The future is present in the past: A meta-analysis on the longitudinal associations of parent–adolescent relationships with peer and romantic relationships

Positive peer and romantic relationships are crucial for adolescents' positive adjustment and relationships with parents lay the foundation for these relationships. This longitudinal meta-analysis examined how parent–adolescent relationships continue into later peer and romantic relationships. Included longitudinal studies (k = 54 involving peer relationships, k = 38 involving romantic relationships) contained demographically diverse samples from predominantly Western cultural contexts. Multilevel meta-regressions indicated that supportive and negative parent–adolescent relationships were associated with supportive and negative future peer and romantic relationships. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (k = 54) indicated that supportive parent–adolescent relationships unidirectionally predicted supportive and negative peer relationships, while negative parent–adolescent relationships were bidirectionally associated with supportive and negative peer relationships. Maintaining mutually supportive relationships with parents may help adolescents to develop positive social relationships.     

Adolescent Ethnic Identity in Social Context: A Commentary

Key findings from the various studies of this special section of Child Development are that ethnic identity is embedded in a positive proximal interpersonal context in adolescence and that the links between ethnic identity and the interpersonal context seem to become stronger from the beginning of early adolescence on. Remarkably, the (longitudinal) studies do not show that ethnic identity is a better predictor of developmental outcomes or that it can be better predicted in minority groups than in majority groups. I use one of the articles to demonstate that a longitudinal prediction model is different from a developmental sequence model. Finally, an extension of the present measures of ethnic identity is proposed. This extension would allow for a thorough investigation of the saliency of ethnic identity and its interplay with other identity domains during adolescent development.     

Identity Processes and Parent–Child and Sibling Relationships in Adolescence: A Five‐Wave Multi‐Informant Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this study was to examine reciprocal associations between identity processes (commitment, in‐depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) and dimensions (support, negative interaction, and power) of maternal, paternal, and sibling relationships. A total of 497 Dutch families including 14‐years‐old adolescents (56.9% males), their fathers, mothers, and siblings, for a total of 1,988 respondents, participated in a five‐wave longitudinal study. Cross‐lagged analyses indicated that commitment and in‐depth exploration predicted improvements in family relationships (unidirectional effects), whereas reconsideration of commitment was predicted by low levels of maternal support and worsened the quality of the paternal relationship (reciprocal effects). These results were not moderated by adolescents' gender and sibling characteristics. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The development of a questionnaire on metacognition for students in higher education

Interest in the role of metacognition has been steadily rising in most forms of education. This study focuses on the construction of a questionnaire for measuring metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation and metacognitive responsiveness among students in higher education and the subsequent process of testing to determine its validity.

Purpose

The aim of the study was to construct an original instrument for measuring features of metacognition, henceforth referred to as the Awareness of Independent Learning Inventory (AILI), and further to establish the similarities and differences between this model and existing instruments for measuring metacognition.

Sample

The AILI questionnaire was distributed to 1058 students in various types of Teacher Training Institutes in the Netherlands and Belgium. The abridged English version of the questionnaire was administered to another sample of 729 students reading Economics and Business Administration at the University of Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands.

Design and methods

The AILI instrument was constructed on the basis of a facet design along two dimensions: components of metacognition and topics of concern to students in higher education. The data gathered with the instrument was analyzed by means of a generalisability study and a decision study, respectively. The validity of the instrument was investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis.

Results

The generalisability study showed that the reliability of the instrument was satisfactory. The decision study revealed that the number of items included in the questionnaire could be reduced substantially by leaving out two components of one of the dimensions in the facet design, without losing too much generalisability. The validity study showed that there was a considerable level of congruity between parts of the AILI questionnaire and the relevant parts of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).

Conclusions

The AILI questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness. It is suitable for use in the evaluation of the effects of interventions that purport to increase metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness of students in higher education.     

