bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of human relations training on reported teacher stress, pupil control ideology and locus of control
Authors: Hall Eric , Hall Carol , Abaci Ramazan 
Published: May 2011

Background. This study presents the reported outcomes of a two‐year, part‐time Masters' programme in human relations using an experiential learning methodology based mainly on humanistic psychological theory.Aims. The following hypotheses were examined. That as a result of the two‐year programme: the experience of reported stress would be reduced; reported attitudes to student classroom control would shift from custodial to humanistic; there would be an increase in reports from participants of a sense of control over their lives; changes of behaviour in work, social settings and at home related to these three variables would be reported.Sample. Involved in the study were 42 experienced teachers. These included 32 women and 10 men, with an average age of 35, who worked in a wide range of educational institutions. Their learning style preferences were also considered as independent variables. A control group of 42 was established with similar demographic characteristics.Methods. Prior to the course, the experimental group and the control group were given the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Pupil Control Ideology Form. In the early stages of the course, the experimental group completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory and an informal measure of locus of control which was repeated at the end of the first year of the course. A sample of 32 from the experimental group were given semi‐structured interviews relating to changes in their professional and personal lives.Results. The results indicated that, following the training, there was a reduction in reported stress, indications of a more humanistic orientation towards pupil control and an increase in a sense of an internal locus of control. The quantitative data were confirmed by qualitative data generated from semi‐structured interviews, which involved substantial reports of applications of the training in their professional and personal lives.Conclusion. These results provide support for including experiential human relations training as part of both the in‐service and initial teacher training programmes.
Student perceptions of a good teacher: the gender perspective
Authors: Jules Vena , Kutnick Peter 
Published: May 2011

Background. A large‐scale survey of pupils' perceptions of a good teacher in the Caribbean republic of Trinidad and Tobago is reported. An essay‐based, interpretative mode of research was used to elicit and identify constructs used by boys and girls.Aims. The study explores similarities and differences between boys and girls in their perceptions of a good teacher, in a society where girls achieve superior academic performance (than boys).Sample. A total of 1756 pupils and students aged between 8 and 16 provided the sample, which was proportional, stratified, clustered. Within these constraints classrooms were randomly selected to be representative of primary and secondary schools across the two islands.Method: Altogether 1539 essays and 217 interviews were content analysed, coded for age development and compared between boys and girls. Content items identified by the pupils were logically grouped into: physical and personal characteristics of the teacher, quality of the relationship between the teacher and pupil, control of behaviour by the teacher, descriptions of the teaching process, and educational and other outcomes obtained by pupils due to teacher efforts.Results. Female pupils identified more good teacher concepts at all age levels than males. There was some commonality between the sexes in concepts regarding interpersonal relationships and inclusiveness in the good teachers' teaching practices and boys showed significantly greater concerns regarding teacher control and use of punishment. Males as young as 8 years stated that good teachers should be sensitive to their needs. Only among the 16‐year‐old males were males noted as good teachers.Conclusion. Consideration is given to the roles of male and female teachers, how their classroom actions may set the basis for future success (or failure) of their pupils, and the needs of pupils with regard to teacher support within developing and developed countries.
The prevalence and correlates of specific learning difficulties in a representative sample of children with hemiplegia
Authors: Frampton I. , Yude C. , Goodman R. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Children with hemiplegia have cerebral palsy affecting one side of the body due to damage to the opposite side of the brain. An investigation of the association between hemiplegia and specific learning difficulties (SpLD) provides a unique window on body‐mind links and left brain/right brain differences.Aims. The present study investigated the prevalence and correlates of SpLDs in children with hemiplegia.Sample. A representative sample of 149 London children with hemiplegia aged between 6 and 10 included 59 children whose cognitive abilities and predicted academic ability were within the average range.Methods. SpLDs were defined by ability‐achievement discrepancy analysis. Differences between children with and without SpLDs were explored with a between‐groups design.Results. Children with hemiplegia had significantly more SpLDs than expected, with 36 per cent of these children having at least one SpLD. Children with and without SpLDs were similar in intelligence and demographic background, but the children with SpLDs had significantly more severe neurological impairments and a significantly higher rate of emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) than comparison children.Conclusions. Three typical case studies are described and recommendations made for the early identification and remediation of SpLDs in children with hemiplegia.
Utility of relaxation training with children in school settings: a plea for realistic goal setting and evaluation
Authors: King Neville J. , Ollendick Thomas H. , Murphy Gregory C. , Molloy Geoffrey N. 
Published: May 2011

