Teachers’ perceptions of play fighting and real fighting in primary school

A sample of 30 teachers were given a questionnaire about how they viewed the relationship between playful fighting and real fighting. In addition, these teachers and 20 children aged five to seven were shown a videofilm of 20 fighting episodes, some playful and some real, and asked to make judgements about them; the responses of teachers and children were compared. Teachers reported difficulty in distinguishing playful from real fighting for about one‐third of occasions ‐ sometimes due to false information from children, and sometimes due to missing the whole of a complex sequence. They also thought that play fighting was about twice as frequent as real fighting, with both much more frequent in boys than girls; and that nearly one‐third of play fighting episodes would turn into real fighting (more often for boys than girls). The video analysis showed that the teachers tended to agree with children about the nature of episodes, but verbally reported a wider range of cues in making their judgements. Results are discussed in terms of some apparent areas of disagreement between teachers, children and outside observers concerning the relative frequency of playful and real fights, and the likelihood of the former turning into the latter.     

Aggressive Playground Behaviour in Children with Emotional and/or Behavioural Difficulties

This study takes the form of an action research project. The focus is on the aggressive playground behaviour demonstrated by a class of 10 7‐8 year old boys in a special school for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. An overview of the central issues is presented and potential strategies for behaviour improvement are identified. These strategies are evaluated and the most appropriate are identified for implementation in an attempt to remedy the aggressive playground behaviour. A non‐participant observation procedure is adopted and initial observations on the varying frequencies and levels of individual children's involvement in aggressive incidents are recorded. These findings are then analysed in order to identify the main types of aggressive actions and the children's individual roles within the incidents. The most appropriate strategies are then implemented, after which a second set of recordings of playground behaviour is taken. These show a marked decrease in the frequency of aggressive behaviours. Finally, the main findings are evaluated and a summary of procedures and central issues is offered.     

CURRICULUM RESEARCH IN SWEDEN II‐‐MATHEMATICS AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

In Study 1, eight‐ and 11‐year‐old children's participation in playground activities was examined by means of direct observations. At both ages, the two most common categories of behaviour engaged in were sociable activities and rule games. The older children spent significantly more time in rule games and significantly less time alone than the younger children. Girls spent significantly more time in sociable activities and significantly less time alone than boys. The proportion of time spent in these and other categories of behaviour was not found to differ from the beginning to the end of playtime. A more detailed analysis revealed the proportion of time spent in some more specific games and activities, as well as other age and sex differences. Many activities were found to be typically single sex and/or single age affairs, although others were more often played in mixed sex and/or mixed age groups. Some of the reasons for why this was the case were explored in Study 2, along with the children's feelings at being excluded by other groups. It appeared that the older boys were largely responsible for the lack of mixed age and mixed sex play on the playground.     

The Socialization of Compassionate Behavior by Child Care Teachers

The present study examined how child care teachers' socialization practices and child characteristics jointly predict children's sympathetic-prosocial responding. A total of 25 teachers of 105 five-year-old children were observed during free play with regard to their warmth, non-directiveness and passivity-activity. The children's reactions to distress simulations in two different situations were observed. The children's inhibition and aggression were rated by teachers and parents. More compassionate behavior was shown by girls as compared to boys and by children in classes with warmer teachers; inhibited children showed tendentially less sympathetic-prosocial reactions than non-inhibited children. Furthermore, girls who showed sympathetic-prosocial reactions were rated as more aggressive than girls who did not, and boys who showed sympathetic-prosocial behavior as compared to those who did not were in classes with warmer teachers. The data suggest that child characteristics as well as socialization practices play an important role in children's interpersonal functioning. Among the teacher variables, their ability to interact in a warm, affectionate way is of central importance for the development of emotional competence in children.     

Sex Stereotypes and School Science: a three year follow‐up

Sex stereotyping inventories were administered to pupils entering ten co‐educational comprehensive schools. The tests were repeated two and a half years later. Children's scores on the two occasions were positively correlated. Girls who saw themselves as masculine were slightly more likely than other girls to chose physical science, while girls who saw themselves as feminine were slightly more likely to chose biology. Boys’ self‐images were not linked to option choices. However, boys with a masculine self‐image achieved slightly worse in science than other boys of similar general ability, whereas girls with a masculine self‐image achieved slightly better than other girls. Sex‐typed children were less interested in science, and had a less positive image of science and scientists than other children. In general sex stereotypes were only weakly related to children's achievements in, choice of, and attitudes towards science, but they were more salient to girls than to boys.     

