Academic achievement and individual differences in the learning processes of Israeli high-school students

The Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP), originally developed by Schmeck et al. (1977), assesses individual differences in information processing styles of college level students. The inventory consists of four scales: Deep Processing (DP), Methodical Study (MS), Fact Retention (FR), and Elaborative Processing (EP). Three aspects of the ILP scales have been studied for 9th and 11th grade high-school students. First, the internal consistency reliabilities of the ILP scales, two of which DP and MS were satisfactory. Second, the factor structure obtained in this study included three out of the four original factors. FR was not reconstructed. Third, the relationship between academic achievement and information processing of high-school students have been analyzed. Deep Processing (DP) came out as the most prominent style in its relation to academic achievement, particularly among the younger students.     

School effectiveness and effectiveness indicators: Parents', students', teachers', and principals' perspectives

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of school effectiveness among parents, students, teachers and principals, and differences in their perceptions across school levels (primary vs. secondary) and types (religious state vs. non-religious state). Finally, the results were compared with school effectiveness indicators in the literature. A sample of all categories of subject in eight Israeli schools were interviewed (N=64). Analysis reveals that parents stressed school outputs, teachers stressed their skills and teaching processes, students emphasized both inputs and outcomes, and principals chiefly inputs. Religious schools gave more weight than others to values. These findings are broadly in line with the literature, but any comprehensive analysis of school effectiveness demands reference to all aspects of the concept.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Studie war eine Untersuchung darüber, für wie effektiv Eltern, Schüler, Lehrer und Direktoren die Schule beurteilen und wie unterschiedlich diese Wahrnehmungen auf den verschiedenen Schulebenen und -arten sind (Primarstufe und Sekundarstufe, religiös und nicht-religiös). Danach wurden die Ergebnisse mit Indikatoren über Schuleffektivität in der Literatur verglichen. Man führte Interviews mit den Zielgruppen in acht israelischen Schulen durch (N=64). Die Analysen zeigten, daß Eltern am meisten Wert auf Schulergebnisse legten, Lehrer auf ihre Fähigkeiten und Lehrprozesse, Schüler empfanden Lernen und Ergebnisse als gleich wichtig und Direktoren interessierte hauptsächlich das Lernen. Religiöse Schulen legten mehr Gewicht auf Wertvorstellungen als andere. Diese Ergebnisse stehen im allgemeinen mit der Literatur in Einklang, aber jede umfassende Analyse der Schuleffektivität erfordert die Berücksichtigung aller Aspekte des Konzepts.

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Resumen El propósito de este estudio residía en examinar las percepciones referentes a la eficacia de la escuela entre padres, estudiantes, docentes y directores, y las diferencias en sus percepciones a través de los diferentes niveles (primario vs. secundario) y tipos de escuelas (religiosas vs. laicas). Finalmente, los resultados se compararon con los indicadores de eficacia escolar establecidos en la literatura. Se ha interrogado a un grupo representativo de todas las categorias de sujetos en ocho escuelas israelíes (N=64). Los análisis revelan que los padres ponían énfasis en los rendimientos escolares, los maestros enfatizaban sus habilidades y procedimientos de enseñanza, los estudiantes enfatizaban tanto los esfuerzos como los resultados, y los directores, principalmente, los esfuerzos. Las escuelas religiosas, más que otras, adjudicaban una mayor importancia a los valores. Estos resultados coinciden de forma global con los datos que indica la literatura, pero todo análisis integrado de eficacia escolar exige la referencia a todos los aspectos del concepto.

