Do causal attributions mediate the relationship between personality characteristics and life satisfaction in adolescence?

This study examined relationships among personality traits, causal attributions, and global life satisfaction in a sample of 212 high school students. A chief aim of this research was to explore whether causal attributions mediate the relationship between personality characteristics and global life satisfaction as hypothesized by DeNeve and Cooper (1998). Specifically, a mediational model was proposed whereby extraversion and emotional stability relate to causal attributions, which in turn relate to life satisfaction. The results of this research revealed that the personality characteristic of emotional stability, but not extraversion, was related significantly to adolescent life satisfaction. Moreover, this study indicated that adolescents' causal attributions for good events mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and emotional stability. These findings should enhance understanding of potential pathways to the development of increased life satisfaction in adolescents as well as inform adolescent health promotion efforts. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 91–99, 2005.     

Advisory Relationship as a Moderator Between Research Self‐Efficacy,Motivation, and Productivity Among Counselor Education Doctoral Students

The authors examined the relationship between research self‐efficacy, motivation, and productivity, as well as advisory relationship as a moderator, among 190 counselor education doctoral students. Research self‐efficacy and motivation predicted productivity. Advisory relationship moderated the relationship between intrinsic and failure avoidance motivation and productivity.     

The Impact of Child Care Subsidy Use on Child Care Quality

In 2008, the federal government allotted $7 billion in child care subsidies to low-income families through the state-administered Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), now the government's largest child care program (US DHHS, 2008). Although subsidies reduce costs for families and facilitate parental employment, it is unclear how they impact the quality of care families purchase. This study investigates the impact of government subsidization on parents’ selection of child care quality using multivariate regression and propensity score matching approaches to account for differential selection into subsidy receipt and care arrangements. Data were drawn from the Child Care Supplement to the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (CCS-FFCWS), conducted in 2002 and 2003 in 14 of the 20 FFCWS cities when focal children were 3 years old (N = 456). Our results indicate that families who used subsidies chose higher quality care than comparable mothers who did not use subsidies, but only because subsidy recipients were more likely to use center-based care. Subgroup analyses revealed that families using subsidies purchased higher-quality home-based care but lower-quality center-based care than comparable non-recipients. Findings suggest that child care subsidies may serve as more than a work support for low-income families by enhancing the quality of nonmaternal care children experience but that this effect is largely attributable to recipients’ using formal child care arrangements (versus kith and kin care) more often than non-recipients.     

Changes in Cardiorespiratory Responses and Kinematics With Hippotherapy in Youth With and Without Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize pelvic displacement and cardiorespiratory responses to simulated horseback riding and walking in youth with cerebral palsy and to compare responses to youth without cerebral palsy before and after 8 weeks of hippotherapy. Method: Eight youth with cerebral palsy (M_age = 10 ± 4 years; M_height = 137 ± 24 cm; M_weight = 32 ± 16 kg) and 8 youth without cerebral palsy (M_age = 11 ± 2 years; M_height = 149 ± 14 cm; M_weight = 48 ± 15 kg) underwent a hippotherapy intervention. Participants completed simulated horseback riding at an intensity approximating a fast walk (0.65 Hz) and walked on a treadmill (1 mph, 0% grade) before and after hippotherapy. Pelvic displacement along the anterior-posterior, vertical, and medial-lateral axes, heart rate, oxygen consumption, ventilation, and blood pressure were measured at rest and during steady-state exercise in both exercise modes. Results: Kinematics and cardiorespiratory responses were similar between the 2 groups during simulated horseback riding (p > .05 for all) before the intervention. Significantly greater cardiorespiratory responses were observed in the youth with cerebral palsy compared with the group without cerebral palsy while walking before and after the intervention (p < .05, effect sizes 26% to 237% greater). Eight weeks of hippotherapy did not alter responses, but anecdotal improvements in gait, balance, posture, and range of motion were observed in those with cerebral palsy. Conclusion: These results contribute to our understanding regarding the efficacy of hippotherapy as an intervention to improve functional abilities in those with cerebral palsy.     

HPT in Academic Curricula: Survey Results

The purpose of this research was to determine to what extent human performance technology (HPT) is being taught in academic programs that traditionally emphasized training—programs such as instructional systems, training and development, human resource development, and adult learning. A written survey was used to collect data from 82 academic programs. Results indicate that while training (and the related areas of needs assessment and evaluation) continues to dominate curricula at these institutions, non-training performance improvement strategies (and the broader performance analysis that leads to their selection) are frequently taught as well. No correlations were found between the extent of teaching HPT topics and the variables of program size, program type, location, degrees offered, or faculty membership in NSPI (now called the International Society for Performance Improvement). Future research could investigate the driving and restraining forces that determine HPT's impact on the curriculum and the effects that current curricula have on program graduates.     

Engagement versus participation: A difference that matters

The kind of engagement that transforms a person is more than mere participation. It is risk‐taking, spontaneous, socially supported, heart‐pounding co‐creation. Some campuses, the University of Maryland Baltimore County for one, are taking small steps to foster this kind of engagement. They've found that it's good, hard work.     

Teacher support for collective argumentation: A framework for examining how teachers support students’ engagement in mathematical activities

We propose a framework for examining how teachers may support collective argumentation in secondary mathematics classrooms, including teachers’ direct contributions to arguments, the kinds of questions teachers ask, and teachers’ other supportive actions. We illustrate our framework with examples from episodes of collective argumentation occurring across 2 days in a teacher’s classroom. Following from these examples, we discuss how the framework can be used to examine mathematical aspects of conversations in mathematics classrooms. We propose that the framework is useful for investigating and possibly enhancing how teachers support students’ reasoning and argumentation as fundamentally mathematical activities.