Teacher stress and burnout in Australia: examining the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors

Social Psychology of Education - Concerns regarding high rates of teacher stress and burnout are present globally. Yet there is limited current data regarding the severity of stress, or the role of...     

Retrieval practice can improve classroom review despite low practice test performance

Review is often more effective when it involves deliberate memory retrieval. However, this advantage may depend on a high rate of retrieval success; students who are less capable with the material may be better served by another activity. In our study, year 9 geography students listened to factual information, then reviewed some of it with a retrieval practice and feedback activity, some with a reading activity and left some unreviewed. We also manipulated the presence of hints during review—hints can affect the rate of retrieval success during practice and are relatively easy for teachers to provide. When tested 1 week later, most students showed a benefit of retrieval practice, even those who had performed poorly during review. There was also some evidence that hints improved learning when they made retrieval practice easier. Our findings suggest that retrieval practice, properly implemented, is advantageous for students of all ability levels.     

Reactive and proactive aggression as meaningful distinctions at the variable and person level in primary school‐aged children

Reactive and proactive aggression is a dichotomous classification of aggression in adults and children. This distinction has been supported by a number of variable‐based and factor analytic studies. Due to high inter‐correlations, however, the reactive—proactive aggression distinction may not be entirely useful for understanding how group or individual aggressive behavior varies in children and adolescents. Drawing on a sample of primary school‐aged children (N = 242) aged 7–12 years, this study sought to determine whether reactive and proactive aggression could be distinguished at the variable‐level and the person‐level in children. Exploratory Factor Analysis of data from an aggression instrument measuring both functions and forms of aggression, found a two‐factor construct of aggression constituted by a reactive and proactive aggression factor. A person‐based analysis was then conducted after classifying children according to the presence of reactive and/or proactive aggression. Discriminant function analysis was used to discern whether classifications on the basis of aggression function produced meaningful distinctions in terms of antisocial traits and emotional valence and intensity measures. Two functions were identified which distinguished children with different combinations of reactive and proactive aggression. Reactive‐only aggressive children were defined primarily by high levels of impulsivity, while proactive‐only children were defined primarily by higher levels of antisocial traits. Children high in both types of aggression exhibited both the presence of antisocial traits and impulsivity. Contrary to recent findings, this suggests that differences in aggression functions remain meaningful at the person level in children. Implications for interventions are discussed.