Background. School‐based relaxation training programmes are a popular means of helping children with anxiety problems such as headaches and test anxiety.Aims. Our major objective is to evaluate the empirical status of school‐based relaxation training programmes.Contents. Focusing on progressive muscle relaxation training, we show how this adult training procedure has been modified for use with children. Several training issues are discussed including the questions of live versus recorded instruction and individual versus group instruction. We also discuss the evaluation of relaxation training programmes in school settings, highlighting issues of reliability and validity.Conclusions. Our review of studies examining the efficacy of school‐based relaxation training shows that improvements are usually modest and of dubious clinical or educational significance. Consequently we suggest that when relaxation training is used with school children treatment goals should be more modest or, that if improvements in specific performance areas are sought, then more comprehensive treatment packages be developed which can influence the successful performance of children in target areas and reduce anxiety to normal levels.
Secondary school teachers' perception of pupils' undesirable behaviours
Authors: Borg Mark G. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Previous studies provide inconclusive evidence with regard to the influence that teacher, pupil and school characteristics have on teachers' attitudes towards problem behaviours.Aims. To investigate the seriousness of several behaviours as perceived by secondary school teachers, and the extent to which these perceptions are influenced by a number of characteristics.Sample. A sample of 605 randomly selected teachers from 16 state secondary schools participated in the study.Methods. A questionnaire survey method was employed.Results. Drug abuse, cruelty/bullying and destroying were perceived as the most serious behaviours whereas inquisitiveness and whispering were rated as the least serious. Significant grade level differences were observed in all but two of the 49 behaviours, these being masturbation and obscene notes. While smoking and heterosexual activity were perceived significantly more serious in Form 1–2 than in Form 4–5 pupils, the converse was true for all the remaining forms of behaviour.Irrespective of grade level, a number of significant pupil sex and teacher sex differences were observed. Whereas cheating, lying, masturbation and heterosexual activity were perceived to be significantly more serious in girls than in boys, the converse is true for dreaminess, disorderliness, silliness, quarrelsomeness, and restlessness. While female teachers perceived masturbation and obscene notes significantly more serious than male teachers the opposite is true for disorderliness.School selectivity and teaching experience were important moderators of the perceived seriousness of problem behaviours.Conclusions. The study provides additional evidence of the importance of certain teacher, pupil and school characteristics as moderators of teachers' perception of the seriousness of behaviour.
The influence of response scale alternatives on judgments of future academic expectations
Authors: Haddock Geoffrey 
Published: May 2011

