Peer Influence in Elementary School: The Importance of Assessing the Likeability of Popular Children

Abstract

We examined the degree to which children perceive influence behaviors and influence over social norms from different types of high-status children to vary in a sample of 453 3^rd through 5^th grade children. Using a cluster analysis of peer-nominated popularity and likeability measures, we identified a seven-cluster solution, including three high-status clusters: Well-Liked, Popular, and Popular/Well-Liked. Popular children were perceived as using ridicule and having influence over misbehavior. Popular/Well-Liked children were perceived as using playful teasing and modeling and influencing over trend-setting and sports norms, at a degree similar to Popular children. However, Popular/Well-Liked children were not perceived as using ridicule or influencing over misbehavior; rather, they scored higher than all other status groups for prosocial assertion and academic motivation. Well-Liked children were perceived as using prosocial assertion and influencing over academic motivation at a higher degree than Average children but at a lower degree than Popular or Popular/Well-Liked children. Although the influence associated with likeability alone appeared relatively limited, likeability in conjunction with popularity seems to make a difference regarding influence behaviors and norms. A person-centered approach that takes into account multiple facets of social status is likely to enhance understanding of high-status children’s influence on their same-age peers.     

Deviant Peer Affiliation and Bullying Perpetration in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement and the Moderating Role of Moral Identity

Abstract

Based on the integration of the group socialization theory and the individual–context interaction model, we examined whether moral disengagement mediated the association between deviant peer affiliation and bullying perpetration and whether this mediation model was moderated by moral identity. A total of 438 adolescents participated in the current study. They completed measures regarding deviant peer affiliation, bullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and moral identity. Deviant peer affiliation positively predicted adolescents’ bullying perpetration at six months later and this relationship was partially mediated by moral disengagement. Moral identity did not moderate the direct relationship between deviant peer affiliation and adolescents’ bullying perpetration. Moral identity moderated the relationship between moral disengagement and adolescents’ bullying perpetration and in turn moderated the indirect relationship between deviant peer affiliation and bullying perpetration. Specifically, the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying perpetration and the indirect relationship between deviant peer affiliation and bullying perpetration via moral disengagement both became nonsignificant for adolescents with high moral identity.     

Caregivers can implement play-based instruction without disrupting child preference

Young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder often require systematic teaching to learn new skills, and caregivers can teach their children by embedding learning opportunities in a play-based context. However, researchers have not evaluated procedures to train caregivers how to implement a combination of strategies designed to establish rapport and early language skills while maintaining play as a preferred context. Caregiver–child dyads composed of 2 mothers and their sons were recruited to participate. A multiple-probe design across strategies was used to demonstrate the efficacy of behavioral skills training on the mothers' integration of parallel play, child-directed interaction, teaching requests (mands), and teaching labels (tacts). Both children acquired the target requests and labels as a function of their mothers' teaching. By assessing the children's preferences, we confirmed the teaching strategies did not decrease toy engagement or the value of playing with their mother. We obtained stimulus generalization of the mothers' implementation of the strategies from a clinic to their home and maintenance of mother and child performance across a month.     

Peer victimization through a trauma lens: Identifying who is at risk for negative outcomes

Peer victimization is a chronic stressor that occurs within the context of peer interactions and has been robustly associated with numerous negative psychological and social adjustment problems. Although increased frequency of peer victimization has been linked to psychosocial problems, few researchers have studied the role of duration and pervasiveness of victimization (i.e., number of places it occurs). The objective of this study was to examine how frequency, duration, and pervasiveness of peer victimization are associated with youth adjustment. Canadian adolescents (N = 879), ages 12–18 completed an online survey about experiences with peer victimization. Youth also answered questions about internalizing problems, distress, relationship quality with family, friends, and adults in their school and community, as well as academic functioning. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression modeling. Both duration and pervasiveness of peer victimization were predictive of increased internalizing problems, distress, relationship problems, and academic difficulties. Duration and pervasiveness of peer victimization were identified as important factors to consider when predicting youth psychosocial adjustment. By asking questions about these situational factors, parents, teachers, and healthcare providers may more effectively identify youth who are at risk for experiencing mental health problems associated with peer victimization.     

