What college chemistry instructors and high school chemistry teachers perceive as important for incoming college students

Professors of college chemistry were asked to rank various examples of traditional chemistry knowledge and skills as to their importance for incoming students to possess. A pilot study revealed that the items—all selected from one edition of the American Chemical Society-National Science Teachers Association (ACS-NSTA) Chemistry Achievement Examination—represented attributes viewed as relatively unimportant. The professors then identified 29 personal traits they considered more important for incoming students to possess. Subsequently, these items, knowledge, skill, and personal attributes, were included in a three-part assessment instrument. The instrument was administered to 69 college chemistry professors selected at random and to 37 high school chemistry teachers. The results reveal that the college professors universally identified student personal attributes as significantly more important for incoming students to possess over specific knowledge and skills included in the ACS-NSTA Achievement Examination. Chemistry professors do not find items commonly used to assess success in high school chemistry as important attributes for incoming students to possess. Conversely, high school chemistry teachers regard the knowledge and skill items to be more important for college preparation than personal attributes.     

Preventing Conduct Disorder: A study of parental behaviour management and support needs with children aged 3 to 5 years

Managing antisocial behaviour in very young children presents many problems for parents, often leading to personal difficulties for them and the possible development of delinquency in their children as they grow older. This paper examines literature on the early onset of this behaviour and presents data from a sample of 265 parents of children enrolled in preschools or child care centres on their perceptions of their young children's behaviour and of their own support needs. Results suggest that most parents preferred informal sources of support on child management and that only minor behaviour management problems were experienced by most families in this sample. For those experiencing more aggressive behaviours in their children evidence was noted, among other things, of inconsistency in their use of management strategies, greater use of punishment and a lack of confidence, and a need for help with personal coping strategies. Implications for parent support programs are considered.     

Young children's beliefs about the stability of traits: protective optimism?

Prior research has demonstrated individual differences in children's beliefs about the stability of traits, but this focus on individuals may have masked important developmental differences. In a series of four studies, younger children (5-6 years old, Ns = 53, 32, 16, and 16, respectively) were more optimistic in their beliefs about traits than were older children (7-10 years old, Ns = 60, 32, 16, and 16, respectively) and adults (Ns = 130, 100, 48, and 48, respectively). Younger children were more likely to believe that negative traits would change in an extreme positive direction over time (Study 1) and that they could control the expression of a trait (Study 3). This was true not only for psychological traits, but also for biological traits such as missing a finger and having poor eyesight. Young children also optimistically believed that extreme positive traits would be retained over development (Study 2). Study 4 extended these findings to groups, and showed that young children believed that a majority of people can have above average future outcomes. All age groups made clear distinctions between the malleability of biological and psychological traits, believing negative biological traits to be less malleable than negative psychological traits and less subject to a person's control. Hybrid traits (such as intelligence and body weight) fell midway between these two with respect to malleability. The sources of young children's optimism and implications of this optimism for age differences in the incidence of depression are discussed.     

Callous unemotional traits and the relationship between aggressive parenting practices and conduct problems in Singaporean families

Research into parenting influences on child conduct problems in Asian countries has been limited compared to that conducted in Western countries, especially with regard to interplay between parenting and callous unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., lack of guilt and empathy). This study examined associations between dimensions of aggressive parenting practices (psychological aggression, mild and severe physical aggression), dimensions of child aggression (proactive, reactive), and child CU traits, in Singapore. Participants were children and adolescents with clinic-referred externalizing problems (N = 282; 87.6% boys), aged 7–16 years. Mild and severe parental physical aggression was found to be uniquely associated with children’s proactive aggression, whereas parental psychological aggression was uniquely associated with both proactive and reactive aggression. Consistent with previous evidence regarding CU traits as moderators of the relationship between negative parenting and child conduct problems, physically aggressive parenting was found to be more strongly associated with children’s proactive aggression among children with low levels of CU traits, than those with high CU traits. These findings support the need for ongoing research into CU traits in Asian cultures, focused on heterogeneous risk pathways to antisocial behavior and individual differences in response to family-based interventions.     

