Similarities in siblings' experiences of neglectful parenting behaviors

OBJECTIVE: Researchers and policymakers typically assume that within families, individual children are at an equivalent risk of neglectful behaviors. There is evidence that siblings experience differential parental treatment, and some research suggests that parents may maltreat their children to differing degrees. However, because neglect is typically a family-level construct, there may be a high correlation between siblings for this type of parental behavior. Therefore, our objectives were to investigate the extent to which siblings reported similar parental neglectful behaviors, whether sibling correlations for family-level types of neglectful behaviors were greater than those for child-specific forms of neglectful behaviors, whether high-risk groups differed from lower-risk groups in similarity for sibling reports for neglectful behaviors, and factors predicting differences in sibling reports of parental neglectful behaviors. METHOD: We assessed parental neglectful behaviors using child reports for 59 sibling pairs, representing both clinical and community samples. All children completed the Multidimensional Neglectful Behaviors Scale, which measures both child-specific and family-level neglectful parenting behaviors. RESULTS: Sibling intraclass correlations for neglectful behaviors were high and significant, and there were no differences in sibling correlations between clinical and community samples. Furthermore, there were no differences in correlations for family-level and child-specific items. Opposite sex siblings reported greater differences in parental neglectful behaviors, with boys reporting more neglectful behaviors than girls. CONCLUSIONS: Siblings report similar neglectful parenting behaviors, regardless of whether the family is high-risk or not, and whether neglectful behaviors are measured as a family-level or child-specific phenomenon.     

Verbal Intelligence: a key to basic skills?

Intra‐individual variability of cognitive measures, such as verbal and spatial ability tests, has frequently been reported to typify learning disabled children. To test the generality of such findings, longitudinal data from a large representative and non‐clinical sample of Swedish children (n = 812) were analysed. At age 10, the children were tested with a Swedish intelligence scale. At age 13, basic academic skills were measured by standardised achievement tests. Typical cognitive profile types, based on the verbal and spatial intelligence subtests, were identified through cluster analyses (CLUSTAN) of the girl and boy samples separately. The satisfactory solution arrived at was a five‐cluster representation for the girls (n = 497) and an eight‐cluster representation for the boys (n = 497). For both sexes, verbally as well as spatially oriented profiles emerged. However, the verbal orientation was more pronounced for girls, whereas the boys displayed greater variability and stronger spatial orientation. General intelligence at age 10 was a strong predictor for basic skills at age 13 (r > 0.70). Verbally strong children tended to achieve better than predicted by their overall level of intelligence, whereas spatially oriented children showed a less favourable development in basic academic skills. The results are discussed in relation to neuropsychologically‐based models of reading disability and theories of language and development.     

Gender differences in student attitudes toward science: A meta-analysis of the literature from 1970 to 1991

A meta-analysis covering the literature between 1970 and 1991 was conducted using an approach similar to that suggested by Glass, McGaw, and Smith (1981) and Hedges, Shymansky, and Woodworth (1989). This analysis examined gender differences in student attitudes toward science, and correlations between attitudes toward science and achievement in science. Thirty-one effect sizes and seven correlations representing the testing of 6,753 subjects were found in 18 studies. The mean of the unweighted effect sizes was .20 (SD = .50) and the mean of the weighted effect size was .16 (SD = .50), indicating that boys have more positive attitudes toward science than girls. The mean correlation between attitude and achievement was .50 for boys and .55 for girls, suggesting that the correlations are comparable. Results of the analysis of gender differences in attitude as a function of science type indicate that boys show a more positive attitude toward science than girls in all types of science. The correlation between attitude and achievement for boys and girls as a function of science type indicates that for biology and physics the correlation is positive for both, but stronger for girls than for boys. Gender differences and correlations between attitude and achievement by gender as a function of publication date show no pattern. The results for the analysis of gender differences as a function of the selectivity of the sample indicate that general level students reflect a greater positive attitude for boys, whereas the high-performance students indicate a greater positive attitude for girls. The correlation between attitude and achievement as a function of selectivity indicates that in all cases a positive attitude results in higher achievement. This is particularly true for low-performance girls. The implications of these finding are discussed and further research suggested.     

Gender differences in response to questions on the australian national chemistry quiz

In contrast to the attention given to the relative levels of achievement of boys and girls in mathematics, the question of whether there are sex differences in the solution of chemistry questions has not attracted much attention. This study compares the performance of boys and girls in the Australian National Chemistry Quiz (Chem Quiz), a multiple-choice test conducted by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. The analyses were based on results from 27,000 students in Years 11 and 12 and 16,000 students in Year 10 who completed the Chem Quiz in 1991. Although some questions in the Chem Quiz were solved equally well by boys and girls, on many questions boys outperformed girls. The extreme case was a question answered correctly by 67% of Year 10 boys in contrast to 48% of Year 10 girls. Several reasons why boys and girls might differ in the rates they solve at least some chemistry questions are discussed, and directions for identifying the nature, extent, and basis for sex differences are outlined.     

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.     

