The Relationships Among Generativity,Values, Individual Differences,and Commitment to an Ideal Vision

Kaufman ( 2006a , 2011 ) defines Ideal Visions as measurable statements of the kind of world an organization, as well as its associates and external stakeholders, commits to help create for the future. This study investigated the relationships among several research‐supported variables regarding personality aspects and individual characteristics with indicators of individuals’ motivation to achieve goals aimed at adding value to external clients and society. Indicators of generative beliefs, values, individual differences, and commitment to an Ideal Vision were examined in this study. Generativity (the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation), membership and activity in a formal civic organization, and gender, each demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with commitment to an Ideal Vision. In addition, various values were ranked differentially by those with relatively high versus low commitment to an Ideal Vision. A discussion of how these variables warrant the ongoing investigation into these variables is provided.     

Creating a compelling ideal vision

Mega Planning uses Kaufman's Minimum Ideal Vision as its starting point. In a world attempting to plan its way out of multiple disasters and reach a better future, it is critically important to promote Mega Planning to the widest audience. Extending the Ideal Vision and adding new measures of social progress will make the Vision more compelling. Suggestions are compared with the report of Sarkozy's Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress.     

Motivational Profile and Academic Achievement Among Students Enrolled in Different Schooling Tracks

From the contextual perspective, researchers argue that the relevance and weight of motivational variables of students' functioning vary depending on different dimensions related to individual, cultural or situational characteristics. The first objective of this study examined this contention by comparing self-perceptions of competence, learning goals and judgments of usefulness of school subjects as motivational determinants of high school students' commitment and achievement according to their assignment to their learning abilities. The second objective was to compare how these variables related to academic commitment and achievement according to the type of student and two school subjects. Two-hundred-and-twenty-six high school students from a same school participated sixty-one were learning disabled students, 60 were high achievers and 105 were average students. Findings suggest that the relevance of the motivational variables did not vary much across either the type of student or the school subjects. They also support Bandura's view about the primary role of self-perceptions of competence in students' academic commitment and achievement.     

S(he) loves me,s(he) loves me not: Predictors of relational information‐seeking in courtship and beyond

This study extends Baxter and Wilmot's (1984) work on the secret tests couples use to acquire information about the state of their relationships. No gender differences were found in levels of testing or in the use of specific tests in our sample of 226 romantically‐involved individuals, who reported on 1025 instances of testing. The effects of commitment, perceptions of partner's commitment, courtship progress, and jealousy on testing were also examined. Overall amount of testing was inversely correlated with courtship progress, suggesting that such tests characterize the earliest stages of courtship, and positively correlated with jealousy. In addition, females who perceived that their partners were less committed to their relationships were slightly more likely to engage in relational information‐seeking. Reliance upon specific tests was associated with several of the relationship measures. For instance, Endurance tests were best predicted by perceptions of high partner commitment; Separation tests were used when commitment by self and partner was low, when the relationship had not advanced much, and when the information‐seeker was jealous; and use of Triangle tests was associated with jealousy. Several significant contingencies were found among dimensions of the testing situation. The type of test used was associated with what respondents learned about their partners' commitment, with the probability of engaging in state‐of‐the relationship talks, and with the deliberate versus accidental nature of the testing episode. It was also found that deliberate tests were more likely than accidental ones to lead to feelings that the future course of the relationship was predictable and to open communication about the relationship. Finally, tentative support was found for a confirmatory bias in testing in which testers set themselves up to learn that their partners value the relationship.     

Science content as an important consideration in science education research

Science education researchers have, with few exceptions, not used the conceptual content of science as an important variable in their research. Writings of two groups-philosophers of science, “are concerned with the influence of the conceptual knowledge shared by an intellectual community on the activities of that community and the psychologists are concerned with the influence of the conceptual knowledge held by an individual on that individual's behavior”, science, are concerned with the influence of the conceptual knowledge shared by an intellectual community on the activities of that community and the psychologists are concerned with the influence of the conceptual knowledge held by an individual on that individual's behavior. Suggestions are offered as to what kinds of science education research could be done in which the conceptual content of science is important.     

Defining and Assessing Spiritual Health: A Comparative Study Among 13- to 15-Year-Old Pupils Attending Secular Schools,Anglican Schools,and Private Christian Schools in England and Wales

This article argues that the nation's commitment to young people involves proper concern for their physical health, their psychological health, and their spiritual health. In this context the notion of spiritual health is clarified by a critique of John Fisher's model of spiritual health. Fisher developed a relational model of spiritual health, which defines good spiritual health in terms of an individual's relationship to four domains: the personal, the communal, the environmental, and the transcendental. In the present analysis, we make comparisons between pupils educated in three types of schools: publicly funded schools without religious foundation, publicly funded schools with an Anglican foundation, and new independent Christian schools (not publicly funded). Our findings draw attention to significant differences in the levels of spiritual health experienced by pupils within these three types of schools.     

