Relations between early family risk, children's behavioral regulation, and academic achievement

This study examined relations among early family risk, children's behavioral regulation at 54 months and kindergarten, and academic achievement in first grade using data on 1,298 children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Family risk was indexed by ethnic minority status, low maternal education, low average family income from 1 - 54 months, and high maternal depressive symptoms from 1 - 54 months. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that minority status, low maternal education, and low family income had significant negative effects on reading, math, and vocabulary achievement in first grade. Modest indirect effects were also found from ethnicity, maternal education, and maternal depressive symptoms, through 54-month and kindergarten behavioral regulation to first-grade achievement. Discussion focuses on the importance of behavioral regulation for school success especially for children facing early risk.     

A cross-cultural analysis of similarities and differences among Math Olympiads in China,Taiwan, and The United States

This chapter explores the cross-cultural similarities and differences of Math Olympians and their families from China, Taiwan, and the United States. Multiple theoretical perspectives are used with these comparisons. The results of these analyses suggest that there are more areas of difference than similarity among these Math Olympians. These differences are largely due to cultural factors emanating from philosophical beliefs and evolving political factors revolving around two major concepts: individualism versus group collectivism and intrinsic versus extrinsic factors.     

School readiness of maltreated preschoolers and later school achievement: The role of emotion regulation,language, and context

Guided by bio-ecological theory, this study aimed to: (1) identify heterogeneity in the developmental patterns of emotion regulation for maltreated preschool-aged children; (2) examine the role of gender, language, placement instability, cognitive stimulation, and emotional support on patterns of stability and change of emotion regulation over time; and (3) elucidate the role of emotion regulation/dysregulation patterns on later academic achievement. This study utilized data from the first cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Results using LCA and LTA models indicated stability and change in emotionally regulated vs. emotionally dysregulated latent classes across 4, 5, and 6 ½ years of age. Placement instability significantly increased the likelihood of being classified as emotionally dysregulated at wave 1. Moreover, children classified as emotionally dysregulated by age 6 ½ scored significantly lower than children who were classified as emotionally regulated on measures of reading and math achievement by age 10. Based on these findings, placement stability at first contact with CPS should be promoted in order to prevent cascading negative effects on emotion regulation. Additionally, children who are more emotionally dysregulated by the time they transition to formal schooling should receive increased socioemotional and socioemotional learning supports.     

Gender differences in reading: Examining text-based interest in relation to text characteristics and reading comprehension

Reading is a key competence for knowledge acquisition and learning processes. One important source of reading motivation is interest. Even though students' text-based interest often differs by gender, it remains unclear which text factors underlie these differences and whether text-based interest relates to reading comprehension among boys and girls. In a sample of 514 elementary students (47.2% girls), this study examined whether text topic, protagonists' gender, and text difficulty affect boys' and girls' text-based interest and whether interest and reading comprehension are intertwined. Based on a repeated within-subject design using fourteen narrative texts, the results indicated that boys' interest was higher in texts with male-attributed topics, male protagonists, and in more difficult texts. In contrast, girls’ interest was only affected by text difficulty. Text-based interest and reading comprehension were significantly related, albeit stronger for boys than for girls. The findings are discussed regarding future implications for research and educational practice.     

Keeping their attention: Classroom practices associated with behavioral engagement in first grade mathematics classes in China and the United States

This study investigated variation in students’ behavioral engagement across mathematics classes in China and the United States. Student behavioral engagement was examined along with two aspects of the classroom (group size and teacher instructions given about classroom behavior). Video observational data were collected and coded over 1051 time intervals in 35-minute mathematics sessions in Chinese classrooms (n = 8) and comparable American classrooms (n = 7). Latent growth analyses revealed that overall, behavioral engagement declined over time, although the drop-off was dramatically sharper in American classrooms relative to Chinese classrooms. In addition, larger group size and the timing of teacher instructions (given before versus after the behavior) were significantly associated with increased engagement. This study revealed compelling cultural differences as well as patterns in student and teacher behaviors associated with students engaging in on-task behaviors in the classroom. Implications for ways to promote effective classroom behavior are discussed.     

