Attitudes of Parents Toward War Play in Young Children

A questionnaire on attitudes toward war play was given to 316 Italian parents and 84 English parents of children aged 2 to 6 years. In both cultures, boys were significantly more likely to engage in war play, either social or solitary—most commonly weapon play, but also play with combat figures and acting out a combat role. Parental attitudes, television, and peers (including older siblings), appeared as common sources of influence. Parents expressed a range of views about how to respond to war play, varying from discouraging it (more common if their children did not engage in war play), to allowing it with limits, to allowing it unconditionally. There was more of a consensus that war toys should not be allowed in school and that playgroup supervisors and teachers should try to turn war play toward more constructive ends. Analysis of a range of attitudinal scales confirmed a general dimension of restrictiveness-permissiveness with regard to war play activities, linked to attitudes about rough-and-tumble play (R & T) and pretend play in the Italian sample but not in the English sample.     

Attitudes of Parents Toward War Play in Young Children

A questionnaire on attitudes toward war play was given to 316 Italian parents and 84 English parents of children aged 2 to 6 years. In both cultures, boys were significantly more likely to engage in war play, either social or solitary—most commonly weapon play, but also play with combat figures and acting out a combat role. Parental attitudes, television, and peers (including older siblings), appeared as common sources of influence. Parents expressed a range of views about how to respond to war play, varying from discouraging it (more common if their children did not engage in war play), to allowing it with limits, to allowing it unconditionally. There was more of a consensus that war toys should not be allowed in school and that playgroup supervisors and teachers should try to turn war play toward more constructive ends. Analysis of a range of attitudinal scales confirmed a general dimension of restrictiveness-permissiveness with regard to war play activities, linked to attitudes about rough-and-tumble play (R & T) and pretend play in the Italian sample but not in the English sample.     

民初国民党对善后大借款的态度演变

善后大借款是袁世凯政府以办理"善后"为名向五国银行团举借的巨额外债。国民党密切关注借款动态,基于现实考量与政治博弈的需要,其对待借款的态度经历了一个由摇摆不定到坚决反对的过程。借款谈判前期,孙中山、黄兴、宋教仁等对借款的态度处于游移状态,甚至某些党内人士意见完全相左。直至"宋案"发生及善后大借款合同签订后,国民党内部才摆脱游移状态,团结一致反对大借款。国民党对善后大借款的态度演变,不仅折射出国民党政治斗争方向的不断明确,亦能从中透视出民初的政局走向。     

The Sociocultural Mechanism of the Formation of Young People's Attitudes Toward Education

Research shows that traditional Russian attitudes coexist with attitudes resulting from current Russian society. It is argued that this more recent set of attitudes is too instrumental, and that more traditional attitudes to the acquisition of knowledge need to be strengthened.     

Attitudes and Beliefs of Prekindergarten Teachers Toward Teaching Science to Young Children

This study explored infield prekindergarten teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward teaching science to young children. In addition, prekindergarten teachers’ previous and future interests in science-related professional development were assessed. Data were collected through a self-report measure, the preschool teacher attitudes and beliefs toward science. The sample consisted of 112 prekindergarten teachers. Findings suggest prekindergarten teachers may be more comfortable with conducting and integrating science activities and understanding the benefits of science for young children’s global development than previously thought. However, teachers continue to indicate feelings of inadequacy and anxiety toward their own science knowledge and ability to support children’s scientific learning. Future research should examine additional methods of assessing science teaching in prekindergarten classrooms, such as direct observation, as well as the impact of professional development on attitudes, beliefs, and practices of prekindergarten teachers when teaching science.     

Promoting a Culture of Thinking in the Young Child

Conscious of the interplay between nature and nurture in determining a child’s individuality and success in life, the author embarked a group of teachers in an action research project towards nurturing a culture of thinking in young children. Considering the positive effects of routines in early learning experiences, the research consisted in implementing thinking routines to engage young children’s minds in thinking activities. The study took place in two Reggio-inspired schools where participating teachers documented children’s work as part of their teaching. The documentation was a key element to make children’s thinking visible as they installed the culture and language of thinking in their classrooms. The study found that thinking routines build up positive attitudes about thinking and learning. By re-visiting their documented work children developed metacognitive and critical thinking skills which make them more alert to situations that call for thinking.     

