Gratitude,well-being and psychological distress among South African university students

This study investigated the associations between gratitude, measures of well-being, and indicators of psychological distress (depression and negative emotion) among South African university students. Data were collected from 198 first-year university students (female = 69.70%; mean age = 20.55 years, SD = 1.70 years) using measures of gratitude, flourishing, well-being, depression, and negative emotion. The results showed that gratitude is positively associated with measures of well-being, and inversely related to indicators of psychological distress. University-based support programmes should consider gratitude interventions to support student success.     

Student poverty

Abstract

This article presents an exploration of the concept of student poverty from a psychoanalytic perspective. The hypothesis is made that the state of poverty, when applied to students in higher education, is a highly individual matter and relates as much to a construct of the mind as to financial hardship and associated environmental and social privations. Poverty status, it is postulated, is caused by an interplay between the unconscious and the external world of die student. Focus is concentrated on the differences in toleration and the coping strategies of students in the face of financial stringencies. This results in a body of knowledge which might aid counsellors in the task of assisting students to remedy, or appropriately manage, hardships which appear to be germane to student life in contemporary Britain.     

Dependency and perfectionism: Short-term dynamic group psychotherapy for university students

Abstract

This paper is based on the authors' experiences of conducting short-term psychodynamic group therapy with university students. The therapy groups focus on common problems among the members, i.e. perfectionism, procrastination, and fear of graduation. Working on their dependency and on their inadequate separation from parental figures typically helps the students cope more creatively with their academic problems. The paper explores technical questions and possible advantages in working within a short time frame using a group analytic approach.     

Curriculum-Based Measurement

Abstract

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) has evolved as a reliable and valid method for measuring and monitoring student performance in basic academic skills. While the efficacy of CBM for assessing reading skills is not in question, issues remain regarding whether or not a difference exists between CBM probes derived directly from the instructional curriculum and generic probes. The current study extends previous research comparing the utility of two types of CBM reading probe materials. Both types of probes were administered to 13 second grade students twice weekly for 5 weeks. No significant differences were found between the two probe types' measurement of performance or progress over time, which suggests that school psychologists and educational professionals can use generic or curriculum-dependent probes in curriculum-based measurement.     

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ABSTRACT

It is estimated that there have been over 4,000 articles in the literature on the subject of attentional problems, addressing its etiology, epidemiology, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. This article reviews recent and relevant literature with an eye toward functional conclusions and linkages between assessment and intervention. The article concludes by providing a problem-solving model that integrates parent or teachers' referral concerns, reasons for these concerns, assessment methods, and intervention strategies. In the end, four definitive conclusions are drawn, and the importance of multimodal strategies that collaboratively involve home, school, and community settings is emphasized.     

聋校低年级学生班级友伴网络建构及其特点研究— 一项两年的追踪研究

本文采用调查法与社会网络分析法对聋校三年级聋生在班级群体中的友伴网络进行2年的追踪研究,以探索友伴网络的建构及其动态发展特征。结果表明：①三年级初期,聋生在友伴网络的个体中心度与个体的外貌、成绩与年龄等个人特征有显著相关;但随年级升高,这种相关性逐渐消失。②聋生友伴网络中存在一个十分稳定的中心小团体,其团体成员在整个网络中处于中心地位。③聋生在班级群体中的互选朋友关系呈现出中等程度的稳定性。     

Political Participation and Feminist Consciousness Among Women Activists of the 1960s

This paper examined the hypothesis that women who took part in student movements of the 1960s would be distinguishable from their contemporaries in terms of political ideology, political behavior, and feminism in middle age. Women who had been identified as student activists in public records during the late 1960s and early 1970s were compared to a sample of nonactivist peers. Although the two groups scored similarly on variables related to work and family arrangements, former activists scored higher on measures of leftist political orientation and political efficacy, reported greater political salience and collectivism, and reported greater current political participation. Although both groups reported high levels of feminist consciousness and identity, activists scored significantly higher. The difficulty of politically mobilizing women to combat gender discrimination is discussed in light of the discrepancy between consciousness and activism in the comparison group.     

Response preferences of monkeys (Macaca mulatta) within wavelength and line-tilt dimensions

Four rhesus monkeys were tested for preferences within the wavelength and line-tilt dimensions. In the case of wavelength, the response panel was back-illuminated by light of one of the following wavelengths, presented in a random manner: 470, 525, 580, and 635 nm. Similarly, the line-tilt dimension was studied, by presenting a 5 cm by 0.3 cm black bar tilted at 0, 30, 60, or 90 degrees. No preferences were found within this latter dimension; in contrast, marked wavelength preferences existed, the order of preference being 470 (most preferred), 525, 580, and 635 nm (least preferred). These response preferences were resistant to behavioral manipulation; the number of responses to blue and to red in extinction was about equal when red was used as the training stimulus, but vastly different following training on blue. These results indicate that such response preferences must be taken into account in the design of a wide variety of experiments.     

Creative Cognitive Processes in Higher Education

This paper explores whether or not students in higher education settings are using creative cognitive processes, how these processes are related to deep approaches to learning, and in what types of settings and students these processes are most prevalent. Data collected from 8,724 students at 17 institutions participating in the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement suggests that first‐year and senior students employ several different creative cognitive processes in their everyday activities. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest two distinct types of processes: deliberate creative processes and intuitive cognitive processes. Additional analyses indicate significant positive relationships between both types of creative processes and deep approaches to learning, as well as statistically significant differences in the use of creative processes based on gender, enrollment type, and type of institution. Potential reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.     

Psychological career resources identity and life orientation among young emerging adults in a Nigerian setting

This study explored whether young emerging adults’ psychological career resources identity predicted their orientation to life. The participants were a random sample of 400 predominantly full-time undergraduate students from four tertiary institutions in Nigeria (47% = female; age range 18 to 30 years). They completed psychological career resources and life orientation measures. The data were analysed by performing multiple regression analysis to explore whether psychological career resources accounted for the variance in life orientation. Overall, the results showed that those participants with well-differentiated career preferences and strong career drivers (sense of career calling, career goals and career intentionality) were likely to have a stronger sense of coherence. Developing a strong psychological career resources identity may potentially assist the young adult in developing a positive orientation to their life-career in developing country employment settings.