The impact of past dating relationship solidarity on commitment,satisfaction, and investment in current relationships

The purpose of this study was to determine how previous romantic relationships impact subsequent romantic relationships. Specifically, this study examined if past relationship solidarity is related to current relationship commitment, satisfaction, and investment among individuals in dating relationships. Participants were 204 undergraduates at an Eastern university who were currently in a dating relationship. Results indicated that past relationship solidarity is significantly and negatively related to current relationship commitment and satisfaction, but not significantly related to current investment. Several moderating variables were also examined, including the nature and attribution of individuals' breakups, the length of past and current relationships, and participant sex. Results revealed that the nature and style of past breakups were particularly salient moderating variables, such that past solidarity was related to future relationship commitment and satisfaction only when breakups were mutual and somewhat ambiguous. Furthermore, these relationships were significant only for women and not men.     

Principal's Leadership as a Critical Factor for School Performance: Evidence from Multi‐Levels of Primary Schools 1

This study aims to investigate how principal's leadership is related to school performance in terms of multi‐level indicators such as school's organizational characteristics, teachers’ group‐level and individual‐level performances, and students’ performances. In the study, strong leadership represents that a principal can be supportive and foster participation for teachers, can develop clear goals and policies and hold people accountable for results, can be persuasive at building alliances and solving conflicts, can be inspirational and charismatic, and can encourage professional development and teaching improvement. The strong leadership is found associated with high organizational effectiveness, strong organizational culture, positive principal‐teachers relationship, more participation in decision, high teacher esprit and professionalism, less teacher disengagement and hindrance, more teacher job satisfaction and commitment, and more positive student performance particularly on attitudes to their schools and learning. The findings support that principal's leadership is a critical factor for school performance at multi‐levels. Implications are advanced for further study and development of leadership.

     

The link between the emotional consequences of child sexual abuse and school experiences

The present paper presents findings drawn from a qualitative study that investigated the impact of childhood sexual abuse on school functioning among young adult survivors in South Africa. Data were obtained by means of in‐depth individual interviews with 22 young adults. Analysing the interviews following procedures aligned to a grounded theory approach, the findings revealed the link between the emotional consequences of the experience and the individual's school performance. To provide a detailed explanation of the victims' responses, the discussion includes the multifaceted factors that trigger emotions and their interactions.     

A multilevel analysis of student perceptions of school climate: The effect of social and academic risk factors

This multilevel study examines the extent to which individual‐ and school‐level variables are predictive of three aspects of students' perceived school climate (order, safety, and discipline; fairness and clarity of school rules; and teacher‐student relationship) by using a nationally representative sample. A wide range of social and academic risk factors at the individual level are examined. The results show that individual‐level predictors, such as having behavior problems at school, being held back a grade, coming from a single‐parent family, parents' education level, gender, and ethnicity (e.g., Hispanic and Asian), play a significant role in student perceptions of school climate. The results suggest that these relationships between the individual‐level predictors and students' perceived school climate are fairly robust across schools. School‐level variables, such as attending a private or a Catholic school, are also significant predictors of students' perceived climate. Furthermore, the study reveals significant interaction effects among the predictors and provides more accurate interpretations of the findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

STUDY BY VIDEO: LEARNING MADE EASIER

Video recorders, microcomputers and viewdata systems each have a unique contribution to make to education and training. In combining these three developments, however, the possibility emerges of using video as the basis of an integrated study medium. Such a medium could interpose videotext with videoprogram, provide explanation or ask questions, enable adaptive structuring and present knowledge in many different ways. In particular, it could provide the opportunity for interaction during each individual's study encounter. This paper expands on these possibilities and illustrates their relationship using a media paradigm constructed from the dimensions of image change‐rate and response‐demand.     

AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE SELF‐RESPONSIBILITY FOR WELLNESS IN OLDER ADULTS

Literature relating to the well‐being of older adults was reviewed to identify indicators relevant to the construct of self‐responsibility for wellness. The wellness model proposed by Travis (1981) has produced a variety of concepts which can be useful in improving the quality of life for older adults. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument which would assess an individual's self‐responsibility for wellness. A 47‐item instrument developed for this purpose was evaluated by experts in gerontology and psychology. After revision and reevaluation it was field‐tested on a sample of 180 older adults (60 years of age and over). In order to take preliminary steps in establishing the validity and reliability of this instrument, the data were evaluated and an item analysis conducted to identify poor items. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was also computed (α = .90). A test‐retest correlation coefficient was computed, and an analysis of variance was performed to test for the relationship between self‐responsibility for wellness and demographic variables obtained during the field test.

The field testing of the instrument served as an educational needs assessment study. Evidence has been provided that there is a significant need for education programs which can provide training in the wellness skills as assessed by the instrument.     

The Development and Inter‐relationship of Metacognitive Components among Primary School Children

Much interest has been expressed in the construct metacognition, the individual's knowledge and control of his own cognitive processes. Recent educational proposals have suggested the training of general metacognitive principles in schools. The exact nature of the construct has, however, remained vague. The aim of the present study was to provide some clarity. In a study of the metacognitive responses of 144 primary school children (aged 7‐11 years) four measures commonly used to assess metacognitive function were examined. First, the content of each measure was examined. Secondly, in an attempt to identify a metacognitive factor, commonality among the measures, both of developmental patterns and statistical relationship, was sought. Whilst a common pattern of development in the children's responses to the four measures was identified, factor analysis failed to provide evidence for a common metacognitive factor and unified construct.     