Adaptive emotion regulation,academic performance and internalising problems in Flemish children with special educational needs: a pilot study

School readiness of children with special educational needs (SEN) is still understudied. The present study examined how the presumed bidirectional relationship between impaired academic performance (AP) and internalising problems (IP) could be favourably influenced. In this regard, it was assumed that children’s adaptive emotion regulation plays a crucial role, as it was shown to be independently related to improved AP and fewer IP. However, to gain stronger evidence for this assumption, it should be further clarified whether adaptive emotion regulation, AP and IP are also jointly associated and, if so, how this is reflected in children with SEN. To explore these issues, two different models were tested in a cross-sectional pilot including 61 Flemish elementary school children with SEN (39 boys and 22 girls, mean age = 10.0 years old). Teachers reported on adaptive emotion regulation, AP and IP. The results indicated that AP partially mediated the relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and IP (Model 1), while IP fully mediated the relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and AP (Model 2). Practical implications, strengths and limitations were discussed.     

Gender differences in the association between emotional maltreatment with mental,emotional, and behavioral problems in Swedish adolescents

Emotional maltreatment is a common form of child abuse with a powerful negative impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of emotional maltreatment on mental health and mental well-being in a general population of Swedish 12- to 13-year old girls and boys. Data was collected via self-report questionnaires in classroom settings from 1134 students. Emotional maltreatment had significant effects on mental health and mental well-being for both girls and boys. Moreover, there were significant interaction effects between gender and levels of emotional maltreatment. Girls reported decreased mental health and mental well-being at lower degrees of emotional maltreatment compared to boys. Furthermore, girls reported larger decreases in mental health in response to exposure of emotional maltreatment. For internalizing symptoms, mental well-being and psychosomatic symptoms, exposure level of emotional maltreatment seemed to magnify the gender differences. For externalizing symptoms, there were no differences between girls and boys in the group reporting no emotional maltreatment and the increase in externalizing symptoms were of equal magnitude for both genders. Given the impact of emotional maltreatment on mental health in the general population, results from this study implies that a trauma-informed perspective is necessary in understanding gender differences in mental health in early adolescence. Further research is needed in order to understand the underlying processes generating the differences in girls and boys responses to emotional maltreatment.     

英、美、日、韩及台湾地区考试机构文化建设对我国大陆的启示

英、美、日、韩等国及我国台湾地区教育考试机构先进的文化建设及特色,对我们构建教育考试机构的组织文化有一定的启示和借鉴意义。这些国家(地区)考试机构建设考试文化理念的是:服务社会化、机构专业化、考试标准化、评价多元化。启示和借鉴:教育考试机构应逐步向专业化、社会化、服务性机构转型;专业化的教育考试机构需要专业化队伍和信息化管理机制;考试机构人员要树立"公平"和"以人为本"的服务理念;教育考试机构要在服务社会的同时形成自己的特色与品牌。     

Gender stereotype endorsement and achievement-related outcomes: The role of competence beliefs and task values

In most Western societies, males are stereotyped as having stronger mathematical abilities than females whereas females are stereotyped as having stronger verbal abilities than males. Exposure to negative ability stereotypes reliably undermines performance in laboratory experiments, yet the mechanisms by which such stereotypes may influence boys’ and girls’ achievement outcomes in the more naturalistic setting of primary and secondary school remain unclear. The current study evaluated a hypothesis suggested by expectancy-value theories (e.g., Eccles & Wigfield, 2002): the relationship between stereotypes and achievement outcomes is importantly mediated by a student’s perceived competence and his or her valuation of the domain in question. We tested the hypothesis by examining the career intentions and grades of 762 sixth and eighth graders. As expected, even after controlling for prior achievement, stereotype endorsement primarily predicted grades and career intentions indirectly, through students’ competence beliefs and task values. These results suggest that stereotypes predict achievement-related outcomes most clearly when students internalize them.     

