Mothers’ and Fathers’ Reports of Their Supportive Responses to Their Children’s Negative Emotions Over Time

Objective. Parents’ emotion socialization practices are thought to be moderately stable over time; however, a partner’s socialization practices could initiate change. Design. We examined mothers’ and fathers’ reports of their supportive responses to their children’s negative emotions when the target child was 7 years old and again at age 10. We tested a dyadic, longitudinal path model with 111 mother–father pairs. Results. Significant actor and partner effects emerged: Parents’ age 7 responses predicted their own age 10 responses and their partners’ later responses. Conclusions. Parents’ reported responses to children’s negative emotions during middle childhood are predicted by their own earlier responses and by their partners’ responses.     

How quality assurance codes change: beyond ‘bells and whistles’ and ‘code by catastrophe’?

Quality assurance codes and guidelines for systems of higher education change frequently and sometimes rapidly and dramatically. More often changes are gradual and incremental. This paper examines types of change to these codes and guidelines and uses strategic management theory to outline three modes of development and change. An example of gradual change, sometimes referred to as ‘logical incrementalism’ or ‘adding bells and whistles’ is outlined from Oman. A contrasting example of discontinuous change known as ‘emergent strategy’ or ‘code by catastrophe’ is used from Australia. Elements of a third ‘co-participative’ model incorporating stakeholder and community input alongside technical knowledge are becoming more frequent. An ideal model is proposed drawing from the best aspects of logical incrementalism and co-participative development. This model can be applied to changes in codes, guidelines and standards in multiple systems and sectors.     

Cognitive and Emotional Processes as Predictors of a Successful Transition Into School

Research Findings: The aim of this research was to delineate developmental processes that contribute to early school success. To achieve this aim, we examined emotion regulation, executive functioning, emotion knowledge, and metacognition at ages 3 and 4 as distal and proximal predictors of age 5 achievement and school adjustment in a sample of 263 children (42% non-White). We also explored mediational pathways among these 4 processes in the prediction of the age 5 outcomes. Results revealed that all 4 processes affected achievement and school adjustment, but in different ways, with executive functioning emerging as a key predictor. Practice or Policy: Executive functioning was found to be a key factor in predicting achievement and school performance in the kindergarten year. This finding provides support for the development of executive functioning training programs that can be applied in the preschool classroom, particularly for promoting reading development. However, additional emphasis should be placed on both cognitive and emotional processes in the preschool years to promote optimal development.     

Performance Government: Activating and regulating the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders

This article analyses ‘performance government’ as an emergent form of rule in advanced liberal democracies. It discloses how teachers and school leaders in Australia are being governed by the practices of performance government which centre on the recently established Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and are given direction by two major strategies implicit within the exercise of this form of power: activation and regulation. Through an ‘analytics of government’ of these practices, the article unravels the new configurations of corporatized expert and academic knowledge—and their attendant methods of application—by which the self-governing capacities of teachers and school leaders are being activated and regulated in ways that seek to optimize the performance of these professionals. The article concludes by outlining some of the dangers of performance government for the professional freedom of educators and school leaders.     

The Utility of Simulated Clients in Macro-Practice Courses

Over the past several decades, the use of simulated or standardized clients has been an important area of pedagogy for social work education in training students to work with individuals, families, and groups in practice settings, often in preparation for a practicum placement. Little in the extant literature, however, has focused on the possible utilization of this pedagogical tool in preparing students for engagement at the macro level, such as community development, organizing, policy practice, or other types of involvement with large systems. This article considers the possible strengths and benefits of simulated clients within macro-level courses—especially relative to experiential activities that don’t involve simulated clients—as well as important logistical considerations related to such use.     

Developmental Dynamics of Emotion and Cognition Processes in Preschoolers

Dynamic relations during the preschool years across processes of control and understanding in the domains of emotion and cognition were examined. Participants were 263 children (42% non‐White) and their mothers who were seen first when the children were 3 years old and again when they were 4. Results indicated dynamic dependence among the processes studied. Specifically, change in cognitive processes of control and understanding were dependent upon initial levels of the other processes. Changes in emotion control and understanding were not predicted by earlier performance in the other processes. Findings are discussed with regard to the constructs of control and understanding and the developmental interrelations among emotion and cognitive processes.     

Developing a ‘Semi-Systematic’ Approach to Using Large-Scale Data-Sets for Small-Scale Interventions: The ‘Baby Matterz’ Initiative as a Case Study

The appropriateness of using statistical data to inform the design of any given service development or initiative often depends upon judgements regarding scale. Large-scale data sets, perhaps national in scope, whilst potentially important in informing the design, implementation and roll-out of experimental initiatives, will often remain unused for small-scale interventions involving only small numbers of service users or participants. This can be the result of legitimate concerns regarding representativity and rigour. Whilst large data sets may allow for strong claims to made regarding trends and tendencies with the population, a small scale intervention involving perhaps only tens of participants will not offer the opportunity to devise developmental rationales that are supported by such statistical rigour. This creates a situation in which important pilot studies and ‘suck-it-and-see’ interventions are conducted in a basic empirical fashion that does not draw upon the informed reflection that large scale data makes possible. This article will argue that such a situation is not necessary. Through graduated and selective engagement with large-scale data sets it is possible to make good use of what they offer to inform the design and up-scaling of small pilot interventions. The discussion will focus on the case of a small intervention involving just nine parents and their babies conducted in Liverpool schools. More specifically it will consider the ways in which one national data-set, the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), can be used to develop this project. It will do this by way of profiling the MCS in order to both select out those aspects that could or should not be used and those aspects that could be used beneficially to inform the development of the initiative. In the process it will devise a set of criteria that could usefully be adapted for use by others in relation to service situations in which similar issues of scalar mis-match between available data-sets and service design exist.