Reliability and Validity of a Teacher Impressions Scale to Assess Social Play of Swedish Children in Inclusive Preschools

Play and peer interactions are crucial for children?s socioemotional development and growth. However, children with special needs, disabilities, and developmental delays may not participate in play with peers as much as typically developing children. Reliable and valid assessment information of children?s social behavior is necessary to design programs that support the socioemotional development of young children with and without special needs. The Teacher Impression Scale (TIS) is a behavioral rating scale based on systematic observations of children?s social behaviors in play. The study aimed to examine the internal structure evidence and the reliability of the Swedish version of the TIS. A sample of 46 preschool teachers used the TIS to rate the social behavior of 92 children. Teachers observed children with special education needs (SEN) and typically developing children (TD) during a 2-week time to assess the children?s social interactions in different play situations. The results showed that the Swedish version of the TIS, the TIS-S, is reliable and can help teachers to identify the need of support for children in play and social interaction in inclusive preschool environments. Furthermore, the instrument could also be useful for identifying special educational strategies aimed at strengthening the social interaction between children

Experiences of a guided smartphone-based behavioral activation therapy for depression: A qualitative study

Recently, a number of studies have investigated treatments administered via smartphones showing that this treatment format has a potential to be effective. However, we still have limited knowledge of how patients experience this treatment format. The objective of this study was to explore participants' views of a smartphone-based behavioral activation treatment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 strategically (participants with different overall experiences) selected participants, suffering from major depression according to the DSM-IV. The interview data were processed with the aid of thematic analysis. The analysis generated the three main themes: Commitment, Treatment and Lack of important components, with attached subthemes. In conclusion, the findings from the current study correspond with existing knowledge in the field of internet-based treatment. Considering that this kind of treatment is still quite new, the need for further research and development is considerable. Nevertheless, its availability, assimilation into users' everyday lives and possible motivational qualities speak of its potential

Research methods anxiety, attitude, self-efficacy and academic effort: A social cognitive theory perspective

AbstractThe integration and mandatory study of research method courses by university students is a global phenomenon. However, students demonstrate apprehension and disinterest in research methods courses. Consequently, this study investigated the interplay among research methods anxiety, positive disposition toward research, perception of usefulness, self-efficacy, and academic effort in research. Paper-and-pencil questionnaires were used to collect data from a convenience sample of 636 technical university students in Ghana. Based on partial least squares structural equation modeling results, research anxiety reduces students’ self-beliefs (β = −0.172; t = 2.729; p = .000) and negatively affects perception of research usefulness (β = −0.172; t = 2.729; p = .000). A positive disposition towards research enhances students’ academic efforts in research (β = 0.919; t = 3.308; p = 0.001). Furthermore, self-efficacy drives students’ efforts (β = −0.172; t = 2.729; p = .000), enhances positive disposition toward research (β = 0.191; t = 3.308; p = .001) and perception of research usefulness among students (β = 0.224; t = 3.064; p = .002). Students’ perception of research usefulness mediates the relationship between anxiety and effort in research (β = −0.075; t = 3.653; p = .000), positive research disposition and effort (β = −0.056; t = 2.519; p = .012) as well as research self-efficacy and effort in studies (β = 0.083; t = 3.02; p = .003)

Study protocol for a non-randomized controlled trial of the effects of internet-based parent training as a booster to the preschool edition of PATHS®: Universal edition of the Parent Web.

Well implemented, universal parental support is often effective in families with younger children, but research on their effects on families with adolescent children is scarce. In this study, a trial of the universal parent training intervention "Parent Web" in early adolescence is added to the social emotional learning intervention Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS®), completed in early childhood. The Parent Web is a universal online parenting intervention based on social learning theory. The intervention aims to promote positive parenting and family interaction through five weekly modules completed over 6-8 weeks. The main hypothesis is that participants in the intervention group will exhibit significant pre- to post- intervention-related benefits relative participants in the comparison group. The aims of this study are: 1) provide Parent Web as a booster aimed at improving parenting support and practices at the transition into adolescence to a cohort of parents whose children have previously participated in preschool PATHS, and 2) examine the effects of the universal edition of Parent Web. The study has a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-testing. The incremental effects of this internet-delivered parent training intervention are tested in parents of early adolescents (11-13 years) who participated in PATHS when 4-5 years old compared to a matched sample of adolescents with no prior experience of PATHS. The primary outcomes are parent reported child behavior and family relationships. Secondary outcomes include self-reported parent health and stress. The proposed study is one of the few trials to test the effects of universal parental support in families of early adolescents and will therefore contribute to the understanding of how mental health in children and young people can be promoted across developmental periods through a continuum of universal measures. Trial registration: Clinical trials.gov (NCT05172297), prospectively registered on December 29, 2021