Gender Differences in Child Aggression: Relations With Gender‐Differentiated Parenting and Parents’ Gender‐Role Stereotypes

This longitudinal study examines the association between child gender and child aggression via parents’ physical control, moderated by parents’ gender‐role stereotypes in a sample of 299 two‐parent families with a 3‐year‐old child in the Netherlands. Fathers with strong stereotypical gender‐role attitudes and mothers were observed to use more physical control strategies with boys than with girls, whereas fathers with strong counterstereotypical attitudes toward gender roles used more physical control with girls than with boys. Moreover, when fathers had strong attitudes toward gender roles (stereotypical or counterstereotypical), their differential treatment of boys and girls completely accounted for the gender differences in children's aggressive behavior a year later. Mothers’ gender‐differentiated parenting practices were unrelated to gender differences in child aggression.     

The role of aggression and social competence in children's perceptions of the child–teacher relationship

The role of children's aggression and three indices of social competence (peer‐preferred behavior, teacher‐preferred behavior, and school adjustment) in children's perceived relationships with their teachers was assessed. Participants were 1,432 third through fifth graders (688 males, 744 females) and their teachers. The results from hierarchical regression analyses showed statistically significant interaction effects. Poor school adjustment was associated with more negatively perceived child teacher relationships for boys than for girls. In addition, the perceived child–teacher relationship among aggressive children was more favorable among those with high levels of school adjustment than among those who were poorly adjusted at school. Implications for school psychologists and teachers are discussed. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Who's Got the Power? Rethinking gender equity strategies in early childhood

This article uses a case‐study of boys’ and girls’ block play in 10 Australian early childhood centres to critically appraise current approaches to gender equity in the early childhood curriculum. The case‐study describes how patriarchal gender relations were created and maintained between boys and girls in their block play, how teachers responded to these relationships and how children responded to teacher challenges to their gender relations. The article discusses the ‘failure’ of several strategies used by the teachers to produce changes in children's gender relations and how feminist post‐structuralist reconceptualisations of gender equity work have the potential to produce more effective strategies for teachers wishing to challenge patriarchal gender relations between young children     

The Relation Between Toy Gun Play and Children's Aggressive Behavior

To assess the relation between toy gun play and aggression, thirty-six 3- to 5-year-olds were observed in free play in their daycare center and coded for amount of real aggression, pretend aggression, rough-and-tumble play (R & T), and nonaggressive pretend play. Based on a questionnaire completed by the parents, the children were also coded for the amount they played with toy guns in the home, the rated aggressive level of their preferred television programs, the rated aggressive level of their most preferred toys, and amount of parents' physical punishment of the children. Of all children, 56% played with toy guns in the home, most of whom were boys. Multiple regression analyses indicated that amount of parents' punishment strongly predicted real aggression in both boys and girls, and amount of toy gun play strongly predicted real aggression in boys. However, when it came to pretend aggression, aggressive level of children's preferred toys was the strongest predictor, while toy gun play negatively predicted pretend aggression. Toy gun play did not predict nonaggressive pretend play, but parents' punishment negatively predicted nonaggressive pretend play. These results indicate that toy gun play and parental punishment are positively associated with a higher level of real aggression but not pretend aggression. This pattern is discussed in terms of a cuing effect theory versus a cathartic effect theory. It also argues for distinguishing between real and pretend aggression and other forms of play in future studies.     

Reciprocal Relations Between Harsh Discipline and Children's Externalizing Behavior in China: A 5‐Year Longitudinal Study

This research examined the overtime reciprocal relations between maternal and paternal harsh discipline and children's externalizing behavior. Seven hundred two father–mother dyads of children (6–9 years of age at baseline) completed measures of parental harsh discipline and children's externalizing behavior at five time points, 1 year apart. Autoregressive latent trajectory models revealed that maternal and paternal corporal punishment predicted subsequent children's externalizing behavior (parent‐driven effects), whereas children's externalizing behavior predicted subsequent maternal and paternal psychological aggression (child‐driven effects). The parent‐driven effects became stronger, whereas the child‐driven effects were equally strong across time. Furthermore, the parent‐driven effects for corporal punishment were found for both boys and girls, whereas the child‐driven effects for psychological aggression were found only for boys.     

