A treatment and education program for parents and children who are at-risk of abuse and neglect

A treatment program for families at-risk of abusive or neglectful parenting was described and evaluated. The program combined intervention strategies and concepts based on research on abuse, early intervention, education and social service. Treatment and education for the parent and child were provided in the three services of the program: Home-Based, Family School, and Neighborhood Peer Support Groups. At-risk families were identified by a high-risk stress index. Program evaluation was based on 46 families and their 74 preschool-age children. Data collected were: incidence of child abuse or neglect, family stresses, observations of parent-child interactions, family goal measurement, and developmental testing of the children. A significant reduction occurred in the number of children abused or neglected as compared to a similar high-risk, nonintervention sample. The family stresses were reduced, parent-child interactions improved, and the intellectual decline of the children was prevented. Families who participated in all three services gained the most from the program.     

The Effects of Role Congruence and Role Conflict on Work,Marital, and Life Satisfaction

The impact of role congruence and role conflict on work, marital, and life satisfaction was studied using Super’s life-span, life-space theory. A conceptual model of relationships between these variables was proposed, and gender differences were examined. Participants were 35 male and 60 female college graduates who completed surveys by mail. Results indicated adequate fit for the proposed model. Results of gender analyses indicated that women in this study participated more in parenting and housework, whereas men participated more in career and leisure activities. Despite the differences in actual role participation, no gender differences were found regarding ideal role participation. Both men and women reported that the parent role was most rewarding. Implications for counselors and directions for future research were discussed.     

Acquiring and Codifying Teachers’ Professional Expertise: an aspect of the home‐school liaison teacher's role

The paper reports a study undertaken with co‐operating teachers which draws upon practising teachers’ experience and expertise in order to acquire a body of professional knowledge generated by teachers for the use of teachers. The study was undertaken with specific reference to developing effective liaison with parents who, for one reason or another, are reluctant to become involved with their children's education. Both the information generated by teachers and their professional reflection upon it are described, and the more general implications of the approach for the involvement of teachers in the production of teachers’ professional knowledge are considered.     

Infant Mastery Motivation: The Issue of Discriminant Validity

The purpose of this review is to examine the concept of mastery motivation in infancy from the standpoint of possible intraindividual confounds, ways in which factors other than motivation may influence individual differences in mastery motivation scores. The review begins with a brief overview of theoretical background on mastery motivation, underscoring its presumed relevance for other important constructs in development. Current operational definitions of mastery motivation are then described. The remainder of the review is devoted to consideration of alternative explanations that can account, in part, for individual differences in mastery motivation. These include infant cognitive developmental status, social orientation and attachment security, genetic/temperamental factors, and sex differences. The review concludes with specific recommendations for further inquiry on the topic of infant mastery motivation, emphasizing careful attention to the role extraneous factors play in shaping performance.     

Towards a model for the assessment of student boredom and boredom proneness in the UK higher education context

Recently identified as an academic ‘achievement emotion’, boredom has long been implicated as a factor contributing adversely to student attainment across a diverse range of formal educational settings. Despite this, the study of boredom, particularly among students in higher education, remains a relatively neglected and underdeveloped field. In this article, and following a systematic review of the research literature, we present details of a new research instrument and diagnostic tool derived from Farmer and Sundberg’s Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS), specifically intended to assess or measure the recurring propensity or habitual disposition of students to becoming bored particularly within the UK higher education context (e.g. further education, university college and university provision). Referred to here as the BPS-UKHE, to distinguish it from its predecessor, the statistical validity and reliability as well as educational relevance and meaningfulness of the BPS-UKHE is established, confirming its multidimensional nature with subscales (Tedium, Time, Challenge, Concentration and Patience) reflecting boredom’s acknowledged cognitive, affective, motivational and behavioural components. Full-scale, five-factor and three-factor ‘short-form’ solutions are offered, the immediate utility of which in identifying students more prone to boredom than others and gauging emotional response is demonstrated. The BPS-UKHE has application in many areas and is considered a valuable tool in relation to the UK student engagement agenda, its scales and potential, as well as theoretical underpinning, available for empirical use and critical comment.     

An international collaborative investigation of beginning seventh grade students' understandings of scientific inquiry: Establishing a baseline

Although understandings of scientific inquiry (as opposed to conducting inquiry) are included in science education reform documents around the world, little is known about what students have learned about inquiry during their elementary school years. This is partially due to the lack of any assessment instrument to measure understandings about scientific inquiry. However, a valid and reliable assessment has recently been developed and published, Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI; Lederman et al. [2014], Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 65–83). The purpose of this large-scale international project was to collect the first baseline data on what beginning middle school students have learned about scientific inquiry during their elementary school years. Eighteen countries/regions spanning six continents including 2,634 students participated in the study. The participating countries/regions were: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Mainland China, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States. In many countries, science is not formally taught until middle school, which is the rationale for choosing seventh grade students for this investigation. This baseline data will simultaneously provide information on what, if anything, students learn about inquiry in elementary school, as well as their beginning knowledge as they enter secondary school. It is important to note that collecting data from all of the approximately 200 countries globally was not humanly possible, and it was also not possible to collect data from every region of each country. The results overwhelmingly show that students around the world at the beginning of grade seven have very little understandings about scientific inquiry. Some countries do show reasonable understandings in certain aspects but the overall picture of understandings of scientific inquiry is not what is hoped for after completing 6 years of elementary education in any country.     

PREDICTING MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT: THE INFLUENCE OF PRIOR ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDES

Achievement in mathematics is inextricably linked to future career opportunities, and therefore, understanding those factors that influence achievement is important. This study sought to examine the relationships among attitude towards mathematics, ability and mathematical achievement. This examination was also supported by a focus on gender effects. By drawing on a sample of Australian secondary school students, it was demonstrated through the results of a multivariate analysis of variance that females were more likely to hold positive attitudes towards mathematics. In addition, the predictive capacity of prior achievement and attitudes towards mathematics on a nationally recognised secondary school mathematics examination was shown to be large (R ²  =  0.692). However, when these predictors were controlled, the influence of gender was non-significant. Moreover, a structural equation model was developed from the same measures and subsequent testing indicated that the model offered a reasonable fit of the data. The positing and testing of this model signifies growth in the Australian research literature by showing the contribution that ability (as measured by standardised test results in numeracy and literacy) and attitude towards mathematics play in explaining mathematical achievement in secondary school. The implications of these results for teachers, parents and other researchers are then considered.