Preventing and reducing school violence: development of a Student and Family Office—a pilot study

This study introduces a pilot project—the creation of a Student and Family Office to reduce school violence—and suggests the benefits of the combined use of different strategies to decrease peer aggression and victimisation. The programme was implemented over a two-and-a-half-year period and included 132 Portuguese adolescents attending the third cycle of basic education. A considerable number of problematic situations, previously reported by students, changed after SFO intervention.. The results suggest that the local (universal and multimodal) intervention programme contributed to a decrease in harassment, coercion and aggressiveness, victimisation and reactive overt aggression rates, and also promoted the social and personal skills essential for successful interpersonal dynamics and peer conflict interventions. The implications for practice are discussed.     

A study of social–emotional adjustment levels of preschool children in relation to peer relationships

The aim of this research is to study social–emotional adaptation levels of 5- to 6-year old preschool children in relation to peer relationships. One hundred and forty-four children aged between 5 and 6 joined in this relational survey study. According to the results of the research analysing the relationship between the social–emotional adjustments of 5- to 6-year old children continuing preschool education and the peer relationship variables; the social–emotional adjustment level can meaningfully predict the prosocial behaviour of children towards their peers, aggression levels and exclusion by peers, fear–anxiety towards peers, hyperactivity–distractibility and peer victimisation.     

Changing the attitudes of high school students towards intellectual disabilities: the contribution of a social coexistence programme

Students’ attitudes towards peers with intellectual disabilities are mostly negative, and negative attitudes appear more among secondary education students than any other age group. Social coexistence programmes are intervention programmes implemented by school psychologists to manage and change negative attitudes and enforce social interaction with students with disabilities. The research sample consisted of 193 public high school students in Greece who were given the Chedoke–McMaster Attitudes Toward Children with Handicaps (CATCH) Scale. The study aimed to explore whether there is a change in the attitudes of high school students towards peers with intellectual disabilities after participation in a social coexistence programme. The findings showed that students who participated in the programme had more positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities after the completion of the programme. The above findings confirm the research on the possibility of changing attitudes of secondary school students towards peers with disabilities and reinforce the need for the systematic development of social coexistence programmes for the entire student population. Future research should focus on the benefits of students with disabilities from their participation in social coexistence programmes.     

From censure to reinforcement: developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status

Developmental changes were examined in the associations among physical and relational aggression, and sociometric and perceived popularity based on peer nominations. Participating in the longitudinal study were 905 children (440 girls, 465 boys) from ages 10 to 14. Associations between the forms of status and between the forms of aggression decreased over time. Relational aggression increasingly predicted high social prominence but low social preference; physical aggression was increasingly less disliked but decreasingly predictive of prominence. The effect of relational aggression on perceived popularity was strong for girls. Perceived popularity preceded physical and relational aggression for both genders. Implications for the attainment of high status, processes of peer influence on antisocial behavior, and gender differences in the meaning of status are discussed.     

Yoga for the prevention of depression,anxiety, and aggression and the promotion of socio-emotional competencies in school-aged children

Children and youth coming from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at risk of developing behavioural problems. This study examined the efficacy of a Yoga programme implemented in a low-socioeconomic status school, for the prevention of depression, anxiety, and aggression. After-school workshops were delivered twice a week during 12 weeks to 125 students in 5th, 8th, and 9th grades, enrolled in a school in Bogotá, Colombia. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention and to a control group. Children's anxiety, depression, aggression, and some socioemotional competencies (specifically empathy, anger management, and prosociality) were quantitatively assessed before and after the intervention, by means of self- and peer-reported questionnaires. Qualitative data were also collected to assess children's perceived benefits from the workshops. Results suggested a potential of the programme to reduce children's anxiety problems, in particular. Results are discussed in terms of recommended improvements to the programme and its future evaluation.     

