1,721,112 research outputs found
The relative contribution of peer acceptance and individual and class-level teacher-child interactions to kindergartners' behavioral development
No full text© 2018 Elsevier Inc. The present longitudinal study examined the relative contribution of peer acceptance and individual and class-level teacher–child interactions to the development of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in kindergarten. A sample of 237 children (49% boys, M age = 5.19 years) from 36 classrooms was followed during three waves in kindergarten. Individual and class-level teacher–child interactions were observed, while peer ratings were used to assess peer acceptance, and teacher ratings to assess child behavior. Multilevel modelling showed that children's aggressive and anxious-fearful behavior was stable over time. Children who had more negative individual interactions with their teachers at the start of kindergarten displayed higher levels of externalizing behavior. Children whose teacher displayed more sensitive interactions at the class-level had lower levels of internalizing problems. Our study underscores the importance of including both individual and class-level teacher–child interactions and including several dimensions of the emotional component of teacher–child interactions in future research.sponsorship: This work was supported by the FWO Research Fund - Flanders (grant numbers 1S13917N, G.0728.14). (FWO Research Fund - Flanders|1S13917N, FWO Research Fund - Flanders|G.0728.14)status: Publishe
Impact and mediating mechanisms of the universal classroombased intervention Good Behavior Game
No full textThe Good Behavior Game (GBG) (Dolan, Turkan, Werthamer-Larsson, & Kellam, 1989; translated in Dutch and adjusted by van der Sar and Goudswaard, 2001) is a classroom team-based prevention program designed to promote prosocial and on-task behavior, while decreasing disruptive behavior in primary school classrooms. The GBG is embedded in the life course/social field theory (e.g., Kellam & Rebok, 1992), a framework for understanding social adaptation to and psychological well-being in social contexts, such as the classroom, in which -according to the theory - teachers and peers play an important role. The GBG targets teacher behavior and peer interaction using techniques and knowledge put forth by the learning theory (operant conditioning approach) and the social learning theory (Bandura, 1973). For example, the teacher learns to explicitly define and systematically reward appropriate behavior, and thus to place the emphasis on positive rather than on negative behavior. Pupils are placed in teams, thereby facilitating the interaction between disruptive and non disruptive children (e.g., van Lier et al., 2004). Randomized controlled studies with pre-, post- and follow-up assessment provide evidence for the effectiveness of the GBG in reducing children’s (teacher and peer reported) antisocial behavior (e.g., Dolan et al., 1993; Kellam, Rebok, lalongo, Mayer, 1994; Kellam & Anthony, 1998; van Lier et al., 2004, van Lier Vuijk, & Crijnen, 2005). In these studies sex, initial level of problem behavior, initial level of concentration problems, and mean classroom level of problem behavior were found to moderate the effect of the GBG. Some studies also report on the positive influence of the GBG on other outcomes, such as shy behavior (Dolan et al., 1993), anxious and depressed feelings, and the quality of peer interactions (van Lier et al., 2005).
However, some aspects still remain uninvestigated and/or unclear. First of all, to our knowledge large- scaled (peer-reviewed) studies seem solemnly to be based on teacher and peer reports of behavior, while the importance of also using observations by external observers has repeatedly been emphasized. Second, researchers have mainly focused their attention on negative child behavior when examining the effects of the GBG. Little attention has been paid to the effects on positive behaviors (e.g., on-task and prosocial behavior) and school achievement, two other aspects of social adaptation. Third, the conceptual framework of the GBG is also a theory about psychological wellbeing. However, psychological well-being has rarely been the focus of the GBG research. Finally, little research has focused on how the GBG works. Resting on the GBG’s theoretical background and research on the role of teachers and peers for children’s social adaptation in and psychological wellbeing in the classroom (e.g. Juvonen & Wentzel, 1996), we hypothesize that the GBG might work through changing teacher behavior and peer interactions.