Concepts of Meaning and the Reading and Spelling Difficulty of Words

Abstract

This study investigated sex and grade differences of 503 disadvantaged students in kindergarten to grade three on behavioral traits delineated by orthogonal factor analysis. Six factors were extracted and factor scores used as dependent variables in univariate analyses of variance. Primary results indicated that a) creativity indices among disadvantaged students in the sample decreased steadily from kindergarten to grade three, and b) contrary to research conducted with general population $s, girls in the sample exhibited more aggressive behavior than boys and were no more dependent on the teacher than the boys. Possible explanations and implication are discussed.     

西方父母控制研究的新特点

近十年来,研究者们把父母控制划分为心理控制和行为控制两方面,心理控制是强加在儿童心理和情绪发展过程中的控制意图,行为控制是父母为儿童行为制定的规则、限制以及对其活动的觉察。有研究表明,心理控制与青少年的外显和内隐问题有关,行为控制与青少年的外显问题有关;青少年认为,父母对个人领域的控制是心理控制;父母过量使用心理控制会阻碍青少年自主的发展;父母的完美主义能够预测心理控制。进一步的研究将呈现实证研究增多、范围扩大和对父母人格特点研究等新的特点。     

Macho and Morbidity:

Men in our society, including college student men, both need and fear personal psychological services more than women. For example, twice as many women as men seek counseling an psychotherapy but young men commit suicide at a rate nearly four times that of their female counterparts. Man are also more severely destructive in other ways, including most self-imposed illnesses and injuries, drug abuse, murder and other crimes, though women are now more destructive in "macho ways" than they were fifteen years ago. The thesis is advanced that when emotional needs and asking for help are severly stigmatized by the machismo orientation, unbalanced by personal sensitivity and insight, the macho dynamic is inherently morbid in the sense that it is destructive both to the self and others. This thesis is documented by statistics, highly expressive and influential literary portrayals, movies and sports phenomena. Implications for college and university psychotherapists are noted, and basic re-educative "outreach" approaches are suggested both to make psychotherapy more accessible and to foster more constructive role models for men.     

Personal Well-Being of Gifted Students Following Participation in an Early College-Entrance Program

In this study, life satisfaction and its correlates were explored through analysis of the experiences and psychological traits of highly gifted students who were accelerated into an early college-entrance program. Happiness, fulfillment in life, assuredness, and good dispositions are constructs that point toward positive character development and thriving. These early college entrants expressed greater global satisfaction with their lives than age peers. They specifically reported elevated levels of satisfaction in their achievements, immediate standard of living, personal safety, and future security than age peers. They expressed powerful feelings of general self-efficacy and high levels of trait seriousness, two constructs related to facilitating success. The findings in this study suggest these early college entrants are on a path toward personal thriving and living a good life.     

大学生积极心理素质自我培育的探索研究——基于曾国藩家训的教育思想

曾国藩家训富含培养青年精英的教育规律,大学生在中华优秀家风家训的熏陶下,通过自我教育,拓展积极认知、丰富积极体验、具备坚强意志和塑造积极个性,从而为自己营造智慧、平和、勤奋、自信、上进等积极的心理素质,在实现中华民族伟大复兴的过程中,不断完善自己。     

INTERNET USE AMONG YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS: RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

Past research found a negative impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young adults. This finding conflicted with the emerging literature on Internet use among older adults, which usually suggested positive effects. The goals of the current research were a) to examine age differences in psychological well-being, b) to study the impact of Internet use on psychological well-being of young and older adults, and c) to explore group differences between older Internet users and nonusers of psychological well-being and personal characteristics. Three hundred and ninety-six young and older adults completed a survey on internet use and psychological well-being. Young and older adults were found to differ on dimensions of psychological well-being. In addition, older Internet users were more positive than non-users concerning psychological well-being and personal characteristics.     

