Part and parcel of teaching? Secondary school staff's views on supporting student emotional health and well‐being

The need for schools to support children and young people's mental and emotional health is increasingly emphasised in policy initiatives, yet the role of teachers in this has been under explored. This paper reports findings from qualitative, semi‐structured interviews with 14 school staff at eight secondary schools in England, examining emotional health and well‐being (EHWB) activities in which they were involved. Three emergent themes are discussed: (1) a strongly held belief that teaching and EHWB are inevitably linked; (2) a perception that many colleagues outside the study sample are reluctant to engage in EHWB work; and (3) a concern that teachers’ own emotional health needs are neglected, leaving them unable or unwilling to consider those of pupils. The findings endorse whole‐school approaches to emotional health, with a focus on teachers’ training and support needs and clearer aims, including consideration of how such work fits with the broader goals of schools.     

An investigation of the construct validity of the personality trait of self-directed learning

Based on samples of 398 middle school students, 568 high school students, and 1159 college students, self-directed learning was found to be related to cumulative grade-point-average at all levels as well as to Big Five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Extraversion), narrow personality traits (Optimism, Career-Decidedness, Work Drive, and Self-Actualization), vocational interests (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, and Conventional, as well as Science, Medicine, and Mathematics), cognitive aptitudes, and life as well as college satisfaction. Based on an additional sample of 4125 college students, a confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify a single factor structure for our 10-item measure of self-directed learning. Results were discussed in terms of personality characteristics of self-directed learners, the trans-situational validity of self-directed learning in academic settings, multiple forms of evidence of the construct validity of self-directed learning, and implications for future research and practice.     

Measuring self-regulation in online and blended learning environments

In developing the Online Self-regulated Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ) to address the need for an instrument measuring self-regulation in the online learning environment, this study provides evidence toward the reliability and validity of the instrument. Data were collected from two samples of students. The first sample of students took coursework using an online course format while a second sample of students took coursework delivered via a blended or hybrid course format. Cronbach alpha (α) and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the psychometric properties of the OSLQ across both samples of students. Results indicate the OSLQ is an acceptable measure of self-regulation in the online and blended learning environments.     

澳大利亚广告专业本科教育特色及启示

澳大利亚的大学除了8所联盟大学（G8）为研究型大学外,其余大学多属于研究与教学型大学,主要培养应用型人才。澳大利亚的广告专业起源和发展都离不开产业发展,对学生和教师进行职业化培养是澳大利亚广告教育的突出特点。在教学上具有以教师为中心的集中授大课和以学生为中心分组讨论小课相结合、详细的评分体系及先进的教学设备和教学辅助手段等特色。这些办学特色对于我国的本科大学广告专业建设具有借鉴作用。如可以考虑构建有广告行业公司和行业学(协)会参与的广告类人才培养机制、进行多学科综合背景下的广告人才培养和重视教师职业的培养     

The relations among young children's peer-reported trustworthiness, inhibitory control, and preschool adjustment

Sixty-five (38 male and 27 female) preschool children (mean age = 5 years 1 month) completed measures of peers’ trustworthiness (promise keeping and secret keeping). Teachers rated the preschool children's inhibitory control, trustworthiness, and preschool adjustment. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) yielded support for the hypothesized model. The expected positive paths were found from (1) gender to preschool adjustment and inhibitory control, (2) age to peer-reported trustworthiness, (3) peer-reported trustworthiness to preschool adjustment, (4) inhibitory control to peer-reported trustworthiness, and (5) inhibitory control to preschool adjustment. The findings confirmed the hypothesized development of trustworthiness with age and girls’ advantage over boys in inhibitory control and preschool adjustment. The findings supported the hypotheses that trustworthiness is associated with preschool adjustment and mediates, in part, the relation between inhibitory control and preschool adjustment.     

Teachers' Understanding of the Role of Executive Functions in Mathematics Learning

Cognitive psychology research has suggested an important role for executive functions, the set of skills that monitor and control thought and action, in learning mathematics. However, there is currently little evidence about whether teachers are aware of the importance of these skills and, if so, how they come by this information. We conducted an online survey of teachers' views on the importance of a range of skills for mathematics learning. Teachers rated executive function skills, and in particular inhibition and shifting, to be important for mathematics. The value placed on executive function skills increased with increasing teaching experience. Most teachers reported that they were aware of these skills, although few knew the term “executive functions.” This awareness had come about through their teaching experience rather than from formal instruction. Researchers and teacher educators could do more to highlight the importance of these skills to trainee or new teachers.