Similarities in siblings' experiences of neglectful parenting behaviors

OBJECTIVE: Researchers and policymakers typically assume that within families, individual children are at an equivalent risk of neglectful behaviors. There is evidence that siblings experience differential parental treatment, and some research suggests that parents may maltreat their children to differing degrees. However, because neglect is typically a family-level construct, there may be a high correlation between siblings for this type of parental behavior. Therefore, our objectives were to investigate the extent to which siblings reported similar parental neglectful behaviors, whether sibling correlations for family-level types of neglectful behaviors were greater than those for child-specific forms of neglectful behaviors, whether high-risk groups differed from lower-risk groups in similarity for sibling reports for neglectful behaviors, and factors predicting differences in sibling reports of parental neglectful behaviors. METHOD: We assessed parental neglectful behaviors using child reports for 59 sibling pairs, representing both clinical and community samples. All children completed the Multidimensional Neglectful Behaviors Scale, which measures both child-specific and family-level neglectful parenting behaviors. RESULTS: Sibling intraclass correlations for neglectful behaviors were high and significant, and there were no differences in sibling correlations between clinical and community samples. Furthermore, there were no differences in correlations for family-level and child-specific items. Opposite sex siblings reported greater differences in parental neglectful behaviors, with boys reporting more neglectful behaviors than girls. CONCLUSIONS: Siblings report similar neglectful parenting behaviors, regardless of whether the family is high-risk or not, and whether neglectful behaviors are measured as a family-level or child-specific phenomenon.     

Avoiding legal liability for adult educators,human resource developers,and instructional designers by John Sample

John Sample, SPHR, has his PhD from Florida State University, where he was an associate professor in human resources development. He has 35 years of experience as a consultant, educator, and administrator in human resources management, training, and development. He has served as an expert witness. Avoiding Legal Liability for Adult Educators, Human Resource Developers, and Instructional Designers (ISBN 13: 978–1–57524–273–6 and 10: 1–57524– 273–7) is published by Krieger Publishing Co. This publisher may be reached online at http://www.kreiger‐publishing.com.     

Objectives—Are they useful? A quick assessment

Most people understand the importance of objectives and the link between having objectives and accomplishing results. However, there is a difference between a well‐defined objective and a poorly developed objective both in how they are constructed and in what they ultimately lead to. In this article, we explore three levels of objectives, provide examples of good objectives at each level, and put forth a 7‐point inspection any objective should meet if it is to be a useful objective.     

Academic achievement and individual differences in the learning processes of Israeli high-school students

The Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP), originally developed by Schmeck et al. (1977), assesses individual differences in information processing styles of college level students. The inventory consists of four scales: Deep Processing (DP), Methodical Study (MS), Fact Retention (FR), and Elaborative Processing (EP). Three aspects of the ILP scales have been studied for 9th and 11th grade high-school students. First, the internal consistency reliabilities of the ILP scales, two of which DP and MS were satisfactory. Second, the factor structure obtained in this study included three out of the four original factors. FR was not reconstructed. Third, the relationship between academic achievement and information processing of high-school students have been analyzed. Deep Processing (DP) came out as the most prominent style in its relation to academic achievement, particularly among the younger students.     

Examining creativity in Turkey: Do Western findings apply?

Different cultures have unique perspective on creativity, yet it is usually the American/Western perspective represented in the psychological literature. Here the authors test previous, Western research findings in creativity on Turkish participants. Study One looks at gender and age differences in creativity. Study Two explores the relationship between creativity and motivation, and Study Three examines the factor structure of creativity. In general, the authors were able to validate past research on Western populations. Creativity tended to increase with age, and intrinsic motivation is significantly correlated with creativity. Some gender differences were found (unlike in Western findings), and there were some differences in the factor structure of creativity.     

Androgen and the Development of Human Sex-typical Behavior: Rough-and-Tumble Play and Sex of Preferred Playmates in Children with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

We hypothesized that girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), who experience higher than normal levels of androgens prenatally, would show masculinization of behaviors that show sex differences. Therefore, we examined rough-and-tumble play and sex of preferred playmates in 3–8-year-old children with CAH and in unaffected 3–8-year-old male and female relatives. The hypothesized sex differences in rough-and-tumble play were seen, with unaffected boys showing more rough-and-tumble play than unaffected girls. However, CAH girls were similar to unaffected girls. Additionally, CAH boys showed reduced rough-and-tumble play. In contrast, sex of preferred playmates showed the hypothesized pattern of results. There were sex differences, with unaffected boys preferring boys and unaffected girls preferring girls. In addition, the preferences of girls with CAH were masculinized compared to those of unaffected girls. Results are discussed in terms of possible influences of social, hormonal, and illness factors.     

Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children's Development

Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father–child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers’ roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father–child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father–child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father–child relationship and its impact on child development.     

Attributes of effective and efficient kindergarten reading intervention: an examination of instructional time and design specificity

A randomized experimental design with three levels of intervention was used to compare the effects of beginning reading interventions on early phonemic, decoding, and spelling outcomes of 96 kindergartners identified as at risk for reading difficulty. The three instructional interventions varied systematically along two dimensions--time and design of instruction specificity--and consisted of (a) 30 min with high design specificity (30/H), (b) 15 min with high design specificity plus 15 min of non-code-based instruction (15/H+15), and (c) a commercial comparison condition that reflected 30 min of moderate design specificity instruction (30/M). With the exception of the second 15 min of the 15/H+15 condition, all instruction focused on phonemic, alphabetic, and orthographic skills and strategies. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three interventions and received 108 thirty-minute sessions of small-group instruction as a supplement to their typical half-day kindergarten experience. Planned comparisons indicated findings of statistical and practical significance that varied according to measure and students' entry-level performance. The results are discussed in terms of the pedagogical precision needed to design and provide effective and efficient instruction for students who are most at risk.     

Defining and Delivering Measurable Value: A Mega Thinking and Planning Primer

ABSTRACT Mega planning has a primary focus on adding value for all stakeholders. It is realistic, practical, and ethical. Denning and then achieving sustained organizational success is possible. It relies on three basic elements: 1. A societal value‐added “frame of mind” or paradigm: your perspective about your organization, people, and our world. It focuses on an agreed‐upon focus on adding value to all stakeholders. 2. A shared determination and agreement on where to head and why: all people who can and might be impacted by the shared objectives must agree on purposes and results criteria, and 3. Pragmatic and basic tools. This article provides the basic concepts for thinking and planning Mega in order to define and deliver value to internal and external partners.