Achievement motivation and self-reported grade point average

This experiment examined the impact of achievement motivation on the accuracy of self-reported grades. Since subjects high in achievement motivation have a greater need for success than subjects low in achievement motivation, we predicted that they would also be more likely to overestimate the degree of their success than low need achievers. This was tested by comparing the grade point overestimations of high and low need achievers. Although there was a general tendency toward oyerestimation, this tendency, as predicted, was significantly greater for individuals high in achievement motivation. The present study considered the implications of this finding as well as the validity of the self-reported grade point average.     

The others-concept and friendly and cooperative behavior in children

This study explored the predictability of friendly, cooperative behavior of school children over a 5-week period. The basis for the predictions was the children's others-concept, as measured by the Paired Hands Test. Structured observations of groups of children working together on assigned tasks were made during five consecutive weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 15 minutes. The observations were obtained by recording each session and categorizing verbal statements as to their task-relatedness and friendliness. This procedure allowed comparisons between children with high and low others-concepts with respect to these behaviors. In three tasks out of five the high others-concept children showed a higher frequency and greater proportion of task-related and friendly behaviors. The tasks which best differentiated between children with high and low others-concepts were those which seemed to be the most challenging and exciting, and which called for the highest degree of group cooperation. The study demonstrated how friendly and cooperative interactions among small groups of children are influenced by a combination of their others-concept and situational factors.     

Sexual differences in the responses of elementary pupils to their classroom

This ethnographic study of a self-contained classroom of eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds examined sexual differences in peer interactions. Within the observed classroom, males and females established separate social systems which had only limited contact with each other. Males were found to interact with significantly more classmates than females, and to have significantly more friends among those of differing ages or of a different race. Females maintained a tight clique structure which influenced their responses to the classroom.     

Teacher-pupil compatibility and teachers' ratings of children's behavior

Canonical variate analysis of the relationships between teachers' ratings of children's behavior and an index of teacher-pupil compatibility objectively demonstrated a significant relationship between behaviors representative of serious psychopathology and teacher-pupil compatibility. Previous multivariate analyses of variance had failed to identify meaningful relationships between teacher-pupil compatibility and teacher nomination of a child as a behavior problem. This study provides inferential support for the contention that school behavior problems and emotional disturbances are separate nosological entities.     

Follow-up of high-risk children identified in kindergarten through direct classroom observation

Sixty-one children, originally identified at the beginning of kindergarten on the basis of 4 distinct clusters of observable classroom behavior, were evaluated at completion of first grade. Teacher ratings and individual achievement test scores partially confirmed the predictive validity of the original clusters. Children in the nonrisk cluster continued to do well, while children in the high-risk cluster were still doing poorly in some areas. An unexpected finding was that children in another cluster, originally seen as nonrisk, also seemed to be in some difficulty. Concerns about specific aspects of observable behavior were discussed.     

The relative age effect on physical fitness in preschool children

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to investigate the existence of a relative age effect (RAE) on physical fitness of preschoolers. Anthropometry and physical fitness were assessed in 3147 children (3–5 years old) using the PREFIT battery. Based on the birth year, participants were divided into 3year groups (3-, 4- and 5-years). Within each year group, 4quarter groups were created: quarter 1, preschoolers born from January to March; quarter 2, from April to June; quarter 3, from July to September; quarter 4, from October to December. The MANCOVA analysis revealed a main effect of year group (Wilks’ λ = 0.383; F_10,5996 = 369.64; p < 0.001, η_p ² = 0.381) and of quarter (Wilks’ λ = 0.874; F_15,8276.6 = 27.67; p < 0.001; η_p ² = 0.044) over the whole battery of tests. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the existence of RAE at the preschool stage. In general, performance improved as the relative age increased (i.e., those born in quarter 1 performed better than those in the other quarters). Individualization strategies should be addressed within the same academic year not only in elementary or secondary years but also in preschoolers.     

Linking Mind,Brain, and Education to Clinical Practice: A Proposal for Transdisciplinary Collaboration

It has been suggested that the field of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) requires a stable infrastructure for translating research into practice. Hinton and Fischer (2008) point to the academic medical center as a model for similar translational work and suggest a similar approach for linking scientists to research schools. We propose expanding their model to include a formal role for clinicians. Including clinicians who work with children with learning problems brings an important perspective to the translational work. For example, the integration of the concept of “differential diagnosis,” a core precept in clinical medicine, would bring needed diagnostic specificity to the field of MBE. We describe a virtual infrastructure for collaboration, or “collaboratory,” consisting of research scientists, educators, and clinicians, linked to an academic institution. We anticipate that MBE graduates can play a critical role in the collaboratory model. With additional training, they can become “neuroeducators” capable of moving comfortably among the disciplines, building linkages, fostering communication, and facilitating collaboration.