UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN AN EDUCATION CONTEXT

This study sought to explore the concept of mental toughness (comprising the attributes challenge, commitment, control, and confidence) from the perceptions of adolescents, to better understand their views on these attributes and the extent to which each were regarded as important within an educational setting. In total, 54 adolescents (31 female) aged 12–17 participated. Focus group interviews (n = 15, average group size 3–4) were conducted, audio‐recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using the principles of abbreviated grounded theory. The students’ views are discussed with reference to relevant psychological theory and literature and implications for teachers interested in encouraging these positive psychological attributes among adolescents are discussed.     

INFLUENCES ON TEACHERS’ JUDGMENT ACCURACY OF READING ABILITIES ON SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

The present study aims at examining variables (at individual and class level) that influence the accuracy of teacher judgments of second and third graders’ reading abilities (decoding and reading comprehension). Data of 1,468 students and 86 teachers were collected. Due to the nested structure of the data, multilevel regression analyses were applied. Results revealed about 5% of the variance in judgment accuracy at class level. Generally, teachers judged reading comprehension abilities more accurately than decoding abilities. Low‐achieving students’ abilities, though, were judged less accurately. Accuracy in judging decoding was higher in small classes and in students with special educational needs. Accuracy in judging reading comprehension grew along the years (higher in Grade 3 and at the end of the academic year). Additionally, teachers judged second language learners' reading comprehension less accurately. The results are discussed in the light of implications for teacher training.     

Understanding the degrees of freedom of sample variance by using Microsoft Excel

In this article, the degrees of freedom of the sample variance are simulated by using the Visual Basic for Applications of Microsoft Excel 2010. The simulation file dynamically displays why the sample variance should be calculated by dividing the sum of squared deviations by n‐1 rather than n, which is helpful for students to grasp the meaning of degrees of freedom.     

Meeting the Capstone Challenge in Postgraduate Food Science Education

Project work and work placements can help prepare tertiary food science students for the workplace. Programs in the curriculum should support the development of transferable skills such as communication, problem‐solving, and planning. This paper describes a case study of a new capstone project for Masters of Food Science students based on a work integrated learning model. Students were engaged to develop a HACCP plan for a cheesemaker. They interacted with a peer group, academics, and with professionals from the food industry. Two iterations of the project were completed. Staff and student feedback from the first iteration informed modifications in the subsequent iteration. Industry partners and an authentic work task were key components of the project. The model could apply to a broad range of programs that require a capstone project in the curriculum.     

Conflicting Discourses: Navigating the Tensions of Becoming a Literacy Coach

During recent years, literacy coaching has become a widespread model of professional development for teachers in schools across the United States. However, there is a shortage of research and policy to inform the preparation and ongoing work of literacy coaches. In this article, the researchers use a modified version of Gee’s identity framework to examine teachers’ reflective writing as they learned about and practiced coaching in one school district. Findings show that teachers invoked multiple conflicting discourses of coaching that contributed to tensions in their work. The researchers argue that such tensions can stand in the way of educators constructing coaching identities that allow them to support and sustain meaningful professional development for teachers.     

Cybersupervision: Further Examination of Synchronous and Asynchronous Modalities in Counseling Practicum Supervision

The authors used an intensive single‐subject quantitative design to examine cybersupervision of counseling practicum students in a university setting. Five female supervisees volunteered to receive their required weekly supervision online during a 14‐week, semester‐long counseling practicum. Following a face‐to‐face orientation meeting, all remaining interactions among the supervisees and with the supervisor occurred electronically. Data were collected about the utility of the synchronous and asynchronous modalities, changes in supervisee competence and confidence during the practicum, and supervisee attitudes about the cybersupervision approach. The findings offered evidence that the web‐based modality could be used in similar settings.     

School Counseling Site Supervisor Training: An Exploratory Study

This study explored the supervision training needs of site supervisors of master's program school counseling interns via the construct of self‐efficacy. Using the Site Supervisor Self‐Efficacy Survey developed for this study, the authors surveyed school counseling site supervisors in the states of Oregon and Washington (N = 147) regarding their hours of supervision training and their supervisor self‐efficacy. Results indicated that 54% of school counseling site supervisors had little or no counseling supervision training. Supervisor self‐efficacy appeared to be relatively strong, consistently so for school counseling site supervisors with over 40 hours of supervision training. A partial correlation indicated a slightly positive relationship between the hours of supervision training received and perceived self‐efficacy regarding supervision. Implications regarding school counseling site supervisor training and future research are offered.     

III. ATTACHMENT AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN INSTITUTIONAL CARE: CHARACTERISTICS AND CATCH UP

Attachment has been assessed in the extreme environment of orphanages, but an important issue to be addressed in this chapter is whether in addition to standard assessment procedures, such as the Strange Situation, the lack of a specific attachment in some institutionalized children should be taken into account given the limits to the development of stable relationships in institutionalized care. In addition, this chapter discusses disinhibited or indiscriminately friendly behavior that is often seen in institutionalized children. Enhanced caregiving quality alone appears to be insufficient to diminish indiscriminate behavior, at least in some children, as evidenced by the persistence of indiscriminate behavior in children adopted out of institutions into adoptive families. We suggest that the etiology and function of indiscriminate, “friendly” behavior may be different for institutionalized versus not‐institutionalized children. In the first case it may reflect a distortion or disruption of early attachment relationships; in the latter case it is likely to result from the lack of expected input in the form of contingent interactions with a stable caregiver in early life. We try to delineate infant and caregiver characteristics that are associated with secure attachment in institutional settings, given the inevitable fact that large numbers of infants worldwide are being raised, and will be raised, in contexts of institutional care. We conclude that much further study is needed of the development of children's attachments following adoption out of an institutional setting.