Collective effectiveness in the XV de France: selections and time matter

The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of selections and shared selections in the rugby union. Players’ names, positions, and number of selections were collected for all XV de France’s games (1906–2014). Every team’s percentage of renewal of workforce was calculated for backs and forwards. During the 1987–2014 period, all second row forwards (locks), halfbacks, and centres’ shared selections (number of times when two players have competed together) were recreated. The Best vs. Rest method was applied to these remodelled dyads. They were analysed and compared with surrounding teammates as well as opponents. Head coaches similarly change their workforce for upcoming matches after winning or losing (around 30%), but losing teams renew significantly more positions in their line-ups. The recreated halfbacks, locks, and centres reveal a common pattern. Whether victorious or not, the ‘renewed couples’ victory percentage will congregate towards the XV de France’s victory percentage. For all the best recreated couples, the cumulated number of selections for forwards’ is always higher than the ones part of less efficient teams: 231.3?±?80 vs. 212.9?±?91 selections for locks’ teammates (Effect sizes (ES) small, possibly positive, 54.8%). In best recreated couples, number 8’s are significantly more experienced than their counterparts in less efficient pairs (ES small, likely positive, 76.3%). The XV de France’s collective effectiveness relies on a balance between stability and workforce renewal, which allows the building of specific position interactions and builds on experimented forwards packs. Selections and shared selections are serious collective performance parameters associated with performance.     

Evaluation of a group intervention using a feminist approach for women experiencing sexual abuse

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluates a group intervention using a feminist approach for women experiencing sexual abuse in childhood or adulthood in order to measure changes associated with participation in a group intervention and verifies whether effects are maintained over time. The present study relates effects of the group intervention in terms of psychological distress, depression symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms and feelings of guilt and helplessness. METHOD: The sample consists of 26 women participating in a group intervention offered by sexual assault centers in Quebec (CALACS - Centre d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel). RESULTS: Results show significant differences between pretest and post-test scores obtained one week following the end of the group intervention and gains are maintained at follow-up 3 months later. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that participation in the group intervention is associated with a reduction of psychological distress, depression symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms and feelings of guilt and helplessness in adult women reporting sexual abuse.     

Student gender stereotypes: contrasting the perceived maleness and femaleness of mathematics and language

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the gender stereotypes endorsed by elementary and high school students regarding mathematics and language. We developed a questionnaire allowing students to rate mathematics and language as either male or female domains and administered it to a sample of 984 elementary and high school French‐speaking Canadian students (Grades 6, 8, and 10). Results showed that, with the exception of Grade 6 boys, students did not believe that mathematics was a male domain, or even conceived of mathematics as a predominantly female domain, suggesting that the traditional stereotype favouring boys in mathematics might have changed over the past few years. Moreover, language was clearly viewed as a female domain. Overall, our findings suggest that boys seem to be in need of encouragement in school, especially regarding language, where the advantage given to girls is particularly salient.     

Migration,educational and career guidance and social inclusion

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance -     

Gender stereotype endorsement and achievement-related outcomes: The role of competence beliefs and task values

In most Western societies, males are stereotyped as having stronger mathematical abilities than females whereas females are stereotyped as having stronger verbal abilities than males. Exposure to negative ability stereotypes reliably undermines performance in laboratory experiments, yet the mechanisms by which such stereotypes may influence boys’ and girls’ achievement outcomes in the more naturalistic setting of primary and secondary school remain unclear. The current study evaluated a hypothesis suggested by expectancy-value theories (e.g., Eccles & Wigfield, 2002): the relationship between stereotypes and achievement outcomes is importantly mediated by a student’s perceived competence and his or her valuation of the domain in question. We tested the hypothesis by examining the career intentions and grades of 762 sixth and eighth graders. As expected, even after controlling for prior achievement, stereotype endorsement primarily predicted grades and career intentions indirectly, through students’ competence beliefs and task values. These results suggest that stereotypes predict achievement-related outcomes most clearly when students internalize them.     

Clinician-Scientists in-and-between Research and Practice: How Social Identity Shapes Brokerage

Minerva - Clinician-scientists (CSs) are vital in connecting the worlds of research and practice. Yet, there is little empirical insight into how CSs perceive and act upon their in-and-between...     

Parental Age and Offspring Childhood Mental Health: A Multi-Cohort,Population-Based Investigation

To examine the contributions of maternal and paternal age on offspring externalizing and internalizing problems, this study analyzed problem behaviors at age 10–12 years from four Dutch population-based cohorts (N = 32,892) by a multiple informant design. Bayesian evidence synthesis was used to combine results across cohorts with 50% of the data analyzed for discovery and 50% for confirmation. There was evidence of a robust negative linear relation between parental age and externalizing problems as reported by parents. In teacher-reports, this relation was largely explained by parental socio-economic status. Parental age had limited to no association with internalizing problems. Thus, in this large population-based study, either a beneficial or no effect of advanced parenthood on child problem behavior was observed.