A Preliminary Examination of Identity Exploration and Commitment among Polish Adolescents with and without Motor Disability: Does Disability Constitute Diversity in Identity Development?

The aim of this study was to define whether, and to what extent identity formation in late adolescence is disability specific. Ninety-eight adolescents participated in this study, including 43 students with motor disability and 55 students without disability. Identity exploration and commitment was measured by the Utrecht-Groningen Identity Development Scale which consists of subscales covering three identity domains: a school domain and a relational domain divided into two subdomains concerning relationships with peers and parents. The results showed that the amount of commitment and exploration was lesser in those with motor disability compared to those without disability; the most common identity status in participants with motor disability was diffusion, whereas those without disability were primarily achievers across the three domains. However, the findings revealed consistently non-significant interaction effects between disability/non-disability and commitment and exploration. Thus, what constitutes diversity in identity development is the amount of commitment and exploration made by adolescents with and without disability, suggesting a different pace, but not a different direction of identity change in both groups.     

To give or not to give: children's and adolescents' sharing and moral negotiations in economic decision situations

This study interconnects developmental psychology of fair and moral behavior with economic game theory. One hundred eighty-nine 9- to 17-year-old students shared a sum of money as individuals and groups with another anonymous group (dictator game). Individual allocations did not differ by age but did by gender and were predicted by participants' preferences for fair allocations. Group decision making followed a majority process. Level of moral reasoning did not predict individual offers, but group members with a higher moral reasoning ability were more influential during group negotiations and in influencing group outcomes. The youngest participants justified offers more frequently by referring to simple distribution principles. Older participants employed more complex reasons to justify deviations from allocation principles.     

A Person-Centered Approach to Students' Evaluations of Perceived Fear Appeals and Their Association With Engagement

A person-centered approach was employed to investigate how students' evaluation of perceived teacher utility value messages, i.e., fear appeals, as a threat and as a challenge, combined within individuals and how these combinations related to student engagement. Two studies were conducted with students in their final two years of secondary education. Empirically distinct clusters emerged at two time points in the academic year. Evaluating the message in the fear appeal at a higher level of challenge than threat was beneficial. Unexpectedly, high threat was associated with high engagement, as long as high challenge was also present, however, this combination was also related to high emotional disaffection. Moderate threat combined with moderate challenge had the most detrimental relationship with student engagement. Educational interventions should aim to increase the likelihood of a challenge evaluation.     

Increased Implementation of Emergent Literacy Screening in Pre-Kindergarten

The recent emphasis on universal prekindergarten programs, coupled with ongoing concern about children’s’ early literacy development in the first years of school, carry significant implications for how preschool educators program for literacy and assess literacy growth. We discuss the evolving role of literacy development in expanded preschool, examine key features of literacy assessments with particular attention to the content that might be assessed in preschool, and provide as an example one preschool literacy assessment tool that is in widespread use in the United States. We discuss the policy and practice implications of the growing emphasis on literacy assessment in preschoolers.     

Stress and risk for depression in competitive athletes suffering from back pain – Do age and gender matter?†

Back pain (BP), a prominent problem for competitive athletes, is a primary reason for limitations in athletic performance and daily life restrictions. As studies on the relationship between psychological variables and BP in athletes are scarce, the aim of this study was to investigate stress and depression in competitive athletes with BP. In a cross-sectional design, data of 154 competitive athletes (51% female; M_age?=?18.81 years, SD_age?=?5.05 years) were collected, assessing Performance stress, Socio-emotional stress, Risk for depression and Psychological well-being and the two BP parameters BP Intensity and Disability. Two multiple linear regressions were conducted to predict (1) BP Intensity and (2) Disability from Performance stress, Socio-emotional stress, Risk for depression and Psychological well-being. Multiple linear regressions demonstrated that Performance stress (β?=?.21, p?=?.01) was the only significant predictor of BP Intensity (F_1,142?=?6.68, p?=?.01, R²?=?.05), whilst Risk for depression (β?=?.24, p?=?.01) was the only significant predictor of Disability (F_1,142?=?8.46, p?=?.01, R²?=?.06). Neither gender nor age explained a significant amount of variance in the models. Study results showed that, as in the general population, the variables stress and depression are related to BP in competitive athletes. In particular, BP intensity was found to be associated with stress and BP-related disability was associated with depression, whereas age and gender showed no association with the BP parameters. A longitudinal investigation is warranted to determine the direction of the observed relationships.     

Fungal genus Hypocrea/Trichoderma: from barcodes to biodiversity

Hypocrea/Trichoderma is a genus of soil-borne or wood-decaying fungi containing members important to mankind as producers of industrial enzymes and biocontrol agents against plant pathogens, but also as opportunistic pathogens of immuno-compromised humans and animals, while others can cause damage to cultivated mushroom. With the recent advent of a reliable, BarCode-aided identification system for all known taxa of Trichoderma and Hypocrea, it became now possible to study some of the biological fundamentals of the diversity in this fungal genus in more detail. In this article, we will therefore review recent progress in (1) the understanding of the geographic distribution of individual taxa; (2) mechanisms of speciation leading to development of mushroom diseases and facultative human mycoses; and (3) the possible correlation of specific traits of secondary metabolism and molecular phylogeny.     

Why Do Historical Beeswax Seals Become Brittle Over Time?

ABSTRACT

Mechanical properties of aged beeswax were studied by an indirect measurement, using hydrogenated beeswax as a model material. The adequacy of the model was evaluated by comparison of its chemical composition and thermal properties with those of samples of historical beeswax. It was found that the gradual decrease in content of unsaturated compounds in beeswax contributes significantly to changes of its mechanical properties. As a consequence, beeswax artefacts become increasingly prone to mechanical damage during natural ageing. Understanding the difference between mechanical properties of recent and historical beeswax is primarily important from the point of view of safe handling and storage of such artefacts. Besides, this knowledge could help conservation scientists, e. g. when preparing model samples for testing new conservation methods.     

从专业教育视野看参考咨询与信息服务过程模型

二十多年来,参考咨询与信息服务日益介入电子世界,而逐渐远离图书馆的参考咨询台和纸质馆藏.本文介绍一项基于不断变化的环境针对参考咨询与信息服务进行的研究,旨在分析两个研究问题:①从用户和馆员行为及其所利用信息源的角度来看,当前参考咨询与信息服务活动有哪些趋势?②当前参考咨询过程的基本模型是什么?作者通过焦点访谈法搜集承担参考咨询与信息服务专业课程教师的意见,并通过自由讨论的形式征集其他专业课程教师和博士研究生有关虚拟参考咨询教育的看法.研究结果表明,参考咨询模型具有明显的互动性和合作性,其中参考馆员和用户均扮演信息获取、信息接收和信息生成的角色.论文提出参考咨询过程的模型,并分析这一模型对参考咨询与信息服务活动产生的影响.图1.参考文献63.     

Keys to Successful Leadership: High Support for Capable and Versatile Principals

What are the prerequisites for principals’ success within a decentralized and deregulated Swedish-policy environment characterized by democratic equity values and neo-liberal practices? Twenty-four secondary school principals identified internal and external factors that promote or inhibit principals’ success. The discussion concerns whether the current crossfire of demands produces superficiality and threats to democracy due to the working conditions described by the principals.