Integrating the light and dark sides of student engagement using person-oriented and situation-specific approaches

This study contributes to the research on student engagement in three ways: 1) by combining questionnaire and situational measures of engagement using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), 2) by applying a demands-resources model to describe the positive and negative aspects of student engagement, and 3) by adopting a person-oriented approach to describe subgroups of students with different profiles of engagement and burnout symptoms. Two studies were conducted: sample one comprised 255 US high school students (45.5% female, 9th – 12th grade), and sample two 188 Finnish comprehensive and high school students (59.6% female, 9th to 10th grade). Latent profile analyses (LPA) of person-level measures of schoolwork engagement and burnout in the US and Finland revealed four profiles: 1) engaged, 2) engaged-exhausted, 3) moderately burned out (risk for burnout) and 4) burned out. These four groups were identified in both samples, but differed in their prevalence. The groups differed in their state experiences of situational demands, resources and engagement at school. Engagement is not wholly an experience of ‘flourishing’: some students experienced elevated levels of both engagement and burnout. Thus, positive and negative aspects of engagement should be studied and modeled together.     

Differential responsiveness to a parenting intervention for mothers in substance abuse treatment

This study examines the relationship between levels of psychological distress in substance-dependent mothers and their differential response to a dyadic parent–child intervention. A sample of 66 mothers who were receiving treatment for substance abuse, as well as a simultaneous parenting intervention, were interviewed pre and post-treatment on measures of psychological distress, adult and child trauma history, parental reflective functioning, and child social–emotional development. Additionally, clinicians provided assessments of the parent–child relationships. As anticipated, trauma histories for mothers and children, children's social emotional development, and parental reflective functioning were associated with aspects of maternal psychological distress. Kruskal–Wallis and subsequent Wilcoxson signed rank tests revealed that women with highest levels of baseline psychological distress showed significant improvements in psychological functioning post-treatment while women with moderately elevated levels of psychological distress did not. Women who were most distressed at baseline showed increased levels of parental reflective functioning post-treatment while women with moderate and lower levels of baseline psychological distress showed improvements on clinician-rated assessments of parent–child relationships. Chi Square analyses showed that parents who endorsed the highest levels of distress at baseline reported that their children's risk status regarding social–emotional development decreased post-treatment. Despite similarities in substance dependence, mothers in this sample had different needs and outcomes in the context of this parenting intervention due to variation in mental health. Given this variation, parenting interventions for substance-dependent mothers need to account for the individual differences in levels of psychological distress.     

Chaos,poverty, and parenting: Predictors of early language development

Studies have shown that distal family risk factors like poverty and maternal education are strongly related to children's early language development. Yet, few studies have examined these risk factors in combination with more proximal day-to-day experiences of children that might be critical to understanding variation in early language. Young children's exposure to a chronically chaotic household may be one critical experience that is related to poorer language, beyond the contribution of SES and other demographic variables. In addition, it is not clear whether parenting might mediate the relationship between chaos and language. The purpose of this study was to understand how multiple indicators of chaos over children's first three years of life, in a representative sample of children living in low wealth rural communities, were related to child expressive and receptive language at 36 months. Factor analysis of 10 chaos indicators over five time periods suggested two factors that were named household disorganization and instability. Results suggested that after accounting for thirteen covariates like maternal education and poverty, one of two chaos composites (household disorganization) accounted for significant variance in receptive and expressive language. Parenting partially mediated this relationship although household disorganization continued to account for unique variance in predicting early language.     

Parenting behaviors and preschool children's social and emotional skills: A question of the consequential validity of traditional parenting constructs for low-income African Americans

Few researchers have questioned the validity of traditional parenting dimensions (based largely on Baumrind's [Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75, 43–88; Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology, 4, 1–103] work) with economically and ethnically diverse groups, despite the fact that evidence for the utility of these dimensions for predicting child and youth outcomes is equivocal. In this paper, we report on the findings from two independent studies by which we examined the relationship of traditional parenting constructs to children's social–emotional competencies among low-income, urban-residing African American preschool families with measures validated specifically for use with this population. In Study 1, 184 children and their families participated, whereas 210 children and their families participated in Study 2. Contrary to our hypotheses, across these two studies, findings failed to indicate significant relationships between constructs of parenting and children's social and emotional skills. Findings call into question the consequential validity of these constructs for this group and highlight inconsistencies among the larger body of parenting work. Implications for future theory-building and parenting research are discussed.     

