Faculty as Mentors in Undergraduate Research,Scholarship, and Creative Work: Motivating and Inhibiting Factors

In this study, we sought to contribute to research about the high-impact practice of undergraduate research from the understudied faculty perspective. We relied on focus group data from faculty members (N = 41) across five institutions to better understand the supporting and inhibiting factors that contribute to faculty members’ engagement in mentoring undergraduate research. We offer implications for research and practice.     

The impact of a teacher education course on pre‐service teachers' beliefs about inclusion: an international comparison

In this comparative study, the impact of two stand‐alone university courses on pre‐service teachers' attitudes, concerns and teaching efficacy to teach in inclusive classrooms is examined. Twenty‐eight pre‐service teachers (PSTs) from Australia and 60 PSTs from Canada completed a survey at pre‐ and post‐stages of the course. It was found that after completion of the course, Australian participants' attitudes improved, their concerns declined, and they became more confident in their ability to teach in inclusive classrooms. Similarly, Canadian participants' concerns declined and their teaching efficacy improved, but they became more apprehensive about teaching in inclusive classrooms. Relationships among the three variables (attitudes, concerns and teaching efficacy) were examined at pre‐ and post‐test stages for both cohorts to understand how they interacted within each of the two countries. Implications of the findings for teacher education are discussed.     

Preschoolers’ academic readiness: What role does the teacher–child relationship play?

We examined the role of the teacher–child relationship quality (close, dependent, and conflictive) on preschoolers’ (N = 95) academic readiness for kindergarten, and we tested children's prosocial and aggressive behavior and peer group exclusion as mediators of this relation. A unique feature of this study is the ethnically and socio-economically diverse preschool-aged sample. The association between close teacher–child relationships and academic readiness was partially mediated by prosocial behavior and peer group exclusion. There was also evidence of a transactional association between close teacher–child relationships and children's behavior. Additionally, children's behavior and peer group exclusion mediated the relation between negative teacher–child relationships (dependent and conflictive) and academic readiness. The findings suggest that teacher training, education, and support for establishing close teacher–child relationships may maximize preschoolers’ academic readiness by promoting social adaptation.     

The cost of it all

The price of a service or product is the actual amount paid by the consumer and reflects the cost of manufacture, distribution, and marketing, as well as the profit for each business involved. Unlike soap, child care services are usually priced below their real costs. How can providers do this and still serve their consumers?     

Visions about future: a new scale assessing optimism,pessimism, and hope in adolescents

This article reports the development and psychometric properties of visions about future (VAF), an instrument assessing hope, optimism, and pessimism. Three different studies involving Italian adolescents were conducted. With the first study 22 items were developed and the factor structure was verified. The second study, involving a second sample of adolescents, confirmed the instrument’s multidimensional structure and evaluated the convergent validity of VAF with self-report measures of hope, optimism, and pessimism. Moreover, it showed that VAF correlated with life satisfaction and career adaptability. The third study involved a third sample of adolescents and verified the measurement invariance across gender.     

Children’s Daily Routines During Kindergarten Transition

Routines are an important feature of family life and functioning in families with young children. Common daily routines such as dinnertime, bedtime, and waking activities are powerful organizers of family behavior and may be instrumental to children and families during times of transition, such as elementary school entry. Daily routines were examined in 132 families with children entering kindergarten. Although the majority of families reported regular daily routines for their children, parents anticipated that their child’s daily routines would substantially shift upon kindergarten entry, including changes in children’s sleep habits. Significant changes in child and family routines have been implicated in adjustment difficulties during kindergarten transition. Results of this investigation are discussed in terms of aligning family daily routines with kindergarten expectations. Furthermore, educational professionals in early childhood education and elementary school can partner with families to promote seamless kindergarten transitions for all children.     

Learning environments preferred by university students: a shift toward informal and flexible learning environments

Learning Environments Research - Universities are facing new challenges that pose various demands for developing learning environments. These challenges are related to different pedagogical...     

Quality assurance and school‐based mental health services

Clinicians affiliated with expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs provide a range of mental health services for youth in schools. ESMH services offer unique opportunities for collaboration between school psychologists and mental health clinicians from the community to increase the quality of care for youth receiving mental health services. The number of ESMH programs is increasing; therefore, developing quality assurance (QA) activities for these programs is important to document accountability and provide evidence for effectiveness. In this paper, suggestions for phases and objectives for QA programs in ESMH programs and examples of suggested activities are presented. Assessment of the program structure as well as treatment process and outcome are critical phases. Important QA activities include examining staff training activities, assessment of stakeholder perceptions of services, conducting satisfaction surveys, examining therapy process, and investigating treatment outcomes. Results of QA evaluations should inform policy.QA programs need to be developed and the impact of QA activities in enhancing the quality of care provided by clinicians in schools should be evaluated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.