A lost horizon: the experience of an other and school bullying

To date, research on bullying has largely employed empirical methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. Through this research we have come to understand bullying as both a dyadic and peer group phenomenon, primarily situated in the heads (thinking) of those involved, or in a lack of skill or expertise, or in the delinquency of a bully who needs to be reformed. This research has largely directed its strategies toward problem students using individual and peer group approaches. And yet school bullying continues to be a crucial educational issue affecting millions of students each year. In this project I introduce a missing philosophical perspective. Analyzing the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer I am led to conclude that typical anti-bullying strategies at times simply train bullies to be better at bullying (i.e., learning to bully more covertly, more expertly so as to inflict the same devastation without adult detection). Gadamer invites us to think about bullying in new ways. While certainly involving the thinking and skills of the bully and the victim, Gadamer contends that bullying does not fundamentally result from a problem within the participants, but is fostered by certain spaces between them; terrains that cultivate specific experiences of an "other". Generally, this project stems from an interest in the ways that domination develops in this "space between". Specifically in this paper I ask: What is the nature of "hermeneutic" experience as conceptualized by Gadamer? What kinds of experiences of an other does bullying exemplify? What kinds of experience of an other do non-bullying relations exemplify and what kinds of relational spaces foster such experience? This paper opens up significant new territory for anti-bullying work, expanding our focus to include the space between students which fosters certain inter-personal experiences - experiences situated in domination and stymied growth or, alternatively, experiences of reciprocity which open the possibility of human growth and transformation.     

Social support, sense of community in school, and self-efficacy as resources during early adolescence: an integrative model

Influences of different sources of social support (from parents and friends), school sense of community, and self-efficacy on psychosocial well being (as measured by self-reported life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) in early adolescence were investigated in an integrative model. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. Multi-group comparisons were used to estimate differences between sex and age groups. The survey sample was composed of 7,097 students in Northern Italy (51.4% male) divided into three age cohorts (equivalent to 6th, 8th, and 10th grades with median ages of 11, 13, and 15). Findings obtained using SEM were consistent with self-efficacy and school sense of community mediating effects of social support on psychosocial adjustment. The multi-group comparison indicates a need for more complex developmental models and more research on how changing forms of support interact with each other as their effects also change during this important stage of the life. Implications for primary prevention and cross-cultural comparisons are discussed.     

The impact of hope, self-esteem, and attributional style on adolescents’ school grades and emotional well-being: A longitudinal study

We examined the distinctiveness of three “positive thinking” variables (self-esteem, trait hope, and positive attributional style) in predicting future high school grades, teacher-rated adjustment, and students’ reports of their affective states. Seven hundred eighty-four high school students (382 males and 394 females; 8 did not indicate their gender) completed Time 1 measures of verbal and numerical ability, positive thinking, and indices of emotional well-being (positive affect, sadness, fear, and hostility), and Time 2 measures of hope, self-esteem, and emotional well-being. Multi-level random coefficient modelling revealed that each positive thinking variable was distinctive in some contexts but not others. Hope was a predictor of positive affect and the best predictor of grades, negative attributional style was the best predictor of increases in hostility and fear, and low self-esteem was the best predictor of increases in sadness. We also found that sadness at Time 1 predicted decreases in self-esteem at Time 2. The results are discussed with reference to the importance of positive thinking for building resilience.     

Treatment Participation among Children with Conduct Problems and the Role of Telephone Reminders

Children with antisocial, aggressive and disruptive behaviour problems are among the most frequent referrals to mental health services. These young people and their families present with a range of adverse contextual factors and can prove challenging to engage. We examined the characteristics of children with conduct problems, treatment participation, and the impact of telephone reminder calls. Consecutive referrals (N=262) to two child and youth mental health services were randomly assigned to either a reminder call condition or service as usual. In comparison to referrals without conduct problems, conduct problem children presented with greater sources of psychosocial adversity, attended fewer initial appointments and were at greater risk of treatment refusal. Importantly, telephone reminder calls significantly increased treatment attendance, though only for participants with elevated conduct problems. Telephone reminder calls, however, had no impact on treatment refusal, regardless of conduct problem status. The findings highlight a straightforward approach for enhancing treatment participation among a group that has been challenging for mental health services.     