From high peaks to deep valleys: Using a situation- and person-oriented approach to assess within- and between-student variation in momentary engagement and disengagement

The present study investigated the qualitatively different moments of engagement and disengagement experienced by students at upper-secondary school in academic situations. Further, we examined between-student differences in the occurrence of these moments and their associations with both momentary task performance and overall academic achievement. By means of multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA) we examined 1392 momentary experiences of 130 students, collected via experience sampling method (ESM). We identified six types of (dis)engagement moments varying within students from moment to moment: high engagement, moderate engagement, indifferent engagement, anxious engagement, anxious disengagement and bored disengagement. In addition, we identified four student profiles: highly engaged, moderately engaged, indifferently engaged and anxious. Whereas the engagement moments were related to momentary task performance, there were no differences between the student profiles in academic achievement. These results shed light on the nuanced nature of engagement and disengagement, and how they vary across individuals and situations.     

Ugandan households: A Study of parenting practices in three districts

Ugandan households play a central role in child care and protection, and household-level practices influence the ways in which children are protected from adversities. This study was designed to identify community perceptions of protective and harmful parenting practices in three districts in Uganda. It employed free-listing interviews to determine priorities and practices deemed to be important in providing care and protection to children. Findings suggest that parenting practices can be grouped into seven basic themes, which are: Investing in children’s future, Protection, Care, Enterprising, Relationship with neighbors, Intimate partner relationship, and Child Rearing. Investing in children’s future, including educating children, was cited most often as a hallmark of positive parenting; while failure to care for children was most often cited as a hallmark of negative parenting. Concrete behaviors, such as walking a daughter to school; sewing a son’s torn pants before going to church; and structuring study time at home were identified as concrete actions Ugandan parents undertake daily to promote their children’s well-being. Conversely, specific contextual aspects of neglect and abuse were identified as central components of negative parenting, including lack of investment in children’s education and not serving as a good role model. Building on community strengths is recommended as a principal means of enhancing household resilience and reducing childhood risk.     

Promoting resilience and wellbeing in children exposed to intimate partner violence: A qualitative study with mothers

BackgroundChildren exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk of disruptions to their health and development. Few studies have explored mothers’ perceptions of what helps their children cope throughout this experience.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to explore mothers’ perceptions of their children’s resilience and coping following IPV exposure, and the strategies they have used to support their children and promote resilience.MethodsIn depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine women from the Maternal Health Study (MHS), a prospective study of women during pregnancy and following the birth of their first child. All women involved in the qualitative interviews reported experiencing IPV during their involvement in the MHS. Transcribed interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis which has a focus on how individuals make meaning of their experience.ResultsWomen discussed parenting strategies such as role modelling, stable and consistent parenting, and talking with their children about healthy relationships to promote their children’s resilience. Mothers also spoke about the ways they tried to reduce their child’s direct exposure to IPV, as well as reflecting on the difficulty of attending to their child emotionally when they were experiencing distress.ConclusionsThis study highlights that there are many strategies used by mothers who experience IPV to promote resilience and wellbeing in their children. Understanding what mothers see as useful for their children is essential in providing appropriate services to families following experiences of family violence.     

Randomized controlled trial of a parenting program to reduce the risk of child maltreatment in South Africa

Parenting programs in high-income countries have been shown to reduce the risk of child maltreatment. However, there is limited evidence of their effectiveness in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study was to examine the initial effects of a parenting program in reducing the risk of child maltreatment in highly-deprived and vulnerable communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Low-income parents (N = 68) with children aged three to eight years were randomly assigned to either a group-based parenting program or a wait-list control group. Observational and parent-report assessments were taken at baseline and at immediate post-test after the intervention was delivered. Primary outcomes were parent-report and observational assessments of harsh parenting, positive parenting, and child behavior problems. Secondary outcomes were parent-report assessments of parental depression, parenting stress, and social support. Results indicated moderate treatment effects for increased frequency of parent-report of positive parenting (d = 0.63) and observational assessments of parent-child play (d = 0.57). Observational assessments also found moderate negative treatment effects for less frequent positive child behavior (d = −0.56). This study is the first randomized controlled trial design to rigorously test the effectiveness of a parenting program on reducing the risk of child maltreatment in sub-Saharan Africa using both observational and self-report assessments. Results provide preliminary evidence of effectiveness of reducing the risk of child maltreatment by improving positive parenting behavior. Further development is required to strengthen program components regarding child behavior management and nonviolent discipline strategies. Future research would benefit from a larger trial with sufficient power to determine program effectiveness.     

