Patterns of teachers’ whole-class perceptions and predictive relationships between teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of individual child competence

The stratification or dispersion of first grade teachers’ perceptions of children’s competence was evaluated as a moderator of the predictive relationship between teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of individual children’s competence. Classroom stratification of teachers’ perceptions about child intelligence and about child social difficulties was measured by the dispersion of teacher’s ratings of individual children in their class (N_classrooms=60; N_children=1240). The stratification of teachers’ perceptions was found to be stable across the year. Greater stratification predicted teachers’ perceptions of less child competence and also predicted less change in teachers’ perceptions of individual children over the school year. There was no evidence that teachers who tended to see more stratification among child intelligence were more accurate in their perceptions. In linking teachers’ perceptions to parents’ perceptions, fathers’ perceptions of children’s social difficulties became more congruent with teachers’ perceptions across first grade if children were in high- but not low-stratified classrooms. Implications of this parent- and domain-specific relationship are discussed.     

Parents’ perceptions of their child’s resilience and competencies

This study examined parental views of their child’s educability through the parents’ perceptions of their child’s resilience. The purposes of the study were: (1) to examine psychometric properties of the rating scale created to measure parental views of their child’s educational and psychological resilience, (2) to explore whether the parents’ views of the child’s resilience were related to their notions of the child’s competencies and (3) to examine how parents’ perceptions of their child’s resilience were related to the parent’s social position and the child’s gender. Data were collected by questionnaire from the parents of fifth-grade children (N=391). The parental rating scale consisted of three dimensions of resilience, all with satisfactory reliability. Parents’ views of their child’s resilience were related to their perceptions of child’s abilities and school success, suggesting that the parental rating scale had concurrent validity. The results also indicated that parents’ views of their child’s resilience were related to their gender and education and to the child’s gender. Furthermore, parents’ views of their child’s educational resilience, based on parents’ trust in their child’s internal capacities, were related to the parental definition of their child’s cognitive-verbal competencies, in particular.     

School’s out: a comprehensive follow-up study on parents’ perceptions of their child’s school

This longitudinal study set out to examine the changes that took place in parents’ evaluations of their child’s school in the course of the child’s complete 9-year-long compulsory education. Over the follow-up period, academically educated and vocationally educated mothers and fathers (N = 326) were asked to indicate their degree of satisfaction with aspects of their child’s school every 2 years. It was found that the level of parental satisfaction was fairly high at the start, that the general decreasing trend was gradual rather than abrupt, and that the proportion of dissatisfied parents remained low and stable. A pattern of differences emerged to suggest that the parents’ perceptions were structured by their social-psychological distance from the school as measured by their social positions; for instance, the vocationally educated parents, fathers in particular, displayed less satisfaction than the academically educated ones.     

Getting parents involved in children’s play: Qatari parents’ perceptions of and engagement with their children’s play

The study investigates parents’ perceptions of and engagement with their children's play in the context of Qatar. Quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire that was administered to parents of children aged 4–7 years old in Doha. A total sample of 240 parents responded to the questionnaire. Findings indicated that Qatari parents valued the importance of play to their children’s development and learning. In addition, parents showed a moderate level of engagement with their children’s play. The findings also indicated that physical play was the most common type of play in which parents are engaged with their children, followed by discovery play. Moreover, significant correlations were found between parents’ perceptions of children’s play and their engagement with all play types. In addition, significant differences were observed in parents’ perceptions of and engagement with children’s play based on parents' socio-demographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of extending children’s play in all children’s educational levels, and getting parents involved in children’s play activities.     

