A conceptual framework for developing an activity-based approach to career counselling

The present paper develops a conceptual framework for an activity-based approach to career counselling. The main objective of this approach is to combine clients' practical activity, such as visits to educational institutions, work practices etc., with their psychological processes leading to occupational choice. Some basic ideas that are relevant to developing an activity-based approach to counselling in postmodern work life and some recent changes in work life itself and in the individuals' relation to work are discussed. These include plasticity, which emphasizes the individuals' capability and activeness in shaping both their working environment and themselves; the nonnormative nature of the developmental tasks that postmodern work life sets for the individual; the openness and nonlinear nature of the counselling process and the implications of this on the role of the counsellor; and the usefulness of conceptualizing the counselling process as a metaphorical reality. Also, some preliminary findings from a research project aimed at developing a counselling process model which is congruent with activity-based approach are presented. The implications of these findings on the framework are also discussed.     

Association of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with Angiographically Proven Atherosclerosis

Association of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with angiographically proven atherosclerosis CETP gene has been linked to CAD risk via its role in HDL and LDL metabolism. There is no agreement of whether CETP is atherogenic or not. Furthermore, various genotypes of CETP gene have been associated with CETP levels and thus with atherosclerosis risk. Our aim was to study the association of CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism with CETP and HDL levels and their association if any with atherosclerosis. Study population consisted of angiographically documented 50 cases with coronary artery atherosclerosis and 50 controls negative for atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Serum lipid profile was measured on SYNCHRON CX-9 using standard kits. Serum CETP levels were measured by ELISA method. CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism was studied using PCR–RFLP method. There was no significant difference in lipid profile of the two groups. However, serum CETP level was significantly higher (46.44 ± 21.75 ng/ml) in cases than controls (37.10 ± 21.92 ng/ml) with p value =0.035. The frequency of -629A allele was higher (0.85) in cases than that of controls (0.81). Homozygosity of A allele was more in subjects with atherosclerosis of coronary artery. We conclude that CETP is atherogenic and could be used as atherogenic risk predictor in angiographically proven atherosclerosis. Also A allele of -629C/A polymorphism is more prevalent in cases; indicating its effect on expression of CETP gene.     

English-Spanish Cognates and the Pura Belpré Children's Award Books: Reading the Word and the World

English-Spanish cognates are an important subset of words in both the English and Spanish languages. Cognates are words that possess identical or nearly identical spellings and meanings in both languages as a result of being derived from Latin and Greek. Of major importance is the fact that many of the more than 20,000 cognates in English are academic vocabulary words, terms essential for comprehending school texts.

?The Pura Belpré Children's Book Award has been given since 1996 to outstanding children's and young adult literature that represents, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. The books are judged for their literary and artistic quality.

?There are many English-Spanish cognates in each of the Pura Belpré picture books. The purpose of this article is to introduce the Pura Belpré Cognate Database, which lists all of the English-Spanish cognates for each of the children's picture books that have won the award or have been designated as honor books. Ideas for vocabulary, spelling, and morphology lessons or mini-lessons are also presented.     

Do allegations of emotional maltreatment predict developmental outcomes beyond that of other forms of maltreatment?

OBJECTIVES: To understand the features of child abuse/neglect (CA/N) allegations in cases with emotional maltreatment (EMT) allegations, as well as the features of the EMT allegations themselves, and to describe any associations of EMT with distinct impairments of children's behavior, emotion and functioning. METHOD: The sample consisted of 806 high-risk children, 545 with one or more maltreatment reports to CPS. The Maltreatment Classification System was used to record the number and severity levels of maltreatment allegations, which compared cases with and without EMT. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using 10 outcome scales from the Child Behavior Checklist, Vineland Screener, and Trauma Symptom Checklist. Successive blocks of predictor variables included demographics, maltreatment classification variables, maternal and family characteristics, and study site. RESULTS: When there were allegations of EMT as well as CA/N in a CPS case-record (by age 8), the CA/N allegations tended to be either more frequent or less severe than those kinds of allegations in cases without EMT. When neglect was alleged to occur with EMT, neglect allegations outnumbered allegations of EMT. However, when sexual abuse allegations were accompanied by EMT allegations, there were more EMT allegations than sexual abuse allegations in the cases. Higher severity ratings for EMT allegations than for physical abuse occurred when cases included any abuse. Distinctive effects of EMT subtypes were found between problems of safety/restriction and self-reported anger symptoms, and between problems of self-esteem/autonomy and posttraumatic stress. CONCLUSION: Differences exist between the CA/N allegations in cases with and without EMT. Having few cases containing only EMT allegations made it difficult to assess distinctive harm associated with EMT. Certain types of EMT allegations were associated with increases in children's anger and posttraumatic stress.     

