Patterns of maternal behavior among neglectful families: implications for research and intervention

OBJECTIVE: The heterogeneity within neglecting caregivers has not been explored in an empirical fashion. The current study sought to address this limitation by utilizing archival data in order to explore variability of maternal behavior among neglectful families. METHOD: The current study utilized archival data containing caseworker and self-report information on 100 mothers for whom neglect had been substantiated and was the primary referral concern. Cluster analysis was used to describe patterns of maternal behavior. Subsequent analysis was used to determine differences between the clusters on degree of neglect, maternal depression, perceived social support, and other demographic characteristics (income, education). RESULTS: Five distinct patterns of maternal behavior emerged, each with different ratings of maternal confidence, relatedness, impulse control, and willingness to engage in verbal interactions. The clusters differed on ratings of neglect, life stressors, resource problems and adult problems. The clusters were similar in terms of maternal education, number of children in the home, and monthly income. Additionally, women in all clusters reported similar levels of depression, similar number of children, and a comparable amount of social support. CONCLUSIONS: The five clusters are described and implications for intervention approaches are discussed.     

Assessing the Practicum

The practicum appears in many different forms in professional education — as field placement, cooperative education, sandwich programs, internship and clinical placement. This review of current literature reveals many different conceptions of the kinds of learning outcomes that can be achieved through learning in the workplace and the contribution that the practicum can make to professional education. In consequence, assessment philosophies and methods are equally varied. Five distinct approaches to assessment of the practicum are identified and the strengths and weaknesses of each are evaluated. While assessment of the practicum in some programs has been very limited, in the best examples cited, integration of the practicum with the educational program has provided opportunities for students to bring together a range of knowledge and skills in a complex natural environment. Well‐designed assessment requirements can make a significant contribution to learning in the practicum by putting pressure on supervisors to structure the opportunities available and by requiring students to identify and reflect on what they have learned.     

The contribution of Aboriginal epistemologies to mathematics education in Australia: Exploring the silences

Epistemology is a conceptual template for how we think about the world, and the study of how we come to know the world around us. The world does not dictate unequivocally how to interpret it. This article will explore this position on the fluidity of epistemic constructs through two prominent philosophical perspectives, those being derived from the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Michael Foucault, respectively. These insights will be used to more deeply unfold the current situation for Aboriginal students within dominant approaches to mathematics curriculum in Australia, and the subsequent approaches to the inclusion of Aboriginal knowledge and epistemologies. It is suggested that the epistemic constructs most valued and thus credited as conveyors of ‘truth’, and therefore positioned as powerful forms of knowledge within dominant curriculum and education policy, are those derived from Western, Eurocentric origins. This privileging of particular epistemological constructs over others is reinforced unconsciously through the articulation of educational goals deemed most appropriate, or ‘socially just’, for the Aboriginal student population. The place of Aboriginal knowledge within such constructs is therefore reflective of broader ideation around the role of education within society and its failure to challenge existing structures of power and injustice.     

Second-order schedules: Manipulation of brief-stimulus duration at component completion

In a second-order schedule, fixed-interval components were reinforced according to a variable-interval schedule. A brief stimulus accompanied the completion of each fixed interval. Brief-stimulus duration was varied across conditions from 0.5 to 8 sec. Patterning was greater the longer the duration of the stimulus. Additionally, exposure to relatively long brief-stimulus durations enhanced patterning upon reexposure to shorter brief-stimulus durations.     

Let's Talk: Parents’ Mental Talk (Not Mind-Mindedness or Mindreading Capacity) Predicts Children's False Belief Understanding

Although one might expect parents’ mind-mindedness (MM; the propensity to view children as mental agents) to relate to everyday mental-state talk (MST) and theory-of-mind capacity, evidence to support this view is lacking. In addition, both the uniqueness and the specificity of relations between parental MM, parental MST, and children's false belief understanding (FBU) are open to question. To address these three gaps, this study tracked 117 preschoolers (60 boys) and their parents across a 13-month period (M_age = 3.94 years, SD = 0.53, at Time 1). Parental MM, MST, and theory-of-mind capacity showed little overlap. Both MM and MST were weakly associated with children's concurrent FBU, but in line with social constructivist accounts, only MST predicted later FBU.     

Gender differences in lower limb frontal plane kinematics during landing

The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in knee valgus angle and inter-knee and inter-ankle distances in university volleyball players when performing opposed block jump landings. Six female and six male university volleyball players performed three dynamic trials each for which they were instructed to jump up and block a volleyball suspended above a net set at the height of a standard volleyball net as it was spiked against them by an opposing player. Knee valgus/varus, inter-knee distance, and inter-ankle distance (absolute and relative to height) were determined during landing using three-dimensional motion analysis. Females displayed significantly greater maximum valgus angle and range of motion than males. This may increase the risk of ligament strain in females compared with males. Minimum absolute inter-knee distance was significantly smaller, and absolute and relative inter-knee displacement during landing significantly greater, in females than males. Both absolute and relative inter-ankle displacement during landing was significantly greater in males than females. These findings suggest that the gender difference in the valgus angle of the knee during two-footed landing is influenced by gender differences in the linear movement of the ankles as well as the knees. Coaches should therefore develop training programmes to focus on movement of both the knee and ankle joints in the frontal plane in order to reduce the knee valgus angle during landing, which in turn may reduce the risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury.     

Special education professional development needs in Zimbabwe

Since 1980 when Zimbabwe obtained political independence, special education has not received the same priority as the entire education system. One of the manifestations of this discrepancy is the shortage of qualified special education teachers in the country. In order to address this trend and promote the development of special education, researchers have suggested the need for professional development in the area of special education. The purpose of this study was to identify the special education professional development needs of both special and general education in-service teachers in Zimbabwe. A semi-structured survey instrument, developed by the first and second authors, which included open- and closed-end questions was used in this study. The sample consisted of 204 schoolteachers drawn from two school districts of Zvishavane and Gwanda. The participating schoolteachers overwhelmingly expressed the need for more professional development in the area of special education. The schoolteachers also identified several topics that they considered to be important for professional development.     

"I got some swords and you're dead!": violent fantasy, antisocial behavior, friendship, and moral sensibility in young children

Relations between an early interest in violent fantasy and children's social understanding, antisocial and emotional behavior, and interactions with friends were investigated in 40 "hard-to-manage" preschoolers and 40 control children matched for gender, age, and school and ethnic background. Children were filmed alone in a room with a friend, and tested on a battery of cognitive tests, including false-belief, executive function, and emotion understanding tasks. Teachers reported on their friendship quality. At age 6 years, the children's understanding of the emotional consequences of antisocial and prosocial actions was studied. The hard-to-manage group showed higher rates of violent fantasy; across both groups combined, violent fantasy was related to poor executive control and language ability, frequent antisocial behavior, displays of anger and refusal to help a friend, poor communication and coordination of play, more conflict with a friend, and less empathic moral sensibility 2 years later. The usefulness of a focus on the content of children's pretend play-in particular, violent fantasy-as a window on children's preoccupations is considered.