Pakistani pre-primary teachers’ perceptions and practices related to gender in young children

A key area of interest is the way in which early years educators’ perceptions about the concept of gender may influence their practice in relation to how children’s ideas about gender might be supported and reinforced. However, this area has received little attention in the highly gender-segregated context of Pakistan. Understanding evidence-based issues related to gender in Pakistan is thus crucial to overcoming educational barriers. This article explored Pakistani female pre-primary teachers’ perceptions and practices related to gender in the early years. Interview and observation data were collected with seven teachers in one urban, co-education school and were analysed thematically. Results indicated that teachers’ perceptions reflect the complex and multifaceted dimensions of gender within the gradually shifting, but still traditional, cultures of Pakistani society. For the most part, female teachers’ views are rooted in dominant patriarchal ideologies, for example, of boys as active and assertive and girls as passive and quiet. However, in a few instances such as in children’s academic performance and play, their perceptions reflect attempts to push gender boundaries which challenge patriarchal ideologies. Teachers’ gender perceptions have significant implications for young children’s development and understanding of gender roles in Pakistan.     

Online learning: Are subjective perceptions of instructional context related to academic success?

This study explored the extent to which students' thoughts, feelings, and actions are associated with the nature of an online course and how that course relates to them personally. Following completion of an online course in aviation physiology, service academy undergraduates (N = 481) completed a survey that assessed several motivational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Consistent with expectations, results from a logistic regression analysis revealed that students who said they were planning to become aviators upon graduation were more likely to report greater perceptions of task value and greater use of metacognitive control strategies than their non-aviator counterparts. On the other hand, after controlling for the other variables in the model, aviators were actually less likely to report being satisfied with the online course, an unexpected finding. Taken together, these results partially substantiate the social cognitive notion that subjective perceptions of the learning environment ultimately shape students' motivational and behavioral engagement in that environment. Implications for the theory and research of online learning are discussed.     

Do mothers and fathers perceive their child’s academic potential in a similar way?

The mothers and fathers (n?=?43) of third- and sixth-grade children were asked to assess their child’s academic potential in comparison with the child’s earlier competence and with that of her/his peers. In the interpersonal domain, the mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of their child’s academic potential were related to each other, especially in mathematics, already when the child was in the third grade. Conversely, in the intrapersonal domain, the mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions were more consistent when assessing the sixth-grade than the third-grade children’s academic potential. These findings suggest that the normative feedback received from school tends to unify parental perceptions of their child’s academic potential as the child proceeds through school, even when the parents assess their child’s individual advancement.     

Architecture students’ perceptions of their learning environment and their academic performance

Scholars have agreed that the way in which students perceive their learning environments influences their academic performance. Empirical studies that focus on architecture students, however, have been very scarce. This is the gap that an attempt is filled in this study. A questionnaire survey of 273 students in a school of architecture in Nigeria provided data for this pilot study. The perceptions of the students were best defined by the involvement of the students in their studies, the perceived support, and conduciveness of the learning environment. The students’ perceptions of their learning environment varied with their years of study, age and gender. Their perceptions of inflexibility of schedule, positive assessment, and fairness influenced the overall grades of students. The results suggests which aspects of learning environment that can be manipulated by architectural educators to improve the performance of their students. The study of the learning environment of architecture students still appears to be relatively unexplored. The value of this study therefore lies in its exploration of the perceptions of the learning environment from the point of view of students.     

How important is it to my parents? Transmission of STEM academic values: the role of parents’ values and practices and children’s perceptions of parental influences

The success of science education in classroom and out-of-school settings can be influenced by parents’ behaviours and STEM-related values. The present study investigated pathways in parent-to-child transmission of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) values by examining at same time parents’ values and behaviours, along with their children’s perceptions of these parental influences. The study included 1071 students (M_age?=?12.15) and the same number of their parents. Path analysis revealed that children’s importance value of the STEM school fields was best explained by their perceptions of parental values and behaviours in STEM. On the other hand, parents’ self-reported values and behaviours had a weak effect in predicting children’s values, which can be explained by inaccurate children’s perceptions of their parents. The results suggest that parents more easily convey beliefs about the utility than the attainment value of STEM. Namely, parents’ utility value had a larger effect in predicting children’s value, partly mediated through children’s perception of parents’ encouragement of STEM interests. The study highlights the role of children’s perceptions of their parents’ beliefs and behaviours and the importance of communicating STEM-related values within the family. Practical implications for parents and science educators are discussed.     