Gender differences in mathematics achievement: an investigation of gender differences by item difficulty interactions

This paper presents findings from research exploring gender by item difficulty interaction on mathematics test scores in Cyprus. Data steamed from 2 longitudinal studies with 4 different age groups of primary school students. The hypothesis that boys tended to outperform girls on the hardest items and girls tended to outperform boys on the easiest items was generally supported for each year group. The effect of social class was also examined. For each social class, there was a correlation between the item difficulty differences estimated on girls and boys separately and the difficulty of the item estimated on the whole sample. It is claimed that in understanding gender differences in mathematics, item difficulty should be treated as an independent variable. Suggestions for further studies are provided, and implications for the development of assessment policy in mathematics are drawn.     

Gender and age differences in awareness and endorsement of gender stereotypes about academic abilities

We measured age and gender differences in children’s awareness and endorsement of gender stereotypes about math, science, and verbal abilities in 463 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders. Children reported their perceptions of adults’ beliefs and their own stereotypes about gender differences in academic abilities. Consistent with study hypotheses, fourth and sixth graders had a stronger tendency than eighth graders to favor their own gender group rather than report traditional stereotypes. On average, girls favored girls over boys in all three domains. Fourth grade boys favored boys in all three domains; middle school boys reported traditional verbal stereotypes and were on average egalitarian in beliefs about math and science. Children’s reports of their perceptions of adults’ stereotypes mirrored age and gender differences in their own stereotypes and were correlated with their own stereotype endorsement. In addition to showing beliefs favoring girls in verbal domains and a tendency for most age and gender groups to not endorse traditional math and science stereotypes, the results support a synthesis of developmental and social identity theories regarding individual differences in children’s stereotype endorsement. Children’s tendency to favor girls in verbal domains may contribute to gender differences in educational and career choices by pulling girls toward the humanities and social sciences and discouraging boys from pursuing those domains.     

What Sort of Girl Wants to Study Physics After the Age of 16? Findings from a Large-scale UK Survey

This paper investigates the characteristics of 15-year-old girls who express an intention to study physics post-16. This paper unpacks issues around within-girl group differences and similarities between boys and girls in survey responses about physics. The analysis is based on the year 10 (age 15 years) responses of 5,034 students from 137 UK schools as learners of physics during the academic year 2008–2009. A comparison between boys and girls indicates the pervasiveness of gender issues, with boys more likely to respond positively towards physics-specific constructs than girls. The analysis also indicates that girls and boys who expressed intentions to participate in physics post-16 gave similar responses towards their physics teachers and physics lessons and had comparable physics extrinsic motivation. Girls (regardless of their intention to participate in physics) were less likely than boys to be encouraged to study physics post-16 by teachers, family and friends. Despite this, there were a subset of girls still intending to study physics post-16. The crucial differences between the girls who intended to study physics post-16 and those who did not is that girls who intend to study physics post-16 had higher physics extrinsic motivation, more positive perceptions of physics teachers and lessons, greater competitiveness and a tendency to be less extrovert. This strongly suggests that higher extrinsic motivation in physics could be the crucial underlying key that encourages a subset of girls (as well as boys) in wanting to pursue physics post-16.     

Do Boys or Girls Make Better Reading Tutors? An Empirical Study to Examine Children's Effectiveness as Tutors Using the Pause,Prompt and Praise Procedures

This study aimed to assess the effects of single‐sex and cross‐gender pairings in the context of the ‘pause, prompt and praise’ procedures for improving reading, the effects of boys as tutors compared with girls as tutors and those of choice in sex of tutor. Four groups were involved in the study: boys tutoring boys, girls tutoring girls, girls tutoring boys and boys tutoring girls. The tutees were 24 Year 7 pupils and the tutors were 24 Year 10 pupils from a large suburban comprehensive school in the Midlands of England. The reading age of each of the tutees was measured both before and after the intervention so that gains in reading age could be evaluated. The results showed that peers could be successfully trained to use the pause, prompt and praise techniques and that these were effective in raising the reading standards of tutees in all four groups. However, little evidence was found to suggest that any of the pairings was any more successful than the others or that the sex of the tutor had any significant effect on the tutoring outcome. On the other hand, however, there was some evidence that choice of tutor sex might have an effect on gains in tutee's measured reading ages     

A critical evaluation of “raising boys' attainment”

Girls are outperforming boys in public examinations. However, this does not apply to “all boys” and “all girls”, nor is it true of every subject. This paper questions the claims made based upon the statistical evidence and goes on to look at social, individual and school factors that may contribute to observed gender differences in school attainment. It is from the research that hopefully an evidence‐based view can be adopted to inform the role of the educational psychologist.     

Causal attributions for success and failure in mathematics: A cross cultural perspective

In this study the attributional patterns for success and failure in mathematics of students in Papua New Guinea are compared with those of students in Australia. The sample comprised 491 grade 10 students: 169 girls and 322 boys. While relatively few differences were found in the attributional patterns of boys and girls and of high and low achieving students, there appeared to be substantial differences between students in the two countries in their attributions for success and failure in mathematics. Possible reasons for this are explored in the paper.     