Gender Inclusivity in Secondary Chemistry: A study of male and female participation in secondary school chemistry

This paper gives a nuanced analysis of participation rates in secondary chemistry by developing the “story” behind national trends and subject selection patterns within an independent school located in a large Australian city. It supplements the documented quantitative data by presenting a case–study where 30 Year 12 chemistry students were interviewed about what motivated them to enrol in secondary chemistry. The students’ comments indicate that, despite the quantitative transformations that demonstrate increasing female success over the past few decades, chemistry is not totally gender inclusive. Secondary chemistry has not yet reached total gender inclusion due to the common gender differences that still occur in the students’ motivation to select chemistry and the influence that gender stereotypes still have on students’ subject selection.     

Gender differences in self-estimates of general, mathematical, spatial and verbal intelligence: Four meta analyses

Four meta-analyses were conducted to examine the magnitude of sex differences in self-estimates of general, mathematical/logical, spatial and verbal abilities. For all but verbal ability males gave significantly higher self-estimates than did females. The weighted mean effect size d for general intelligence was .37, for mathematical .44, for spatial .43 and for verbal .07. As these were significantly heterogeneous, homogeneity analysis was performed to identify moderating factors. These included age, instruction type, country and dominating author's gender. The outcomes were discussed in terms of possible causes of this phenomenon and some concerns about the interpretation of the results were raised.     

中俄美在中亚的相互关系及中亚未来安全形势分析

大国关系问题始终是中亚安全领域面临的重大现实问题,当前,由于中俄美三个对中亚安全形势具有决定性影响的大国在中亚地区形成并保持了一种既竞争又合作、合作大于竞争的关系,从总体上讲,在可预见的将来中亚安全形势将进一步好转。     

Gender gap in maths test scores in South Korea and Hong Kong: Role of family background and single-sex schooling

In many industrialised societies, women remain underrepresented in the sciences, which can be predicted by the gender gap in math achievement at school. Using PISA 2006 data, we explore the role of family background and single-sex schooling in girls’ disadvantage in maths in South Korea and Hong Kong. This disadvantage is found to be associated with single-sex schooling, but not with family background. Attending a girls’ school confers a benefit only in South Korea, whereas the gendered curriculum counteracts the selectivity advantage of girls’ schools in Hong Kong. We find that a gendered social structure prevalent in both societies.     

Ethnic, gender, and socio-economic group differences in academic performance and secondary school selection: A longitudinal analysis

This study examined gender, socio-economic (SES), and ethnic group differences in academic performance (measured at 14 and 16 years) in a sample of 517 British pupils (mean age = 16.5 years). White pupils outperformed their Black and Pakistani counterparts and high SES pupils consistently outperformed their low SES counterparts. Results from two Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) models showed that controlling for IQ variance minimizes these group differences. The MIMIC models also revealed that Pakistani pupils and girls tend to underperform academically relative to White pupils and boys, respectively, at 14 years, once IQ and SES have been partialed out. These and other, more specific, findings are discussed with reference to predictive test bias, selection and streaming procedures, and implications for educational policy.     

Assessing task values in five subjects during secondary school: Measurement structure and mean level differences across grade level,gender, and academic subject

Students’ value beliefs tend to decrease across secondary school (Wigfield et al., 2015). However, previous studies did not differentiate between all the dimensions of task values defined by expectancy-value theory (Eccles et al., 1983). Therefore, this study evaluated an instrument for assessing multiple value dimensions across grade level and academic subjects and tested for differences between grade levels in these subjects. A total of 830 students from Grades 5 to 12 completed a questionnaire assessing their value beliefs in German, English, math, biology, and physics with 37 items each. The factor structure was shown to be invariant across academic subjects, grade levels, and gender. Generally, students in higher grades showed lower means on positive value facets and higher means on cost facets. However, the results varied substantially by facet and subject. Furthermore, stereotypical gender differences in value beliefs were found, and some of these differences increased with students’ grade level. The findings indicate that examining multiple dimensions and subjects is crucial for developing a complete understanding of the development of students’ value beliefs.     