In our study we will try to fill in these gaps. The focus of the study is twofold. First we aim to investigate the effectiveness of the GBG on several child outcomes. More precisely we examine whether the GBG affects children’s behavior as rated by the teacher, peers, and external observer, whether the GBG is effective in enhancing children's prosocial behavior, on-task behavior, and school achievement (in addition to decreasing antisocial behaviors), and whether the GBG influences aspects of psychological well-being (next to aspects of social adjustment). Our second objective is to investigate whether the teacher behavior and peer interactions mediate the effect of the GBG. Additionally, we will examine the (relative) role of teachers and peers for children’s social adaptation to and psychological well-being in the classroom concurrently and longitudinally.
To address these questions, an intervention trial with randomized experimental and control group and repeated measures was set up in 15 schools (2 classrooms per school). The program was implemented in the experimental classes in the second (2006-2007) and third grade (2007-2008) (cf. Brown & Liao, 1999). Data collection took/will take place at five points in time: at the beginning (pretest) and end of second grade, at the beginning and end (post-test) in third grade, and approximately one year after the end of the intervention (follow-up) in the fourth grade. Data are collected by standardized school achievement tests, questionnaires for teachers and children, child interviews, and child and teacher observations in the classroom.
The data will be analyzed, first applying (relatively) basic statistical analyses (e.g., ANOVA-repeated measures), and building on these results we can use more complex analytic methods (e.g., growth mixture models) to further explore our data. All analyses will take the clustering of the data into account (e.g. via multilevel modeling).status: Publishe
Hoe onze relaties met anderen ons vormen: De rol van sociale relaties in de school context voor de ontwikkeling van kinderen in de algemene leerlingenpopulatie en bij cognitief begaafde leerlingen
No full textAll human beings share the need to belong; to feel that others like or love them and care for them in a meaningful manner. Forming warm, supportive relationships with those around us is therefore crucial for flourishing in life. In the lives of children, the classroom forms a key developmental context and the people in this context, that is teachers and peers, play an important role in shaping their development. In the current dissertation, our aim was to shed more light on these school-based social relationships and their importance for children's psycho-social development, both in a general and a cognitively gifted population. To that end, we formulated five main research objectives.
First, we wanted to examine the specific importance of both individual-level and class-level teacher-child interactions for development. The second research aim was to unravel the unique effects of teacher-child and peer relations for children's development. Third, we aimed to study the transactional interplay among relationships with teachers and peers, and child development. As the fourth research objective, we focused on the role of interactions with teachers and peers in un understudied sample: the cognitively gifted population. Finally, we examined teacher perceptions of cognitively gifted children and their interactions with teachers.
We conducted four studies to address these objectives. The first (N=237 children, Mage=5.19 years) examined the relative contribution of peer acceptance and individual and class-level teacher-child interactions to development. Study 2 (N=586 children, Mage=9.26 years) focused on transactional relations among teacher support, peer acceptance, and engagement. The third (N=522 teachers-in-training, Mage=22.24 years) experimentally examined teacher perceptions of cognitively gifted children and their teacher interactions. Study 4 (N=3101 children, Mage=9.76 years) focused on the role of teacher conflict and peer acceptance for school well-being and differences between high- and average-ability students.
Overall, our results showed that social bonds are crucial for shaping children's development. First, both individual and class-level teacher-child interactions impacted behavioral development. Second, teacher support and peer acceptance uniquely predicted engagement and peer acceptance affected school well-being. Third, peer acceptance had a significant effect on teacher support and conflict. Fourth, cognitively gifted children showed less teacher conflict and higher peer acceptance and school well-being, compared to average-ability children. The relations among these concepts were similar for both groups. Fifth, teachers, in general, had more negative perceptions about cognitively gifted children and their teacher-child interactions and brief counter-stereotyping information did not buffer this.
