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.     

Sex education,first sex and sexual health outcomes in adulthood: findings from a nationally representative sexual health survey

This study investigated the relationship between school sex education and sexual health behaviours at first sex and later in adulthood, using nationally representative data. Respondents were adults from the 2010 Irish Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy Survey, a cross-sectional survey designed to assess knowledge, attitudes and behaviours relating to sex, contraception and pregnancy in Ireland. Results indicate that respondents who received sex education were more likely to have first sex at an older age and use contraception on this occasion. Sex education also significantly increased the likelihood of using contraception at first sex, when first sex occurred before 17 years of age. The effect of sex education and sexual health behaviours into adulthood was also investigated. Sex education increased the likelihood of having a history of sexually transmitted infection testing and decreased the likelihood of having experienced a crisis pregnancy. No association was found between sex education and contraception use over the past year. Findings suggest that sex education is an important factor in the context of first sex and later sexual health, and programmes should continue to equip young people as they make immediate sexual behaviour decisions and further sexual health-related decisions throughout their lifespan.     

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.

‘Am I doing it right?’ Conceptualising the practice of supervising master’s dissertation students

ABSTRACT

An action research project involving 25 master’s supervisors, from health and education disciplines, sought to enhance their understanding of dissertation supervision. Recognising that they were sometimes slightly unsure about their role, they sought to identify issues that contributed to this circumstance, and to develop supervisor preparation materials to support future colleagues. During interviews and collaborative workshops, colleagues shared their experiences and reflected with one another on the nature of supervision. Through this process, they constructed a model that conceptualises how they practice. The core element is an ongoing assessment of a student’s readiness, motivation and individual situation. In response to this assessment, supervisors balance three functions: Facilitating, Nurturing and Maintaining Standards. Facilitating encourages student growth through challenge or stimulation. Nurturing involves the provision of support and reassurance within a safe space in which this growth can occur. Maintaining standards ensures that academic and professional rigour are preserved.     

Early Indications of Resilience and Their Relation to Experiences in the Home Environments of Low Birthweight, Premature Children Living in Poverty

The caregiving environment experienced by 243 premature, low birthweight (LBW) children living in poverty was examined to determine whether the quality of care such children receive affords them some measure of protection from the generally deleterious consequences of poverty and prematurity. Only 26 children were identified as functioning in the normal range for cognitive, social/adaptive, health, and growth parameters at age 3. These children, who showed early signs of resiliency, differed from nonresilient children in that they were receiving more responsive, accepting, stimulating, and organized care. They were also living in safer, less crowded homes. 6 "protective" aspects of caregiving were identified and used as part of a cumulative protection index. Children with less than 3 protective aspects of caregiving present at age 1 had only a 2% probability of being resilient, and only a 6% probability if fewer than 3 were present at age 3. Overall, premature LBW children born into conditions of poverty have a very poor prognosis of functioning within normal ranges across all the dimensions of health and development assessed. However, those raised in a setting with 3 or more protective factors were more likely to show early signs of resiliency.     

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.