Stimulating independent learning: a quasi‐experimental study on portfolio

A portfolio model was developed which can serve as an alternative to the literature study with practical processing, the predominant dissertation model used in teacher education courses in Flanders. Using a pre‐ and post‐test quasi‐experimental design with 174 teacher students and 44 supervisors, we examined whether the use of portfolio as a dissertation model has a greater effect on the students’ capacity for independent learning than the literature study with practical processing, using three questionnaires. The research shows that portfolio results in students acquiring greater metacognitive knowledge. It also appears that students only get the chance to use their metacognitive skills when supervisors give them sufficient autonomy. However, supervisors experience loss of control and therefore tend to restrict students’ autonomy. This leads us to the paradox of independent learning: students will only learn independently when they are given the opportunity to learn independently. Supervisors need to transfer learner control.     

Effects of Art Education in Secondary Schools on Cultural Participation in Later Life

This paper reports on the effects of art education in secondary schools on the cultural participation of Dutch students 10–20 years after leaving school. We draw our conclusion from a sample survey among 1034 students from 31 schools, half of whom took art as a subject of examination. Art examination subjects were more often chosen by students who were already active in the arts, come from culturally active families, and who more often chose languages and other humanities in their examination package. However, in spite of their affiliation with art prior to choosing an examination package, training in the arts during secondary school was found to add to their participation in cultural activities ten to twenty years later. The effects are restricted to the same art discipline as the art lessons attended, and apply to both receptive [enjoying art of artists] and productive [producing art] cultural participation.     

Teacher educators developing professional roles: frictions between current and optimal practices

This article reports on a study of the professional learning of Flemish teacher educators. In the first part, an exemplary survey was conducted in order to compile an inventory of the existing types of education initiatives for teacher educators in Flanders. An electronic survey was then conducted in order to identify the professional needs of teacher educators in Flanders. The third part of the study focused on how the professional learning of teacher educators can evolve throughout their careers. This topic was examined by organising focus groups with teacher educators at two international conferences for teacher educators. Flemish teacher educators devote considerable attention to professional learning, and they are able to meet their needs through the broad range of existing courses and programmes offered within the educational system. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in the alignment of professional learning with the needs and career stages of teacher educators.     

The effects of economic status and recent experience on innovative behavior under environmental variability: An experimental approach

We build and empirically test a model that predicts the display of innovative behavior as a function of environmental change, with recent experience and economic status acting as moderators. We start with the model developed by Slevin (1971), which evolved from the so-called innovation boundary. This is the threshold beyond which the display of innovative behavior becomes attractive. We show how environmental change creates uncertainty about the position of the innovation boundary; however, this uncertainty is reduced by recent experiences. Furthermore, economic status serves as both an enhancer and an inhibitor of innovation. Our model was tested and largely confirmed in two experiments: one conducted in a laboratory setting and one conducted as a discrete choice experiment. Currently experiments are rarely conducted in the field of innovation studies. By presenting this evidence we also hope to encourage more authors to conduct experiments in their work.     

(Un)Expected Scholars: Counter-Narratives from Two (Boys) Men of Color Across the Educational Pipeline

There has been an upsurge of attention on the achievements and struggles of boys and men of color in the U.S. The recent flood of attention to police-involved shootings of African Americans and other people of color only exacerbate the need for a focus on this particular population. The White House announcement of My Brother's Keeper in 2014 aims to recognize and respond to the crisis facing boys and men of color. In addition, the work of various scholars has continued not only to acknowledge the crisis, but also advocate, push, and enact policies and practices relevant to boys and men of color. Empirical research has made clear the disparities in academic engagement and achievement, disciplinary practices, and the overall student experience. Less common, however, are the voices of students who once attended those schools, grew up in challenging environments, yet went on to become academically accomplished. The purpose of this article is to provide counter-narratives—those of the two authors—in an effort to give voice to the formative moments and opportunities that pushed us along our uncertain paths to earning doctorates. Given our approach, critical race theory (CRT) provides the guiding theoretical lens for this work. It is our hope that this article can help educators and students remain steadfast in their journeys and, to a degree, use counter-narratives as a practical and pedagogical tool. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.