The Relations Between Persistent Poverty and Contextual Risk and Children's Behavior in Elementary School.

Does persistent adversity over time have effects on children's behavior beyond the effects of intermittent or concurrent adversity? This study examined the relations between school behavior in 5th grade (mean age = 11 years 0 months) and indexes representing persistent poverty and contextual risk. The indexes described 2-year intervals of family adversity. The results showed effects for persistent risk over 2 consecutive intervals for several factors, but only for recent intervals (3rd and 5th grades), and the factors differed for externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, and academic competence. The 3rd interval of risk added little to the outcomes, and most factors did not show persistence effects. The results highlight the need for caution in expecting and interpreting effects for persistent adversity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family Income and Its Relation to Preschool Children's Adjustment for Families in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care.

The current study examines relations of mean-level estimates, linear changes, and instability in income and family processes to child outcomes and addresses whether income, through its impact on family functioning, matters more for children living in poverty. Temporal changes and instability in family processes, but not income, predicted children's adjustment. Cross-sectional mediational analyses indicated that for families living at the poverty threshold, family processes fully mediated the effect of average income over the study period on social behavior but only partially mediated its effect on cognitive-linguistic development. The strength of these associations diminished as average income exceeded the poverty threshold. That is, income had a greater impact on the family functioning and development of poor children than of nonpoor children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adverse School Context Moderates the Outcomes of Selective Interventions for Aggressive Children.

Drawing on social ecological theory and empirical studies on the role of school context in aggression, the authors argue that school adversity is an important consideration in choosing selective interventions for aggressive children. The moderating role of school adversity on intervention effectiveness is illustrated with data from a randomized clinical trial study investigating 2 selective interventions administered to 86 aggressive 2nd and 3rd graders. The authors expected that PrimeTime, an intervention targeting child competencies, would be more effective in low-adversity schools, whereas Lunch Buddy, an intervention targeting peer ecology, would be more effective in high-adversity schools. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed significant posttreatment effects on composite measures of aggression and achievement for the interaction between the level of school adversity and treatment condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations Among Personal Agency, Motivation, and School Adjustment in Early Adolescence.

The authors examined relations among motivational styles and school adjustment in a sample of 786 7th and 8th grade U.S. students. Specifically, the authors tested the hypothesis that agency beliefs mediate relations between styles of motivational self-regulation (i.e., intrinsic, identified, introjected, and extrinsic) and school adjustment (school grades, school well-being, and positive and negative affect). A structural equation model testing this hypothesis indicated that agency beliefs about one's effort mediate the relations between the styles and positive school adjustment. By contrast, the extrinsic style was not mediated by agency beliefs but reflected adverse low-magnitude direct effects on all of the outcomes except positive affect. Overall, the model strongly predicted school adjustment, and adherence to the identified motivational style was particularly important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When Teachers' and Parents' Values Differ: Teachers' Ratings of Academic Competence in Children From Low-Income Families.

The authors examined predictors of teachers' ratings of academic competence of 105 kindergarten children from low-income families. Teachers rated target children's expected competence in literacy and math and completed questions about their perceptions of congruence-dissonance between themselves and the child's parents regarding education-related values. Independent examiners assessed children's literacy and math skills. Teachers' instructional styles were observed and rated along dimensions of curriculum-centered and student-centered practices. Controlling for children's skills and socioeconomic status, teachers rated children as less competent when they perceived value differences with parents. These patterns were stronger for teachers who exhibited curriculum-centered, rather than student-centered, practices. The findings suggest a mechanism by which some children from low-income families enter a path of diminished expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responding to the Needs of Children, Families, and Schools: The 2002 Multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology.

The preparations for and the implementation of the 2002 Multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology are described. The conference goals were to (a) achieve consensus on current and future demands for school psychologists and our profession's ability to meet those demands; (b) conceptualize the practice of school psychology in the face of diminishing numbers and increasing demand for services; and (c) develop an agenda to use the resources we have to maximize the benefits to the children and schools that we serve. A problem-solving model served as the conceptual foundation of the conference. School psychologists at the host site in Indianapolis and 30 remote sites collaborated to identify threats, opportunities, strategies, and action plans to respond better to the needs of children, families and schools. The conference not only generated excitement and hope for our future, but also provided a framework to propel the current and future practice of school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Language Competence, Narrative Ability, and School Readiness in Low-Income Preschool Children.

Language competence, narrative ability, and school readiness were examined in 25 low-income preschool children attending day care. Participants were assessed for language competence (PPVT-R), school readiness (Early Development Instrument), and completed stories based on everyday household events (MacArthur Story Stem Battery). Each story was coded for the level of chronology, organization, and number of information units. Children who had higher levels of language competence and school readiness generated narratives that were chronologically ordered and well organized. Story-telling may be an important means to understanding children's overall competence and coping ability, as well as a critical skill in the day care and future school environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fathers' and Mothers' Parenting Behavior and Beliefs as Predictors of Children's Social Adjustment in the Transition to School.