Measuring Change in Students' Attitudes Toward Science Over Time: An Application of Latent Variable Growth Modeling

The purpose of this paper is to show how latent variable growth modeling can be utilized to examine change in students' attitudes toward science over the middle and high school years using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (Miller, Hoffer, Suchner, Brown, & Nelson, 1992).The results of the present study show that students' attitudes toward science generally decline over the middle and high school years. Science self-concept was found to be the strongest predictor of attitudes toward science. Teacher encouragement of science and peer attitudes are also significant predictors of students' attitudes. The effect of the parent variable was found to be quite small and statistically nonsignificant, with the exception of the seventh grade. Boys were found to have higher initial status on attitudes toward science and their attitudes dropped faster than girls. Also it was found that students in metropolitan and rural schools have less positive attitudes toward science in the seventh grade compared to students in suburban schools. Latent variable growth modeling allows one to examine change in attitudes and also examine the effects of time-varying and time-invariant predictors. Substantive and methodological implications of this technique are also discussed.     

Teachers' Attitudes Toward Technology in a Two-Way Dual-Language Program

This study examined the attitudes of nine teachers in a two-way dual-language program in regard to using technology to support the linguistic and academic development of emergent bilinguals. Using a phenomenological, multiple case-study approach, teachers' perceptions about using technology in education and the potential of technology to advance the students' bilingualism and biliteracy were analyzed. Results showed that teachers had a positive outlook about the potential of technology as a tool to support the academic and linguistic growth of the students. However, several significant challenges were identified, most notably among them the scarcity of technological hardware at the school and the shortage of Spanish-language educational resources. The teachers' perception was that a greater availability of digital technologies, including resources in the Spanish language, would greatly enhance student learning.     

Attitudes Toward Deafness and Security of Attachment Relationships Among Young Deaf Children and Their Parents

This study investigated deaf children's "security of attachment" relationships with their hearing parents and the relationship of parental attitudes toward deafness. Subjects included 30 deaf children and their hearing parents. The children ranged in age from 20 to 60 months. Instruments used included the Attachment Q-Set, the Attitudes to Deafness Scale, and parental interviews. As a group there were no differences between security of attachment scores of deaf children toward either of their parents; however, there were marked differences within individual dyads of mother–child/father–child relationships. In addition, negative correlations were found between parents' attitudes towards deafness scores and their deaf children's security of attachment scores. Implications for the field include the importance of inclusion of fathers in attachment studies and fathers' active participation in early intervention programs. The relationship between parental attitudes toward their children's disability (deafness) and attachment relationship provides further evidence for the critical role of early intervention in the development of children with special needs.     

Changes in Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Astronomy Within a Semester-Long Astronomy Instruction and Four-Year-Long Teacher Training Programme

Teachers’ attitudes toward science, especially toward astronomy, are considered to be an important aspect of teaching and learning astronomy in school. Research findings to date remain inconclusive as to whether attitudes toward science change with the science courses taken or with increasing achievement. Therefore, preservice teacher attitudes were investigated in two contexts: the first examined how a semester-long moon phase instruction course changed preservice teacher attitudes toward astronomy, and the second considered how preservice teacher attitudes toward astronomy may change over the course of a four-year science teacher training programme. A total of 638 preservice elementary teachers participated in the study. The results indicated that a semester-long training course does not change attitudes, but the four-year programme does significantly change participant attitudes toward astronomy. Astronomy courses should be spread over the four-year programme using modules with few credit hours instead of one course with a large number of credit hours.     

Attitudes Toward Deafness and Security of Attachment Relationships Among Young Deaf Children and Their Parents

This study investigated deaf children's "security of attachment" relationships with their hearing parents and the relationship of parental attitudes toward deafness. Subjects included 30 deaf children and their hearing parents. The children ranged in age from 20 to 60 months. Instruments used included the Attachment Q-Set, the Attitudes to Deafness Scale, and parental interviews. As a group there were no differences between security of attachment scores of deaf children toward either of their parents; however, there were marked differences within individual dyads of mother-child/father-child relationships. In addition, negative correlations were found between parents' attitudes towards deafness scores and their deaf children's security of attachment scores. Implications for the field include the importance of inclusion of fathers in attachment studies and fathers' active participation in early intervention programs. The relationship between parental attitudes toward their children's disability (deafness) and attachment relationship provides further evidence for the critical role of early intervention in the development of children with special needs.     

Community Attitudes Toward School-Based Sexuality Education in a Conservative State

The purpose of this study was to assess community attitudes toward school-based abstinence-plus sexuality education. A dual sampling approach of landlines and cell phones resulted in 988 adults from two counties completing The South Carolina Survey of Public Opinion on Pregnancy Prevention. Among respondents, 87.1% supported school-based abstinence-plus sexuality education, and most of them agreed that various topics (abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases/HIV/AIDS, contraception) should be taught in grades 6 through 8. Few supporters believed that providing birth control information makes it more likely for teens to have sex. There was general consensus that schools and community settings should do more to prevent teen pregnancy and despite a conservative climate, respondents of this study support abstinence-plus sexuality education.     