中学生适应取向的心理健康结构初探

在文献综述的基础上,建构了适应取向的中学生心理健康的理论模型,并对中学生和中学教师进行开放式问卷调查,再参考同类量表,拟定了中学生心理健康量表的题项。经对1,567名中学生进行测试,结果表明:适应取向的中学生心理健康包含生活幸福、乐于学习、人际和谐、考试镇静、情绪稳定等五个维度,本研究所编制的中学生心理健康量表具有良好的信效度。     

宋儒张载"以易为宗"思想探析

张载是宋代理学的奠基者,也是四大学派之一--关学的开创者.他的成就得到理学家们的肯定,如程颢、程颐将他与孟子、韩愈相比;朱熹于<伊洛渊源录>中,将其与周敦颐、邵雍、二程并列;<近思录>也选录许多张载言论,以为门生弟子进学之助.而后代统治阶层的重视,也可看出他的影响宋理宗封他为郿伯,从祀孔庙.元代赵复立周敦颐祠,以张载与程、朱配食.<宋史道学传>为他立传,颂扬他的德业.他的著作在明、清二代是开科取士的必读书目,并于清初编入御纂<性理大全>和<性理精义>中,可见张载在理学发展上的贡献与地位.     

初中生人格类型划分及人格类型发展特点研究

目的：划分初中生人格类型及考察初中生人格类型的年级与性别特点。方法：本研究使用初中生人格发展自我评定量表对某地区3602名初中生被试施测,使用潜在类别分析对初中生人格类型进行划分,使用无序多分变量的Logistic回归考察初中生人格类型的年级与性别特点。结果：依据人格类型划分的相关理论和潜在类别分析的拟合指数,初中生可划分为低控型,过度控制型和适应型三种人格类型,其中适应型人数占大多数。方差分析结果表明适应型在初中生人格五维度得分均显著高于另两类;过度控制型有低情绪稳定性和低外倾性,同时有中等程度的亲社会性、智能特征和认真自控水平,低控型人格类型在大部分人格维度得分均较低。随年级增长,初中生适应型人数比例有显著下降趋势,过度控制型和低控型比例有所上升。性别差异方面,女生人格类型的适应型人数比例显著高于男生,过度控制型和低控型比例则显著低于男生。结论：依据自我控制和自我适应理论,初中生三种人格类型的划分得到重复验证,人格类型有显著的年级和性别特点。     

初中生自我调节学习发展研究

研究基于自我调节学习理论,以初中生为被试,采用问卷调查的方法,构建了自我调节学习的发展模式,并以此为基础探讨了元认知、认知策略、自我效能感、动机情绪策略和资源管理策略等因素随年级发展变化的规律及作用。结果表明,年级不同其自我调节学习发展模式不同;低年级自我效能感、学习策略对成绩有直接作用,高年级自我效能感对成绩的作用必须以元认知和认知策略为中介,随年级增长元认知的直接作用越明显。     

中职生家长投入与子女学业投入的关系：教养风格的调节作用

中职生的家庭资源是影响其学业发展的重要因素。本研究调查了国内8个省市1185名中职生和高中生,探讨了中职生家长投入的现状特点及其与教养风格、学业投入的关系。结果发现：中职生家长投入水平显著低于高中生家长;家长教养风格（自主支持/控制）调节了家长投入对中职生学业投入的预测作用。在自主支持的教养风格条件下,家长的在家辅导、参与决策能显著预测学生学业投入的水平,而在控制的教养风格条件下则不成立。     

中学生心理求助意愿问卷的编制

目的:编制中学生心理求助意愿问卷。方法:经过初测后再选取260名中学生测试该问卷,并进行信度和效度的检验。结果:全量表的克隆巴赫a一致性系数为0.873(n=235,p<0.01);因素分析结果显示为经过初测后确定的四个因子的总方差贡献率为53.644%,四个因子分别为意愿倾向、评价、效果预期、心理卫生知识。结论:中学生心理求助意愿问卷具有较好的信效度,可以作为测查中学生心理求助态度和意愿的工具使用。