Paired reading: a structured approach to raising attainment in literacy

Competency in reading is a key factor in literacy attainment. If pupils can read proficiently this allows them to access the curriculum in all subjects and helps them to become confident, successful, motivated learners. Paired reading has long been recognised as an effective approach for supporting reading in schools. It helps to build relationships and encourages self-esteem and motivation. By the pupil reading aloud, either independently or in tandem with their partner, they gain confidence and research suggests that fluency and accuracy improve. However, for pupils who have gaps in their phonological knowledge this approach has limited success as it relies almost exclusively on visual or auditory memory. This research looks at a more structured approach to paired reading that combines both the 'look-say' approach (whole word recognition) of the more traditional paired reading programmes with phonic teaching, to create a tool to improve reading.     

A person-centred approach to understanding cultures of assessment

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how faculty members coalesce into distinguishable groups in terms of their perceived cultures of assessment at their respective institutions. To date, although researchers have posited the existence of various cultures of assessment, no study to our knowledge has empirically demonstrated the presence of these unobserved (latent) cultures analytically. Accordingly, a latent profile analysis was conducted using Mplus to identify these unobserved groups based on faculty (n = 1148) members’ responses to 12 items (6-point Likert scale) selected from the 2014 Faculty Survey of Assessment Culture. The resulting 4-class solution, including a previously unidentified group, was confirmed by the Lo-Mendell-Rubin Adjusted Likelihood Ratio Test: Culture of Student Learning (n = 502); Evolving Student Learning Culture (n = 398); Culture of Compliance (n = 168); and Culture of Fear (n = 80). Characteristics of each class are described and the prevalence of each class by type of degree granting institution and primary discipline is provided.     

A mediational model of the association between socioeconomic status and three-year-old language abilities: the role of parenting factors

The mechanisms through which socioeconomic status (SES) influences three-year-old expressive and receptive language abilities were examined in a sample of 1016 families from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that maternal sensitivity and cognitive stimulation were significant partial mediators of the relation between SES and verbal comprehension, expressive language, and receptive verbal conceptual abilities. Path analyses revealed that a unified model including both parenting factors and distal SES factors demonstrated solid fit indices. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.     

Maternal and paternal similarities and differences in parenting: An examination of Mexican-American parents of young children

The present study evaluated the degree of parental similarity–dissimilarity across parenting dimensions operationalized in terms of: (1) one's own and one's partner's style; (2) meta-emotion belief structures; (3) behavioral strategies in reaction to children's emotions; as well as (4) parental support and responsiveness. The first four dimensions were assessed with independent self-reports from both mothers and fathers and the latter was measured through observed behaviors in a discussion of emotions. Fifty-seven families participated. The mothers (92%) and fathers (90%) of preschool-aged children (mean age 57.5 months, 54% male) were predominantly of Mexican descent. Results revealed significant similarity when comparing mothers’ and fathers’ observed behaviors. Agreement among parents also emerged when comparing minimizing coping reactions to children's emotional displays and self-reported and reports of one's partner's authoritative parenting. Despite evidence of agreement on use of authoritative strategies and similarity on observed behaviors, comparisons of mean levels revealed dissimilarity. The participating mothers reported a greater tendency to employ authoritative strategies and their partners’ ratings of the mothers’ parenting confirmed this perceived difference. In addition, comparisons of mothers’ and fathers’ observed behaviors in interaction with their children suggested that, while mothers and fathers are engaged in similar behaviors, mothers are observed to engage in them more frequently. These results reinforce the need to assess both parents, employing multiple methods, in determining interdependence or their combined and unique contributions to socializing children.     

A self-determination approach to understanding students' motivation in project work

The use of project work (PW) or project-based learning has escalated in Singapore since its inception by the Ministry of Education in the year 2000. There is however little information on students' motivation, and their experience of PW over time. This study sought to identify homogeneous groups of students with distinct perceived locus of causality (PLOC) profiles using a cluster analytic approach, and to examine group differences in their perceived psychological needs, emotions, metacognition, and perceived skills learned in PW over time. Four distinct clusters of students were identified. The “high self-determined/low controlled” group was the most adaptive cluster, and the “low self-determined/high controlled” group was the least adaptive cluster. The study affirms that the self-determination theory (SDT) can provide important insights into the motivational processes in PW. It establishes that students' motivational regulations and their perceived needs satisfaction at the start of PW are related to their experience of and learning in PW.     

