Predictors of resilience in abused and neglected children grown-up: the role of individual and neighborhood characteristics

PURPOSE: This paper examines individual, family, and neighborhood level predictors of resilience in adolescence and young adulthood and describes changes in resilience over time from adolescence to young adulthood in abused and neglected children grown up. METHOD: We use documented cases of childhood physical and sexual abuse and neglect (n=676) from a Midwestern county area during the years 1967-1971 and information from official records, census data, psychiatric assessments, and self-reports obtained through 1995. Analyses involve logistic regressions, replicated with Mplus to test for possible contextual effects. RESULTS: Almost half (48%) of the abused and neglected children in adolescence and nearly one-third in young adulthood were resilient. Over half of those who were resilient in adolescence remained resilient in young adulthood, whereas 11% of the non-resilient adolescents were resilient in young adulthood. Females were more likely to be resilient during both time periods. Being white, non-Hispanic decreased and growing up in a stable living situation increased the likelihood of resilience in adolescence, but not in young adulthood. Stressful life events and a supportive partner promoted resilience in young adulthood. Neighborhood advantage did not exert a direct effect on resilience, but moderated the relationship between household stability and resilience in adolescence and between cognitive ability and resilience in young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Ecological factors appear to promote or interfere with the emergence and stability of resilience following childhood maltreatment.     

Concurrent and predictive validity of the LET-II for average children

Memory tests, such as the Learning Efficiency Test-II (LET-II), have frequently been used to describe the memory characteristics of special populations such as persons with learning disabilities, brain damage, or Alzheimer's disease. Yet, few research studies have examined the memory characteristics of normally functioning children and compared these characteristics to their performance on ability tests or real-life achievement criteria. This study investigates the predictive and concurrent validities of the LET-II for performance on the Kuhlmann-Anderson Tests (K-A), class grades, and actual grade level functioning in reading and mathematics for third and fourth grade children of average intelligence. The LET-II memory factor scores correlated significantly with the K-A scores, class grades and actual grade level functioning in reading. The relevance of these findings for norm-referenced psychological tests, and in particular memory tests, in real-life settings is examined. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Depressive symptomatology in learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled students

The present study examined the level of depressive symptomatology in a sample of 100 learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Depressive symptomatology was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). In addition, students were rated by their classroom teachers on behaviors related to depression based on the DSM-III criteria. It was found that students identified as learning disabled obtained significantly higher scores on the CDI and the behavior rating scale than did children in the regular education classroom. There were no significant differences among grade levels for CDI scores, but a trend was noted. A significant difference was found among grade levels for the behavior rating scale scores. There was a significant positive correlation between CDI scores and teacher ratings of depressive characteristics.     

Broadening access to the curriculum through using technology to link home and school: a critical analysis of reforms intended to improve students' educational attainment

This article reports on a UK study identifying innovative practice in the use of ICT to link home and school and its potential for enhancing learning. It is set in the context of recent political tensions and the mismatch between ICT use in the home and traditional educational systems. The theoretical framework draws upon curriculum theories and reviews what is already known about home use of ICT. A survey was administered to schools identified for innovative models of practice in both teaching and learning, and management and administration. From the 115 responses, eight contrasting case-study schools were selected. Three exemplars highlight a shift in practices: a move towards self-directed learning; greater flexibility and autonomy for students; and improved communication between home and school. We argue that technology could support a broader access to the curriculum, but that policy-makers should be aware of the digital divide issues. Young people's home use of technology suggests a rich experience involving exploratory activities, access to knowledge and the opportunity to publish their views. Curriculum reform is essential in order to maximize the potential of technology. It demands a shift away from current curriculum and pedagogy towards critical thinking and knowledge construction.     

Language and reading impairments are associated with increased prevalence of non-right-handedness

Handedness has been studied for association with language-related disorders because of its link with language hemispheric dominance. No clear pattern has emerged, possibly because of small samples, publication bias, and heterogeneous criteria across studies. Non-right-handedness (NRH) frequency was assessed in N = 2503 cases with reading and/or language impairment and N = 4316 sex-matched controls identified from 10 distinct cohorts (age range 6–19 years old; European ethnicity) using a priori set criteria. A meta-analysis (N_cases = 1994) showed elevated NRH % in individuals with language/reading impairment compared with controls (OR = 1.21, CI = 1.06–1.39, p = .01). The association between reading/language impairments and NRH could result from shared pathways underlying brain lateralization, handedness, and cognitive functions.     

Issues in the development of children’s centres on nursery and primary school sites

This paper explores the development of children’s centres in England between 2004 and 2008, focusing on the newly created centres that have been located on primary and nursery school sites. Using both an analysis of policy documents and interview data from three urban local authorities, we examine the use of premises and the differing priorities of centre staff and school heads, particularly in relation to the balance of services between early years education, childcare and family support. We also explore governance issues, focusing especially on patterns of accountability. In so doing, we also examine the tensions that exist between children’s centres located on primary and on nursery school sites and the schools themselves.     

Developing as an Ethical English Teacher: Valuing the Personal and Poetic in Professional Learning

This article draws upon virtue ethics to illustrate the importance of English teachers as ethical professionals. In doing so it focuses attention on the significance of the personal and poetic in professional learning. It is suggested that eschewing the personal and poetic in professional learning may contribute to the de‐professionalisation of English teachers and the commodification of the children they teach. Conversely, acknowledging the personal and poetic liberates teachers of English to develop as ethical professionals who teach for social justice and foster the ethical learning of their students. The article moves from a consideration of the importance of personal values to the value of poetry in professional learning.