The current study focuses on the association between children's social adjustment in the transition to school and the early elementary school years and their fathers' and mothers' parenting behaviors and beliefs and quality of marital relationship. The authors found that the most competent and least problematic children from the teachers' perspectives are those whose fathers are sensitive and supportive of their children's autonomy, whose mothers' parenting beliefs support self-directed child behavior, and whose parents maintain an emotionally intimate relationship. These findings have implications for efforts to prevent early school problems in children and support the children's transitions into formal schooling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic Identity and the Academic Adjustment of Adolescents From Mexican, Chinese, and European Backgrounds.

The association of adolescents' ethnic identification with their academic attitudes and achievement was examined among a sample of 589 ninth-grade students from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Adolescents from all backgrounds chose a variety of ethnic labels to describe themselves, with those from Mexican, Chinese, and immigrant families incorporating more of their families' national origin and cultural background into their chosen ethnic labels. Nevertheless, the strength of adolescents' ethnic identification was more relevant to their academic adjustment than the specific labels that they chose, and it was most important for the extra motivation necessary for ethnic minority students to attain the same level of academic success as their European American peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological Adjustment of Children With Sickle Cell Disease: Family Functioning and Coping.

Objective: Using a risk and resistance model (J. L. Wallander, J. W. Varni, L. Babani, H. T. Banis, & K. T. Wilcox, 1989) to determine the effects of coping style and family functioning on children's adjustment to sickle cell disease (SCD). Participants: A sample of 73 caregivers and 23 children (ages birth to 18 years) admitted to a hematology acute care unit for pain or fever associated with SCD. Setting: A children's hospital on the East Coast of the United States. Outcome Measures: Disability stress, disease severity, child and parent coping, family functioning, and child adjustment were assessed with standard paper-and-pencil measures. Results: Results provide partial support for J. L. Wallander et al.'s (1989) risk-resistance model. Disability stress did not mediate the relation between disease severity and child adjustment, and severity of medical condition and medical stress did not predict adjustment. Child gender and child age predicted family functioning and child adjustment to SCD. Child or parent coping strategies did not moderate the association of disability stress and child adjustment. Conclusions: Individuals working with patients should be aware of other factors that may affect child outcome above disease severity; specifically, concerns of boys and girls with SCD and their caregivers should be assessed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment of Mothers of Children With Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries: Testing a Risk and Resistance Model.

Objective: To investigate direct and moderating effects of risk and resistance factors on the adjustment of mothers of children with obstetrical brachial plexus injuries (OBPI). Participants: Fifty-three mothers of children with OBPI recruited from an OBPI clinic in an Australian pediatric hospital. Measures: OBPI Severity Scale, Parents of Children With Disabilities Inventory, Family APGAR, Short Form Social Support Questionnaire-6, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Perceived Control of Internal States Scale, General Health Questionnaire-12. Results: The factors explained 30% of maternal adjustment variation. Resistance factors explained a unique 18%. Optimism was the only significant moderator. Conclusions: Findings confirm the importance of risk and resistance factors in maternal adjustment and enhance understanding by identifying optimism as a moderator of the risk/adjustment relationship. Interventions promoting optimism may facilitate maternal adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationship Between Working Memory and Mathematical Problem Solving in Children at Risk and Not at Risk for Serious Math Difficulties.

This study identified cognitive processes that underlie individual differences in working memory (WM) and mathematical problem-solution accuracy in elementary school children at risk and not at risk for serious math difficulties (SMD). A battery of tests was administered that assessed problem solving, achievement, and cognitive processing in children in first (N = 130), second (N = 92) and third grades (N = 131). The results were that (a) younger children and children at risk for SMD performed poorer on WM and problem-solving tasks, as well as measures of math calculation, reading, semantic processing, phonological processing, and inhibition, than older children and children not at risk for SMD and (b) WM predicted solution accuracy of word problems independent of measures of fluid intelligence, reading skill, math skill, knowledge of algorithms, phonological processing, semantic processing,'speed, shortterm memory, and inhibition. The results support the notion that the executive system is an important predictor of children's problem solving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School.

This investigation addressed 3 questions about the long-term effects of early school experiences: (a) Is participation in small classes in the early grades (K-3) related to high school graduation? (b) Is academic achievement in K-3 related to high school graduation? (c) If class size is related to graduation, is the relationship explained by the effect of participation in small classes on students' academic achievement? The study included 4,948 participants in Tennessee's class-size experiment, Project STAR. Analyses showed that graduating was related to K-3 achievement and that attending small classes for 3 or more years increased the likelihood of graduating from high school, especially among students eligible for free lunch. Policy and research implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Nature of Phonological Awareness: Converging Evidence From Four Studies of Preschool and Early Grade School Children.

