Perceiving and responding to interpersonal conflict

This study explores the perceptions of and responses to the content and relationship levels of interpersonal conflict. Most subjects perceived both levels of the conflict. Gender and cognitive complexity were found to relate to the number and, in some cases, the types of responses produced by subjects.     

The Use of Personal Data Assistants in Early Childhood Assessment

Four early childhood education teachers, two veteran and two newer teachers, were asked to pilot the use of handheld Personal Data Assistants loaded with Childchart assessment software. The participants were observed in their use of the electronic devices for monitoring student performance and interviewed regarding the use of the devices and their implications for assessment of early childhood learners. Veteran teachers indicated differences in both the use of the software programs and the style in which assessment activities were completed compared to newer teachers. The results indicate the need for professional development of new technologies to focus beyond the utilization of software and hardware and that new technologies implementation may be the catalyst for improvements in assessment strategies.     

The development and maintenance of mental toughness: perceptions of elite performers

Seven participants from a previous study (Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002) agreed to be interviewed about the development of mental toughness. We also aimed to determine whether mental toughness requires maintenance. Semistructured interviews were conducted to elicit the participants' perceptions of how mental toughness is cultivated and retained. Findings indicated that the development of mental toughness is a long-term process that encompasses a multitude of underlying mechanisms that operate in a combined, rather than independent, fashion. In general, these perceived underlying mechanisms related to many features associated with a motivational climate (e.g. enjoyment, mastery), various individuals (i.e. coaches, peers, parents, grandparents, siblings, senior athletes, sport psychologists, team-mates), experiences in and outside sport, psychological skills and strategies, and an insatiable desire and internalized motives to succeed. It was also reported that once mental toughness had been developed, three perceived underlying mechanisms were required to maintain this construct: a desire and motivation to succeed that was insatiable and internalized, a support network that included sporting and non-sporting personnel, and effective use of basic and advanced psychological skills. Practical implications and future avenues of research are discussed.     

Alignment of Mathematics State-Level Standards and Assessments: The Role of Reviewer Agreement

This article examines the role of reviewer agreement in judgments about alignment between tests and standards. We used case data from three state alignment studies to explore how different approaches to incorporating reviewer agreement changes alignment conclusions. The three case studies showed varying degrees of reviewer agreement about correspondences between objectives and test items. Moreover, taking into account reviewer agreement in the analyses sometimes had a marked effect on alignment conclusions. We discuss reasons for differences across case studies and alignment approaches, as well as implications for future alignment efforts.     

Knowledge accumulation and technological advance: The case of synthetic rubber

The paper analyses the nature of the process of knowledge accumulation in synthetic rubber (SR) which has resulted in the advancement of SR technology. The contribution to knowledge from inventive and innovative activities of both the business sector and the non-business sector is examined. The significance of the integration and interaction of knowledge building activities among these sectors and within each sector to the advancement of SR technology, is highlighted. Within the business sector this interaction is among producers and users of synthetic rubber and producers of related inputs to the rubber production and rubber goods manufacturing industry. The industries within the sector are defined as the ‘rubber complex’ and its is observed that the inventive and innovative activities of the complex follow the same direction, namely, of advancing the technology for the production and application of synthetic rubber as an industrial raw material. The non-business sector has no vested interest in the production or utilisation of synthetic rubber. Nevertheless their contribution to new knowledge on the raw material rubber, also follow the same trend as that established by the business sector. The overall result is a process of knowledge accumulation which specifically enhances the use of SR in rubber goods manufacture, as against the use of the traditional raw material natural rubber.     

In vitro inhibition of pigmentation and fiber development in colored cotton

Colored cotton has naturally pigmented fibers. The mechanism of pigmentation in cotton fiber is not well documented. This experiment was conducted to study the effects of respiratory chain inhibitors, i.e., rotenone and thiourea, on pigmentation and fiber development in colored cotton. After 1 d post-anthesis, ovaries were harvested and developing ovules were cultured on the liquid medium containing different concentrations of rotenone and thiourea for 30 d. The results demonstrate that both respiratory inhibitors reduced fiber length and ovule development under ovule culture conditions, and the inhibition efficiency of rotenone was much higher than that of thiourea. Rotenone and thiourea also showed significant effects on fiber pigment (color) development in colored cotton. In green cotton fiber, rotenone advanced fiber pigment development by 7 d at 200 μmol/L, while thiourea inhibited fiber pigmentation at all treatment levels (400, 600, 800, 1 000, and 2 000 μmol/L). Both respiratory inhibitors, however, had no significant effects on pigmentation of brown cotton fibers. The activities of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) decreased significantly with increasing levels of both respiratory inhibitors. It is suggested that both respiratory inhibitors have important roles in deciphering the mechanism of pigmentation and fiber development in colored cotton.     

The Relation of Preschool Child-Care Quality to Children''s Cognitive and Social Developmental Trajectories through Second Grade

The cognitive and socioemotional development of 733 children was examined longitudinally from ages 4 to 8 years as a function of the quality of their preschool experiences in community child-care centers, after adjusting for family selection factors related to child-care quality and development. These results provide evidence that child-care quality has a modest long-term effect on children's patterns of cognitive and socioemotional development at least through kindergarten, and in some cases, through second grade. Differential effects on children's development were found for two aspects of child-care quality. Observed classroom practices were related to children's language and academic skills, whereas the closeness of the teacher-child relationship was related to both cognitive and social skills, with the strongest effects for the latter. Moderating influences of family characteristics were observed for some outcomes, indicating stronger positive effects of child-care quality for children from more at-risk backgrounds. These findings contribute further evidence of the long-term influences of the quality of child-care environments on children's cognitive and social skills through the elementary school years and are consistent with a bioecological model of development that considers the multiple environmental contexts that the child experiences.