The effects of different motivational climates on students' achievement goals,motivational strategies and attitudes toward physical education☆

The aim of this study was to analyse whether conducting physical education lessons according to different motivational climates leads to a significant difference between students' achievement goals, motivational strategies and attitudes towards physical education. Participants (81-ninth grade students) were allocated to one of three experimental groups. The researchers conducted a 12-week programme of physical education lessons with the experimental groups. The programme used the same lesson plans; however, in each experimental group, the researchers created different motivational climates (mastery, performance approach or performance avoidance) according to the Motivational Climate Observer Control List. The students' achievement goals, motivational strategies and attitudes towards physical education were measured at the beginning and end of the semester. Consequently, it was observed that the mastery-and performance-approach focused-motivational climates within physical education lessons produced positive outputs in terms of cognitive and affective scores.     

Impact of peer mediation programmes to prevent bullying behaviours in secondary schools / El impacto de los programas de mediación entre iguales para prevenir conductas de acoso escolar en los centros de secundaria

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of peer mediation programmes at a secondary school, as compared to another centre that did not have any such programme. The impact would be evaluated by means of three levels of variables: pro-victim attitudes, the roles adopted by the youngsters and the school climate (this last item was analysed from two perspectives: that of the pupils and that of the teachers). In order to attain this goal, students from 12 to 14 years old (N = 323) and 17 teacher-tutors were administered different questionnaires in Time 1 (baseline, prior to intervention) and Time 2 (after programme intervention). Results highlight the validity of peer mediation programmes when it comes to fostering pro-victim attitudes, preventing the increase of negative roles and improving the school climate.     

Parenting and childhood aggression in the Chinese context: an examination of parental responses,physical coercion and warmth

Parental response, physical coercion and warmth and their relationships with childhood aggression were assessed with 277 children (142 boys; M age = 56.5 months, SD = 10.93 months) in Hong Kong. Results indicated that both fathers and mothers reported significantly more intervention strategies in response to hypothetical vignettes of physical aggression than relational aggression. Both fathers’ and mothers’ self-reported physical coercion was positively correlated with boys’ and girls’ composite scores of physical and relational aggression as reported by teachers, fathers and mothers, whereas fathers’ self-reported warmth was associated with a lower level of physical and relational aggression in boys. Furthermore, maternal warmth moderated the association between physical coercion and girls’ relational aggression. Findings suggest that parents’ normative beliefs regarding relational aggression should be challenged and the general acceptability of parental control in the Chinese context does not necessarily imply the absence of a link with childhood aggression.     

Professional Preparation of the Elementary School Physical Education Teacher

This article offers a brief and personal account of the historical background, implementation and principal findings from the Trois-Rivières regional project, a large-scale quasi-experimental intervention that tested the impact of providing a daily hour of specialist-taught quality physical education upon the physical and mental development of primary school students. The intervention continued in grades one through six, and it enhanced maximal aerobic power, physical working capacity, muscle strength and physical performance in both boys and girls in both an urban and a rural setting. However, the programme had little influence upon the immediate health, growth, maturation or prevalence of obesity in the experimental group. A follow-up study was carried out when the students had become adults; this showed positive effects upon attitudes towards physical activity, but only limited long-term effects upon habitual physical activity and other aspects of health behaviour. Strengths and limitations of the Trois-Rivières regional project are considered, and suggestions are offered for those planning future studies of this type.     

AGGRESSIVE ATTITUDES AND PREVALENCE OF BULLYING BYSTANDER BEHAVIOR IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Separate lines of research find that proaggressive attitudes promote peer aggression and that bystanders play a pivotal role in deterring or facilitating bullying behavior. The current study hypothesized that proaggressive attitudes in middle school would deter students from standing up to bullying and encourage them to reinforce bullying behavior. Middle school students (n = 28,765) in 423 schools completed a statewide school climate survey that included an aggressive attitudes scale and their bystander response to a recent episode of bullying, which was categorized as upstanding, reinforcing, or passive. Multilevel logistic regressions indicated that higher aggressive attitudes were associated with less upstanding behavior at the school level and less upstanding behavior and more reinforcing behavior at the individual level, while controlling for other school and student demographic variables. These findings suggest that antibullying programs might address student attitudes toward aggression as a means of boosting positive bystander intervention.     