Changes in Intelligence Over a Quarter of a Century

The purpose of the investigation is to study changes in intelligence among Swedish 13 year‐olds during a 25‐year period. The results show that the average of spatial and reasoning intelligence has successively risen. Concerning verbal intelligence, there is a clear increase during the 1960's. After this period the growth has been more irregular. No changes in the differences between social groups were observed. On the other hand, this was the case between boys and girls. In verbal ability, there were only small differences between the sexes in 1961. However, in 1985 the girls were clearly ahead of the boys. In spatial and reasoning ability, the boys were superior in the early 1960's. Twenty‐five years later this difference had almost disappeared.     

Child Guidance and Mental Health in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, as in the United States, the introduction of the concept of ‘mental health’ in education is closely related to the development of a network of child guidance clinics. The first of these was established in Amsterdam in 1928. However, a substantial movement to actively promote mental health did not come into existence until after the Second World War. Unlike in the USA, at the time in the Netherlands the school was considered of only little importance in the crusade for the prevention of mental illness. Teachers and school physicians alike were at the same time recognized as helping forces in the promotion of mental strength and conceived of as inadequately equipped to diagnose problem children. The tradition of labelling the school as a sick‐making institution appears to have been an important asset for the child guidance clinics’ lobby to successfully discredit the institution. Parents’ educational competence was likewise undermined by the infiltration of child‐psychiatric theory, concepts and categories of discourse. The mental health movement promoted an attitude towards the family that was even more disturbingly ambiguous. On the one hand the family was considered a most powerful medicine against what was consistently diagnosed as the moral crisis of society. On the other hand contemporary child‐psychiatric theory pointed at parenting as the prime seedbed of neurosis. Inspired by Sol Cohen’s new cultural history of education the author traces the origins and the initial success of the child guidance approach as part of a larger process of ‘medicalization’, accompanied by ‘neurotization’ as an effect of the growing influence of psychoanalysis. She argues that these processes created the conditions for the Dutch child guidance clinics to monopolize the care, treatment and knowledge of problem children. After discussing the growing ambiguity as to parents’ and the school’s competence in preventing mental illness, the establishment and early development of the Dutch child guidance clinics are described. Finally, an analysis is given of the clinics’ diagnoses and treatment of ‘difficult’ children at the height of the mental health movement’s success, immediately after the war. The child guidance clinics’ work was presented as a blessing for individuals, for society and for the public purse. The self‐image of the institution emphasized its role in the prevention of adult crime and psychiatric treatment. Moreover, the clinics were supposed to prevent much more expensive hospitalization of children in reformatories and children’s homes. In reality, however, they selected for treatment primarily those cases that fitted their approach. In doing so, they could further promote the belief in the mental health movement’s central idea of mental illness as a widespread disease. The child guidance clinics’ lobby succeeded in providing itself with a key role in the theatre of children’s mental health, the expert answer to what was conceived of as a serious crisis in society. Moreover, the lobby claimed to be the solution to the existing ambiguities as to the family and the school as child‐rearing milieux. Therefore, the way the child guidance clinics succeeded in promoting their own approach at the expense of the status and competence of other educational professions and institutions was both enabled by medicalization and neurotization and was itself another step in these processes.     

A Guide for Studying the Personality of a Young Child

Five methods for analyzing data arising from research involving pretests and posttests are considered. These methods include: (1) posttest analysis only; (2) analysis of raw gain scores (posttest minus pretest); (3) analysis of the data with a pretest-posttest factor included in the statistical model; (4) analysis of posttest data with pretests as a covariate, and (5) analysis of gain scores with pretests as a covariate. The characteristics of each are discussed, with a conclusion that the fifth method is superior to the others when the assumptions underlying covariance analysis are met.     

Adolescents' Attitudes to the Role of Women

Over 500 British adolescents aged between 12 and 20 completed a questionnaire concerning their attitudes to the role of women. Relatively few of the 27 items yielded high consensus among the subjects. There were numerous sex differences which showed males to be more traditional and conservative in their attitudes to women than females. About half the items yielded significant age differences, but almost none class differences, with older children being more liberal and egalitarian in their attitude. By and large, these findings are in accordance with previous studies in the area. The results are discussed in terms of the socialisation of sex differences.     

Changes in Rapid-Guessing Behavior Over a Series of Assessments

Abstract

A series of 8 tests was administered to university students over 4 weeks for program assessment purposes. The stakes of these tests were low for students; they received course points based on test completion, not test performance. Tests were administered in a counterbalanced order across 2 administrations. Response time effort, a measure of the proportion of items on which solution behavior rather than rapid-guessing behavior was used, was higher when a test was administered in the 1st week. Test scores were also higher. Differences between Week 1 and Week 4 test scores decreased when the test was scored with an effort-moderated model that took into account whether the student used solution or rapid-guessing behavior. Differences further decreased when students who used rapid-guessing on 5 or more of the 30 items were filtered from the data set.