Background. The study examined how students make judgments about their academic expectations, and whether these judgments are context dependent.Aims. The aim was to explore how the manipulation of response scale alternatives affects academic judgments. It was predicted that the response alternatives presented with a question would be used as information that would allow respondents to compare themselves to others, and that this comparison process would influence subsequent self‐perceptions.Sample. The sample consisted of 55 first year university students (39 females, 16 males) with a mean age of 21.4 years.Methods. All participants first indicated the amount of TV they watched in an average day. In the low category range condition, the response alternatives (which ranged from ‘between 0 hours and 1/4 hour per day’ to ‘more than l½ hours per day’) were designed such that participants would conclude that they watched more TV than other students. In the high category range condition, the response alternatives (which ranged from ‘up to 1½ hours per day’ to ‘more than 3 hours per day’) were designed such that participants would conclude that they watched less TV than other students. Subsequently, all participants indicated how well they expected to perform in their academic studies for the coming year.Results. The results supported the hypothesis. Participants who answered the TV viewing question on the low category range scale expected to perform significantly worse than respondents in the high category range condition.Conclusions. The findings suggest that academic expectation judgments are at least partially context dependent.
Gender differences in motivational style: a comparison of measures and curriculum area
Authors: Rogers C.G. , Galloway D. , Armstrong D. , Leo E. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Gender has long been implicated in school‐based performance with gender differences varying across curriculum domains. Motivational differences have often been cited as a possible cause. However, evidence for the pattern of motivational difference between the genders is unclear.Aims. This study compares the motivational responses of girls and boys in the curriculum areas of mathematics and English. Two different measures of motivation are employed.Samples. The sample consists of all pupils from years 7, 9 and 11 in two secondary schools in Northern England. A total of 435 yr 7, 389 yr 9 and 357 yr 11 students was available.Methods. Students completed two assessments of motivation, one based on self‐report measures of goal strength and the other on performance over four tasks. Some school performance data were also available.Results. The two motivation measures produce different patterns of results. The task‐based measure shows no gender based differences while the other indicates a pattern of differences broadly suggestive of an advantage for girls.Conclusions. Future exploration of gender effects in motivation needs to give careful consideration to the type of motivation under consideration. Univariate models are unlikely to be adequate.
The implications for academic attainment of perceived gender‐appropriateness upon spatial task performance
Authors: Brosnan Mark J. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Male superiority in spatial ability has traditionally been used as an explanation for the male domination of ‘spatial’ disciplines such as mathematics, science and computing. Data are presented which show the degree of male domination of these disciplines at a range of academic levels.Aims. To evaluate the effect of describing a spatial ability test either as a measure of spatial ability (traditional format) or as a measure of empathy, upon male and female performance. Psychological gender is also assessed to evaluate the role of masculinity and femininity upon performance.Method. Eighty‐four sixth form students were presented with the Group Embedded Figures Test in the assessment's traditional format and as a measure of ‘empathy’. Levels of masculinity and femininity were also assessed using the Bern Sex Role Inventory.Results. Whilst the description of the nature of the assessment did not affect male performance, female performance varied significantly as a function of test description. Females only underperformed when the test was described as a measure of spatial ability. Additionally, those high in masculinity were found to outperform those high in femininity.Conclusions. The results suggest that ‘apparent’ sex differences in spatial ability are more accurately described as psychological gender differences which determine the motivation to attempt the assessments.Comment. The implications for genderised activities (such as computing) within education are discussed.
Peer relationships and writing development: a microgenetic analysis
Authors: Jones Ithel 
Published: May 2011

Background. Recent research has begun to examine the facilitative role of close relationships, such as friendships, in the process of early literacy learning. It is believed that the quality of specific relationships can provide extensive support for literacy development and that the role of peer relationships in the context of writing may be significant. In this study, the actual processes by which children learn to use literate language and learn to write were documented, microgenetically.Aims. The purpose of the study was to determine whether an aspect of the social context in which writing typically occurs, namely the relationship of interactants, has consequences for children's use of literate language and early writing.Sample. The sample was class of 12 male and 8 female students attending a rural public school in the south‐eastern United States, with a mean age of 88 months.Methods. In the study, 7–8 year‐old pupils' written narratives, composed using a word processor, were examined to identify lexico‐grammatical effects. Simultaneously, children's talk while writing was analysed to determine the extent of their use of ‘meta’ terms or literate language. Participant relationships were manipulated to determine the influence of friendship on children's literate language and early writing. At the same time a microgenetic approach was adopted to examine temporal changes in children's oral and written language.Results. The results supported the prediction that narratives composed by pupils working in close proximity to a friend would be more well formed than narratives composed by non‐friends. Furthermore, interacting with a close friend during narrative writing tasks elicited children's use of metacognitive and metalinguistic language.Conclusions. The results are discussed in terms of the facilitative effects of close relationships on children's oral and written language.
A developmental study of the relation between combined learning and performance goals and students' self‐regulated learning
Authors: Bouffard Théerêse , Vezeau Carole , Bordeleau Luce 
Published: May 2011

Background. Current goal theory models assume that learning goals are adaptive in academic contexts and that performance goals lead to less positive patterns of motivation and self‐regulation. These models also implicitly assume that the adaptive nature of these goals is the same at all academic levels.Aims. The objectives of this study were to examine how combined learning and performance goals are related to self‐regulation and academic performance, and whether there is a developmental trend in these relations.Sample. A total of 1072 junior (N = 408, mean age = 11.9), middle (N = 323, mean age = 13.7), and senior (N = 341, mean age = 15.7) high school students were examined.Method. They were administered a questionnaire assessing their learning and performance goals and reported their self‐regulatory strategies while studying.Results. Analyses showed that whatever their performance goals, having high learning goals promoted younger students' self‐regulation. They also showed that, contrary to the findings for younger students, performance goals were related to self‐regulation and academic performance at higher school levels. Furthermore, high performance goals were found to alleviate the negative effects of low learning goals for older students.Conclusions. These findings suggest that the adaptive nature of goals could change across development. This could be due to contextual factors such as the increasing importance of obtaining good grades to access higher academic levels. Future research should address this issue.
The relation between accuracy of self‐perception and cognitive development
Authors: Bouffard Thérêse , Markovits Henry , Vezeau Carole , Boisvert Martine , Dumas Claude 
Published: May 2011

