Personality and attainment: An application of psychological principles to educational objectives

In education it is important for applied research systematically to apply and test current psychological theories. However oversimplification of a theory will generally lead to inappropriate hypotheses and hence to inconclusive or inconsistent results. In research on personality and academic attainment it has been common to derive hypotheses about the effect of neuroticism directly from an early Hullian formulation. Examples in terms of the academic behaviour of students are used to explain recent adaptations of this basic theory. In particular it is necessary to distinguish between trait and state anxiety and to incorporate allowances for the effect of previous habit systems. Strongly established habits will control the type of behaviour elicited by drive stimuli, such as imminent examinations.Anxiety, even as a trait variable, can be seen as operating in opposite directions, facilitating or debilitating performance according to the nature of the individual and of the drive stimuli. In the progression from primary to higher education there will be a tendency for individuals whose high neuroticism adversely affects their performance to be eliminated; hence a positive correlation between achievement and neuroticism at this level might be anticipated.While there is considerable complexity in the relationship between anxiety and achievement, it is clear that introversion is consistently linked with success in higher education. This high performance is probably due to the introvert's better study habits and his ability to become conditioned easily to the predominant academic mores. In addition the build-up of reactive inhibition in extraverts during lectures or prolonged periods of study is likely to lead to avoidance symptoms in time.

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Résumé Dans l'enseignement il importe que la recherche expérimentale applique avec méthode les théories psychologiques classiques pour les mettre à l'épreuve. Pourtant, la simplification abusive d'une théorie mène souvent à des hypothèses inadéquates et à des résultats non concluants ou incompatibles. Dans la recherche sur la personnalité et la réussite universitaire on a souvent voulu tirer directement d'une formulation ancienne de Hull des hypothèses sur les effets du caractère névrotique. On cite des exemples de conduite scolaire des étudiants, pour montrer quelques adaptations récentes de cette théorie fondamentale. Il faut distinguer en particulier entre l'anxiété comme trait et l'anxiété comme condition, et prendre en compte l'effet du système antérieur des habitudes. Les habitudes qui sont fermement établies modèlent les types de conduite provoqués par les stimuli significatifs, tels que, par exemple, les examens imminents.On peut voir la variable de l'anxiété, considérée comme trait, agir de façons opposées en facilitant ou en entravant la réussite en fonction des caractéristiques de l'individu et des stimulants significatifs. Dans la progression de l'enseignement primaire à l'enseignement supérieure on observe une élimination progressive des individus dont le caractère névrotique exerce un effet défavorable sur la réussite; on peut par conséquent prédire une corrélation positive entre les résults et le caractère névrotique au niveau universitaire.Bien que les rapports entre l'anxiété et la réussite soient des plus complexes, il est évident que, au niveau de l'enseignement supérieur, il y a une liaison assez forte entre l'introversion et le succès. Il est probable que le niveau élevé de réussite est dû aux meilleures habitudes de travail de l'introverti et à sa capacité de s'adapter facilement aux moeurs universitaires dominantes. En outre, l'accumulation d'une inhibition réactive chez les extrovertis, pendant les cours ou les périodes d'étude prolongées tend à produire des symptômes d'annulation.

     

Locomotor experience: a facilitator of spatial cognitive development

2 studies were designed to test the prediction that spatial search strategies (i.e., "object permanence") may be influenced by locomotor experience. Infants were assigned to 3 groups based on locomotor history: prelocomotor, prelocomotor with walker-assisted experience, and hands-and-knees creeping. Infants in all groups were 8.5 months of age. Results showed that hands-and-knees and walker-assisted locomotor experience facilitated spatial search performance. The longer that infants had been moving, the higher their scores. Furthermore, there were no differences between the hands-and-knees and prelocomotor/walker-assisted groups, suggesting that the relation between locomotor experience and spatial search performance was not merely a function of the maturation of prone progression. A third study found that the quality of locomotion affected object permanence performance: Belly crawlers performed differently than infants with hands-and-knees or walker experience, insofar as they performed at prelocomotor levels regardless of weeks of locomotor experience. Taken together, the pattern of findings suggests that infants with more efficient modes of locomotion are more likely to profit from the experiences generated by locomotion.     

Language proficiency and lateral position in the classroom

This paper not only makes a contribution to the mosaic of scientific knowledge of the brain and nervous system, but suggests implications of practical value. Observant, experienced teachers know empirically that some youngsters learn best, and perhaps only, when seated front-center, right before the teacher’s desk. Such children need to have the eye contact, or to be in quick arm’s reach, or to have distractions screened out. Drs. Bakker and Van Rijnsoever give evidence here that, for many children, taking in and remembering the message is dependent on their physical placement to catch most effectively the stream of sound. This is important to consider in the popular open classroom. Although many children can adapt readily to less-than-perfect physical learning conditions, for some we must “re-invent the wall,” not to climb, but to provide a place to call “home.” The theoretical re-inforcement presented in this paper proves that such boundaries can also provide source and direction for sound as part of some children’s currently needed sensory security and enhance the efficiency of their auditory intake. Editor     

Client Personality as a Mediator of the Effects of Recording

Clients' ratings measuring the extent to which they felt inhibited by audio-recorded sessions (for supervisory purposes) were correlated with their scores on each scale of the Adjective Check List. Inhibition was positively related to scores in Self-Control, Endurance, Order, Abasement, Deference, and Counseling Readiness. It was negatively related to Lability, Exhibition, and Autonomy scores. The pattern of correlations was similar for clients with personal-social versus educational-vocational problems, although those of the latter group tended to be higher. Unexpectedly, inhibition ratings of educational-vocational clients manifested a strong positive relationship with their level of counseling readiness.     