Teacher preparation for inclusion in Norway: a study of beliefs,skills, and intended practices

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the educational experiences of teacher education students and their attitudes towards planning and making adaptations for children with learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Participants comprised pre-service teachers in the second and fourth years of teacher preparation at a major Norwegian university. Fourth-year students were completing a 1-year elective in special education (n = 34) or coursework in other subjects (n = 30). Second-year students were grouped based on their intention to take special education (n = 26) or other coursework (n = 62). Participants rated their beliefs, skills, and intended practices with regard to planning and making adaptations. No significant differences were found between second- and fourth-year students in general education courses. However, students in the special education programme held significantly higher ratings of beliefs, skills, and intended practices than did second-year students; yet, only beliefs and practices were higher for this group when compared to other fourth-year students. Findings suggest that coursework in special education can have a positive impact on attitudes towards inclusion. However, teachers’ confidence in their ability to use these adaptations may be far more difficult to foster.     

Perceived severity of school bullying in elementary schools based on participants’ roles

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived severity of school bullying among participants with different roles (victims, bullies, bullies/victims and non-involved individuals) and to determine whether interactions between type of bullying and participant roles exist. Two Olweus-like global items and a revised School Bullying Severity Scale for elementary students were used in this study. A total of 1816 valid surveys completed by students in grades 5 and 6 (mean age = 11.5, SD = .84) were collected. Data were analysed using a mixed-model two-way ANOVA. The results revealed a significant main effect of type of bullying. Physical and verbal bullying were perceived as more severe than relational and cyberbullying. A significant two-way interaction between bullying category and participant role was also identified. Bullies did not perceive the four types of victimisation behaviours differently, whereas victims and bullies/victims both rated physical victimisation as most severe and cyber-victimisation as least severe. However, effect sizes were small. Implications for bullying prevention and intervention are discussed.     

Provision of in-service training of mathematics and science teachers in Botswana: teachers’ perspectives

Teaching is a field that is dynamic, with innovations necessitating upgrading of skills and education of teachers for the successful implementation of reforms. The behaviour and attitudes of teachers towards teaching and learning and their knowledge banks are the result of the impact of in-service training. This study investigated the perceptions of mathematics and science teachers in Botswana towards in-service provision by the Department of Mathematics and Science Education In-service Training unit (DMSE-INSET), whose mandate is to improve the quality of teaching by supporting teachers through training programmes that enable them to take ownership of their professional development. Data were collected from a sample of 42 senior Mathematics and Science secondary school teachers, using structured interviews with open-ended questions, which were analyzed qualitatively. The findings show that teachers’ concerns included the lack of impact of current in-service training programmes on the education system, no regular follow-up activities to support the one-off workshops and insufficient skills acquired to sustain the implementation of the strategies solicited by the workshops.     

The effectiveness of structured co-operative teaching and learning in Greek primary school classrooms

This study focuses upon the effectiveness of structured co-operative group work on primary school students, aged between 8.5 and 9.5 years old, regarding their content knowledge, attitudes towards co-operative group work, experiential learning and open-ended curriculum as well as students' social and learning behaviour during co-operative group work. A cross-curricular educational programme was implemented within the curriculum area of environmental studies entitled ‘traffic education'. The methodology applied in this study was the experimental and the case study research designs. The findings of the present study support the view that pupils can gain benefits through structured group work co-operation in obtaining content knowledge and group work skills, as well as in developing positive attitudes towards group work, experiential learning, open-ended curriculum and the co-operation with their peers with learning difficulties (LDs). Changes in the relationships with the peers were not affected after the implementation of the educational programme.     