Finally, this dissertation concludes with potential avenues for future research; such as the combination of both the home and school context in research and the concept of unconditional regard, and implications for clinical practice; that can hopefully foster positive child development in the future.status: Publishe
Publiekssamenvatting: ONDERZOEK NAAR HET PSYCHOSOCIAAL WELBEVINDEN VAN ADOLESCENTEN EN DE LEERLING-DOCENT RELATIE
No full textHoe succesvol jongeren zijn in het ontwikkelen van een eigen identiteit is sterk bepalend voor hun volwassen leven. Belangrijk voor het ontwikkelen van een eigen identiteit is een gevoel van verbondenheid met de wereld en de mensen om je heen. Jongeren leren zichzelf en hun plek in de wereld kennen door dagdagelijkse interacties met anderen in een veilige omgeving. Eén van die omgevingen is de school. De school vormt een brug tussen de familie en de samenleving. Leerkrachten hebben een uitgelezen positie om de unieke persoonlijkheid en talenten van hun leerlingen te erkennen en om leerlingen uit te dagen om hun mogelijkheden in de samenleving te ontdekken. Het is dus belangrijk dat jongeren goede relaties hebben met niet alleen hun klasgenoten en vrienden, maar ook met hun leerkrachten.status: Publishe
Bio-ecologische processen in de schoolcontext: De rol van leerkrachten, leeftijdgenoten, en genen in de psychosociale en academische ontwikkeling van kinderen en jongeren.
No full textThroughout late childhood and adolescence, there is a general increase in adjustment problems, including an increase in psychosocial problems, such as externalizing behavior, and an increase in academic problems, such as declining levels of behavioral school engagement. The present doctoral dissertation offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the development of externalizing behavior and behavioral engagement, guided by the bio-ecological model of human development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), which explains individual differences in development in terms of both environmental and biological influences and interactions between them. We focused on how the affective quality of teacher-student relationships, peer likeability and peer popularity impact children’s and adolescents’ behavioral school engagement and externalizing behavior. In addition, we revealed the bi-directional effects and transactional processes between teacher-student relationships and peer relationships in elementary school, and between teacher-student relationships and adolescent adjustment problems in secondary school. Based on the biological side of Bronfenbrenner’s model – which suggests that biologically-based factors may join with environmental factors to shape development – we investigated whether dopaminergic genes moderate the effect of teacher-student relationships on adolescents’ adjustment problems.
Four empirical studies are included. The first two are based on a longitudinal project which includes 586 children from Grade 4, followed for three years (Sample 1). The second two are based on the longitudinal project Studying the Transition to Adolescence: Testing Genes, Interactions, and Environments (STRATEGIES) which includes 1116 adolescents from Grade 7 to 9, followed for three years (Sample 2). Several self-reported, parent-reported, and peer-reported measures were used to assess our research variables. To analyse the data, we used parallel latent growth curve analyses, cross-lagged analyses, multigroup analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses in the framework of structural equation modelling (SEM) using Mplus version 6 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2010).