Validity and use of an instrument for assessing classroom psychosocial environment in higher education

A strong tradition in research in primary and secondary schools has involved student and teacher perceptions of psychological characteristics of actual or preferred classroom environment. This paper provides a foundation for the extension of this tradition to the higher education level by describing the development, validation, and use of a new instrument, the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), suitable for small higher education classes often referred to as seminars. The CUCEI assesses students' or instructors' perceptions of the following seven psychosocial dimensions of actual or preferred classroom environment: personalization, involvement, student cohesiveness, satisfaction, task orientation, innovation, and individualization. Administration of the CUCEI to 372 students in 34 classes and to 20 instructors attested to the internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity of the actual and preferred forms with either the individual or the class mean as the unit of analysis, and supported the ability of the actual form to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. A research application of the CUCEI involving associations between student outcomes and classroom environment tentatively suggested that the nature of the classroom environment affects outcomes. Another research application suggested that both students and instructors preferred a more favorable classroom environment than the one actually present, and that instructors viewed classroom environments more positively than did their students in the same classrooms. Desirable future applications of the CUCEI for research purposes and in improving teaching in higher education are considered.The first main aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation of a new instrument to assess perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment in university and college classrooms. The second major purpose is to report the first two research uses of this instrument in, respectively, a study of associations between student outcomes and classroom environment and an investigation of differences between students and instructors in their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom environment. As well, desirable future research directions involving the new instrument are suggested. Before describing the development and use of the new instrument for the higher education level, important background information about analogous work at the primary and secondary school levels is briefly reviewed in an attempt to place the new work into context.     

Why states should enact an Adult Recurrent Education Entitlement Voucher program

This paper addresses the problems of financing adult continuing and recurrent postsecondary education in America. An analysis of the public investment and policy needs and recommendations for a specific state policy and program for meeting these needs are presented. It is adapted from the state-based Adult Recurrent Education Entitlement Voucher (AREEV) plan pending as legislation in Massachusetts. The AREEV design and the data on which it was originally based in Massachusetts are generalizable to other states. The rationale is not peculiar to Massachusetts.The AREEV proposal provides public investment in recurrent education in a manner that will enable existing educational resources to be utilized most efficiently by adults currently not being adequately served. The general context and rationale for public policy and investment is presented, and a specific, implementable design for legislation to create a state-based Adult Recurrent Education Entitlement Voucher program is recommended.This proposal is designed to aid selectively the working middle class, the disadvantaged, and the socially dependent to pursue part-time recurrent education to improve their career and social condition. The program places a priority first on subsidizing those adults who have the greatest need and then on subsidizing those activities that will yield the highest social rate of return, particularly in relation to problems of unemployment, social dependency, and the national skills base.Dr. Nolfi, an independent public policy analyst, is President of University Consultants, Inc., 45 Hancock Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139. This paper is a chapter in the forthcoming bookRecurrent Education and Open Learning: Policy Analysis and Program Design at the State and National Level. The substance of the paper is drawn from several documents, and extended references for those sources are available from the author.     

Motor activity, anticipated motor activity, and young children's associative learning.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether motor activity, previously assumed necessary to induce imagery in young children's associative learning, actually has to be executed. The results of our experiment with kindergartners clearly suggest not: In conditions where subjects simply planned to the potential motor activity (without executing it), learning was enhanced. Further, the temporal proximity of the planning to the potential motor activity did not prove to be important. These results, combined with those from 2 follow-up experiments, give rise to the speculation--among others--that young children can be "tricked" into imagery generation through appropriately worded instructions.     

Anti-bullying procedures for schools in Ireland: principals’ responses and perceptions

The role of the principal is imperative in creating a school climate that nurtures differences and equality at the same time. Policy and legislation in Ireland dictates the responsibility of school principals in preventing and intervening in issues relating to bullying. The current research investigates the extent to which principals consider the impact of bullying on their students and the strategies they take to combat it in their schools. We consider how principals respond to bullying and what supports they feel are missing for them to adhere to relevant policy. A sample of 918 principals from a range of schools across Ireland completed an online survey. The results demonstrated some positive actions by principals such as the provision of anti-bullying policies. However, they also document areas that need more action such as increased access to counsellors and appointing a specific staff member to deal with and tackle bullying in each school. Guidance from the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland on the development and provision of an anti-bullying programme is called for. Results are discussed in light of the current Anti-Bullying Procedures established by the Department of Education and Skills and the Action Plan for Bullying 2013.