The Koala Fear Questionnaire: a standardized self-report scale for assessing fears and fearfulness in pre-school and primary school children

The Koala Fear Questionnaire (KFQ) is a standardized self-report scale for assessing fears and fearfulness in children aged between 4 and 12 years. The current article presents six studies which examined the reliability and validity of the KFQ. Study 1 (N=108) demonstrated that the visual fear scales of Koala bears as employed in the KFQ are highly comparable to the standard 3-point scales that are used in other childhood fear measures. Study 2 (N=163) provided support for the convergent validity of the KFQ in a sample of 8- to 14-year-old children. That is, the scale correlated substantially with alternative measures of childhood fear and anxiety. Study 3 (N=189) showed that the KFQ possesses good internal consistency and test-retest stability in a group of 8- to 11-year-old children. The results of Studies 4 (N=129) and 5 (N=176) indicated that the KFQ is suitable for children aged 4 to 6 years and demonstrated that the psychometric properties of the scale in younger children are highly similar to those obtained in older children. Study 6 (N=926) showed that the factor structure of the KFQ was theoretically meaningful: although the data clearly pointed in the direction of one factor of general fearfulness, spurs of the commonly found five-factor solution of childhood fear were found in the KFQ. Altogether, the KFQ seems to be a valuable addition to the instrumentarium of clinicians and researchers who are working with fearful and anxious children.     

Effects of teacher-directed versus student-directed instruction on self-management of young children with disabilities

In this study, students worked independently by setting goals, selecting assignments, and recording and evaluating their results after receiving one of two different types of self-management training. During teacher-directed training, the teacher set goals, assigned work, and recorded and evaluated results for students. During student-directed training, students performed those tasks themselves. The results indicated that students engaged in the self-management behaviors more frequently during independent work following student-directed instruction than following teacher-directed instruction.     

Conceptualizing and assessing heterosexism in high schools: a setting-level approach

Heterosexism is defined as a setting-level process that systematically privileges heterosexuality relative to homosexuality, based on the assumption that heterosexuality, as well as heterosexual power and privilege are the norm and the ideal. The many ways heterosexism is manifest in the physical–architectural, program–policy, suprapersonal, and social features of high schools are described followed by a proposal for a comprehensive assessment strategy. Strategies used in previous research are reviewed in terms of what is assessed, how it is assessed, and how it is analyzed. The author advocates for more comprehensive assessments and for school-level analyses to enable comparisons between schools, facilitate research on the effects of heterosexism, and provide a basis for evaluating interventions. Additional issues include reliability and validity, links between heterosexism and other forms of oppression, heterosexism in other contexts or at other levels, and implications for theory and practice in community psychology.     

Teachers' screening for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: comparing multinational samples on teacher ratings of ADHD

This study evaluates a measurement model for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The DSM-IV divides 18 symptoms into two groups, inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive. Elementary school teachers rated 21,161 children in 4 locations: Spain, Germany, urban US, and suburban US. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the 2-factor model (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity) shows the best fit. A third factor, impulsivity, was too slight to stand-alone. Children with academic performance problems were distinguished by inattention, but children with behavior problems typically had elevations in inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Between-site differences were statistically significant, but so small that we conclude that same measurement model fits all 4 samples in 2 continents.     

中小学生对父母管教信息的认知、情绪与行为反应倾向

运用情境模拟的方法,对中小学生对父母管教信息的认知、情绪与行为反应倾向进行了研究。被试是616名中小学生。结果表明：(1)小学中年级以上学生对家长管教信息的情绪有较准确的认知;(2)不同管教信息的教育效能有优劣之分：诱导教诲最能引起被试的正面反应,其次是困扰担忧,伤心失望能引起部分学生的顺从反应,愤怒批评易引起子女的消极情绪和对抗行为。(3)父亲发出的管教信息比母亲更具权威性,更易引起子女积极的情绪体验与行为倾向。(4)学生对家长管教信息的反应具有明显的年龄和性别差异,小学生比中学生更易接受、顺从家长管教,女生比男生易产生更多的积极情绪与服从行为。(5)被试的认知评价与其情绪反应、行为倾向有较高的一致性。学生对父母管教信息的情绪体验和行为反应很大程度上取决于对管教信息的认知。如果学生的认知较为积极,更易引起积极的情绪体验和行为倾向。     

论易学"涪陵学派"的形成、特点与深远影响

形成于两宋交替时代而极盛于南宋的易学"涪陵学派",具有悠久的理学传统、庞大的学术队伍、强烈的爱国感情以及浓厚的地域特色等特点.该学派对我国封建社会后期"程朱理学"的形成起到了承传的作用,对四川特别是涪陵的文化与教育有着极其深远的影响.     

小学儿童空间物体位置编码（Ⅰ）

采用找物范式研究小学7、9、11岁儿童利用点与点之间的关系对目标物位置进行编码的认知发展。结果表明：两点距离编码和三点共线编码认知成绩的年龄效应显著,9岁组和11岁组儿童的认知成绩显著好于7岁组儿童的认知成绩。两个不同实验任务对儿童认知成绩的影响不同,7岁组儿童两点距离编码认知成绩显著好于三点共线编码认知成绩,9岁组和11岁组两个任务的认知成绩差异不显著。提供编码线索后,认知成绩有了较大的改善。     

Adolescent Substance Use: Preliminary Examinations of School and Neighborhood Context

In considering the influences of microsystems on adolescent substance use, familial and peer contexts have received the most extensive attention in the research literature. School and neighborhood settings, however, are other developmental contexts that may exert specific influences on adolescent substance use. In many instances, school settings are organized to provide educational services to students who share similar educational abilities and behavioral repertoires. The resulting segregation of students into these settings may result in different school norms for substance use. Similarly, neighborhood resources, including models for substance use and drug sales involvement, may play an important role in adolescent substance use. We briefly review literature examining contextual influences on adolescent substance use, and present results from two preliminary studies examining the contribution of school and neighborhood context to adolescent substance use. In the first investigation, we examine the impact of familial, peer, and school contexts on adolescent substance use. Respondents were 283 students (ages 13 to 18) from regular and special education classrooms in six schools. Although peer and parental contexts were important predictors of substance use, school norms for drug use accounted for variance in adolescent use beyond that explained by peer and parental norms. Data from a second study of 114 adolescents (mean age = 15) examines neighborhood contributions to adolescent substance use. In this sample, neighborhood indices did not contribute to our understanding of adolescent substance use. Implications for prevention are presented.     

An Ecological View of School Counselor Ratios and Student Academic Outcomes: A National Investigation

The effect of student‐to‐school‐counselor ratios on academic outcomes has been widely studied, yet few researchers have taken a multilevel approach. Using the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study: 2009 dataset, the authors found ratios were significantly associated with student grade point average (GPA) and graduation. Attending a Title I school also was associated with students’ GPA, advanced placement/international baccalaureate credits earned, and postsecondary course taking. The authors discuss implications for advocacy and practice, contextualizing their findings within an ecological framework.     

Perfectionism and School Counselors: Differences in Stress,Coping, and Burnout

The authors examined perfectionism and its association with perceived stress, coping processes, and burnout in a sample of 298 practicing school counselors. Latent profile analysis based on measures of perfectionism supported a 3‐class model made up of adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionists. Among these groups, the authors found significant differences in perceived stress, coping processes, and burnout. Implications for the school counseling profession are discussed.