Domain-specific antecedents of parental psychological control and monitoring: the role of parenting beliefs and practices

This research examined the effects of domain-differentiated beliefs about legitimate parental authority and ratings of restrictive parental control on adolescent- and mother-reported psychological and behavioral control. The influence of parenting beliefs and practices regarding socially regulated (moral and conventional) and ambiguously personal (multifaceted and personal) issues was examined in 93 middle-class African American early adolescents (M = 13.11 years, SD = 1.29) and their mothers, who were followed longitudinally for 2 years. Domain-specific parenting beliefs and ratings predicted adolescent-reported maternal psychological control and parental monitoring, but the nature and direction of the relations differed. Adolescents who rated parents as more restrictive in their control of personal issues and who believed that parents should have less legitimate authority over these issues rated their mothers as higher in psychological control. In contrast, more adolescent-reported parental monitoring was associated with gender (being female) and adolescents' beliefs that parents have more legitimate authority to regulate personal issues. As expected, adolescent age and gender influenced mother-reported monitoring and psychological control; in addition, the effects of mothers' ratings of restrictive control on both psychological control and monitoring were moderated by gender. The results indicate that psychological control and monitoring can be understood in terms of the particular behaviors that are controlled, as well as the style in which control is exercised.     

Sexual abuse prevention education for young children: A comparison of teachers and parents as instructors

The purpose of this study was to compare teachers and parents as instructors of a personal safety program. One hundred seventy-two Head Start preschoolers were randomly assigned to a personal safety program taught by their teachers, parents, both teachers and parents, or to a general safety control program. Following program participation, children taught the personal safety program by their teachers, parents, or both, demonstrated greater knowledge about sexual abuse and higher levels of personal safety skills compared with those in the control group. Gains in knowledge and skills were maintained at the 5-month follow up. Children taught by their parents showed greater improvements in recognizing inappropriate-touch requests and in their personal safety skills compared with children taught by their teachers, and children who received the program both at home and school were better able to recognize appropriate-touch requests and to demonstrate higher levels of personal safety skills compared with children taught only at school. The emotional costs associated with participating in the program were minimal, and both parents and children rated the program positively. The advantages of home-based instruction for young children are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.     

优秀篮球教练员临场指挥的个性心理品质刍议

通过查阅大量文献资料,走访部分专家和优秀篮球教练员,对篮球教练员的个性心理品质进行研究.主要从优秀篮球教练员临场指挥的个性心理品质认识、理解及应该具备哪些个性心理品质,如何培养篮球教练员临场指挥下的（特别是年轻教练员）优良个性心理品质是当今现代运动训练需要迫切解决的问题,旨在为篮球教练员临场指挥提供一定参考价值.     

科技期刊编辑心理素质结构及其优化

科技期刊编辑心理素质结构主要是性格品质中的态度、情感和意志，心理能力中的认知能力和心理适应能力，心理动力中的动机和兴趣等。提出了优化编辑心理素质的途径：塑造良好的性格品质，培养高水平的心理能力，激发强烈的心理动力。     

The Relationships among Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Behaviour,Teachers’ Characteristics,and Ratings of Students’ Emotional and Behavioural Problems

This study examined the relationships among teachers’ perceptions of students’ behavioural problems and their own efficacy and psychological symptoms. Findings suggested that teachers were more bothered by externalising (i.e., acting out) than internalising (i.e., withdrawal, depression) behavioural problems in their students, and believed that students had greater control over externalising behavioural problems. In addition teachers’ personal teaching efficacy contributed significantly to the prediction of how bothersome internalising behavioural problems were perceived as being. Further, teachers’ personal and general teaching efficacy both contributed significantly to the prediction of teachers’ perceptions of student control over externalising behavioural problems. These findings may have particular relevance to interventions addressing students’ behavioural problems in the classroom.     

