Comparing the self-concept of students with and without learning disabilities

This study compared self-concept in 50 middle school children with learning disabilities (LD) and 70 of their peers without LD. The students, primarily Hispanic, completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and each obtained a score in six subdomains. Differences were found between the groups on the Intellectual and School Status and Behavior subscales, with students without LD scoring higher on both scales. There was no difference between groups on global self-concept. The limitations of this study are identified, and directions for future research are provided.     

Developmental trajectories of personal and collective self-concept among American Indian adolescents

Developmental trajectories of personal and collective self-concept were examined among American Indian adolescents. Personal self-concept (self-esteem) and collective self-concept (American Indian identity, Euro-American identity, community-mindedness) were assessed 6 times over 3 years in 4 cohorts of adolescents from 3 American Indian cultural groups (N=1,252). An accelerated longitudinal design was used to estimate developmental trajectories from 14 to 19 years; parallel-process and covariate models were used to examine variation in trajectories. Both personal and collective self-concepts were generally positive and showed small gains; they were moderately related to one another and differentially related to cultural group, gender, and perceived social support. The findings highlight the complexity of self-concept for American Indian youth and the significance of both personal and collective identity.     

语音和口语自我概念与英语口语水平相关研究

通过对福建省内两所院校的英语专业大专二年级学生进行问卷与调查,分析他们的语音自我概念与口语自我概念,发现这两所学校英语专业学生有对语音自我概念和口语自我概念满意度比较低.数据分析发现语音自我概念对口语水平的影响远大于口语自我概念对口语水平的影响.个别访谈的结果也印证了语音自我概念比口语自我概念对个体的口语水平影响更大.     

The career development of black and white South African university students

This study investigates the possible influence of gender and culture on the career maturity and study and work role salience of South African students. Responses to the Life Role Inventory and Career Development Questionnaire of 260 first-year university students (137 white, 123 black) were analyzed. Culture was found to have a significant effect on both career maturity and study and work role salience while gender had no significant effect. Results are related to previous findings from international and South African literature. Implications for counselling are discussed.Paper presented at the International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling Conference, held at the University of Oporto, Oporto, Portugal, 2–5 April 1991.     

Perceived importance of occupations by adolescents with and without learning disabilities

A study of the perceived importance of 23 occupations by 65 adolescents with learning disabilities and 85 adolescents without learning disabilities revealed that occupations were ranked similarly by the two groups (Rho = .76). Analysis of the groups' rank order indicated diversity of students' perceptions about the importance of various occupations.     

Cognitive skills and literacy performance of Chinese adolescents with and without dyslexia

The present study sought to identify cognitive abilities that might distinguish Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with dyslexia and to assess how these abilities were associated with Chinese word reading, word dictation, and reading comprehension. The cognitive skills of interest were morphological awareness, visual-orthographic knowledge, rapid naming, and verbal working memory. A total of 90 junior secondary school students, 30 dyslexic, 30 chronological age controls, and 30 reading level controls was tested on a range of cognitive and literacy tasks. Dyslexic students were less competent than the control students in all cognitive and literacy measures. The regression analyses also showed that verbal working memory, rapid naming, morphological awareness, and visual-orthographic knowledge were significantly associated with literacy performance. Findings underscore the importance of these cognitive skills for Chinese literacy acquisition. Overall, this study highlights the persistent difficulties of Chinese dyslexic adolescents who seem to have multiple causes for reading and spelling difficulties.     

The experience of black African religious education trainee teachers training in England

This study addresses issues surrounding the recruitment and training of black African religious education teachers within the context of the government’s intention to make the teaching profession more representative of the wider community. In relation to this there is a strong emphasis in the Teacher Training Agency’s Qualifying to Teach on selection procedures which promote equality of opportunity and the recognition of individual training needs. The study is informed by the work of Sikes and Everington who have highlighted the place of religion and culture within the personal histories of religious education teachers. Black African members of two successive cohorts of PGCE students are tracked to identify their training needs in relation to their cultural and religious backgrounds. The data identifies four cultural and religious factors which impact on their training to teach religious education in the UK. Finally, as advised by the Carrington Report, recommendations are made for the practice of teacher educators.     

The two worlds of school: Differences in the photographs of black and white adolescents

A growing body of literature indicates that the socialization experiences of blacks causes them to focus onpeople stimuli while Whites learn to focus onobjects. If so, these differences may impact on school performance. This study sought to determine whether the photographs of school taken by black and white adolescents attending three middle schools would reflect race differences in people vs. object orientation. And they did. Moreover, the analyses of the photographs revealed significant race differences in who were included within them, type taken, where they were taken, and the themes they represented. Black students were found to have less affective attachment to school, including teachers, than did whites. Implications for educators are drawn from these findings.     

Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescents

In this study, the relationships between racial identity and academic outcomes for African American adolescents were explored. In examining race beliefs, the study differentiated among (a) importance of race (centrality), (b) group affect (private regard), and (c) perceptions of societal beliefs (public regard) among 606 African American 17-year-old adolescents. Using cluster analysis, profiles of racial identity variables were created, and these profile groups were related to educational beliefs, performance, and later attainment (high school completion and college attendance). Results indicated cluster differences across study outcomes. Also, the relationships between academic attitudes and academic attainment differed across groups. Finally, the paper includes a discussion on the need to consider variation in how minority youth think about group membership in better understanding their academic development.     

Relationship of sex,achievement, and science self-concept to the science career preferences of black students

Science career preferences of junior high school-aged students, while not stable predictors of ultimate career choice, do serve to direct and maintain individuals along the paths to careers in science. In this study, factors relevant to science career preferences of black eighth grade students were investigated. This issue is of particular import to blacks since they are severely underrepresented in the scientific fields. The sample consisted of 113 males and 148 females in an inner city junior high school. The Science Career Preference Scale, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Self-Concept of Ability Scale (Form B-Science) were administered. Mathematics and science grades were obtained from class rating sheets. Treatment of the data involved multiple regression analysis according to a hierarchical model. Results showed that of all the independent variables, sex was the strongest predictor of science career preferences, accounting for 25% of the criterion variance. The findings suggest that early adolescent science career preferences are related more to interests that are consonant with sex-role considerations than realistic assessment of mathematics or science achievement.     

Learned helplessness and level of underachievement among deaf adolescents

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a helplessness experience on the subsequent performance of deaf adolescents functioning at mildly underachieving or severely underachieving levels. Sixty deaf adolescents meeting the experimental subject criteria were separated into mildly underachieving or severely underachieving groups of 30 each on the basis of the discrepancy between their individual IQs and 1976 achievement scores. Group members were then randomly assigned to one of three pretreatment situations: a solvable Block Design test; an unsolvable Block Design test; or no pretreatment. A 2 × 3 multivariate analysis of variance posttest only group design then examined the solvable posttest performance of all 60 subjects. Results indicated significantly high posttest error scores among severely underachieving deaf adolescents experiencing an unsolvable pretreatment situation. Recommendations are offered for the practical applications of this research in the classroom.     

The role of self-concept in medical education

Much research has acknowledged the importance of self-concept for adolescents’ academic behaviour, motivation and aspiration, but little is known about the role of self-concept underpinning the motivation and aspiration of higher education students in a specialised field such as medical education. This article draws upon a programme of research undertaken over the past three years examining the psychosocial determinants of success in educating home-grown doctors for regional communities. Interviews conducted with Australian medical students found that self-concept is a dynamic and multidimensional phenomenon that emerges through social activity and plays a crucial role in shaping their motivation and aspirations. For these students in a specialised field in higher education, self-concept not only influences their study performance, but also forms part of their personal and career development. Because of the significant level of interaction between the self and the social environment, the development of self-concept through a holistic and systemic facilitation of essential psychosocial drivers of success is essential in higher education.     

The role of self-esteem in the relationship between ego-identity and career aspiration among South African adolescents

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - Global socio-economic trends in the world of work, especially in transitional societies like South Africa, confront adolescents with...     

The relationship of school strain to school functioning and self-worth among urban African American early adolescents

Fitting the environment of a school to the developmental needs of early adolescents is particularly important for inner-city African American students who tend to drop out of school in large numbers. The present study examined the person-environment fit in terms of the relation of school strain to self-worth and three indicators of school functioning—scholastic competence, intrinsic motivation, and grade point average—among 102 subjects enrolled in an academic intervention program. Results showed a consistent relation of peer strain to self-worth during the Fall and Spring and strong relations in the Spring of strain associated with teacher relations and school demands to scholastic competence and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, strain increased during the year, and males experienced greater peer strain than did females. Results are discussed in light of previous research on effective middle schools and the developmental needs of urban African American early adolescents. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

浅析英语人名习语

习语是英语语言文化的精髓,是英语学习的重要组成部分。本文概括介绍了一些含有人名的英语习语的来源及其含义,使我们从语言中学习文化,又从文化中习得语言,有助于学生更好地理解和掌握英语中含有人名的习语。