Predictors of academic motivation in first grade among children born to low-income adolescent mothers

The central question addressed in this study was: What factors are associated with individual differences in academic motivation among first-grade students who were born to low-income adolescent mothers? Data from a 7-year longitudinal study were used to address the question. First-grade teachers assessed academic motivation for 89 children at the end of the school year. We tested a model that children’s experiences in the home prior to school entry influence the developmental trajectories of the children; experiences in the home are likely to influence the cognitive abilities children have when they enter school. More competent children are likely to be more successful on school-related tasks, which in turn, should influence level of motivation in the early elementary grades. The results of a path analysis were consistent with this model. Parenting practices and quality of the home environment during the early childhood period were predictive of children’s receptive language skills at age 4.5 years and achievement in the fall semester of first grade; achievement test scores were, in turn, predictive of academic motivation at the end of first grade. We also expected parental support for achievement after school entry to be related to individual differences in academic motivation, but this hypothesis was not supported.     

Social support, locus of control, and parenting in three low-income groups of mothers: black teenagers, black adults, and white adults

Mother's social support, their instrumental use of extended family members and of professionals for help, and their sense of personal control were examined as predictors of parenting skill in 3 groups of low-income women. Separate regression models were generated for black adult mothers, white adult mothers, and black teen mothers, all of whom had at least 1 infant. Black teen and white adult mothers who sought help with child-rearing problems from extended family members were more skillful parents. Among white mothers, use of professionals for help with child-rearing problems and mothers' sense of internal control were also significant predictors. Black adult mothers' parenting skill was predicted only by locus of control. These prediction models suggest that in 2 of the groups, social ties to significant others were the linkages through which child-rearing information flowed to affect parenting behavior.     

V型块定位问题新探

本文对V型块的限位基准的确定及工件在V型块中定位时的定位误差计算进行了全面分析,提出了不同于传统观点的新观念。     

Transnationalism,parenting, and child disciplinary practices of African immigrants in Alberta,Canada

Child discipline remains a topic of public health interest across the globe. Despite this enduring interest, very little is known about the child disciplinary practices of African immigrants in Canada. This paper explores the disciplinary practices of African immigrant parents in Alberta, a Canadian province with a recent surge in the population of African immigrants. Employing a critical ethnographic methodology, informed by transnational theory, we collected data through in-depth qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of African community leaders (n = 14), African immigrant parents (n = 32), policymakers (n = 2), and health and immigrant settlement workers (n = 10). As members of the African immigrant community, we were deeply immersed in the research settings, which afforded us the opportunity to collect pertinent observational data in the form of reflexive notes. Thematic analysis of the data revealed child disciplinary approaches that incorporate Canadian and African parenting practices, as well as practices that appear somewhat unique to this demographic. We found that African immigrant parents used corporal discipline, persuasive discipline, and a hybrid of the two, as well as emerging practices involving transnational fostering and emotional isolation of children who persistently misbehaved. These practices, in their totality, appeared to be influenced by the transnational experiences of parents and precepts that are traceable to Canada’s legal and educational systems. We present theoretical, policy, and service implications of our findings, including a recommendation to incorporate sociocultural dimensions of child discipline into Canadian child welfare policies and practices.     

Assessing parental understanding of sexualized behavior in children and adolescents

The current study assessed parents’ ability to identify normal, concerning and harmful sexualized behaviors in children and adolescents, as well as the parents’ ability to identify and select an appropriate level of intervention. The influence of a parent’s relationship with the victim or the perpetrator on the level of action taken was also examined. A cross-sectional survey incorporating a randomized experimental vignette condition determined that parents (N = 244) were not able to consistently identify sexualized behaviors accurately, and they provided lower-than-recommended levels of intervention responses. Parents were best able to identify and respond to behaviors considered normal and age-appropriate, but had greater difficulty with behaviors considered concerning or harmful. Parents were significantly less able to accurately identify and respond to behaviors exhibited by very young children (in the 0–4 year-old age-bracket). In three vignette comparisons, no significant difference in the level of intervention responses was found between parents who viewed the victim as their own child and parents who viewed the perpetrator as their child; while parents who viewed both the victim and perpetrator as being their children (siblings) reported lower intervention response levels. Because a lack of accurate knowledge around risks and indicators of child sexual abuse negatively affects the ability to prevent and detect abuse, the results have implications for a shift from a forensic model of child protection towards a public health model, which emphasizes parent and community education.