The little emperor: Chinese parents’ assessment of their own,their partner’s and their only child’s intelligence

This study set out to examine whether Chinese parents, more than people from other nations, over-estimate the intelligence of their son (little emperor) compared to their daughter. In this study, 155 pairs of married couples from mainland China estimated their own, their partner’s and their only child’s overall intelligence and 13 “multiple intelligences.” They also completed a short measure of the Big Five personality traits. Replicating previous studies, fathers rated themselves higher than mothers for almost all types of intelligence. Results revealed, however, no parental sex differences in the estimates of children’s multiple intelligences. Both parents attributed higher overall, verbal, and musical intelligence, but lower existential intelligence to their child than to themselves. Multiple regressions indicated that estimates of verbal, logical–mathematical, spatial and intrapersonal intelligence were the best predictors of estimates of overall intelligence. Participants’ openness and neuroticism were significant predictors of self-rated intelligence. The results were interpreted in relation to specific Chinese social and cultural influences, though there seemed to be no “little emperor” effect.     

Children’s perceptions of factors related to physical activity in schools

Background: Increasing numbers of children are facing health problems as a result of physical inactivity. Besides the home, school is a natural place to promote children’s daily physical activity (PA). Knowledge about factors promoting or preventing children’s PA at school, from the perspective of children, is limited.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to learn the factors that eight- and nine-year-old schoolchildren identify from their school environment related to physical activity during their school day. This study was established as a sub-project within a larger, sixteen-country collaboration project by HEPCOM (Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Local Communities) and reports on a piloting phase.

Sample: Finnish second-graders (age 8–9 years, n = 22) from one primary school participated in the study.

Method: A photo-elicitation methodology was used, including photographs taken by children and interviews in groups based on the photographs. The data were analysed qualitatively by inductive content analysis.

Results: The children described factors appearing in the physical environment, such as the playground, and those in the nonmaterial, abstract environment, such as the weather. According to the findings, three categories emerged: (1) personal and economic, related to children’s individual preferences and opportunities; (2) sociocultural, related to friends and belonging in a group; and (3) environmental, related to physical and political outdoor and indoor solutions at the school, as well as to policies and rules in the school community. Children emphasised the importance of friends and games, but play areas were also experienced as significant. Based on children’s experiences, rules and laws direct all activities at school, which was not always perceived as a positive thing.

Conclusions: Although the findings of this small-scale study cannot be generalised, the children’s perceptions suggest some crucial areas for future research. Playing and exercising during the school day are important in fulfilling the recommendations for daily PA for children, as well as in promoting their mental and social health. To enable equal possibilities for an active lifestyle for all children at school, positive and encouraging adults, as well as age-appropriate and safe infrastructure, are needed. The children’s day should be viewed as a whole, not as single situations, where physical activities are offered.     

Are university students' component reading skills related to their text comprehension and academic achievement?

Among developing and poor readers, text comprehension is strongly related to word decoding accuracy and reading fluency. However, among relatively skilled adult readers, these aspects of reading skill are largely independent of one another. The reading of 193 second- and third-year students enrolled in an educational psychology course at a public research university was described well by three orthogonal principal components: Word Decoding Accuracy, Reading Speed, and Text Comprehension Accuracy. Furthermore, component reading skills were not associated with individual differences in the extent to which students in this sample had succeeded in postsecondary education. Decoding Accuracy was most related to spelling accuracy and phonemic awareness. Only Text Comprehension Accuracy was associated even minimally with grade-point average. A subgroup of 15 students who reported various reading problems did not have a low mean grade-point average.     

Single‐parent families: the role of parent’s and child’s gender on academic achievement

Using national survey data, the present study investigated whether adolescents living with parents of their same gender fare better on academic achievement than their peers living with opposite‐gender parents. Multiple analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) procedures were employed to examine the effects of the children’s gender in single‐father and single‐mother families on students’ academic achievement, as measured by four dependent variables (reading test score, mathematics test score, English teachers’ evaluation, and mathematics teachers’ evaluation) while controlling the covariate, socioeconomic status. The results indicated that there were no benefits in same‐gender single‐parent households. Furthermore, daughters in single‐father homes performed better than other parent and child combinations on academic achievement. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Students’ perceptions of parental bonding styles and their academic burnout

This study investigated how parental bonding style affects academic burnout in Korean adolescents. Participants were 447 middle school students, who completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey. MANCOVA results confirmed that adolescents reporting the optimal bonding parental style, for both mother and father, have lower scores on three subscales of academic burnout (Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Inefficacy) than do their counterparts who report the affectionless control parental style. We discuss the possible implications for reducing students?? academic burnout rates.     

