Conceptualizing and measuring the life space and its relation to openness to experience

The Life Space is divided into four domains that surround personality, which broadly encompass a person\u27s biological foundations, owned possessions, interactions and daily activities, and group memberships. In Study 1, a revised measure of the Life Space (the College Student Life Space Scale) was developed. Factor analysis of the items within each domain resulted in 96 meaningful and reliable factor-based scales that provided a rich description of college students\u27 personal surroundings and everyday behavior. A second-order (hierarchical) factor analysis of the first-order scales resulted in seven global Life Space dimensions. In Study 2, the first- and second-order Life Space scales were used as criterion measures to test the construct validity of Openness to Experience (Openness). Also in Study 2, cross-validated criterion-keyed Life Space scales were developed to compare individual Life Space items for high and low scoring individuals on Openness. The results of Study 1 replicated and expanded upon previous research on the structure of the Life Space. The results of Study 2 supported the construct validity or social significance of Openness. The value of a more detailed and comprehensive approach to studying personality within the context of the external systems that surround the person is discussed

National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development: A Research Agenda for the Next Generation

We know more now than we ever have about how learning happens. But there are still many questions to be answered and, too often, important insights from research aren't communicated to the very people who could use it most - the educators who work with our children on a daily basis. This research agenda for the next generation makes recommendations for a new research paradigm that bridges the divide between scholarly research and what's actionable in our classrooms, schools, and communities

Bullying Intervention in Adolescence: The Intersection of Legislation, Policies, and Behavioral Change

This article reviews current research on bullying during adolescence. The complexity of bullying behaviors during the adolescent time period are discussed and a review of the developmental literature on adolescence provides suggestions for why current bullying prevention and intervention programs are less effective for this age group. Current anti-bullying policies and legislation are reviewed under a framework of adolescent brain development and the development of consequential thinking. Suggestions for implementing social-emotional learning programming during the adolescent period are provided and a novel approach using social media is presented. In order to effectively combat bullying during this developmental period, programming must focus of positive behavioral development and restorative practices

Bullying Intervention in Adolescence: The Intersection of Legislation, Policies, and Behavioral Change

This article reviews current research on bullying during adolescence. The complexity of bullying behaviors during the adolescent time period are discussed and a review of the developmental literature on adolescence provides suggestions for why current bullying prevention and intervention programs are less effective for this age group. Current anti-bullying policies and legislation are reviewed under a framework of adolescent brain development and the development of consequential thinking. Suggestions for implementing social-emotional learning programming during the adolescent period are provided and a novel approach using social media is presented. In order to effectively combat bullying during this developmental period, programming must focus of positive behavioral development and restorative practices

Promoting Mental Health and Psychological Thriving in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Well-Being Interventions

This study aimed to address the decline in mental health on U.S. university campuses by examining the effects of three interventions. University students suffer from high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Counseling centers on university campuses are struggling to meet increased demand. The cost to students and universities could be buffered by offering preventative, psychoeducational, and skill-building training programs that promote mental health and psychological thriving. To date, the research literature has not yielded systematically evaluated and recommendable preventative mental health and well-being programs for university students. In a registered, randomized controlled trial, 131 university students were either placed in a non-intervention control group (N = 47) or received training in one of three 30-hour, eight-week semester-long well-being programs: SKY Campus Happiness (“SKY”; N = 29), Foundations of Emotional Intelligence (“EI”; N = 21) or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (“MBSR”; N = 34). Compared to the control group and controlling for variance of baseline measurements and multiple comparisons, SKY Campus Happiness showed the greatest impact, benefiting six outcomes: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive affect and social connectedness. EI benefited one outcome: mindfulness. The MBSR group showed no change. Delivering SKY or EI to university students may be a cost-effective and efficient way to proactively and preventatively address mental health for university students and reduce the financial strain on universities

Promoting Mental Health and Psychological Thriving in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Well-Being Interventions.

This study aimed to address the decline in mental health on U.S. university campuses by examining the effects of three interventions. University students suffer from high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Counseling centers on university campuses are struggling to meet increased demand. The cost to students and universities could be buffered by offering preventative, psychoeducational, and skill-building training programs that promote mental health and psychological thriving. To date, the research literature has not yielded systematically evaluated and recommendable preventative mental health and well-being programs for university students. In a registered, randomized controlled trial, 131 university students were either placed in a non-intervention control group (N = 47) or received training in one of three 30-hour, eight-week semester-long well-being programs: SKY Campus Happiness ("SKY"; N = 29), Foundations of Emotional Intelligence ("EI"; N = 21) or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ("MBSR"; N = 34). Compared to the control group and controlling for variance of baseline measurements and multiple comparisons, SKY Campus Happiness showed the greatest impact, benefiting six outcomes: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive affect and social connectedness. EI benefited one outcome: mindfulness. The MBSR group showed no change. Delivering SKY or EI to university students may be a cost-effective and efficient way to proactively and preventatively address mental health for university students and reduce the financial strain on universities

Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Spain: A Pilot Study of The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning

This study examined the effects of an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program, The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning (RULER), on teacher self reports of engagement, teacher-student interactions, and burnout. Participants were 47 teachers from 19 public schools in Spain who either volunteered for training on RULER (n = 24) or eLearning (n = 23). Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted separately for each outcome. Teachers in the RULER as compared to eLearning group had significantly higher scores on many outcomes even after controlling for gender, age, trait affect, and personality, as well as pre-test scores on all outcomes. These findings extend the literature on the effectiveness of SEL programs for the improvement of teacher practices; they also advance our understanding of possible mechanisms for promoting high-quality professional development

On emotionally intelligent time travel: Individual differences in affective forecasting ability

available options would make them feel. Yet, recent research suggests that such predictions, or affective forecasts, often are inaccurate. There are, after all, a number of obstacles to successful emotional time travel-people are likely to err in affective forecasting if they inaccurately envision the future event itself, misremember how they felt in response to similar past events, or fail to adequately take into account the host of potential differences between their physical and psychological state at the time of forecasting and the time of experiencin

Stress ocupacional e alteração do Estatuto da Carreira Docente português

Este estudo foi realizado com 1162 professores, tendo como objetivo analisar a experiência de stress e a síndrome de “burnout”, antes a após a alteração do Estatuto da Carreira Docente em Portugal. Assim, foram efetuadas duas avaliações em momentos temporais distintos, assumindo-se um plano transversal de recolha de dados (2004/2005, n=689 e 2008/2009, n=473). O protocolo de avaliação incluiu medidas de fontes de stress (Questionário de Stress nos Professores, Gomes, Silva, Mourisco, Mota, & Montenegro, 2006) e de “burnout” (Inventário de “Burnout” de Maslach – Versão para Professores, Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996; Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1996, Adaptação de Gomes et al., 2006). Os resultados indicaram que a experiência de stress e de “burnout” aumentou entre as duas avaliações, verificando-se em 2008/2009 aumentos em áreas relacionadas com as pressões de tempo/excesso de trabalho e com o trabalho burocrático/administrativo e, inversamente, diminuições em áreas relacionadas com as diferentes capacidades e motivações dos alunos. Quanto à predição da síndrome de “burnout”, não se verificaram alterações substanciais nas variáveis preditoras nos dois momentos. Em síntese, os resultados indicaram aumentos nas exigências profissionais dos professores, mas não se pode afirmar que tal se deva às alterações do Estatuto da Carreira Docente uma vez que não observámos alterações no stress associado à carreira docente.(undefined