Educational risk factors for psychological truancy in Lesotho: a qualitative exploration

A qualitative case study design was used to explore educational risk factors that may contribute to psychological truancy in a Lesotho secondary school. Purposively sampled teachers (n = 4, females = 50%) and pupils (n = 4, females = 75%), who have experience of psychological truancy, took part in a focus group and individual interviews. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse data emanating from the interviews. The findings indicate that pupil–teacher relationships, the use of English as medium of instruction and a lack of resources may be educational risk factors contributing to psychological truancy. Positive pupil–teacher relationships and active classroom engagement are prerequisites for successful and active learning.     

BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT FOR SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION FOR COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

This study reports two experiments designed to further our understanding of the effects of systematic desensitization (SD) training on college students. Experiment 1 demonstrates that students who participate in SD report significantly higher self-esteem after doing so. Experiment 2 provides behavioral support for SD. Using Mulac and Sherman's BASA scale, it was discovered that students who successfully completed the SD program exhibited more verbal fluency and less rigidity in their speeches than did those students who were originally as anxious but did not join the program. Also included was the measurement of a student's predisposition towards verbal behavior. Mortensen, Arntson, and Lustig's scale was used to measure this predisposition. The results showed, however, that students in SD did not differ significantly from those who chose not to join SD.     

The Impact of Conflict Issues on Fixed-Pie Perceptions, Problem Solving, and Integrative Outcomes in Negotiation

It is argued that a negotiator's fixed-pie perception, cooperative motivation, problem-solving behavior, and integrative outcomes are influenced by the content of the negotiation—the conflict issue. Negotiation involves conflicting interests, conflicting ideas about intellective problems, or conflicting ideas about evaluative problems. Study 1 showed that individuals in a negotiation about interests have a stronger fixed-pie perception and have a lower cooperative motivation than individuals in an evaluative negotiation, with intellective negotiations taking an intermediate position. Study 2 showed that individuals in a negotiation about interests made more trade-offs and reached higher joint outcomes than individuals in an intellective or evaluative negotiation. Study 3 replicated this finding in a field study. The studies bridge insights from negotiation research and decision-making research and show that the conflict issue has important effects on the negotiation process.