Sharing the same world: boys' relations with girls during their last year of primary school

This paper explores the effect of cross gender relations on the construction of boys' masculine identities. The findings are based on data gathered from a year long empirical study of 10 to 11‐year‐old boys set in three UK junior schools. Although masculinity is defined against femininity and boys needed to mark out a set of distinctions from themselves and girls, I found that most boys categorized girls as different (they are not us) rather than oppositional, and the most common reaction was one of detachment and disinterest. Rather than maintaining that there are two separate worlds, I argue that there are two complementary gendered cultures, sharing the one overall school world, which are further nuanced by social class and race/ethnicity. Although there was a tendency of boys to dominate space and girls were often excluded from playground games, many girls refused to be dominated by boys, and some were able to deliberately exercise power over them.     

Cinderella in the Classroom. Children's Responses to Gender Roles in Fairy‐tales

The project described in this paper was designed to test the feminist hypothesis that the Cinderella‐style fairy‐tales promoted by Anglo‐American society harmfully reinforce restrictive images of girlhood and womanhood. The research was based on work with over 100 boys and girls aged 9‐11 in five Cornish primary schools. Responses came from the children through group discussion, drawing pictures and writing stories. Although the figure of the pretty princess predominated in the girls’ pictures, it was apparent through the children's discussion and stories that few girls identified with this image. The girls favoured ‘upside‐down’ fairy‐tale scenarios that gave their heroines independence, while the boys clung to the traditional image of the prince for the same reason. These results indicate that girls of this age are ‘resisting readers’, able to criticise and manipulate — as well as enjoy — the gender images presented to them in the dominant fairy‐tales of our culture.     

The role of child gender and ethnicity in teacher–child relationship quality and children's behavioral adjustment in preschool

The present study examined the role of child gender, child ethnicity, and teacher–child ethnic match in moderating the association between teacher–child relationship quality and children's classroom behavioral adjustment. The study was conducted using data from an ethnically diverse sample of 301 Head Start children and their teachers. Teacher–child conflict was found to be a stronger predictor of hostile–aggressive behavior for boys than girls. In contrast, teacher–child closeness was found to be more predictive of school competence for girls than boys. Similar patterns of association were found between teacher–child relationship quality and school behavioral adjustment for Non-Hispanic, white children and those of Mexican-origin. Results also revealed that teacher–child ethnic match did not moderate the association between teacher–child relationship quality and child behavioral adjustment.     

Bullying in Mixed Sex Groups of Children

A sample of 192 8‐ to 10‐year‐old children were asked in individual interviews to say which classmates bully other pupils and who they selected as victims. They were provided with a well‐known definition of bullying devised by Olweus. Test‐retest reliability of bully nominations was shown to be good. The data were analysed to reveal the number of male and female victims of male and female children viewed by their peers as bullies. Consistent with previous research, many boys were shown to bully an appreciable number of girls and boys, but they selected significantly more same‐sex than other‐sex victims. However, our finding that there was not a significant difference in the number of same‐sex and other‐sex children selected as victims by girls was not consistent with the results of earlier studies. Thus, more boys may be bullied by girls than has been suggested by the extant literature.     

Social‐Information‐Processing Skills of Kindergarten Children with Developmental Learning Disabilities

The study examined the social‐information‐processing skills of kindergarten children with developmental learning disabilities (LD) utilizing Crick and Dodge's (1994) model of children's social adjustment as a theoretical framework. Participants consisted of 20 kindergarten children with developmental LD who attended three integrated kindergartens and 20 children without developmental LD from the same kindergartens. Participants were assessed on social‐information‐processing skills, feelings of loneliness, sense of coherence, and teachers' ratings of behavioral problems and positive resources. The results indicated that girls with developmental LD performed significantly lower on two information‐processing steps—the response decision and the enactment steps—than did girls without LD. Such differences were not found for boys. The results also showed that the social‐information‐processing skills of children with developmental LD were correlated with teachers' ratings.     

Morning and afternoon nursery sessions: can they be equally effective in giving children a positive start to school?

This paper analyses the effects of gender, attendance period and age on children's adjustment to nursery classes as measured by the teachers using the Child at School Schedule. The sample consisted of 820 children in sixteen nursery classes attached to primary schools in one Local Education Authority. Within the sample three age groups were distinguished: Oldest (4:3 — 4: 8 years); Middles (3:9 — 4:2: years); Youngest (3:1 — 3:8 years). The results of a three‐way analysis of variance showed that boys and afternoon attenders were perceived to be less well‐adjusted to school than girls and morning attenders (at 1% level). In addition, the oldest children were perceived as better adjusted than younger ones: with the exception of three items the youngest were perceived as the least well adjusted. Strategies to help boys and afternoon attenders to experience as positive a start to nursery education as girls and morning attenders are discussed. The key role of the adults in helping children to develop personal and social skills is highlighted as is the need for home/school partnership. The implications of gender for play and classroom organisation are also considered.     

