Emotional self-efficacy,conduct problems,and academic attainment: Developmental cascade effects in early adolescence

The study is amongst the first of its kind to utilise developmental cascade modelling in order to examine the inter-relations between emotional self-efficacy, conduct problems, and attainment in a large, nationally representative sample of English adolescents (n = 2414, aged 11 years). Using a 3-wave, longitudinal, cross lagged-design, we tested three cascading hypotheses: adjustment erosion, adjustment fortification, and academic incompetence. A fourth hypothesis considered the role of shared risk. Results supported small effects consistent with the cascade hypotheses, and a small but significant effect was found for shared risk. Strengths and limits of the study are considered alongside a discussion of the implications for these findings.     

Temperament and Social-Emotional Difficulties: The Dark Side of Learning Disabilities

The authors compared the relations between general psychological difficulties and dimensions of temperament in children with and without learning disability (LD). The main aim was to analyze whether and to what extent children's temperament dimensions contribute to their general psychological difficulties when LD diagnosis, age, and gender are taken into account. Participants were 52 elementary school children 7–11 years old (M age = 8.61 years, SD = 1.21 years). Twenty-six of them had been diagnosed with LD. Six teachers rated their pupils with and without LD in relation to their general psychological difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and temperament dimensions (Italian Questionnaires of Temperament). In children with LD, the main dimensions of temperament with the power to predict general psychological difficulties (i.e., emotionality and social orientation) concern these students' relationships with others (teachers and peers). The findings of the current study draw educators' and practitioners' attention to the fact that children's temperamental characteristics may affect how they experience their LD, with significant implications for their later social adjustment.     

Relations of positive and negative expressivity and effortful control to kindergarteners’ student–teacher relationship,academic engagement,and externalizing problems at school

The current study examined the role of naturally-occurring negative and positive emotion expressivity in kindergarten and children’s effortful control (EC) on their relationships with teachers, academic engagement, and problems behaviors in school. Further, the potential moderating role of EC on these important school outcomes was assessed. Emotion and engagement were observed at school. EC was assessed by multiple methods. Teachers reported on their student–teacher relationships and students’ externalizing behaviors. Children’s emotion expressivity and EC were related to engagement and relationships with teachers as well as behavioral problems at school. Children low in EC may be particularly vulnerable to the poor outcomes associated with relatively intense emotion expressivity as they struggle to manage their emotions and behaviors in the classroom.     

Black Mountain College: A Creative Art Space Where It Was Safe to Fail

Black Mountain College is remembered as an artistic utopian alternative to institutional learning. Its faculty and students included some of the most important creative thinkers of the 20th century. Its foundation was built on the philosophy of “learning by doing.” But what made Black Mountain such a dynamic educational environment? Today, the financial burden of higher education places a lasting strain on students that inhibits creative growth. Does the educational structure of the college system impede our learning? Black Mountain was a legendary educational experiment, which offers a model for contemporary art education.     

Impact of induced joy on literacy in children: does the nature of the task make a difference?

This research examined whether induced joy influences fifth graders’ performance in literacy tasks. Children were asked to recall a joyful experience, used as a joy induction, before completing either a grammar (Study 1) or textual comprehension task (Study 2). The grammar task involved understanding at the surface level and retrieval of appropriate declarative and procedural knowledge, but limited elaboration unlike the textual comprehension task, which tackled inference generation. By differentiating tasks based on depth of processing required for completion we aimed at testing the validity of two concurrent hypotheses: that of a facilitating effect and that of a detrimental effect of induced joy. Compared to controls, joy induced children showed better performance on the grammar task – specifically children with lower language ability. No differences across groups emerged as a function of joy induction on the text comprehension task. Results are discussed with respect to emotion effects on cognition.     

Does Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Reduce Maternal Stress,Anxiety, and Depression Among Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Maternal stress, anxiety, and depression are associated with ineffective parenting strategies for families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We present the use of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) with three mother-child dyads to reduce maternal stress, anxiety, and depression and child disruptive behavior in children with ASD. Results included increases in positive parenting skills, and decreases in maternal anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as child behavior problems. PCIT is a promising alternative to more intensive and costly interventions, both at reducing disruptive behaviors and improving maternal health. Implications of PCIT for dyads affected by ASD are discussed.     

Psychopathology and behavior problems in children and adolescents with Williams syndrome: Distinctive relationships with cognition

Several studies have documented the high prevalence of psychopathology and behavior problems in Williams syndrome (WS). However, the links between cognitive development and such symptoms need further clarification. Our study aims to expand current knowledge on levels of behavior problems and its links to cognition in a sample of Brazilian individuals with WS. A total of 25 children and adolescents with WS and their parents participated in this study. The participants’ IQs were assessed with the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (for children or adults) and parental reports of psychopathology/behavior problems were collected using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The presence of clinically significant attention problems was a main feature in our sample of children and adolescents with WS. In the children, higher IQ scores were found to be significantly associated with less externalizing problems, while in the adolescents cognitive abilities were found to be associated with less internalizing symptoms. These results provide further insight into the links between psychopathology and behavior problems and cognitive abilities in WS, and suggest the need to take age into consideration when analyzing such relationships.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

父母婚姻质量与青少年外化问题的关系:教养方式的中介作用

本研究采用婚姻调适问卷、教养方式问卷及儿童行为量表对全国四大地理区域9个城市的2396名青少年及其父母进行测查。婚姻质量由青少年的父母自评,父母的教养方式由青少年报告,青少年的外化问题由父母分别报告,考察了父母婚姻质量与青少年外化问题之间的关系,以及教养方式在其中的中介作用。采用包含潜变量的结构方程模型和Bootstrap中介效应检验进行分析,研究发现：（1）父母婚姻质量与积极教养呈显著正相关,与严厉教养呈显著负相关。父母的婚姻质量、积极教养及严厉教养与青少年的外化问题之间呈现跨轮的显著相关。（2）父母婚姻质量能直接正向预测青少年外化问题,教养方式在父母婚姻质量和青少年外化问题中起到部分中介作用。     

亲子关系与青少年心理资本的关系:友谊质量的中介效应与学校联结的调节效应

该研究探讨了亲子关系与青少年心理资本的关系,并提出一个有调节的中介模型,考察友谊质量的中介效应和学校联结对该效应的调节效应。研究采用问卷调查的方式,对732名青少年进行了研究,研究工具包括亲子关系量表、心理资本量表、友谊质量量表、学校联结量表。结果表明：（1）友谊质量在亲子关系与青少年心理资本之间起中介作用,即亲子关系通过友谊质量间接影响青少年的心理资本。（2）亲子关系通过友谊质量对青少年的心理资本的间接效应受学校联结的调节,且这种间接效应在低学校联结的青少年中更显著。本研究验证了家庭系统、同伴系统和学校系统对个人系统（心理资本）的联合作用,对青少年心理资本的提高有一定的指导意义。