Personal and Interpersonal Motivation for Group Projects: Replications of an Attributional Analysis

We report the results of two replication studies using attribution theory to analyze personal and interpersonal motivation for collaborative projects. Undergraduate students responded to questionnaires containing hypothetical vignettes depicting success or failure outcomes due to ability or effort for dyads working on a group project. Dependent measures included emotions of shame, anger, pity, guilt, pride, and gratitude, as well as expectations for future success. Following the same procedures as the original study, we used doubly multivariate analyses to test 21 theoretical predictions from attribution theory for emotions and expectations for success. We replicated 17 of 21 results across all three studies and 20 of 21 results in the two replication studies. Results are discussed within the context of attribution theory.     

A survey of pediatricians' attitudes and experiences with court in cases of child maltreatment

OBJECTIVES: To explore pediatricians' attitudes and experiences with the court system in child maltreatment cases. DESIGN: An anonymous, cross-sectional survey of a random sample of pediatricians registered with the North Carolina Medical Board. RESULTS: The response rate of the study was 60% (N=270). Few pediatricians (10%) reported that they had "ever" suspected maltreatment but decided not to report it. Pediatricians were equally likely to recall positive and negative experiences in court for child abuse cases. Pediatricians with negative court experiences were more likely to view reporting as time-consuming and were more than twice as likely not to report suspected cases of maltreatment (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.04, 6.0). Seventy-five percent of pediatricians felt that court is harmful or distressing for children. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pediatricians report suspected cases of child maltreatment. Pediatrician's court experiences play a role in the response to child maltreatment cases, influencing attitudes towards the legal system and the process of caring for maltreated children. Future research efforts should address physicians' concerns about the impact of court on children, ways to improve the working relationship between the legal system and physicians, and the training needs of physicians in child maltreatment, including testifying and understanding the court process.     

Training and Technological Change: Case Evidence from the Printing Industry

This article examines the connection between training and technological change by looking at the printing industry through the experiences of six companies. The study revealed that these companies hold training to be strategic, not just peripheral. They invest heavily in the retraining of workers, using a multiplicity of strategies, including training by equipment manufacturers, OJT, peer tutoring, teamwork, customized training at vocational colleges, and tuition reimbursement. The study adds an empirical dimension to what is largely a rhetorical literature on the connection between technological change, training, and competitiveness.     

A Half Century of Progress in US Student Achievement: Agency and Flynn Effects,Ethnic and SES Differences

Educational Psychology Review - Policymakers, conceptualized here as principals, disagree as to whether US student performance has changed over the past half century. To inform...