Multiple creative talents and their determinants at the local level

Creativity is currently at the centre of a lively scientific debate in which scholars from different fields are engaged. The interest on such topic is mainly due to its potential positive impact on economic development; thus, understanding the determinants of creativity becomes important in terms of policy decisions. Although the existing literature has identified some determinants of creativity, evidence on the specific impact of such determinants on particular creative talents and on the degree of creative complexity within a local area is still scant. This work tries to fill this gap starting from the thought that the mental cross-fertilization of talents in different fields is what stimulates the best and most original ideas. By considering artistic, scientific, and economic creativities as the main modes in which creativity can show itself, the paper explores empirically the relation between local socio-economic characteristics and the concurrent presence of multiple creative talents.     

Item Response Theory analysis and Differential Item Functioning across age,gender and country of a short form of the Advanced Progressive Matrices

Item Response Theory (IRT) models were applied to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arthur and Day's Advanced Progressive Matrices-Short Form (APM-SF; 1994) [Arthur and Day (1994). Development of a short form for the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices test. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54, 395–403] in order to test if the scale is a reliable and valid tool to assess general fluid ability in a short time frame. The APM-SF was administered to 2264 high-school and university students. Once attested the one-factor structure of the scale, unidimensional IRT analyses for dichotomous data were applied to investigate the increases in item difficulty levels, Test Information Function, and Differential Item Functioning across age, gender, and country (comparing Italian and British respondents). Additionally, validity measures were reported. Findings attest that the Arthur and Day's APM-SF is a sound instrument for assessing fluid ability within a short time frame.     

Psychometric Properties of the ECERS-R Among an Epidemiological Sample of Preschools

Research Findings: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised (ECERS-R) is widely used to evaluate the quality of early childhood education and its association with child development. However, the psychometric properties of the ECERS-R are not well established. Consequently, in this study we tested 3 different factor solutions of the ECERS-R using models sourced from the existing literature (featuring 1-, 2-, and 3-correlated-factor solutions) and applying confirmatory factor analysis to data from the epidemiological sample of the Embu Pre-school Mental Health Study (n = 1,292 children). Alternative measures of child education quality (such as teacher-to-child ratio) were also analyzed. The confirmatory factor analysis returned good fit indices for both the unidimensional and 3-correlated-factor solution models. Practice or Policy: This study showcases different applications of the ECERS-R, both the full and shortened versions. These findings are particularly important for improving ECERS-R guidelines for researchers, professionals, and policymakers.     

Self-Construals and Social Adjustment in Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Early Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Executive Functioning

This study examined whether executive functions (EFs) moderate the association between independent and interdependent self-construals and social adjustment in 488 Moroccan, Romanian, and Italian preadolescents (ages 11–13) in Italy. Participants were assessed using self-report questionnaires and standardized EF tasks. Better working memory was related to increased social competence across all groups. High levels of inhibitory control were found to enhance the positive relation between interdependence and prosocial behavior for native Italian youth, and between interdependence and social competence for Moroccan preadolescents. High levels of cognitive flexibility boosted the interdependence–social competence link for the immigrant groups, whereas among native Italian preadolescents, the interdependence–social competence link was significant at low levels of flexibility. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.     

On negotiating White science: a call for cultural relevance and critical reflexivity

This article is a response to Randy Yerrick and Joseph Johnson’s article “Negotiating White Science in Rural Black America: A Case for Navigating the Landscape of Teacher Knowledge Domains”. They write about research conducted by Yerrick in which videos of his teaching practice as a White educator in a predominately Black rural classroom were examined. Their analysis is framed through Shulman’s (1986) work on “domains of teacher knowledge” and Ladson-Billings’ (1999) critical race theory (CRT). Although we appreciate a framework that attends to issues of power, such as CRT, we see a heavier emphasis on Shulman’s work in their analysis. We argue that a culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) framework has the potential to provide a more nuanced analysis of what occurred in Yerrick’s classroom from a critical lens. Thus we examine Yerrick and Johnson’s work through the five main CRP components (as defined by Brown-Jeffy and Cooper 2011) and ultimately argue that science educators who want to promote equity in their classrooms should engage in continuous critical reflexivity, aid students in claiming voice, and encourage students to become not only producers of scientific knowledge but also users and critics of such knowledge.     

Emotional education program for adolescents (PREDEMA): evaluation from the perspective of students and effects on socio-affective competences / Programa de educación emocional para adolescentes (PREDEMA): valoración desde la perspectiva de los participantes y sus efectos en las competencias socio-afectivas

The literature reveals multiple benefits of emotional education in adolescents’ development. This study examines the effects perceived by participants in the Emotional Education Programme for Adolescents (PREDEMA), which is based on the ability model of emotional intelligence and assumes a dialogical paradigm geared at meaningful learning. A total of 293 students aged 11 to 15 participated in the programme. A mixed methodology was used to evaluate the intervention, analysing participants’ perceived learning and exploring their subjective experience in depth. The results indicate significant learning in all four emotional competences described by the emotional intelligence model, as well as in related areas. The contribution of the qualitative methodology in combination with quantitative analysis is discussed to explore the effects of emotional education programmes that promote adolescents’ emotional awareness.     

Event,currere, and the ignorant schoolmaster

PROSPECTS - The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the higher education systems in ways that make visible problems that already existed but that previously were not fully noticed. The pandemic can...     

The effect of social programs and exposure to professionals on the educational aspirations of the poor

Investment in human capital is an important tool for reducing poverty. However, the poor may lack the capacity to aspire, which often results in underinvestment in their children's education. This paper studies the effect of a social program on the educational aspirations poor parents have for their children, and explores the role of exposure to educated professionals as a possible channel for increasing these aspirations. First, using differences-in-differences, we show that the Mexican antipoverty program PROGRESA raises the educational aspirations of beneficiary parents for their children of a third of a school year. Then, exploiting PROGRESA's mandated differential exposure to professionals, using triple differences, we find evidence suggesting that educational aspirations for children from high-exposure households are almost half of a school year higher six months after the start of the program. Finally, we show that there is a positive correlation between parental aspirations and children's educational attainment.