Not with a bang but a whisper: Mental health consultation with a selectively mute child

This article describes the role of the mental health and educational consultant in the case of a 5-year-old selectively mute child in Head Start. The syndrome of selective mutism is defined as well as the challenges of the consultant in preschool. Strategies implemented in the interdisciplinary work with the teachers, parent, speech therapist and child are described in detail. The implications suggest that the more flexible and adaptive the consultant, the more accepted he or she will be within the school environment.     

Attributions and Responses to the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Developmental Analysis

This study assessed the causes ascribed by Israeli children and youth for the Arab-Israeli conflict and the relation of these attributions to their expectations and emotions. The results highlight basic contingencies between the form of attribution and the character of emotional response and future expectation, with marked developmental variations in both the strength and manner of this association. Overall, the findings suggest the utility of Bizman and Hoffman's attributional model as a heuristic for understanding children's perception and response to conflict, but underscore the need for developmental adaptation. Particular attention is drawn to the developing concept of mutuality and its implication for the application of attributional analyses in the young.     

Comparing dropout predictors for two state-level panels using Grade 6 and Grade 8 data

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of dropout predictors across time. Two state-level high school graduation panels were selected to begin with the seventh and ninth grades but end at the same time. The first panel (seventh grade) contained 29,554 students and used sixth grade predictors. The second panel (ninth grade) included 31,641 students and used eighth grade predictors. The predictors studied were age, poverty, attendance, gender, and standardized test scores. The data were analyzed using logistic regression. All variables were predictors of dropping out of high school. Age and poverty proved to be the most effective at discriminating between dropouts and graduates within each panel. Age became more effective with time. Attendance and test scores were stable indicators between panels. Gender predicted dropouts for only the ninth grade panel. Eighth graders that were female were approximately 22% less likely to drop out.     

Does Thoughtfully Adaptive Teaching Actually Exist? A Challenge to Teacher Educators

In this article, we explore the roots of thoughtfully adaptive teaching in reflection. Drawing on the conceptual work of Dewey and Schon, we examine reflective practice in teaching as a tool for resistance against institutional pressures to standardize teaching practices. We describe 2 programs of research related to this topic. One program of research is focused on teacher adaptations to practice in the classroom. The second program of research is focused on coaching teachers to develop strategies for thoughtfully adaptive teaching. We draw on the work of Janks around deconstruction and reconstruction for critical teaching practices.     

School‐based health promotion: An introduction to the practitioner's edition

In this age of increasing professional accountability, it is important that school practitioners engage in evidence‐based practices. In support of this goal, the intent of this special issue is to disseminate practical, user‐friendly, evidenced‐based information related to school‐based health issues. This article introduces the Psychology in the Schools “Practitioner's Edition” on school‐based health promotion. A conceptual framework for the issue, encompassing universal prevention strategies and tertiary intervention strategies, is described. First, school practitioners have unique opportunities to promote healthy behavior for all children and to engage in universal prevention of common health conditions. Second, practitioners should recognize the special needs of children with specific diagnosed medical conditions and employ individualized intervention strategies for these children. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The influence of self-efficacy and metacognitive prompting on math problem-solving efficiency

A regression design was used to test the unique and interactive effects of self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive prompting on solving mental multiplication problems while controlling for mathematical background knowledge and problem complexity. Problem-solving accuracy, response time, and efficiency (i.e. the ratio of problems solved correctly to time) were measured. Students completed a mathematical background inventory and then assessed their self-efficacy for mental multiplication accuracy. Before solving a series of multiplication problems, participants were randomly assigned to either a prompting or control group. We tested the motivational efficiency hypothesis, which predicted that motivational beliefs, such as self-efficacy and attributions to metacognitive strategy use are related to more efficient problem solving. Findings suggested that self-efficacy and metacognitive prompting increased problem-solving performance and efficiency separately through activation of reflection and strategy knowledge. Educational implications and future research are suggested.     

The social ecology and early parenting of Caucasian adolescent mothers

Social characteristics, maternal behaviors, and the home environments of Caucasian adolescent and nonadolescent mothers were investigated in a sample of 50 primiparous low- and middle-class women and their 4-month-old infants. The mothers were interviewed about their child-care network and about stressful life events that may have occurred since the infant's birth. The HOME inventory was completed and videotapes of 2 hours of home observations were coded to assess maternal proximity, verbalizations, activity, and physical contact with the infant. Interview data indicated that adolescent mothers relied more frequently on other teenagers and other network members for help in child care than nonadolescent mothers. In addition, they also received more frequent support from their mothers and less frequent help from their partner's and partner's mother and siblings than nonadolescent mothers. During the home visit, they were less verbal with their infants and scored significantly lower on the Responsiveness and Maternal Involvement subscales as well as on the total HOME inventory; these results were replicated on subgroups matched for socioeconomic status, emphasizing the unique social context and parenting practices of teenage mothers.     

IMPACT EVENTS AND THE MAXIMIZING OF EDUCATIONAL AND EMPLOYMENT FUTURES

The author is concerned with the possibilities and limits of forecasting and maximizing models and the possible use of impact events in such models. His proposal on how and when to implement such models is of direct concern to administrators and decision‐makers in higher education.

Benjamin Hoffman is an educational planner specialized in forecasting models and survey tools applicable inside and outside of higher education system. Presently he is planning officer at the University Grants Commission, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.