A prospective investigation of appraisals as mediators of the link between interparental conflict and child adjustment

This longitudinal study tested the role of children's appraisals of threat and self-blame as mediators of the association between interparental conflict and child adjustment in a sample of 298 Welsh children ages 11 to 12 years. Exposure to higher levels of interparental conflict at Time 1 predicted greater perceived threat and self-blame at Time 2, after accounting for the effects of Time 1 adjustment and appraisals on later appraisals. Perceived threat in turn was associated with increased internalizing problems at Tune 2, and self-blame was associated with higher externalizing problems. The pattern of results was largely consistent for child and parent reports of conflict and for boys and girls, though some gender differences were found in associations between appraisals and adjustment.     

The Consequences of Teacher Praise and Criticism

A ‘visiting teacher’ gave her lesson, then asked children for evaluations of (i) how they regarded her, (ii) how they thought she regarded each of them and (iii) how they regarded themselves, so as to provide baseline measures for the study. On her next visit she formed three treatment groups by giving out her own evaluations of each child on individual cards, praising the behaviour of one third of the class, criticising another third while the remaining third received no feedback cards. The same measures were then taken a second time. From the results, children did not appear to process praise or criticism as mirror opposites. In particular, criticism appeared to be deflected into negative ratings of the teacher rather than of the self. Results are considered in terms of a selective gating hypothesis and wider implications are discussed.     

The purpose of travel in the cultivation practices of differently positioned parental groups in Israel

ABSTRACT

Travel has become ubiquitous for most social groups as holidaying abroad has become ever cheaper and ecumene. This paper considers how travel can be understood as part of family practices around children’s educations and futures. Drawing on Kaufmann’s concept of motility, we examine how spatial mobility might become a form of cultural capital to reproduce privilege or facilitate social mobility. We generated data on family spatial mobility during the act of international air travel itself, interviewing 22 participants. We argue that spatial mobility and its link to social mobility is differently conceived of by our working, middle, and global middle class families, but that all three seek to use travel overtly as a form of cultivation for their children. This leads us to suggest that international travel may illuminate new ways that social class differentiations and lines of striation are being forged through movements across transnational spaces, offering new insights for education professionals and scholars.     

New verse or the same old chorus?: looking holistically at distance education research

While there continues to be a proliferation in the number of studies conducted on various aspects of distance education, we are often left with little understanding of the holistic planning and effects of it. This paper draws lessons learned from the literature on distance education over the past five years. This review did not seek to be exhaustive in presenting the findings of every study, but instead focuses on specific instruction we can take from past research at the institutional, faculty, and student levels.     

Developing a Managed Learning Environment Using 'Roundtables': An Activity Theoretic Perspective

To support and continue the motivation of participants in virtual learning environments it is important to achieve a successful learning atmosphere. Therefore, it is necessary to reach the participants on a personal level and to perceive their personal needs and emotions when conversing with them. These factors of learning motivation depend on the individual perception of virtual, text-based communication. The coding and encoding of purely, text-based language requires an enormous amount of compensation with regard to the absence of all verbal means of communication. For this reason it is important to determine the existence of any gender differences in the compensation for non-verbal communication or in the perception of text-based communication. In this study the gender gap in the perception of text-based communication was evaluated. The individual production and perception of text-based communication could be one reason for the decrease in the number of female participants in the majority of virtual learning environments. The objective of this survey was to define the characteristics of text-based communication, which then gives an indication of the condition of male and female participants of virtual learning environments. The results of this study provide information in relation to individual gender interpretation and production of written messages, as well as the implementation of measures which support the motivation to learn.     

Discourses of widening participation in the prospectus documents and websites of six English higher education institutions

This article provides a comparative analysis of the discourses of widening participation used in the prospectus documents and websites of six English higher education institutions (HEIs). Taking 2007 and 2011 as snapshots, the article considers the nature of the messages being communicated to prospective students by the different HEIs in the context of the changing policy landscape. Critical discourse analysis is used to interpret the ways in which the case-study HEIs discursively positioned themselves and their prospective students – and the potential implications of this for widening participation practice. In 2007, the findings suggested sharp demarcations between the discourses chosen by the elite pre-1992 and the more accessible post-1992 institutions. By 2011, however, statements of commitment to widening participation were less overt in the post-1992 institutions, whilst there was some evidence of a shift towards a more inclusive tone by the elite universities.     

Human affection exchange: VII. Affectionate communication in the sibling/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triad

This study sought to investigate affectionate communication among members of sibHng/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triads as well as the influence of such communication on relational quality. Under the principles of Affectionate Exchange Theory, affectionate communication among these family members may ultimately serve the evolutionary mandates of viability and procreation. Three hundred twenty‐seven participants, comprising 109 sibling/spouse/sibling‐in‐law triads, completed surveys about their communication of affection, relational satisfaction, and closeness. Consistent with predictions, spouses reported communicating more affection to each other than did siblings, who reported communicating more affection than siblings‐in‐law. The communication of affection by spouses and siblings showed a significant correlation, as did the communication of affection by siblings and siblings‐in‐law, and these correlations were significant even when controlling for the affection communicated in the third relationship in the triad (except for nonverbal support communicated in the sibling and marital relationships). Finally, for all three relational types, affectionate communication was positively correlated with both relational satisfaction and closeness.     

From Condescension to Complexity: post‐Plowden schooling in the inner city

The 2004 Higher Education Act introduced variable tuition fees of up to £3,000 for full‐time undergraduates in England. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) charging the maximum tuition must give low‐income students bursaries of £300. On top of this mandatory minimum, HEIs now provide additional discretionary financial support exceeding this level to these and other students. The degree to which these new bursaries and discretionary financial support have become a policy instrument for improving access and widening participation has not, as yet, been documented. Little is known about why the government introduced bursaries and what the government saw as their role. Even less is known about the type of bursaries HEIs have introduced or how they are being used, because up till now they have not been examined systematically. This article presents the first such analysis. It concludes that, from the evidence currently available, a mismatch exists between government aspirations and HEIs’ actual use of bursaries and scholarships. Moreover, the bursaries and scholarships put in place may perpetuate existing divisions within and across higher education.