Re-envisaging and reinvigorating school–university practicum partnerships

The study that provides the context for this article developed from a major overhaul of the practicum in an undergraduate initial teacher education degree in which practicum roles and relationships were re-envisaged. The aim was to reinvigorate university–school practicum relationships through the collaborative development of a practicum where teacher professional knowledge and university scholarly knowledge could come together in the service of student teacher learning. The article reports a qualitative study involving 72 participants from one university and four primary schools. Analysed through the lens of “third space” the findings indicated that relationship and role transformations undertaken by the participants, along with collaborative practice during the practicum, were key to reinvigorating the practicum. In the discussion, we examine the main factors that contributed to the development of a “third space” between the university and participating practicum schools, and also note some cautions related to this development.     

Body movements of boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during computer video game play

The type and severity of body movements exhibited by 79 (unmedicated) boys clinically diagnosed with ADHD (30 Predominantly Inattentive Type and 49 Combined Type), and 67 non-ADHD boys were recorded while playing Crash Bandicoot I, a Sony Playstation platform computer video game. In Crash Bandicoot, participants control the movements of a small animated figure (CB) through a hazardous jungle environment. Two tasks totaling 12 trials were administered, each of which incorporated with and without Distractor conditions. For those trials with the Distractor, a segment of the television show "The Simpsons" was simultaneously played on a television screen adjacent to the computer game monitor and at an equal volume. Contrary to theory and expectations an analysis of the data did not reveal any statistically significant differences in the frequency, type and severity of body movements between the ADHD and non-ADHD boys, or between the ADHD subtypes during computer video game play. These findings have important implications for assessment and teaching processes in both classroom and therapeutic contexts.     

Perceived competence and self-worth during adolescence: a longitudinal behavioral genetic study

This investigation is the first longitudinal behavioral genetic study of self-concept during adolescence. It is a follow-up of a previous study examining genetic and environmental contributions to children's perceived self-competence and self-worth using a twin/sibling design. The study investigated adolescents' reports 3 years later and stability across two time points. Participants included 248 pairs of same-sex twins, full siblings, and stepsiblings between 10 and 18 years old. The results showed that six of the seven subscales were heritable at the second time point. None of the scales showed significant shared environmental effects. Longitudinal analyses revealed genetic contributions to stability for perceived scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, and general self-worth. Social competence, on the other hand, showed nonshared environmental mediation across time. These findings highlight the importance of genetically influenced characteristics and unique experiences as correlates of individual differences in self-concept during adolescence.     

Parental Depression,Overreactive Parenting,and Early Childhood Externalizing Problems: Moderation by Social Support

This study used a large (N = 519), longitudinal sample of adoptive families to test overreactive parenting as a mediator of associations between parental depressive symptoms and early childhood externalizing, and parents’ social support satisfaction as a moderator. Maternal parenting (18 months) mediated the association between maternal depressive symptoms (9 months) and child externalizing problems (27 months). Paternal parenting was not a significant mediator. Unexpectedly, we found a cross-over effect for the moderating role of social support satisfaction, such that partners’ social support satisfaction reduced the strength of the association between each parent's own depressive symptoms and overreactive parenting. Results point to the importance of accounting for broader family context in predicting early childhood parenting and child outcomes.     

Disentangling genetic and environmental influences on early language development: The interplay of genetic propensity for negative emotionality and surgency,and parenting behavior effects on early language skills in an adoption study

Parenting and children's temperament are important influences on language development. However, temperament may reflect prior parenting, and parenting effects may reflect genes common to parents and children. In 561 U.S. adoptees (57% male) and their birth and rearing parents (70% and 92% White, 13% and 4% African American, and 7% and 2% Latinx, respectively), this study demonstrated how genetic propensity for temperament affects language development, and how this relates to parenting. Genetic propensity for negative emotionality inversely predicted language at 27 months (β = −.15) and evoked greater maternal warmth (β = .12), whereas propensity for surgency positively predicted language at 4.5 years (β = .20), especially when warmth was low. Parental warmth (β = .15) and sensitivity (β = .19) further contributed to language development, controlling for common gene effects.