Child effortful control,teacher–student relationships,and achievement in academically at-risk children: Additive and interactive effects

The joint contributions of child effortful control (using inhibitory control and task accuracy as behavioral indices) and positive teacher–student relationships at first grade on reading and mathematics achievement at second grade were examined in 761 children who were predominantly from low-income and ethnic minority backgrounds and assessed to be academically at-risk at entry to first grade. Analyses accounted for clustering effects, covariates, baselines of effortful control measures, and prior levels of achievement. Even with such conservative statistical controls, interactive effects were found for task accuracy and positive teacher–student relationships on future achievement. Results suggest that task accuracy served as a protective factor so that children with high task accuracy performed well academically despite not having positive teacher–student relationships. Further, positive teacher–student relationships served as a compensatory factor so that children with low task accuracy performed just as well as those with high task accuracy if they were paired with a positive and supportive teacher. Importantly, results indicate that the influence of positive teacher–student relationships on future achievement was most pronounced for students with low effortful control on tasks that require fine motor skills, accuracy, and attention-related skills. Study results have implications for narrowing achievement disparities for academically at-risk children.     

Factorial and convergent validity of the Exercise Identity Scale in a German adult sample

The purpose of the present study was to examine the factorial and convergent validity of the German translation of the Exercise Identity Scale (EIS; Anderson & Cychosz, 1994). We introduce a bifactor model as a possible alternative to the previously discussed one- and two-factor models. Using an online study with 530 participants, our results suggest that the EIS should be considered a unidimensional measure. For this one-factor model, temporal invariance (time interval: 2 weeks) and invariance between men and women could be established. Relations to similar constructs were in the expected directions. We provide a psychometrically sound German version of the EIS, which demonstrated factorial and convergent validity in this study. The use of the scale in German samples is likely to advance research on exercise adoption and maintenance by integrating the exercise identity construct.     

Next generation crosscutting themes: Factors that contribute to students' understandings of size and scale

This study examined the degree to which individual differences in students' (N = 232) concepts of size and scale are explained by factors such as students' innate sense of number, out‐of‐school science experiences, exposure to size and scale instruction, gender identities, and racial/ethnic identities. There is increasing emphasis being placed on the use of crosscutting concepts to promote deep learning in science. A multiple linear regression indicated students' racial/ethnic identities, experiences with scale outside of school, and exposure to size and scale instruction significantly added to the prediction model. Results from this study can both inform the movement toward incorporating crosscutting concepts into pedagogy as well as inform educators, administrators, and other stakeholders of the factors that may shape students' understanding of the cross‐cutting concept of scale, proportion, and quantity.     

Pedagogy and practice in STEM field experiences: intersections of student and mentor identity and impacts upon student outcomes

Practicums, internships and field experiences are essential components in many fields. These varied experiences embed both students and their mentors in immersive experiences. Such immersive experiences are essential for STEM students preparing for future jobs, yet little is known about how these research-intensive and immersive experiences impact the practice of teaching in the natural sciences. In order to evaluate the impact, opportunities and challenges associated with such experiences, our team collected and analysed end-of-semester reflections from five students and their faculty mentor. Thematic analysis related to inferences and implications about the impacts of the experience showed a need to formalize and further develop an understanding of both students’ self-identity and the cultural attitudes of the students and the mentor.     

A mentoring programme based on competency development at a Spanish university: an action research study

This article describes an action research (AR) project for designing and implementing a structured mentoring programme in a Spanish university. A student affairs unit, a team of researchers, faculty-mentors and student-protégés worked together on three cycles of AR. The result is a programmatic mentoring programme for the development of non-technical personal and professional competencies for undergraduate students. This paper describes the original situation that sparked the project, the iterative process followed, the tools and guides developed and the final programme designed. In addition to the increase in the level of satisfaction perceived by the entire university, the paper outlines the five critical factors that emerged from the AR project: the competency development process, programme value added, trust between mentors and protégés, the prominence of the student-protégé in the improvement plans and the continuous improvement culture generated.     

Teaching empathic concern and altruism in the smartphone age

Numerous studies show empathic concern promotes altruistic motivation and prosocial behavior. Here, we discuss empathic concern, its relation to altruistic motivation, and how empathic concern is invoked in experimental studies. We do this with an eye toward applying laboratory techniques in the classroom, and everyday life, to foster empathic concern and altruistic responding. This goes beyond teaching about empathic concern to setting up conditions that help people experience this psychological state, and its benefits, firsthand. Smartphone-based ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) can help us do this by raising self- and other-awareness, and by promoting empathic states and practices in daily life. While smartphones often pull us away from direct personal interaction, we explore ways of using these devices to redirect our attention to those around us. We end by suggesting that these ways of helping people regularly experience and act upon empathic concern in daily life might help nurture a compassionate disposition.     

Gratitude for teachers as a psychological resource for early adolescents: A mixed-methods study

In this mixed-methods study, we examine students’ gratitude for their teachers and the implications of that gratitude for their psychological adaptation. We report findings that gratitude for teachers (GT) is, in fact, a resource for students facing difficult circumstances outside school. More specifically, our hierarchical multiple regression models demonstrate that this form of gratitude decreases the negative association between adverse life events and students’ life satisfaction. GT also decreases the positive association between negative life events and students’ perceived stress. Then, we use coded material from student interviews to illustrate how they understand the ways that their GT helps them manage challenges in their personal lives. We conclude that students’ GT buffers the negative impact of adverse life events, because it helps students attend to the positive interactions and mentorship they have with their teachers and maintain focus on their future-oriented goals.     

Teaching About Energy

Science & Education - In this article, we draw upon the Conceptual Profile Theory to discuss the negotiation of meanings related to the energy concept in an 11th grade physics classroom. This...