In the first study, we examined the reciprocal associations among teacher-student and peer relationships in late elementary school (Sample 1) and found that higher peer likeability predicted more teacher-student support, which in turn predicted higher peer likeability, beyond changes in children’s prosocial behavior. Higher peer popularity predicted more teacher-student conflict (driven by children’s aggressive behavior), which, in turn and in itself, predicted higher perceived popularity. The second study investigated whether teacher-student and peer relationships may buffer or exacerbate the normative declines in behavioral engagement in late elementary school (Sample 1)and showed that high initial and increasing levels of teacher-student support and high initial levels of peer likeability independently reduce the normative declines in children’s behavioral engagement. Children who were perceived as more popular in Grade 5 were less engaged in school in Grade 6. The third study aimed to test whether adolescents’ genotype for the dopamine transporter (DAT1) or receptor (DRD4) moderates the effect of teacher-student relationship quality on adolescents’ rule-breaking behavior and behavioral engagement (Sample 2). It seems that DAT1-10R homozygotes were more affected by the negative effect of lower teacher-student affiliation on behavioral engagement and that DRD4 non-long carriers were more affected by the adverse effect of teacher-student dissatisfaction on rule-breaking behavior. In the fourth study (Sample 2), we examined bidirectional relations between teacher-student relationship quality and adolescent rule-breaking behavior and behavioral engagement throughout secondary school. In addition, we investigated whether the effects of teacher-student relationship quality on subsequent adolescent behavior were moderated by a biologically informed polygenetic score (BIMPS) for dopamine signalling. We found that adolescents who displayed more rule-breaking behavior and less behavioral engagement experienced increased subsequent dissatisfaction with their teachers, which in turn further increased their adjustment problems. Also, adolescents with more adjustment problems experienced decreased subsequent affiliation with their teachers. The other way around, adolescents’ behavioral engagement also benefitted from positive relationships with teachers. In addition, adolescents who had a BIMPS score coding for moderate levels of dopamine signalling (instead of high or low signalling) were most affected in their behavioral engagement when they experienced dissatisfaction with their teachers.status: Publishe
Development of academic self-concept: Further testing and refinement of the big-fish-little-pond effect model
No full textstatus: Publishe
The role of teachers and peers for children's adjustment to elementary school: An intervention study with the Good Behavior Game
No full textDit proefschrift bestudeert de rol van interacties met leeftijdsgenoten en leerkrachten voor de gedragsmatige aanpassing (i.e., storend gedrag) en in mindere mate emotionele aanpassing (i.e., zelfconcept) van kinderen in de schoolse context. Het eerste centrale doel is bij te dragen aan de theorievorming over de rol van deze interacties voor de ontwikkeling van storend gedrag en zelfconcept. Het tweede doel is een bijdrage leveren aan preventieonderzoek, door na te gaan of de ontwikkeling van storend gedrag voorkomen kan worden via de universele preventieve interventie Good Behavior Game (GBG), die gericht is op interacties met leeftijdsgenoten en leerkrachten. Dit proefschrift focust op leemtes in het onderzoek over deze twee centrale doelen. Eerst werd de bijdrage van leerkracht-leerling interacties, geconceptualiseerd als de mate van betrokkenheid, structuur en autonomie ondersteuning van de leerkracht aan de voorspelling van het globale, academische, sociale en gedragsmatige zelfconcept van leerlingen nagegaan. Vervolgens werden de relaties tussen externalizerend (oppositioneel en agressief) gedrag, sociale preferentie en betrokkenheid van de leerkracht onderzocht. Voor de eerste twee vragen werd de volledige steekproef gebruikt, waarbij gecontroleerd werd voor het effect van de interventie. Ten derde, gingen we na of het effect van de GBG op de ontwikkeling van hyperactief en oppositioneel gedrag verklaard kon worden door een verbeterd gedragsmanagement van GBG-leerkrachten. Ten slotte werd onderzocht welk proces het effect van de GBG op de ontwikkeling van agressie van kinderen met initieel weinig taakgericht gedrag zou kunnen verklaren (i.e., toegenomen taakgericht gedrag en/of verminderde verwerping door leeftijdsgenoten). In deze studie werden 570 leerlingen gevolgd uit 15 scholen (2 klassen per school), gedurende het 2e en 3e leerjaar (lj). Er werd een trial opgezet met gerandomiseerde experimentele en controleconditie en met vier herhaalde metingen. De GBG werd geïmplementeerd in het 2e (2006-2007) en 3e (2007-2008) lj. Data werden verzameld in het