Hope,Material Resources,and Subjective Well-Being of 8- to 12-Year-Old Children in Israel

Few studies have examined the links among hope, material resources, and subjective well-being (SWB) of children from their own perspectives. The article examines lack of material resources as a risk factor, hope as a human strength, and a possible moderator regarding children's SWB. The study employed a nationally representative sample of 2,977 Jewish and Arab Israeli children (ages 8–12). As predicted, there was a significant positive relation between hope and SWB, and a negative relation between lack of material resources and SWB. Hope was found to moderate the relation between lack of material resources and SWB. Furthermore, for 10- and 12-year olds, differences were found regarding the strength of the relations of the variables, suggesting a possible developmental trend.     

Beyond "cool" and "hip:" engaging the question of research and writing as academic Self-woman of color Other

This article presents a self-reflexive analysis of the situatedness of the author and her work - research and writing - as a woman of color in the academy. The author critically examines self-reflexivity in relation to her research by drawing on her lived experiences as academic Self-woman of color Other, first as an international doctoral student and now as a junior faculty member. Drawing on critical and feminist perspectives, she argues that such self-reflexivity allows for an openness which eliminates the apparent dichotomy of Self-Other and offers new spaces for re-presenting difference(s). In particular, she construes her writing as a self-renewing site of activism and resistance to Othering and her teaching as praxis and self-assessment. She concludes that cutting-edge research and writing, when rigorously self-reflexive, are beyond "cool" and "hip," allowing us to maintain integrity and agency as educators and researchers.     

The Academic Lives of Neglected, Rejected, Popular, and Controversial Children

The purposes of this study were to examine academically relevant characteristics of different sociometric status groups and to learn about the academic orientations of behavioral subgroups of rejected children. Results from a sample of 423 sixth and seventh graders (ages 11–13) suggested that sociometrically neglected children have quite positive academic profiles. When compared with average status children, these students reported higher levels of motivation, were described by teachers as more self-regulated learners, as more prosocial and compliant, and as being better liked by teachers. Analyses of two behavioral subgroups of rejected children indicated that aggressive-rejected but not submissive-rejected children have problematic academic profiles. Relations of neglected and aggressive-rejected status to academic adjustment in young adolescents' lives is discussed.     

Children's strategies and goals in response to help-giving and help-seeking tasks within a friendship

The present research tested whether children's responses to help-giving and help-seeking friendship tasks predicted how many friends they had and the quality of their best friendship. Fifth-grade children (N=511; typically 10 or 11 years old) responded to vignettes in which they could either give help to a friend or seek help from a friend. Children's strategies and goals in both contexts were significantly correlated with the number of friends children had. Responses in the help-giving context but not in the help-seeking context were significantly associated with friendship quality. Although gender differences in strategies and goals were found, strategies and goals were related to the number of friends and friendship quality for both boys and girls.     

The relationships between monitoring,regulation and performance

The articles in this Special Issue reflect the growing interest in applying laboratory-based research to educational settings. These articles highlight the contribution of metacognitive monitoring and self-regulation to effective learning and performance. At the same time, they illustrate the methodological and theoretical challenges involved in bringing metacognitive research to the real world, using meaningful learning materials. In particular, the assumption of a linear causal chain from monitoring through regulation to performance represents a useful working hypothesis, but more complex interactions between these three components of self-regulated learning need to be considered.