Empowering Fathers of Disadvantaged Preschoolers to Take a More Active Role in Preparing Their Children for Literacy Success at School

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a project designed to empower fathers to take a more active role in their child’s academic literacy development. The fathers were parents of children enrolled in Early Head Start or Head Start programs. Data sources included transcribed interviews with fathers, the facilitator’s journal, and field notes compiled by the researchers. Findings in three areas emerged from the data: the fathers became increasingly committed to the literacy development of their children; participants learned about and regularly engaged in a variety of emergent literacy activities with their children; and participants developed confidence in their roles as agents for change in their children’s lives.     

Conceptual Foundations and Components of a Contextual Intervention to Promote Student Engagement During Early Adolescence: The Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Success (SEALS) Model

Decades of research indicate that many early adolescents are at risk for developing significant school adjustment problems in the academic, behavioral, and social domains during the transition to middle school. The Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Success (SEALS) model has been developed as a professional development and consultation program to train teachers in universal (Tier 1) instructional and classroom management strategies to address the correlated risks experienced by students during this time. This article reviews the conceptual foundations of the SEALS model, provides an overview of SEALS intervention components, describes the SEALS professional development training and consultation framework, reviews preliminary findings of the impact of SEALS in rural school settings in the United States, and discusses research needs and future directions regarding the use of the SEALS model.     

Book reviews

Black, Edwin and Kerr, Harry P., American Issues Harcourt, Brace, and World, 750 Third Avenue, New York 17, New York. 1961, paper, $2.25.

Wrage, Ernest J. and Baskerville, Barnet, American Forum, Speeches on Historic Issues, 1788–1900. Harper and Brothers, 49 East 33rd Street, New York 16, New York. 1960.

Simmons, Harry, Executive Public Speaking Techniques. Chilton Company—Book Division, Philadelphia 39, Pennsylvania. 1959, $5.00.

Jones, E. Einston, A Guide to Effective Speech. Longmans, Green and Company, 119 West 40th Street, New York 18, New York. 1961, $3.75.

Smith, Joseph F. and Linn, James R., Skill in Reading Aloud. Harper and Brothers, 49 East 33rd Street, New York 16, New York. 1960, $5.75.     

The roles of teacher–student relationship quality and self-concept of ability in adolescents’ achievement emotions: temperament as a moderator

This study examined to what extent teacher–student conflict and closeness, on the one hand, and students’ self-concepts of ability in literacy and mathematics, on the other, are related to students’ achievement emotions (enjoyment, anxiety and boredom) in mathematics and literacy among Finnish early adolescents (N = 854). We also investigated the extent to which these associations are moderated by student temperament (surgency/extraversion, negative affectivity and effortful control). The results showed, after accounting for relevant covariates, that in both school subjects, teacher–student conflict was negatively related to enjoyment and positively to anxiety and boredom, whereas teacher–student closeness was positively related to enjoyment and negatively to boredom. Self-concepts of ability in both school subjects were positively related to enjoyment and negatively to anxiety, whereas the self-concept of ability was only negatively related to boredom in mathematics. Student temperament also moderated some of the associations in the literacy domain. Lower levels of conflict in the teacher–student relationship were related to higher levels of enjoyment in literacy, particularly among students who had lower levels of surgency/extraversion. Also, a closer relationship with the teacher or a lower self-concept of ability in literacy was related to higher levels of anxiety, particularly among students who had low effortful control. In the mathematics domain, the associations between the self-concept of ability and achievement emotions were somewhat stronger than in literacy, and the domain-specific associations were not dependent on student temperament.