Future Models for the Study of Individual Differences in Motivation During Infancy

In this article, we propose a model for framing the influences on variation in infant spontaneous mastery at 12 months of age. Using the perspective of our model, we discuss the differences and similarities that our work shares with that of the other authors in this Special Issue. We hope that using our model in this way can foster integration and expansion of ideas for future studies of motivation in infancy. In addition, our model provides a roadmap for the study of important variables in risk groups. Empirical examination of the wide variation in infant capabilities and maternal emotional resources in risk groups and developmental transformations across the first two years of life can highlight important touchpoints for intervention.     

Accuracy and feasibility of video analysis for assessing hamstring flexibility and validity of the sit-and-reach test

The accuracy of video analysis of the passive straight-leg raise test (PSLR) and the validity of the sit-and-reach test (SR) were tested in 60 men and women. Computer software measured static hip-joint flexion accurately. High within-session reliability of the PSLR was demonstrated (R > .97). Test-retest (separate days) reliability for SR was high in men (R = .97) and women R = .98) moderate for PSLR in men (R = .79) and women (R = .89). SR validity (PSLR as criterion) was higher in women (Day 1, r = .69; Day 2, r = .81) than men (Day 1, r = .64; Day 2, r = .66). In conclusion, video analysis is accurate and feasible for assessing static joint angles, PSLR and SR tests are very reliable methods for assessing flexibility, and the SR validity for hamstring flexibility was found to be moderate in women and low in men.     

Teachers’ Perspectives on a Professional Development Intervention to Improve Science Instruction Among English Language Learners

Our 5-year professional development intervention is designed to promote elementary teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices in teaching science, along with English language and mathematics for English Language Learning (ELL) students in urban schools. In this study, we used an end-of-year questionnaire as a primary data source to seek teachers’ perspectives on our intervention during the first year of implementation. Teachers believed that the intervention, including curriculum materials and teacher workshops, effectively promoted students’ science learning, along with English language development and mathematics learning. Teachers highlighted strengths and areas needing improvement in the intervention. Teachers’ perspectives have been incorporated into our on-going intervention efforts and offer insights into features of effective professional development initiatives in improving science achievement for all students.

Preparing GTAs for Active Learning in the General Chemistry Lab: Development of an Evidence-Based Rehearsal Module for a Mixed-Reality Teaching Simulator

Journal of Science Education and Technology - There is an assumption that graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) have mastery of the chemistry content they are teaching and preparation to instruct...     

Paraprofessional home visitors’ perspectives on addressing poor mental health,substance abuse,and domestic violence: A qualitative study

This research was conducted to understand paraprofessional home visitors’ perceptions of their training in addressing poor mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence, and their actions in working with families in addressing these issues. Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 28 paraprofessional home visitors. Three main themes emerged from qualitative analysis. Home visitors experienced tension between addressing families’ more pressing needs such as housing or utilities and addressing poor mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Home visitors felt that they received extensive training in these risk areas, but that this training focused heavily on knowledge acquisition rather than skill development. Home visitors also desired more guidance in addressing families’ poor mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence concerns—namely, more clarity on the extent to which they should address these issues during visits and more and varied supervision. Home visitors need more training on how to initiate conversations about mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence, including how to transition conversations from other client needs. Home visiting programs must clarify home visitors’ roles in addressing clients’ poor mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence and provide additional and varied supervision to home visitors.     

Cognitive Representations of Self, Family, and Peers in School-Age Children: Links with Social Competence and Sociometric Status

Attachment and social-cognitive theories of interpersonal relations have underscored the integral role that internalized cognitive representations may play as mediators of the link between family and peer relationships. 3 predictions consistent with this conceptualization received support in the present study of 161 7–12-year-old school children. In Part 1 of the study, significant connections were found among different components of cognitive representations, including social perceptions, interpersonal expectancies, and schematic organization and processing of social information. Moreover, generalization was found among children's representations across 3 interpersonal domains–that is, family, peer, and self. In Part 2, negative representations of self and others were found to be associated with increased social impairment, including dysfunctional social behavior and less positive status in the peer group. Implications of the findings for theories of interpersonal competence and interventions with socially impaired children are discussed.     

Early emotional and communication functioning predicting the academic trajectories of refugee children in Canada

Abstract

We examined how emotional and communication functioning at kindergarten predicted the academic trajectories of refugee children. Drawing from a population-based Canadian cohort, the study followed 629 refugee children from age 5 to 13 and (i) modeled kindergarten, Grade 4, and Grade 7 academic trajectories via group-based trajectory modeling and (ii) investigated to what extent teacher ratings of kindergarten emotional and communication functioning predicted academic trajectory group membership. Three groups were identified: ‘Average’ (n?=?438), ‘Declining’ (n?=?119), and ‘Low-But-Improving’ (n?=?72) groups. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, in comparison to the Average trajectory, lower emotional functioning at kindergarten was associated with an increased likelihood of a Declining academic trajectory, whereas lower communication functioning at kindergarten was associated with a greater likelihood of a Low-But-Improving trajectory (versus an Average trajectory). The findings indicate that refugee children are more likely to overcome early communication challenges versus emotional challenges to achieve academically, and this has important implications for early mental health support.     

Violence and Subjectivity in Teacher Education

Caught between the demands of the normative (what they believe they ought to be and value) and normalisation (what professional others tell them that they should be and value), teacher candidates often experience themselves as belated even though they are newcomers to the profession—simultaneously heirs to a history and new to it. In this paper we illustrate and explore the tensions that result between ‘new’ and ‘old’ in teacher education. Drawing on Lyotard's concept of the différend, we examine the narratives of a practicum triad—one student teacher and his two mentors—as they each attempt to make sense of their irreconcilable differences. We conclude by discussing how the profession might fulfill its obligation to judge the adequacy of new teachers while remaining hospitable to the difference they introduce.