Behavioral problems among children whose mothers are abused by an intimate partner

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between children's exposure to maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) and behavior problems as measured by the parent report version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). METHODS: The study population was comprised of 167 2- to 17-year-old children of Seattle women with police-reported or court-reported intimate partner abuse. The CBCL normative population served as the comparison group. Risk of behavior problems was calculated among the exposed children, in the presence and absence of a history of reported child maltreatment, relative to the normative population. Multiple logistic regression served as the primary method of analysis. RESULTS: Children exposed to maternal IPV were more likely to have borderline to clinical level scores on externalizing (i.e., aggressive, delinquent) behavior (RR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.1) and total behavioral problems (RR=1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) compared to the CBCL normative sample after adjusting for age and sex. Children who were exposed to maternal IPV and were victims of child maltreatment were more likely to receive borderline to clinical level scores on internalizing (i.e., anxious, depressed) behaviors (RR=2.6, 95% CI: 1.5, 3.6), externalizing (i.e., aggressive, delinquent) behaviors (RR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.9, 4.0) and total behavioral problems (RR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.2) compared to the CBCL normative sample after adjusting for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to maternal IPV is significantly associated with child behavioral problems both in the presence and absence of co-occurring child maltreatment. Appropriate attention to the mental health of children living in households with IPV is needed.     

Do Volunteers in Schools Help Children Learn to Read? A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

The aim of unpaid volunteer classroom assistants is to give extra support to children learning to read. The impact of using volunteers to improve children's acquisition of reading skills is unknown. To assess whether volunteers are effective in improving children's reading, we undertook a systematic review of all relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). An exhaustive search of all the main electronic databases was carried out (i.e. BEI, PsycInfo, ASSIA, PAIS, SSCI, ERIC, SPECTR, SIGLE). We identified eight experimental studies, of which seven were RCTs. One of the RCTs was excluded because it did not meet the inclusion criteria. One RCT randomised intact classes and the other six studies randomised individual children and could therefore be included in a meta-analysis. All of the trials were fairly small, with the largest including 99 pupils. Four of the trials showed a positive outcome, while three showed a negative effect and the remaining study was equivocal. We pooled the four most homogeneous trials. The pooled data indicated an effect size of 0.19, which was not statistically significant ( p = 0.54, 95% confidence interval = -0.31 to 0.68). Overall, volunteering appeared to have a small effect on reading outcomes. However, the confidence intervals were wide, which could conceal a potentially large benefit or a harmful effect. Thus, more good quality RCTs are required in order to provide more conclusive evidence.     

Lifelong learning characteristics,adjustment and extra-role performance in cooperative education

Many organisations hire students from cooperative education (co-op) programmes. These organisations are interested in students’ performance, particularly in their extra-role performance. Previous studies show that socialisation processes play an important part in establishing adjustment and performance. It may also be the case that students’ approach to learning (their motivations, attitudes and strategies) influences the socialisation process, and consequently adjustment and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics on two organisational socialisation outcomes (role understanding and social acceptance) and three types of extra-role performance (proactive, adaptive and prosocial). Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of undergraduates (n = 1698) enrolled in co-op who had just completed a work term in a new role. Regression analyses showed that lifelong learning characteristics influenced both forms of adjustment, and all three forms of performance. Further mediation analyses showed that both forms of adjustment partially mediated the relationships between lifelong learning and all three forms of performance. These results suggest that co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics play an important role during organisational socialisation and subsequent extra-role performance. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.     

Capitalizing on Early Childhood Education: Low-Income Immigrant Mothers’ Use of Early Childhood Education to Build Human,Social, and Navigational Capital

Research Findings: Research indicates that early childhood education (ECE) serves various functions for societies and in turn families, including economic, educational, and social functions (Fukkink, 2008 Fukkink , R. ( 2008 ). A contextual analysis of social function, general stimulation, and child participation in educational facilities for young children in The Netherlands . Retrieved from the University of Amsterdam digital academic repository: http://dare.uva.nl/record/297883  [Google Scholar]; Vandenbroeck, 2006 Vandenbroeck , M. ( 2006 ). Globalisation and privatisation: The impact on childcare policy and practice (Working Paper No. 38) . Retrieved from the Bernard van Leer Foundation website: http://issuu.com/bernardvanleerfoundation/docs/globalisation_and_privatisation_the_impact_on_chil  [Google Scholar]). Using qualitative methods, we explored an aspect of the social function of ECE for low-income immigrant families. Specifically, in-depth interviews with 40 low-income immigrant mothers (19 Africans, 21 Latinas) were conducted to understand how low-income Latina and African immigrant mothers use their children's ECE programs to build human, social, and navigational capital. Latin American and African mothers both developed capital through interactions with their children's ECE programs. However, Latina mothers tended to rely on ECE more for building all 3 types of capital. Practice or Policy: The findings from this study highlight the significant role that ECE providers play in the lives of families, and particularly immigrant families, that goes beyond basic economic and educational supports. These findings point to the importance of training ECE educators and staff in fostering connections among and between families in their programs; educating parents, as many parents rely on their ECE programs for parenting advice and support; and working with local community agencies and resources to benefit children and families.     