Risk-Taking by Young People in Late Adolescence Increases When They Perceive the Possibility of Their Peer “Observing Someday”

This experimental study on risk-taking by young people in their late adolescence was carried out from the perspective of peer effect. A gambling task was administered to 42 young people under the following experiment conditions: with or without the possibility that the experiment results would be disclosed at some time to their peers and information about their peers being more or less risk-oriented. The results showed that when it was suggested that the experiment results would be disclosed in some time and when the peer was perceived as more risk-oriented, there was a peer effect. However, when the peer was perceived as less risk-oriented, no peer effect occurred. The findings of this study confirmed that, while there is some room for further testing, when it was suggested that the experiment result might be disclosed to the peer, even under a condition in which only a single participant was involved, there was a peer effect, unlike in previous studies.     

教师教学效能感：结构与影响因素的研究

为研究区分教师教学效果的一个重要变量──教学效能感,采用教师教学效能量表对３８２名中学教师及其相应的在校大学生进行了测查．因素分析结果表明,教师数学效能感可以分为一般教育效能感和个人教学效能感两个方面,这与班杜拉的自我效能理论和Ａｓｈｔｏｎ的教师教学效能感模型相一致．通过对可能影响教师数学效能感因素的考察发现,教龄因素对教师一般教育效能感和个人教学效能感有不同的影响,随教龄的增加,教师的一般教育效能感呈下降趋势,而个人教学效能感表现出上升的倾向．特别是,在校大学生与已从事教育工作的教师,在教学效能感的两个维度上存在着显著的差异;性别和学历因素对教师教学效能感不存在显著的影响．     

自尊在四川地震孤儿的同伴关系和心理健康之间的调节作用

本研究基于心理弹性来考察汶川地震孤儿群体的自尊在其同伴关系和心理健康之间的调节作用。方法：采用自尊量表（SES）、同伴提名问卷及中国心理健康量表（CMHI）对401名五年级到初二的地震孤儿和对照组儿童进行自尊水平、同伴关系及其心理健康状况调查,使用结构方程模型来探查自尊在同伴关系和心理健康之间的调节作用。结果：自尊量表总评分对照组显著高于四川儿童;震后孤儿组在同伴接受方面程度最高;对照组的心理健康总评分和四川儿童没有显著差异;震后孤儿更多的投注于同伴接受,通过影响自我否定来间接影响心理健康;灾区非孤儿通过自我肯定的中介,调节了同伴拒绝对心理健康的影响。 结论：自尊在四川地震儿童的同伴关系和心理健康之间起着重要的调节作用,体现了自我修复的力量     

不同的拼音教学方式对幼儿拼音水平及汉语语音意识发展的影响

本研究用纵向实验的方法考察了分享阅读(故事教学)和传统教学(字母教学)两种拼音教学方式对幼儿园中班儿童的拼音水平和汉语语音意识发展的影响。研究结果表明:(1)相对于无拼音教学组,两种形式的拼音教学均可以显著提高幼儿的字母知识,但分享阅读拼音教学对幼儿字母知识的促进作用更大。(2)分享阅读的拼音教学可以显著提高幼儿的拼读能力,而传统教学对幼儿的拼读能力基本没有促进。(3)分享阅读的拼音教学对幼儿的首音、韵脚和声调意识的发展有显著的促进作用,对幼儿自然发展起来的音节意识的影响很小;传统教学对幼儿的语音意识基本没有促进。     

师范毕业生师范素质的调查与研究

采用自编问卷对师范毕业生的师范素质进行了调查,结果显示,测量总体在性别方面的方差分析结果无差异显著性。各系毕业生与中小学教师在教育机智、学业诊断、学生管理、教学策略以及总均分上,方差分析结果均呈显著性差异,表明师范毕业生的师范素质训练不容乐观。     

Teaching and Learning Logic in a Virtual Learning Environment

Teaching and learning in a virtual learning environment (VLE)poses some difficulties, but also challenges and opportunitiesto rethink the whole learning process, particularly in abstractsubjects like logic or high level mathematics. On the otherhand, resources and ways to work, now available in VLEs, mightsoon extend to all kinds of environments. In this paper, wewill present experiences at the Open University of Catalonia(UOC), a particular VLE, concerning the whole process of teachinglogic and mathematics. In addition, we will discuss some challengesand we will present some innovation projects allowed by thepresent and near future technologies.