Significant controversy exists about the nature of phonological awareness, a causal variable in reading acquisition. In 4 studies that included 202 5- to 6-year-old children studied longitudinally for 3 years, 123 2- to 5-year-old children, 38 4-year-old children studied longitudinally for 2 years, and 826 4- to 7-year-old children, the authors examined the relation of sensitivity to rhyme with other forms of phonological awareness. Rhyme sensitivity was indistinguishable from phonemic awareness, segmemal awareness, and global phonological sensitivity in younger children. Rhyme sensitivity was distinguishable, although highly correlated, with these phonological skills in older children. Rhyme sensitivity was highly predictive of these other phonological skills. Children's sensitivity to different linguistic units seems best conceptualized as a single underlying ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School climate support for behavioral and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating effect of social competence.

The present study used an ecological framework to examine the relationships among adolescents’ perceptions of school climate, social competence, and behavioral and psychological adjustment in the middle school years. This study improved upon prior studies by using structural equation modeling to investigate the hypothesized mediating effect of social competence and to account for measurement error. The sample included 1,042 participating students from 23 middle schools. Results showed that school mastery goal structure, promotion of autonomy and discussion, and teacher emotional support were negatively related to the levels of adolescents’ deviant behaviors and depression, while performance goal structure was positively related to deviant behaviors and depression. Social competence was a mediator between perceived school climate variables and adolescent adjustment, with the exception of the relationship between mastery goal structure and adjustment variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religiosity and the Socioemotional Adjustment of Adolescent Mothers and Their Children.

This study assessed the impact of religiosity on the socioemotional and behavioral outcomes of 91 adolescent mothers and their offspring over 10 years. Religiosity was defined as involvement in church and contact with and dependence on church officials and members. Mothers classified as high in religious involvement had significantly higher self-esteem and lower depression scores, exhibited less child abuse potential, and had higher occupational and educational attainment than mothers classified as low in religious involvement; differences remained when multiple factors, such as stress and grandmother support, were held constant. Children with more religious mothers had fewer internalizing and externalizing problems at 10 years of age, with maternal adjustment mediating this relationship. Religiosity, through increased social support, served as a protective factor for teenaged mothers and their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early school competence: The roles of sex-segregated play and effortful control.

The purpose of this research was to examine the role that young children's same-sex peer interactions play in influencing early school competence. The authors also examined the degree to which effortful control (EC) moderated these relations. The same-sex play preferences of 98 young children (50 boys and 48 girls; mean age = 54.77 months) were observed during the fall semester. At the end of the fall semester, one set of teachers reported on children's EC, and at the end of the following spring semester, another set reported on children's school competence (social, academic, and perceptual-motor). Results revealed that EC moderated the relations of children's same-sex play to their school competence. These patterns differed for boys and girls such that same-sex play was positively related to school outcomes for boys high in EC and for girls low in EC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Influence of Parent Education and Family Income on Child Achievement: The Indirect Role of Parental Expectations and the Home Environment.

This study examined the process of how socioeconomic status, specifically parents' education and income, indirectly relates to children's academic achievement through parents' beliefs and behaviors. Data from a national, cross-sectional study of children were used for this study. The subjects were 868 8-12-year-olds, divided approximately equally across gender (436 females, 433 males). This sample was 49% non-Hispanic European American and 47% African American. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the author found that the socioeconomic factors were related indirectly to children's academic achievement through parents' beliefs and behaviors but that the process of these relations was different by racial group. Parents' years of schooling also was found to be an important socioeconomic factor to take into consideration in both policy and research when looking at school-age children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Children's Ethnicity in the Relationship Between Teacher Ratings of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Observed Classroom Behavior.

Significant ethnic differences have been consistently documented on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) teacher rating scales. Whether these ethnic differences result from a teacher rating bias or reflect actual classroom behavior patterns is unknown. Ethnic differences between Caucasian and African American (AA) elementary schoolchildren on teacher ratings and codings of observed classroom behavior were examined with latent variables. In structural equation models, correlations between teacher ratings and observed classroom behavior suggested nonbiased teacher ratings of AA schoolchildren with diagnosed ADHD. Ethnic differences were documented for both teacher ratings of ADHD and classroom behavior. Differences in classroom behavior were attenuated when the behavior of an average child in the classroom was taken into account. Multiple explanations for this pattern of results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment at Early School Age and Developmental Risk: Examining Family Contexts and Behavior Problems of Controlling-Caregiving, Controlling-Punitive, and Behaviorally Disorganized Children.

Preschool to school-age trajectories of 242 children, including 37 with insecure-disorganized and 66 with insecure-organized attachment patterns, were examined. Child attachment and stressful life events (the latter retrospectively) were measured at ages 5-7, and mother-child interactive quality, parenting stress, marital satisfaction, and teacher-reported behavior problems were evaluated concurrently and 2 years earlier. Results indicated that all three disorganized subgroups had poorer mother-child interactive patterns and more difficult family climates than secure or insecure-organized children. The controlling-punitive group showed significant increases in maternal reports of child-related stress between preschool and school age. The controlling-caregiving group showed greater likelihood of loss of a close family member, and mothers of the insecure-other group reported lower marital satisfaction and greater likelihood of their own or a spouse's hospitalization. Controlling-punitive children had higher externalizing scores, and controlling-caregiving children higher internalizing scores, than secure children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)