Factors Influencing the Development of Career-Change Teachers' Science Teaching Orientation

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Adult Interactions and Child Engagement

The purposes of this study were to investigate how engagement varied as a function of concurrent adult interactions (e.g., individual versus group orientation, type of teacher interaction) and pre-existing states (e.g., age, ratings of typical engagement). Eleven child care teachers and 63 children were videotaped in 93 naturally occurring child care situations. Two teacher interaction categories, elaborations and information giving, were associated with participatory engagement, attention, and low engagement. Interaction behaviors that were responsive without providing direction and those that were directive without responding to children were not associated with engagement. Individually targeted interactions produced more engagement than did group-targeted interactions. Chronological age, developmental age, and ratings of persistence did not statistically significantly affect engagement.     

Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying incidents often occur in the presence of other bystanders. The inaction of bystanders can augment the deleterious effects of bullying on a victim. However, bystanders can intervene to stop a cyberbullying incident or offer support to the victim. Two studies were conducted to examine variables that were expected to influence the propensity of a bystander to take action in cyberbullying incidents: the number of bystanders, the anonymity of the bystander, and the closeness between the bystander and the victim. Results supported the diffusion of responsibility effect. A higher number of bystanders was negatively associated with bystander intervention. Moreover, the perceived anonymity of bystanders was negatively related to the propensity to intervene, and closeness with the victim was associated with a greater tendency to intervene and support the victim. Altogether, the results shed light on the interplay of context, relationships, and technology in the behavior of bystanders to a cyberbullying episode.     

Does context matter? Explicit print instruction during reading varies in its influence by child and classroom factors

This study examined preschool teachers’ (n = 59) explicit print instruction during shared reading and considered whether the benefits of this practice to children's learning (n = 379) varied as a function of the classroom environment and children's developmental characteristics. Measures of explicit print instruction and the classroom environment (global classroom quality, literacy environment) were obtained by aggregating observations taken across the 30 weeks of the study. Child outcomes were measured as spring print knowledge performance, controlling for fall. Child developmental characteristics were measured directly (language ability) and indirectly (attentional skills) in fall and winter, respectively. Findings showed that explicit print instruction contributed to children's learning, but its benefits decreased as the quality of the classroom and children's attentional skills increased. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Native Mexican Parents’ Beliefs About Children’s Literacy and Language Development: A Mixed-Methods Study

Research Findings. This study examined Mexican caretaker roles, beliefs, and practices around their child’s language and literacy development. Twenty-six parents in three preschools representing three socioeconomic strata located in Querétaro City, México completed questionnaires and participated in focus groups. We used convergent parallel mixed methods to analyze and compare parent questionnaire quantitative data and qualitative focus group data with a grounded theory approach to identify focus group discussion themes. Four themes were emerged: (a) Goals and expectations regarding reading and socioemotional development, (b) Perceptions and beliefs about children’s oral and written language, (c) Caretaker’s perceived role in children’s language and literacy development, and (d) Home and community learning-related resources and practices. Findings highlighted that Mexican parents highly value supporting their children’s education both socioemotionally and through engagement in literacy routines—evidence of duality in the educacíón value among native Mexican families. These literacy routines were complementary and responsive to teacher classroom instruction. Practice or Policy. Understanding how Latino families instantiate literacy practices to respond to American schooling expectations may be a way to address home-school discontinuities that often reflect lack of familiarity with the U.S. educational system.