Mathematics Teacher Educators' Perceptions and Use of Cognitive Research

Instructors (N = 204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they value cognitive research and incorporate it into their courses. Instructors' responses indicated that they view cognitive research to be fairly important for mathematics education, particularly studies of domain‐specific topics, and that they emphasize topics prominent in psychology studies of mathematical thinking in their courses. However, instructors reported seldom accessing this research through primary or secondary sources. A mediation analysis indicated that mathematics methods instructors' perception of the importance of the research predicts their incorporation of it in their courses, and that this relation is partially mediated by their accessing of it. Implications for psychologists who have an interest in education and recommendations for facilitating the use of cognitive research in teacher preparation are discussed.     

Identifying the potential organizational impact of an educational peer review program

The literature on educational peer review (EPR) has focused on evaluating EPR's impact on faculty and/or student learning outcomes; no literature exists on the potential organizational impact. A qualitative (case study) research design explored perceptions of 17 faculty and 10 administrators within a school of nursing in an Ontario university regarding the potential impact of an EPR program on organizational goals. Findings suggested that the implementation of an EPR program may increase consistency in the delivery of the curriculum, provide opportunities for faculty development, act as a method of teaching evaluation, and enhance faculty retention. Higher education institutions may be more likely to provide the resources required for EPR if the organizational benefits can be demonstrated.

La documentation au sujet de “l'évaluation éducative par les pairs” (educational peer review) (EPR) est centrée sur l'étude d'impact de l'EPR sur les objectifs d'apprentissage (learning outcomes) des enseignants et/ou des étudiants; il n'existe aucune documentation portant sur l'impact organisationnel potentiel. Cette recherche qualitative (études de cas) a permis d'explorer les perceptions à l'égard de l'impact potentiel d'un programme d'EPR sur les objectifs organisationnels de 17 enseignants et 10 administrateurs provenant d'une école de sciences infirmières rattachée à une université de l'Ontario (Canada). Les résultats suggèrent que l'implantation d'un programme d'EPR peut accroître la constance de mise en ?uvre du cursus, fournir des occasions de développement pédagogique, servir de méthode d'évaluation de l'enseignement, et améliorer la rétention du corps enseignant. Les institutions d'enseignement supérieur seront peut‐être davantage susceptibles de fournir les ressources nécessaires à l'EPR si l'on peut faire la preuve de ses bénéfices organisationnels.     

The Poor Man's Lamb Revisited? Assessing the State of LPFM at its 10th Anniversary

In this article the authors report the results of a year-long investigation into the state of the low-power FM (LPFM) industry on its 10th anniversary. They question whether LPFM stations give voice to the previously voiceless as envisioned or, as some research has indicated, benefit religious communities' efforts to expand their cultural reach. Using a 2-phase study, the authors first mapped the LPFM industry using Federal Communications Commission data and public information provided by LPFM stations and their owners and operators over the Internet. The authors then conducted interviews with dozens of LPFM operators across the United States. Results indicate that large interests, in particular religious organizations, have created de facto networks that rely on outside entities for the majority of programming, thus circumventing the spirit of the original policy.     

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Overweight Children's Cognitive Functioning

The study tested the effect of aerobic exercise training on executive function in overweight children. Ninety-four sedentary, overweight but otherwise healthy children (mean age = 9.2 years, body mass index ? 85th percentile) were randomized to a low-dose (20 min/day exercise), high-dose (40 min/day exercise), or control condition. Exercise sessions met 5 days/week for 15 weeks. The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS), a standardized test of cognitive processes, was administered individually before and following intervention. Analysis of covariance on posttest scores revealed effects on executive function. Group differences emerged for the CAS Planning scale (p = .03). Planning scores for the high-dose group were significantly greater than those of the control group. Exercise may prove to be a simple, yet important, method of enhancing aspects of children's mental functioning that are central to cognitive and social development.     

Games and ideal playgrounds

Even though many sport philosophers have worked to delineate clear definitions of play and games, typical language usage often conflates the two phenomena and even provides an undue normative bias toward games as play. In this paper, I argue that a better understanding of games and ideal playgrounds is required to alleviate this normative bias. To carry out this argument, I first examine previous definitions of play and games and how the concepts are often conflated. Secondly, I provide a definition of ideal playgrounds using prior philosophy on play and human conventions. Third, I present an analysis that examines how both game and non-game activities can act as ideal playgrounds. Finally, I argue that changes to the way we use language can help to alleviate this problem.     

The Validity of Certain Prognostic Tests in Predicting Algebraic Ability

Monte Carlo studies offer the opportunity to manipulate data sets with specified characteristics and to examine the generalizability of statistical procedures in ways that are not practical using actual (empirical) data. To determine whether computer-generated (simulated) data results accurately represent empirical data, this study replicated an investigation of the effects of item sampling plans in the application of multiple matrix sampling using both simulated and empirical data sets. Although results were similar, the empirical data results were more precise. This study suggests that, for some investigations, it may be important to confirm simulated study with empirical study.