The role of school psychologists in the assessment,prevention, and intervention of cyberbullying

Many school‐aged children have experienced the cruelty of bullying. The impact and effects of bullying have been described extensively in scholarly literature. Unfortunately, the impact of bullying has also made contemporary headlines with the recent rash of school shootings and other forms of school‐based violence. The current body of students brings an additional threat to bullying. Due to their sophisticated use of technology, today's students are using contemporary delivery systems to taunt, tease, and threaten their classmates. Cyberbullying is the newest form of bullying, and it brings additional challenges for school personnel. Because of the unique aspects of cyberbullying, school psychologists need strategies to guide school communities faced with this threatening behavior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The relationship of time orientation with perceived academic performance and preparation for assessment in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to operationalise a model of time orientation and investigate the variability of its factors based on preparation for assessment and perceived academic performance. Responses from 113 male adolescents (mean age = 16.46 years) and 115 female adolescents (mean age = 16.42 years) to items operationalising an expanded model of the contextual approach to adolescent orientation to the future were analysed using principal component analysis. The results rendered five factors including a past orientation, three present orientation factors (task focus, positive social support, and negative social support), and a future orientation. A series of two‐way ANOVAs showed an association of present and future time orientation with academic achievement. Results also showed that students’ approaches to learning varied mainly as a function of present positive social support and task focus. Students who prepared well for assessment had the highest future time orientation. This research highlights the importance of an elevated present and future time orientation to academic achievement and appropriate preparation for assessment tasks.     

Assessment matters: In search of the wizard of assessment

At first, the shift in measurement of educational success from bodies in seats to learning outcomes sent student affairs educators at California State University, Northridge, into a panic. Persistence, support, and a clear framework for understanding learning led to the discovery that there was a little bit of assessment wizard in all of them.     

The relationship of intelligence,self‐concept and locus of control to school achievement for Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal Children

This research examines variables related to the school achievement of Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal students. Thirty‐five indigenous students and fifty‐eight non‐Aboriginals in Grade eight completed a Coopersmith Self‐Esteem Inventory and the Intellectual Responsibility Questionnaire. These scores, together with information on intellectual ability, school achievement on teacher‐made English and mathematics tests, sex, school and ethnic origin, were entered in a multiple regression equation. No difference between the two groups emerged on scores of self‐esteem and locus of control. However, the predictors of achievement for each group differed significantly. Intellectual ability was the best predictor of achievement for non‐Aboriginals, while locus of control was the most important predictor for the indigenous group. Results are discussed in relation to recent research and classroom implications.     

Integrating ICT in the classroom: a case study of two contrasting lessons

A detailed analysis of two contrasting primary school lessons, where ICT plays a dominant role, reveals how it is the teacher's implicit understanding of the principles of teaching and learning for understanding which determines whether the pedagogical potential of the technology is fully realised and the desired lesson outcomes achieved.     

Influences on teacher education student attitudes toward youth who are HIV+

The expectations, attributions, and reactions toward children and youth who have contracted HIV/AIDS warrant close attention from parents, teachers, related service personnel, and others who will interact with these students in the schools. Those who are misinformed or unaware of their beliefs may inadvertently discriminate against children and youth with the disease. This study examined factors that influence judgments about children and youth with HIV/AIDS in a sample of teacher education students. Course of infection of HIV accounted for significant differences in the participants' judgments about responsibility and blame for contracting the disease and also fearfulness and attitudes reflecting isolation for these youth. Educational professionals should be aware of the many negative attributions placed on adolescents who are diagnosed as HIV⁺ and be prepared to act as facilitators when designing appropriate interventions to assist these students. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 211–219, 2004.