Perfectionism and depressive symptoms in early adolescence

The Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS; K.G. Rice & K.J. Preusser, 2002) was developed on samples of 9‐ to 11‐year‐old children. A primary purpose of the current research was to examine whether the AMPS could be useful in studies of adolescents, and in particular, studies of adolescent depression. This study of 145 early adolescents revealed (1) a somewhat different AMPS factor structure than has been evident in studies of younger children; (2) no significant mean differences between boys and girls on perfectionism, although girls were significantly more depressed than boys; (3) a pattern of perfectionism‐depression correlations that differed somewhat between boys and girls; and (4) several interactions of different dimensions of perfectionism in accounting for depression. Results are discussed by addressing differences between children and adolescents in school cultures, physical and psychological changes from childhood to adolescence, and the importance of considering the positive as well as the negative aspects of perfectionism among school‐age children. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 139–156, 2007.     

Bright girls,mathematics and fear of success

A review of the relevant literature has identified two important areas of sex differences in the field of mathematics. Not only do considerably more boys than girls perform very well in mathematics, but girls, far more frequently than boys, choose not to take intensive mathematics courses once they are no longer compulsory. A variety of factors are frequently cited to explain such consistent sex differences. This paper reports two studies that examine whether there is a relation between fear of success and sex differences in performance and participation in mathematics courses. The evidence provided highlights the effect of environmental pressures. Possible classroom based intervention programs are discussed.     

我国儿童、青少年诚信观发展现状研究

诚信观是个体关于诚信的含义、价值及其判断标准的系统性认识。我国儿童、青少年基本上能够对诚信的含义有准确的把握,其诚信观在对己、对他两个范畴上存在显著的差异性;在诚实观上,男女学生的对己诚实观存在显著的性别差异,女生高于男生,在对他诚实维度上不存在显著的性别差异。在守信观上,不存在显著的性别差异;在诚信对象的选择上,具有依亲情的亲疏程度选择个人诚信对象的倾向性。     

肱动脉血压相关因素的研究

利用20天的时间,每天10:00到15:00随机抽查,测量本校1000名大学生(男女生各500人)左右侧肱动脉血压的差异性;测量江苏省徐州市醒狮居民小区居民500名(男女各250人),年龄在20至69岁之间,探究血压与年龄和性别之间的关系。在大学生组中,将测量所得的结果通过χ2检验,u检验,其p值均大于0.05;典型相关分析检验中,相关系数约为1,说明大学生左右肱动脉血压无显著差异。在居民组中,运用matlab 7.0对数据进行拟合,结果显示随年龄的增长,舒张压、收缩压均逐渐升高,且收缩压的增长要大于舒张压的增长,男性的脉压整体高于女性,大约在45岁之后,双方差异逐渐减小。     

Beware of Stereotypes: Are Classmates’ Stereotypes Associated With Students’ Reading Outcomes?

This study examined the associations between classmates’ reading-related gender stereotypes and students’ reading self-efficacy, self-concept, motivation, and achievement. Our sample consisted of 1,508 fifth-grade students (49% girls; age: 10.89 years); data were collected at two time points. Multilevel analyses yielded two main results: First, there was a relation between students’ individual reading-related gender stereotypes and their reading self-concept, self-efficacy, and motivation with boys experiencing negative and girls experiencing positive effects. Second, a contextual effect was found: after controlling for students’ individual reading-related gender stereotypes, classmates’ gender stereotypes were negatively related to all of the boys’ reading outcomes. The results provide evidence for the assumption that classmates are important communicators of gender stereotypes and that they reinforce conforming behaviors.     

Gender effects in self-management training: Individual versus cooperative interventions

This study examined gender differences in individual and cooperative (small-group) self-management training programs targeting mathematics performance. It was hypothesized that gender would interact with type of self-management training, such that girls in the individual training condition and boys in the cooperative training condition would improve less than girls in the cooperative training condition or boys in the individual training condition. As expected, girls in the individual training con- dition improved significantly less than both girls in the cooperative condition and boys in the individual condition. In contrast, boys in the cooperative training condi- tion did not differ significantly from either boys in the individual training condition or girls in the cooperative training condition. These results suggest the benefit of more cooperative self-management training interventions for classroom-wide interventions that include both boys and girls. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

子女性别与父母教养方式之间的关系研究简

采用由岳冬梅等人修订的原瑞典Umea大学神经医学系C．Perris等人编制的EMBU（父母教养方式）问卷,调查了某市1964名初一到高三学生父母的教养方式．结果发现：（1）在母亲教养方式的各个因子上性别差异均不显著,而在父亲教养方式中的拒绝和干涉因子上存在着显著的性别差异．（2）在温暖和拒绝各因子上父亲和母亲之间存在着一定程度的正相关,差异性也十分显著;在干涉因子上二者的相关程度较低,但存在显著的差异．     

大学生英语四、六级考试成绩的性别差异

对3239名学习者的CET4、CET6考试成绩调查显示,男、女生在四、六级考试的总成绩上有明显差异,女生明显高于男生。女生在四级考试的听力、阅读、写作与综合测试四个分项的成绩上明显高于男生。女生在六级的阅读与写作两个分项的成绩上明显高于男生,但双方在听力与综合测试两个分项上的成绩差异不显著。