najaar 2006 (pre-meting), het voor- en najaar 2007, en het voorjaar 2008 (post-meting) door gedragsobservaties, oordelen van leerkrachten en leeftijdsgenoten en zelfbeoordeling door de leerlingen. Vooreerst bleek dat leerkracht betrokkenheid en autonomie ondersteuning positief en structuur negatief bijdroegen aan de voorspelling van het sociale zelfconcept van leerlingen. Academisch zelfconcept werd positief voorspeld door autonomie ondersteuning. Het globale en gedragsmatige zelfconcept werden niet significant voorspeld door deze interactiedimensies. Ten tweede vonden we dat sociale preferentie een sleutelrol speelde in de ontwikkeling van leerlingen in het 2e en 3e lj. Lage sociale preferentie droeg bij tot meer storend gedrag en in mindere mate - ook tot een lagere betrokkenheid van de leerkracht. Deze laatste variabele speelde geen significante rol in de ontwikkeling van storend gedrag doorheen het 2e en 3e lj. Ten derde, de afname van het gebruik van negatieve opmerkingen door GBG leerkrachten resulteerde in verbeterd gedrag van leerlingen in de klas. Op zijn beurt mediëerde dit verbeterde klassikale gedrag van kinderen het effect van de GBG op de ontwikkeling van hun hyperactief en oppositioneel gedrag over het 2e en 3e lj. De toename in het gebruik van complimenten door de GBG-leerkracht droeg niet bij aan dit mediatie-effect. Ten slotte, het initiële niveau van taakgericht gedrag modereerde het GBG effect op de ontwikkeling van agressie over het 2e en 3e lj: de agressie van initieel weinig taakgerichte GBG leerlingen daalde in vergelijking met initieel weinig taakgerichte controleleerlingen, onafhankelijk van het initiële klassikaal niveau van taakgericht gedrag. Dit proces werd gemediëerd door een afname in de verwerping door leeftijdsgenoten. De toename in taakgericht gedrag voegde niets toe aan de mediatie. Tot besluit kunnen we stellen dat interacties met leerkrachten en leeftijdsgenoten determinanten zijn van de ontwikkeling van zelfconcept en storend gedrag. Bovendien, stelden we vast dat storende gedrag voorkomen kon worden door zich te richten op interacties met leerkrachten en leerlingen.status: Publishe
Social participation of students with special educational needs in mainstream secondary school
No full textOver the past decades, the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools has become a global trend. Social participation has been considered a key issue in the inclusion debate. Nonetheless, research including all key themes of social participation, the quality of social participation, loneliness of students with SEN and its protective factors was scarce. Moreover, at the onset of our study, a claear delineation of social participation in secondary school was still lacking. Also comparisons between subgroups of students with SEN and boys and girls with SEN were scarce.Our study on social participation of students with SEN at 7th grade aimed to address these gaps. First, the concept of social participation of students with SEN in mainstream secondary school was delineated. We identified the same four key themes as found in primary school, i.e., (1) social interactions between students with SEN and their classmates; (2) peer acceptance; (3) friendships between them and their classmates, and (4) the social self-concept of the student with SEN. Second, a large-scale study was set up, including 147 student with SEN, and their 1926 typically developing classmates. This study revealed that two to three times as many students with ASD had social difficulties and felt lonely compared to typically developing classmates. Also significantly more girls with motor and/or sensory disabilities experience social difficulties than their typically developing classmates, yet they did not feel lonely. No differences in friendship quality were found between students with SEN and their typically developing classmates, nor were significant differences found between students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities on any aspect of social participation. For 7th grade students with SEN, same-sex social self-concept was related with loneliness, but not, as for typically developing students, number of friends and opposite-sex social self-concept. Also friendship quality had a marginally significant effect on loneliness for students with SEN, but not for typically developing students.In conclusion, our findings underline the need to monitor the social situation and the subjective feelings of students with SEN more closely. Moreover, due to the different relations between friendships, social self-concept on the one hand and loneliness on the other hand, it seems that lonely students with SEN at this age are in need of different or adapted types of interventions than their classmates. Normal 0 21 false false false NL-BE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; line-height:150%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}status: Publishe
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