):639–650, 1999; Masche and Barber, “Connectedness and separation in parent-adolescent relationships: Indicators of a successful identity development.” Paper presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, April 19–22, 2001; Sanders, “School–family–community partnerships and the academic achievement of African American, urban adolescents.” Report No. 7. EDRS. ED 402404, 1996). Nonetheless, little is known about whether the strength of the relationships is comparable for students of different ability streams, or if the predictors of variance of their academic self-concept are similar. To fill the empirical gap, a 3-year longitudinal study was conducted with Secondary One students (approximate age 13) from three government schools in Singapore. Pearson product–moment correlation and Fisher’s z _r transformation showed that there were significant differences in the strength of the relationships between higher- and lower-ability stream students’ academic self-concept and their perceived home environment and classroom climate. In addition, stepwise multiple linear regressions established that lower-ability stream students’ perceived teachers’ expectations had more consistent and substantial impact on their confidence level than that of their higher-ability stream counterparts. In comparison, higher-ability stream students’ perceived parental academic support had more consistent impact on their academic self-concept than that of their lower-ability stream peers.     

“<Emphasis Type="Italic">Do the very best you can</Emphasis>”: The third-grade class test

The aim of this study was to examine third-graders’ test situations such as they appeared in the day-to-day functioning of the school. The research was ethnographic, focusing on the test situations of one third-grade class in the mother tongue and mathematics during one school year. Our analyses suggest that third-graders no longer see the test practices as objects of learning but rather as a familiar part of their everyday schoolwork. The test-taking practices have been mastered, but preparation for the test still needs to be emphasized and practised. And, according to our findings, cheating is an object of practice as well. To third-graders, test situations appear as ‘real tests’: the evaluative import of these situations seems clear to them. The teacher and the school institution reach for maximal proficiency and performance so as bring out the pupils’ ‘pure’ ability and performance in the class test. The class teacher must deal with the ever-strengthening evaluative significance of the test in relation to both the pupils and the school administration: we find that in the test situation the class teacher creates a social-psychological we-group—an alliance of the teacher and the pupils versus the test writer—as comes out particularly clearly in connection with national tests. The findings of the study are discussed with special reference to the ways in which the class test constructs the selective-restrictive sphere of education.     

Trustworthiness,friendships and self‐control: factors that contribute to young children's school adjustment

The aim of present study was to examine the relationship between young children's peer‐reported trustworthiness and their school adjustment. Two hundred and eleven (103 male and 108 female) children in the United Kingdom (mean age = 6 years 2 months) took part in this study. Measures of peer‐reported trustworthiness, child‐rated school adjustment, and teacher‐rated school adjustment were administered twice across a one‐year period. Also, children's number of friendships, peer acceptance, and self‐control were assessed at Time 2. Multisample path analyses were conducted separately by sex. For both samples there were direct longitudinal paths between peer‐reported trustworthiness and changes in teacher‐rated school adjustment. For boys, the longitudinal path between peer‐reported trustworthiness and changes in child‐rated loneliness was mediated by peer acceptance, and peer‐reported trustworthiness mediated the relationship between self‐control and teacher‐rated school adjustment. Sex differences in peer‐reported trustworthiness also emerged: girls were rated as more trustworthy by their peers than were boys. The findings support the hypothesis that young children's trustworthiness contributes to school adjustment, which is due in part to peer acceptance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.