Teacher power and children's loneliness: Moderating effects of teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships

Teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships are important predictors of children's loneliness. However, few studies have examined the potential and adverse relationship between teacher power and children's loneliness. Thus, we explicitly explored whether teacher power is related to children's loneliness and examined the potential moderating roles of interpersonal relationships (i.e., teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships) in 888 Chinese children. Moreover, this study measured teacher power with children's figure drawings. The results showed that teacher power was significantly and positively related to children's loneliness, and both teacher‐child relationships and peer relationships moderated the link between the two variables. Specifically, the adverse correlation between teacher power and children's loneliness was not significant among children with high‐quality teacher‐child relationships. Similarly, the negative effect of teacher power on children's loneliness was not found among children with a high level of peer relationships. Therefore, our results confirmed that the adverse relationship between teacher power and children's loneliness, and the protective roles of high quality of teacher‐child relationships and high levels of peer relationships in this relationship. Potential implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Habitus and intraclass differentiation: nonuniversity‐bound students in Japan

This paper explores the mechanisms guiding differentiation among nonuniversity‐bound high schoolers from disadvantaged families in their job decision making and acquisition. Examining microlevel schooling processes over one year, it is argued that one differentiation mechanism is the individual's varying perceptions and consequent uses of school‐based resources that, in principle, are available to all within the school but, in reality, are not fully utilized by all. The paper then seeks to explain the mechanisms whereby these variations emerge and draw upon habitus as an analytical tool. It suggests that variations result from an interaction of individual habitus (within the “collective” habitus of nonuniversity‐bound students) and available resources (family‐based and school‐based) and that the ways in which these resources are presented to individual students are influential. School and family can in fact “intervene” in the student's perception and activation of the resources. The highly structured practice of job referral in Japan, where each school provides students with job opportunities, illuminates variability in students’ uses of school‐based resources.     

Student dropout in distance education: An application of Tinto's model

The primary purpose of this study was to validate Tinto's theoretical model of student dropout in a distance education programme enrolling adult students. The variables used in adapting the model to the distance education situation were consistent with accepted definitions of the essential elements in Tinto's model: student background characteristics, academic and social integration, goal satisfaction, institutional commitment, and the criterion, student dropout. The study surveyed 356 students enrolled in university‐level courses at The Open Learning Institute (OLI) located in Richmond, British Columbia. Discriminant and path analyses were the basic statistical procedures used to assess the predictive validity of the model and determine the pattern of association among model variables. Previous validation studies of Tinto's model suggested social integration factors would have little effect on dropout behaviour among non‐traditional student groups. However, in the present study, direct telephone contact between faculty and students significantly influenced student commitment and persistence. Overall, the Tinto model appears to be a useful framework within which to investigate the process of student attrition‐persistence in a distance education institution.     

Teacher Morale: an individual perspective

Drawing on qualitative research evidence, this article offers an interpretation of morale which focuses on individual needs fulfilment. Three conceptual areas are discussed: morale as a group or an individual phenomenon; the dimensionality of morale; and the relationship between morale and satisfaction. It is suggested that work on morale has often been weakened by misinterpretation and misapplication and that what has often been presented as morale is, in fact, group cohesiveness or job satisfaction. Inappropriate generalisation has tended to obscure the intricacies of morale and greater attention should now be paid to the individuality of influential factors. Salary and working conditions may be much less influential on morale than is generally thought. More significant, it is suggested, is the extent to which the job fulfils the individual's ‘ideal’.     

Beyond the breakup: Heterosexual and homosexual post‐dissolutional relationships

Although most romantic relationships will dissolve, few studies have examined the relationship formed between dating partners after their romance terminates. This study examines the post‐dissolutional relationships experienced by participants who were involved in same‐sex (N = 298) and opposite‐sex (N = 272) romantic relationships. The degrees to which ex‐partners experience interpersonal contact, emotional and sexual intimacy, and satisfaction in their post‐dissolutional relationships was examined. Further, two types of influences on post‐dissolutional relationship qualities were investigated. Variables that originated within the dyad or individuals (personal) had a stronger influence on relationship qualities than did variables that originated from the dyad's environment (structural). The importance of understanding post‐dissolutional relationships and future research suggestions are discussed.     

The Whole Earth: An EE Perspective

Abstract

Despite the wealth of information which exists concerning environmental behavior, it is not known which variable or variables appear to be most influential in motivating individuals to take responsible environmental action. A meta-analysis of environmental behavior research was undertaken in an attempt to determine this. An exhaustive search of the empirically based environmental behavior research conducted over the past decade yielded a substantial number of studies representative of a broad academic base. The characteristics and findings of these studies served as the data for the meta-analysis. As a result of the meta-analysis, the following variables were found to be associated with responsible environmental behavior: knowledge of issues, knowledge of action strategies, locus of control, attitudes, verbal commitment, and an individual's sense of responsibility. A model of predictors of environmental behavior is proposed.