Is entrepreneurship a remedy for Chinese university graduates’ unemployment under the massification of higher education? A case study of young entrepreneurs in Shenzhen

Chinese higher education has gained outstanding achievement in expanding its access to the mass population since 1999. However, the mismatch between university curricula and job market requirements leads to increasing unemployment and underemployment of Chinese graduates. In recent years, the central and local governments and universities have viewed entrepreneurship as an efficient means to solve the unemployment and underemployment issues of university graduates. They issued many policies to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among young people. However, university graduates are still facing barriers in deciding to start their entrepreneurial journey. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 37 young entrepreneurs in Shenzen. Results show that the respondents encountered barriers from three aspects: personal traits, resources, and culture. With the empirical data collected from the interviews, we aim to enable higher education professionals and innovation policymakers to develop an advanced understanding of the experiences of the new generation of entrepreneurs while reflecting the efforts in coping with the negative effects of the massification of higher education.     

The limits of tolerance in assessing the competence of counselling trainees

At a time when there is intense demand for counselling training in Britain, at considerable cost in terms of time and money for students, the pressure for successful outcome weighs heavily on course tutors. At the same time the pressure to ensure that professional standards of competence in counselling are upheld make the process of continual and final assessment critical.As part of a study investigating the assessment of competence of counsellors in training, trainers were asked a series of questions about the ethical difficulties they have encountered in assessing students. Four case scenarios were presented highlighting various dilemmas that can face trainers when aspects of a student's personal development or self awareness potentially pose a threat to the counselling relationship they have with clients. Trainers were also asked whether they had ever passed students studying on their courses against their better judgement or with reservations about their capacity to fully engage with their clients in a competent and professional manner. If so they were also asked how this came about. The response to these questions was varied and interesting. The majority of respondents reported that students had graduated from their courses about whom they had reservations. The response to the varied scenarios produced valuable qualitative data that reflects both differing frames of reference and value systems of trainers and training courses.The information gathered in this enquiry is discussed with reference to recent sparse literature on counselling training, professionalism and ethics. This paper addresses the concerns that counselling trainers agonise over in private, now open for debate in a public arena, namely how tolerant can they afford to be when assessing the competence of their trainees.     

Sexual Health Perceptions Among First-Year Students at a British University

Abstract

First-year undergraduate students in the United Kingdom undergo significant change in their lives as they embark upon their university experience. They may be exposed to various social and psychological factors that increase their risk of poor sexual health. Indeed, epidemiological data suggest that young people (including students) face sexual health inequalities compared to the general population. People’s perceptions are key to understanding their behavior. This study explores the sexual health perceptions of a group of first-year students at a British university. Sixteen heterosexual students were interviewed, and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed three content categories: (1) sexual freedom and exploration at university, (2) university environmental sexual risk factors, and (3) stigma as a barrier to sexual health. These risk factors can undermine sexual health outcomes in students in the long term and should, therefore, be considered in sexual health education programs for university students in the United Kingdom. It is argued that the incorporation of social and psychological factors into such programs will lead to more effective sexual health promotion in this high-risk population.     

The effect of personal relevance on psychological inference: a developmental analysis

The effect of personal relevance was examined as a motivational alternative to capacity-based explanations of young children's failure to describe others in terms of psychological characteristics. In Study 1, children at 2 age levels (5-6 and 9-10 years) were asked to describe actors exhibiting different behaviors and to select partners for different games. As predicted, children who expected to interact with the actors were much more likely to describe them in psychological terms. Older children selected partners based on instrumental goals, maximizing their own outcomes, whereas younger children selected partners based on liking. The findings were replicated in Study 2, and expecting interaction was also found to affect behavior (toy allocation). The results suggest that the verbal inferencing skills of young children have been underestimated in the past, and that younger children may be more oriented than older children toward affective relative to instrumental goals in anticipating interaction with a peer.     

高校优等生心理健康问题的调查与分析

高校优等生是指成绩优秀、各方面表现突出的学生,他们作为大学校园里一个特殊的群体,和其他高校大学生相比大都聪明勤奋,成绩优异,因此身上肩负着的责任和压力也就越大。在调查问卷、座谈、个别交谈以及实际工作中发现,优等生不同程度地存在着自卑、焦虑、烦躁、孤独、脆弱、人际关系紧张等心理问题。因此,探讨高校优等生心理健康问题的原因和对策,对大学优等生的全面成长,落实大学生素质教育具有重要的意义。