Parents’ perceptions of their children’s child care: a cross-national comparison

This study compares how parents in Germany and the USA perceive the quality of ECE services their preschoolers receive in the two different cultures and ECE systems existing in the countries. The sample included 2,407 parents in the USA and 392 in Germany. Classroom quality was assessed by trained observers using the USA and German versions of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS). Parents’ perceptions of ECE programs were measured with a parent questionnaire (ECERSPQ), which is an adaptation of the ECERS. Findings show that in both countries, parents indicate high importance for the aspects of quality required in the ECERS/ECERSPQ, that parents assign substantially higher quality scores to their children’s classrooms than do trained observers, and parent quality assessments are influenced by the relative importance they attribute to aspects of quality. Findings are discussed in terms of assisting parents to become more discriminating in their child care choices.     

Teachers’ perceptions of assessments of their mathematical knowledge in a professional development course

The purpose of the project reported in this article was to evaluate how assessing teachers’ mathematical knowledge within a professional development course impacted from the teachers’ perspective their learning and their experience with the course. The professional development course consisted of a 2-week summer institute and the content focus was geometry. We had decided to assess the mathematical learning of the teachers during this professional development course for various accountability reasons, but were concerned about possible negative by-products of this decision on the teachers and their participation. Thus, we worked to design assessment in ways that we hoped would minimize negative impacts and maintain a supportive learning environment. In addition, we undertook this evaluation to examine the impacts of the assessment, which included homework, quizzes, various projects, and an examination for program evaluation. Seventeen grade 5–9 teachers enrolled in the course participated in the study by completing written reflections and by describing their experiences in interviews. We learned that while our original intent was “to do no harm,” the teachers reported that their learning was enhanced by the assessment. The article concludes by describing the various properties of the assessments that the teachers identified as contributing to their learning of the geometry content, many of which align with current recommendations for assessing and evaluating grade K-16 mathematics students.

An interactive model of parents’ involvement and their children’s functioning in school

This study examined relationships between Parents’ involvement as related to their Identification and Alertness and to four students’ variables Attitudes toward school, Social adjustment, Self-efficacy and Academic achievements. Social adjustment was the most dominant variable and served as a mediator between self-efficacy and achievements. Parental involvement had significant, direct and positive relations with social adjustment but negative with academic achievements. Findings indicate a weakening of the relationships between parents’ involvement, identification, and alertness and children’s variables compared to the relationships between children’s variables. Educational staff and parents must create useful communication channels for helping children cope with the challenges of their social and media world.     

Relations between the everyday activities of preschoolers and their teachers’ perceptions of their competence in the first years of school

This paper contributes to a growing literature that suggests that in order to understand the transition to school, one should employ an ecological approach. Such an approach involves simultaneous consideration of individual and contextual factors, studied over time. Much of the current literature on the transition focuses on the transition from the perspective of school, but we were interested in relations between what occurs prior to school and performance in school. We used Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) ecological model to focus primarily on the relations between school-relevant activities of preschool-aged children and teachers’ subsequent perception of the children’s competence once they had entered school. At Time 1 we observed 20 3-year-olds’ engagement in everyday activities (Process) and their initiation of those activities (Person) over a 20-hour period covering the equivalent of an entire waking day. Children were drawn from two social classes (Context). The preschool observations were followed by 2 consecutive years of teacher reports of academic competence following entry into elementary school (Times 2 and 3). Middle-class preschoolers engaged in more school-relevant activities than did working-class children, and preschoolers who initiated and engaged in more conversations were subsequently perceived by their teachers as being more competent.