Background. It is now widely recognised that student's self‐perceptions of competence have an effect on their behaviours and learning. Previous studies have shown that children only gradually develop the ability to evaluate accurately their own competence. One possible explanation for this is that younger children have not reached a level of cognitive development required to perform such evaluations.Aims. The objective of these two studies was to examine the hypothesis that children at higher levels of cognitive development should be more accurate in their self‐appraisal of competence than children of the same age at lower levels of cognitive development.Study 1Sample. The sample included 173 elementary school children, with almost equal gender representation. Children were first examined in fourth grade (mean age = 10.0, SD = .77) and for the next two years.Method. Each child responded to questionnaires of self‐perceptions about reading and to a standardised test of reading. Year‐end grades in reading were used as a measure of performance.Results. The results show that there was no significant difference between high and low children in grade 6, but that the correlation between self‐perceptions and performance was significantly higher among high ability children than among low ability children both in grades 4 and 5.Study 2Sample. The sample included 153 elementary school children in grade 3 (mean age = 9.1, SD = .73) and 185 in grade 5 (mean age = 11.2, SD = .75), with almost equal gender representation.Method. Each child responded to questionnaires of self‐perceptions about mathematics and to a standardised IQ test. Year‐end grades in mathematics were used as a measure of performance.Results. The correlation between self‐perception and performance was significantly higher among high IQ children than among low IQ children in grade 3. However, in grade 5, high and low IQ children were similarly accurate in their self‐perceptions.Conclusions. These results suggest that the development of accurate self‐perceptions is not strictly a matter of age or school level but is also related to cognitive development.
The understanding of counting in children with severe learning difficulties and nursery children
Authors: Porter Jill 
Published: May 2011

Background. Little is known about the development of counting in children with severe learning difficulties (SLD) although early research has stressed the rote nature of children's understanding.Aims. We investigated the attainments of children with SLD both with regard to their skills and understanding of counting and compared performance with typically developing preschoolers.Samples. Twenty‐five children with SLD (aged 7–14 years) matched to one group of preschoolers on the basis of their receptive language scores and to a second group using a broader measure, performance on a non‐verbal intelligence test.Methods. Children were presented with a simple counting task and an error detection task.Results. There were no differences between the SLD and preschool groups in the mean scores on either task. In each group more children were able to count than detect errors. However, analysis of their counting performance suggested a difference in the acquisition of counting skills. Furthermore, the SLD group included three transitional children‐able to count competently but not able to detect errors. This pattern was not evident in the preschool groups: if the children were competent counters they were able to detect errors.Conclusion. The acquisition of procedures for counting is an important first step in developing an understanding of counting. There is some evidence to suggest that children with SLD may have difficulty learning the number words and producing them whilst pointing to count items. We cannot assume that children with SLD will move smoothly towards an understanding of counting. These aspects warrant further investigation and raise the important question of what experiences best promote the acquisition of procedures and understanding in children with SLD.
Coping with peer arguments in school‐age children with bully/victim problems
Authors: Bijttebier Patricia , Vertommen Hans 
Published: May 2011

Background and aims. This paper reports data on the relationship between bully/victim problems and the coping strategies used when confronted with a peer argument. Specifically, we examine the extent to which bully/victim problems are related to five types of coping strategies (Social Support Seeking, Problem‐Solving, Distancing, Internalising and Externalising).Sample. The sample consists of 329 children (168 boys, 161 girls), drawn from the fourth‐ through sixth‐grade classrooms of three Flemish elementary schools.Results and conclusion. In the correlational analyses, both victimisation and social neglect are shown to be related to internalising coping, whereas bullying is associated with externalising coping and with a lack of problem‐solving. Moreover, a positive relationship between victimisation and social support seeking was found. Separate analyses for boys and girls and a consecutive categorical approach provide a more precise picture of the link between social coping strategies and bully/victim problems.