Relational and Physical Aggression among Preschoolers: The Effect of Language Skills and Gender

This study examined the relation between language skills, gender, and relational/ physical aggression. Language skills of 100 preschoolers were assessed with 3 standardized instruments. Relational/physical aggression was rated by the children's teachers. Results indicated that relational and physical aggression tended to increase as language scores decreased. When the alternative form of aggression was held constant, girls' expressive language skills predicted relational aggression more than boys', and receptive language skills predicted physical aggression more than relational aggression, especially for boys. Classroom variables predicted relational aggression more than physical aggression. Results suggest that receptive and expressive language are important in predicting form and level of aggression. Implications for early identification of girls at risk for problem behavior in the preschool years are discussed.     

An examination of pre-service teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of development education into Irish post-primary schools

As part of an undergraduate concurrent initial teacher education programme pre-service teachers participate in an education module consisting of a number of workshops relating to the integration of development education active learning methodologies into their teaching. Following completion of the module, pre-service teachers participate in a 12-week teaching practice placement. This study, based on questionnaires and focus group data, was conducted following their return from teaching practice and examines their attitudes towards development education, the extent to which they included development education issues in their teaching while on teaching practice and their attitudes towards including such issues in the future. Results indicate that while pre-service teachers were positive towards integrating development education into post-primary schools and indicated their hope to include such issues in the future, they face a number of barriers that prevent them from doing so. As they begin their teaching career, the integration of development education is not viewed as a major priority for these pre-service teachers.     

Parents' attitudes towards inclusion of students with autism in Jordan

This study investigated the attitudes of parents in Jordan towards the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in public schools and what the parents believed to be the most important prerequisite of child-based skills for successful inclusion. A total of 148 parents were selected to complete the survey. The researchers explored whether variable demographic characteristics such as age, student's gender, parent's gender, education levels, monthly income, and high- or low-function ASD correlated with the attitudes of parents towards inclusion of students with ASD in public schools. The analyses revealed that the variables that correlated with parents' attitudes towards inclusion were education levels and high- or low-function ASD. The themes behind the parents' attitude for inclusion are discussed. With regard to the prerequisite skills for successful inclusion, the results indicated that parents recommended independent skills, playing skills, behavioural skills, imitation skills, routine skills, social skills, paying attention skills, language skills, and pre-academic and academic skills in that order.     

Relational and Physical Aggression among Preschoolers: The Effect of Language Skills and Gender

This study examined the relation between language skills, gender, and relational/ physical aggression. Language skills of 100 preschoolers were assessed with 3 standardized instruments. Relational/physical aggression was rated by the children's teachers. Results indicated that relational and physical aggression tended to increase as language scores decreased. When the alternative form of aggression was held constant, girls' expressive language skills predicted relational aggression more than boys', and receptive language skills predicted physical aggression more than relational aggression, especially for boys. Classroom variables predicted relational aggression more than physical aggression. Results suggest that receptive and expressive language are important in predicting form and level of aggression. Implications for early identification of girls at risk for problem behavior in the preschool years are discussed.     

Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion,perceived adequacy of support and classroom learning environment

Inclusive education has become a cornerstone of many government policies in an increasing number of countries, yet teachers have been found to hold mixed attitudes towards its implementation and usefulness. This article, using English terminology and thinking, aims to extend previous research on the effect of teacher attitudes towards inclusion in classroom learning environments, and to explore perceived adequacy of support, levels of stress, and willingness to include pupils with certain difficulties. Teachers (N = 95) completed questionnaires on attitudes to inclusion, classroom learning environment, support and stress. Pupils (N = 2,514) completed a questionnaire on classroom learning environment only. Teacher attitudes towards including special educational needs pupils in mainstream settings were found to have a significant impact on how they managed their classroom learning environments and how adequately they perceived available support. Teachers with more positive attitudes towards inclusion were reported by their pupils to have classroom environments with greater levels of satisfaction and cohesiveness and lower levels of friction, competitiveness and difficulty than for those with teachers who held less positive attitudes. Teacher attitudes towards inclusion increased with greater perceived adequacy of both internal and external support. Teachers were less willing to include pupils with behavioural difficulties than pupils who were able/gifted or had physical difficulties, irrespective of attitude to inclusion.