Mother-infant attachment in adoptive families

Data from 2 separate samples using the Strange Situation paradigm were combined to assess the quality of attachment relationships in adoptive and nonadoptive mother-infant pairs. Infants were between 13 and 18 months at the time of observation. Results indicated no differences in mother-infant attachment between nonadopted and intraracial adopted subjects or between intraracial and interracial adopted subjects. Interracial adoptive mother-infant pairs did show a higher incidence of insecure attachment in comparison to nonadoptive pairs. Mothers of interracial adopted infants also were less comfortable having others care for their babies and perceived less emotional support from extended family and friends for their decision to adopt a child prior to the actual adoption than did other mothers. No relation was found, however, between quality of mother-infant attachment and either perceived social support, infant developmental quotient, infant temperament, number of foster homes experienced by the infant, or infant's age at the time of adoption placement. It was suggested that the higher incidence of psychological problems found among adoptees in middle childhood and adolescence cannot be explained in terms of insecure attachment relationships during the infancy years.     

A secure base from which to explore close relationships

The theory of attachment as a secure-base relationship integrates insights about affect, cognition, and behavior in close relationships across age and culture. Empirical successes based on this theory include important discoveries about the nature of infant-caregiver and adult-adult close relationships, the importance of early experience, and about stability and change in individual differences. The task now is to preserve these insights and successes and build on them. To accomplish this, we need to continually examine the logic and coherence of attachment theory and redress errors of emphasis and analysis. Views on attachment development, attachment representation, and attachment in family and cross-cultural perspective need to be updated in light of empirical research and advances in developmental theory, behavioral biology, and cognitive psychology. We also need to challenge the theory by formulating and testing hypotheses which, if not confirmed, would require significant changes to the theory. If we can accomplish these tasks, prospects for important developments in attachment theory and research are greater than ever, as are the prospects for integration with other disciplines.     

激励学习的学校领导--一份历时25年的研究报告

教育家很早就知道相对于其他校长。有些校长是非常有力的领导者。然而这些优秀的校长具有什么特点呢？很多年来。校长都知道他们必须要成为教育的领导者。但是．教育的领导者，是一个非常空泛的概念。没有什么具体的例子能够解释和说明这个概念。我们一直在试图去规定一些具体的能够让校长们成为有力的领导者的训练。大多数的教育者们认为尽管一些校长毕业于同一门课程或者接受了相同的专业训练。但是他们在各自的学校所获得的成功是不一样的。同样，我们要指出那些试图把别人成功的策略原原本本的用在自己学校的校长们。这样做不会得到任何好的效果，甚至会是负作用。     

Web‐delivered,problem‐based learning in organisational behaviour: a new form of CAOS

Recent calls have been made for a fundamental reorientation in higher education from a curriculum that simply transmits information (learner as receiver) to one that encourages students actively to construct their own knowledge and practice using new skills and concepts (learner as constructor). In response, the Case Analysis in Organisational Situations (CAOS) assessment tool was developed for use in teaching organisational behaviour. It follows the principles of problem‐based learning and group work, using an unfolding case design. A pre‐test (n=365), immediate post‐test (n=323) and delayed post‐test (n=129) design was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this new learning tool. The assessment of student approaches to learning revealed that students were more likely to adopt a deep approach to learning at the end of CAOS than at the beginning. In general, the results show that CAOS is a useful web‐based tool that promotes learning in organisational behaviour. The benefits of CAOS and some suggested improvements to the existing CAOS format are discussed.     

The School Counselor in Israel: An Agent of Social Justice?

In recent years, leaders in the school counseling profession worldwide have been calling on their colleagues to re-examine their role as “agents of social justice” in schools, with a view to promoting equal educational opportunities for all students. This research examines counselors’ perceptions of the role, role behaviors, personal justice sensitivity, the school’s justice sensitivity and the interrelations among these variables. Two hundred and six Israeli school counselors responded to a questionnaire. Findings show that the majority of counselors perceived their role as promoting social justice, and indeed engaged in activities meant to increase disadvantaged students’ chances of success. The variable of role perception was found to mediate between personal sensitivity to justice (justice sensitivity) and counselors’ actual behaviors. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for the professional socialization of counselors as agents of social justice.     

Communication openness,satisfaction, and length of employment in Japanese organizations

Hypotheses were generated regarding the relationship among communication openness, satisfaction, and length of employment in Japanese organizations. A questionnaire was administered to employees of Japanese organizations in the Tokyo area. The data revealed that upward, downward, and lateral communication openness were associated positively with both relational and organizational satisfaction. Length of employment also was associated with downward and lateral communication openness and with both relational and organizational satisfaction. The relationships between length of employment and satisfaction differed for employees in large and small‐to‐moderate sized organizations. Lateral communication openness was associated positively with satisfaction variables and there was a relatively small association between length of employment and satisfaction.