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Résumé Le but de cette étude était d'appréhender comment parents, élèves, enseignants et directeurs d'école perçoivent l'efficacité scolaire, et si cette appréciation est différente selon le niveau scolaire (primaire ou secondaire) et le type d'école (statut religieux ou laïque). En dernier lieu, les résultats ont été comparés avec les indicateurs de l'efficacité scolaire relevés dans la littérature. Un échantillon de chaque groupe de sujets de huit écoles israéliennes a été soumis à des entretiens. L'analyse révèle que les parents font valoir le rendement scolaire, les enseignants s'attachent à leurs compétences et leurs méthodes pédagogiques, les élèves soulignent à la fois le contenu des programmes et les résultats scolaires, et les directeurs d'établissement se concentrent en premier lieu sur les contenus pédagogiques. Les écoles religieuses quant à elles donnent davantage de poids aux valeurs. Ces résultats correspondent d'une façon générale à ceux de la littérature, mais toute analyse complète sur l'efficacité scolaire doit couvrir tous les aspects du concept.

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Examining creativity in Turkey: Do Western findings apply?

Different cultures have unique perspective on creativity, yet it is usually the American/Western perspective represented in the psychological literature. Here the authors test previous, Western research findings in creativity on Turkish participants. Study One looks at gender and age differences in creativity. Study Two explores the relationship between creativity and motivation, and Study Three examines the factor structure of creativity. In general, the authors were able to validate past research on Western populations. Creativity tended to increase with age, and intrinsic motivation is significantly correlated with creativity. Some gender differences were found (unlike in Western findings), and there were some differences in the factor structure of creativity.     

Androgen and the Development of Human Sex-typical Behavior: Rough-and-Tumble Play and Sex of Preferred Playmates in Children with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

We hypothesized that girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), who experience higher than normal levels of androgens prenatally, would show masculinization of behaviors that show sex differences. Therefore, we examined rough-and-tumble play and sex of preferred playmates in 3–8-year-old children with CAH and in unaffected 3–8-year-old male and female relatives. The hypothesized sex differences in rough-and-tumble play were seen, with unaffected boys showing more rough-and-tumble play than unaffected girls. However, CAH girls were similar to unaffected girls. Additionally, CAH boys showed reduced rough-and-tumble play. In contrast, sex of preferred playmates showed the hypothesized pattern of results. There were sex differences, with unaffected boys preferring boys and unaffected girls preferring girls. In addition, the preferences of girls with CAH were masculinized compared to those of unaffected girls. Results are discussed in terms of possible influences of social, hormonal, and illness factors.     

Editorial Introduction

Editorial Introduction

Editorial Introduction     

Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children's Development

Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father–child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers’ roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father–child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father–child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father–child relationship and its impact on child development.     

Attributes of effective and efficient kindergarten reading intervention: an examination of instructional time and design specificity

A randomized experimental design with three levels of intervention was used to compare the effects of beginning reading interventions on early phonemic, decoding, and spelling outcomes of 96 kindergartners identified as at risk for reading difficulty. The three instructional interventions varied systematically along two dimensions--time and design of instruction specificity--and consisted of (a) 30 min with high design specificity (30/H), (b) 15 min with high design specificity plus 15 min of non-code-based instruction (15/H+15), and (c) a commercial comparison condition that reflected 30 min of moderate design specificity instruction (30/M). With the exception of the second 15 min of the 15/H+15 condition, all instruction focused on phonemic, alphabetic, and orthographic skills and strategies. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three interventions and received 108 thirty-minute sessions of small-group instruction as a supplement to their typical half-day kindergarten experience. Planned comparisons indicated findings of statistical and practical significance that varied according to measure and students' entry-level performance. The results are discussed in terms of the pedagogical precision needed to design and provide effective and efficient instruction for students who are most at risk.     

Defining and Delivering Measurable Value: A Mega Thinking and Planning Primer

ABSTRACT Mega planning has a primary focus on adding value for all stakeholders. It is realistic, practical, and ethical. Denning and then achieving sustained organizational success is possible. It relies on three basic elements: 1. A societal value‐added “frame of mind” or paradigm: your perspective about your organization, people, and our world. It focuses on an agreed‐upon focus on adding value to all stakeholders. 2. A shared determination and agreement on where to head and why: all people who can and might be impacted by the shared objectives must agree on purposes and results criteria, and 3. Pragmatic and basic tools. This article provides the basic concepts for thinking and planning Mega in order to define and deliver value to internal and external partners.