Children's opinions on effective strategies to cope with bullying: the importance of bullying role and perspective

In order to find out what children would suggest as useful interventions to stop bullying, we designed a questionnaire administered to 311 children (155 boys and 156 girls; mean age?=?11 years). Thirty-six items were employed to ask children how effective, in their opinion, retaliation, nonchalance and assertiveness could be in stopping bullying. Items were presented to children from three different perspectives (imagine you are the victim, the bully or a witness). We used peer reports to assess children's role in bullying. Children were grouped into bullies, followers of the bully, defenders of the victims, outsiders, victims and those not involved. The strategy most frequently chosen by all children was to cope with bullying through assertiveness. Bullies considered retaliation effective more often than their classmates, especially when they adopted the perspective of the victim or witness. Bullies did not consider assertive strategies as efficient in stopping the bully. Defenders, outsiders, victims and children not involved, on the other hand, were very much in favour of strategies aimed at solving the conflict through nonchalance or assertiveness, especially when they imagined being the bully. Girls chose assertive strategies more often than boys and younger children preferred nonchalance more often than older children, who tended to choose retaliation more often. Suggestions for intervention are made.     

Teacher Ratings and Peer Nominations of Bullying and Other Behaviour of Children With and Without Learning Difficulties

Teacher ratings were obtained of bullying and other behaviour of 121 children aged 8-12, including 20 children with learning difficulties (LD). Peer nominations were also obtained for 55 of these (15 LD and 40 non-LD). Correlations between teacher ratings and peer nominations were significant for non-LD children but not for children with LD. Teachers and peers scored children with LD higher on victim and shy behaviour and non-LD children higher on leadership and cooperative behaviours. Bullying others was positively related to being disruptive and starting fights by both teachers and peers, and negatively related to being coooperative by teachers. Peers significantly associated being a victim of bullying with shy and help seeking behaviours, while teachers associated victims with fighting, being disruptive and being less cooperative. These differences were related to the children's LD status. Implications for substituting one measure for another when assessing children at risk for adjustment problems, especially children with LD, are discussed.     

Enhancing reading self‐concepts that ‘feed forward’ to improve task choices for children with reading difficulties

Abstract

This report considers children's self‐concepts that feed forward to support their choice to participate in reading activities, following coleman and Bornholt (2003). Participants were 10 of 11 year old girls and boys (N=55), including children with reading difficulties and low self‐concepts about reading (N=18). Part 1 was a co relational study Results suggest that various choices combine to indicate children's reading choice behaviours, and reading self‐concepts were assoicated with reading choice behaviours. Part 2 was a brief experiment for children with reading difficulties individually reading choice behaviour. it was concluded that concepts, and feed forward to enhance children's reading choice behaviour. It was concluded that the personal and social based to self‐concepts also support and constrain children's participation in reading activities. The main applications of these findings are for the design of sustained reading motivation programmes in clinical and education settings.     

Self-perceptions,temperament, socioemotional adjustment and the perceptions of parental support of chronically underachieving children

Several studies suggest that children who chronically underachieve are, like children with learning disorders, at risk for negative outcomes and are more likely to experience adjustment problems than are their typically developing peers. This study compares children's self-esteem, perceived competence, negative perfectionism and beliefs of peer acceptance, temperament-based factors (parent-rated), and socioemotional adjustment (parent and teacher rated) of underachieving and non-underachieving elementary school children. It also explores whether children's perceptions of parental support act as a protective factor in children's self-perceptions and socioemotional adjustment. The sample includes 309 fifth and sixth graders 55 underachievers (31 boys and 24 girls), 217 standard achievers (90 boys and 127 girls) and 37 overachievers (16 boys and 21 girls) from the same classes. Significant intergroup differences are found in children's self-perceptions and in teachers’ report of socioemotional adjustment but no difference is observed in parental reports. Children's perceptions of parental support do not differ between groups and do not significantly mediate the association between level of achievement and socioemotional adjustment. Results underscore that whatever the achievement classification of children, their perception of parental support has a unique contribution to their self-perceptions and socioemotional adjustment.