Academic differentiation,school achievement and school violence in the USA and South Korea

Whilst school violence is a major public concern and a focus of educational reforms both in the USA and South Korea, few studies have comparatively examined the rates of school violence and school factors associated with them. Analysing nationally‐representative data from eighth graders, their mathematics teachers and principals in 150 South Korean schools and in 216 US schools, the authors found that: 1) the rates of school violence are higher in the US than South Korea, 2) student‐reported violence rates are not associated with school‐reported violence rates in both nations and 3) South Korean schools with academic tracking and low‐achieving US schools are more likely to have higher rates of school violence. Policy and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

中日韩美高中生学习状况比较研究

本研究对中国、日本、韩国和美国高中生的学习环境、学习行为、学习目的与态度等进行了比较。通过对自编问卷中各题目选项的百分比进行比较发现,与其他三国相比,中国高中班级规模较大,座位安排以＂秧田式＂为主,走班制尚不常用,教学方式方法有＂应试＂倾向,学生学习压力最大;中国高中生课堂表现良好,学习行为积极,用于家庭作业和课外学习的时间也最长,但使用新媒体学习少于美国高中生;＂掌握社会的基本知识＂和＂对将来的工作有用＂是四国高中生共同的学习目的,但中国高中生更加重视通过学习来适应和融入社会,对个体独特性的追求较弱;中国高中生不想提高成绩的比例在四国中最少。     

The early developmental competencies and school readiness of low-income,immigrant children: Influences of generation,race/ethnicity,and national origins

Though much valuable research has been conducted on the academic achievement of school-age immigrant youth, less is known about the early developmental competencies of immigrant children during the preschool years. This study describes the school readiness of 2194 low-income children receiving subsidies to attend child care with emphasis on how nativity status (generation), race/ethnicity, and national origins might be related to children's preparedness for kindergarten. The Learning Accomplishment Profile–Diagnostic (LAP-D) was used to measure cognitive and language skills, while teacher-report on the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) measured socio-emotional protective factors and behavior concerns. Results demonstrate that variation does exist in school readiness according to nativity-based factors. First- and second-generation immigrants lagged behind children in non-immigrant families in cognitive and language skills but excelled by comparison in socio-emotional skills and behavior. In many cases, first-generation immigrant children showed more advanced development than second-generation immigrant children, providing some evidence in the early years for an immigrant advantage. The present study raises awareness regarding some of the strengths immigrant children demonstrate from a very young age—strengths that can be built upon to encourage their later success and academic achievement.     

Gender differences in identification of gifted youth and in gifted program participation: A meta-analysis

Although numerous studies have researched gender differences in gifted identification and program participation, the results of these studies are largely mixed. The goal of the present study was to synthesize data on gender differences in gifted identification and programming by combining data from multiple studies into a single meta-analysis. The combined results from 130 studies published between 1975 and 2011 indicated that boys were 1.19 times more likely than girls to be identified as gifted and included in gifted programs. Moderator analyses indicated that gender differences were particularly evident among pre-adolescents, within gifted summer programs, and for students who were identified as gifted using IQ scores and standardized tests. Recommendations for reducing gender bias include encouraging pre-adolescent girls to participate in gifted programs and using multiple assessment criteria to identify gifted students.     

1978-2007年我国大陆与我国台湾、韩国、日本高校SSCI论文的比较研究

通过与我国台湾、韩国、日本高校1978—2007年发表的SSCI论文进行比较,我们发现我国大陆高校SSCI论文发表有如下特征:论文数量逐年上升;高校SSCI论文发表在国内机构中占有优势,但与周边国家和地区相比还有较大差距;国际合作论文比例较高,且呈上升趋势。研究还发现,我国大陆、我国台湾、韩国、日本高校SSCI论文高产的大学基本都是重点建设的一流大学。