Affiliative motivation,school attachment,and aggression in school

School attachment is a robust predictor of adjustment in children and youth. Previous research has demonstrated effects of school context on student attachment, but individual‐level contributions have not been explored. Our study examined the role of affiliative orientation in school attachment and aggressive behavior in children and youth from Grades 3 through 12. A total of 834 students in three school districts completed self‐report measures of affiliative motivation, attachment to school, and frequency of physically and relationally aggressive acts. Results supported the hypothesis that students high in affiliative orientation reported higher levels of school attachment and lower levels of physical and relational aggression. Path analysis indicated that the relation of affiliative orientation to aggression was mediated by school attachment, but that the mediational effect was moderated by sex. Male students, and students of both sexes with low affiliative motivation, may receive special benefit from practices designed to increase school attachment. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 231–246, 2006.     

Using internet assessment tools for health and physical education instruction

Conclusions Physical education should provide opportunities for students to participate in activities that promote fitness and well-being. Implementing best practices into the physical education curriculum can contribute to the understanding and application of a healthy lifestyle for students. Technology applied in the physical education curriculum can provide an opportunity for improved instruction and enhanced student learning in physical education. The current study showed that students not only enjoyed working with computer technology but also preferred this interactive instructional method to a lecture method of instruction. The use of technology within the physical education program seemed to motivate students to engage with the material presented. After completing the web-based activities, students also seemed to be aware of their eating and physical activity habits and the changes that they needed to make in their lifestyles. They also expressed positive attitudes toward the use of technology in their physical education class. This study supports Cradler’s (1992) observation that outcomes will be positive when the effective physical educator uses the appropriate technology with sound pedagogical strategies and applicable content in their curriculum.     

Aging,personality, and teaching effectiveness in academic psychologists

Previous research suggests that university teaching effectiveness varies with the age and personality traits of the instructor. The present study examined the extent to which personality traits associated with teaching effectiveness change concomitantly with age, and thus mediate the relationship between age and teaching. Using a cross-sectional design, peer ratings of 29 personality traits and archival student evaluations of teaching were obtained for 33 full-time psychology professors varying in age from 33 to 64. Teaching effectiveness was found to be inversely related to age and to correlate significantly with several personality traits. Consistent with the mediation hypothesis, personality traits were identified that correlated positively with teaching and declined significantly with age (e.g., approval-seeking); or correlated negatively with teaching and increased with age (e.g., independent).This paper is based on a senior honors thesis completed by the first author and supervised by the second author in the Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario.     

Impact of the social construction of LD on culturally diverse families: a response to Reid and Valle

This response focuses on the effects of the current construction of learning disabilities (LD) on families of children from devalued racial/ethnic groups. Agreeing with the arguments of Reid and Valle, we add that parents from such groups are further disenfranchised because they are not participants in the critical discourse surrounding LD and because of the persistent belief that their parenting skills are deficient. We also suggest that the expectation of parental advocacy may be alien to parents whose cultures do not embrace an individualist perspective. Professionals can improve their responses to such parents by an understanding of the principle of cultural reciprocity.     

The Efficacy of the LearningRx Cognitive Training Program: Modality and Transfer Effects

This article describes two studies testing the efficacy of a commercial one-on-one cognitive training program (LearningRx) and its computer-based version (Brainskills) in laboratory and school settings. Study 1 tested Brainskills in a laboratory setting with 322 middle school students. Paired t-tests revealed significant gains on all cognitive measures and math performance after 3 weeks of training. Study 2, a randomized control study, included 225 high school students randomly assigned to one of three conditions: LearningRx, Brainskills, or study hall (control) in a school setting for a 15-week training period. Univariate ANCOVAs revealed significantly higher scores for the treatment groups compared with controls on working memory, logic and reasoning, and three of four math attitude measures but not for math performance. Implications for school-based interventions are discussed.     

The Reflective Model of Triadic Supervision: Defining an Emerging Modality

Current Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Eduational Programs (CACREP; 2001) standards promote the use of triadic supervision by counselor educators and supervisors. However, conceptual models of triadic supervision do not presently exist in the supervision literature. This article describes the process and structure of 1 model of triadic supervision (D. M. Kleist & N. R. Hill, 2003). This model provides a vehicle for implementing triadic supervision in response to changes in the CACREP standards and adds to the literature on triadic supervision. Implications for counselor educators and supervisors, as well as future research, are conceptualized.     

Protein deprivation and food-related risk-taking preferences of rhesus monkeys

The relative preferences of four rhesus monkeys for reward probability versus reward amount when they were maintained on a low-protein (3.35%) diet were compared with those demonstrated when they were fed an adequate (13.4%) protein diet. Four stimulus objects, each signifying a different combination of reward frequency and amount (100%-one piece, 50%-2 pieces, 33%-three pieces, or 25%-four pieces), were presented in pairs, one pair per daily session, with trial schedules providing the same amount of reward within each set of 12 trials. Selections of the more frequently rewarded objects, but with lesser amounts per trial, were significantly higher during the low-protein phase than during either the preceding or the following normal-diet phases. Protein deprivation produces a changed motivational state making these animals less tolerant of infrequent or postponed reinforcement.     

Education and earnings: A review of the evidence

An optimistic review of the relation between education and earnings is provided, even after nonschooling influences (family background and environmental and personal characteristics) are considered. The article reviews issues such as the distinction between quality and quantity of education, the effect of “ability” on the education-earnings relationship, and the “screening” hypothesis.     

The effects of classroom-based dynamic seating interventions on academic outcomes in youth: a systematic review

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesise and evaluate the literature on the effects of classroom-based dynamic seating interventions on academic-related outcomes, among school-aged children and adolescents. A secondary aim was to examine the effects of interventions on students’ sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels. In September 2017, four electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) were searched and a total of 5138 titles and abstracts were reviewed. Studies that examined associations between a classroom-based dynamic seating intervention and at least one academic-related outcome in school-aged children or adolescents were included. A best-evidence synthesis and narrative approach was implemented to synthesise the evidence. Thirteen studies published between 2003 and 2017 were identified that met the inclusion criteria for the review. There is some evidence that classroom-based dynamic seating interventions could have positive effects on the in-seat behaviour, academic engagement and attention of school aged-children and adolescents, predominantly those with attention difficulties. It is currently unclear whether dynamic seating has positive effects on students’ on-task behaviour, disruptive behaviour, memory, concentration or academic achievement. No intervention was found to have a detrimental effect on academic-related outcomes. The findings come from low-quality to moderate-quality studies (M?=?60.62%; SD?=?10.44). Classroom-based dynamic seating could be a simple, effective health strategy to reduce students’ static sitting time without compromising student learning and academic performance. The current interventions need to be replicated with larger, adequately-powered RCT designs, valid and reliable outcome measures, and assessment of intervention fidelity.