Principal–teacher relationships:Dimensionality and measurement invariance of a measure for primary and secondary school teachers

This study explored the dimensionality and measurement invariance of a multidimensional measure for evaluating teachers’ perceptions of the quality of their relationships with principals at the dyadic level. Participants were 630 teachers (85.9% female) from 220 primary and 204 secondary schools across the Netherlands. Teachers completed the 10-item Principal–Teacher Relationship Scale (PTRS) for their principals. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided evidence for a two-factor model, including a relational Closeness and Conflict dimension. Additionally, multigroup CFA results indicated strong invariance of the PTRS across school type, teacher gender, and teaching experience. Last, secondary school teachers and highly experienced teachers reported lower levels of Closeness and higher levels of Conflict in the relationship with their principal compared to primary school teachers and colleagues with less experience. Accordingly, the PTRS can be considered a valid and reliable measure that adds to the methodological repertoire of educational leadership research by focusing on both positive and negative aspects of dyadic principal–teacher relationships

Understanding the interplay between teacher self-efficacy, teacher–student interactions, and students’ self-regulated learning skills at different levels of classroom ecology.

Introduction: Studies pinpoint the importance of exploring factors in theclassroom environment that might foster students’ SRL-skills in various domains.This study explored specific teacher and classroom factors, including self-efficacyfor SRL-skills (TSE) and teacher–student interactions in relation to students’ selfregulated learning skills in various domains (metacognitive, motivational, andbehavioral). Additionally, the moderating role of teacher–student interactions inthe relationship between TSE and SRL-skills was examined.Methods: Third-to sixth grade students (N  =  1,278, 46.9% boys) from 63classrooms of Dutch elementary schools completed reports about theirmetacognitive, motivational, and behavioral SRL-skills. Teachers reported ontheir TSE for eight randomly selected students from their classes. In addition,the Classroom Assessment Scoring System was used to observe the quality ofteacher–student interactions.Results: Multilevel analyses generally revealed that individual students reportedbetter metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral SRL-skills when their teachersfelt efficacious in teaching SRL-skills. However, none of the associations atthe class level were significant. Moreover, when high-quality teacher–studentinteractions were observed, students reported lower levels of metacognitive,motivational, and behavioral SRL-skills. No moderating effect of teacher–student interactions on the relation between TSE and SRL-skills was found.Discussion: These findings show that specific measures of TSE at the appropriatelevel of analysis may help to better explain variation in TSE and students’ SRL-skills

The Relational Side of Teachers’ Self-efficacy:Assimilation and Contrast Effects of Classroom Relational Climate on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy

Although much is known about the sources of teachers' self-efficacy (TSE), less attention has been paid to the social-contextual specificity of TSE and the processes influencing the relevance of TSE information sources. This study investigated both dyad-level relationships and the classroom relational climate as predictors of TSE at the student and classroom level. Additionally, we explored two competing hypotheses—assimilation and contrast—articulating how teachers use information conveyed by classroom relationship experiences as a heuristic to interpret relationship experiences with individual students as a TSE source. Elementary school teachers (N = 86; 72.05% female) completed the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale and Student-Specific Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale for randomly selected children (N = 687, 50.1% girls, Grades 3–6) from their classes. Doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test for associations of Closeness and Conflict with TSE at both the student (L1) and classroom level (L2). Contextual effects, corresponding to associations of classroom-level Closeness and Conflict with TSE above the same associations at the student level, were calculated to test assimilation and contrast hypotheses. At L1, results indicated positive associations between Closeness and TSE and negative associations between Conflict and TSE. At L2, only Conflict was negatively associated with TSE. Consistent with the contrast hypothesis, the contextual effect of Closeness, but not Conflict, was negative and significant. Hence, teachers' judgments of a relatively close classroom relational climate may lead them to perceive relational closeness with individual students in a more negative light, resulting in lower levels of TSE toward these students

Self-regulated learning:Validating a task-specific questionnaire for children in elementary school

This paper describes the development and initial validation of the Cognition and Emotion/Motivation Regulation (CEMOR) questionnaire, a task-specific questionnaire for upper elementary school students that measures self-regulated learning (SRL). Using a multistep procedure, 22 items were developed, divided over five theory-informed dimensions (Planning, Monitoring, Cognition Control, Emotion/Motivation Control, and Reflecting). The CEMOR was applied in a math context. Children from grades 3–6 (N = 547, 54.7 % females) completed the CEMOR. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the five proposed scales have adequate to good model fit, with factor loadings ranging from .54 to .83, and acceptable to good composite reliability (ρ range = .75–.85). To find further validity support, the SRL scales were correlated with students’ performance on a math task, experienced emotions, and level of motivation during the task. Most correlations were statistically significant and in the expected direction. Hence, the CEMOR questionnaire shows promise as a new SRL instrument for elementary education

Pathways Into Literacy:The Role of Early Oral Language Abilities and Family Risk for Dyslexia

The present study investigated the role of early oral language and family risk for dyslexia in the two developmental pathways toward reading comprehension, through word reading and through oral language abilities. The sample contained 237 children (164 at family risk for dyslexia) from the Dutch Dyslexia Program. Longitudinal data were obtained on seven occasions when children were between 4 and 12 years old. The relationship between early oral language ability and reading comprehension at the age of 12 years was mediated by preliteracy skills and word-decoding ability for the first pathway and by later language abilities for the second pathway. Family risk influenced literacy development through its subsequent relations with preliteracy skills, word decoding, and reading comprehension. Although performance on language measures was often lower for the family-risk group than for the no-family-risk group, family risk did not have a specific relation with either early or later oral language abilities

Comparative genomics of prevaccination and modern Bordetella pertussis strains

Contains fulltext : 89571.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Despite vaccination since the 1950s, pertussis has persisted and resurged. It remains a major cause of infant death worldwide and is the most prevalent vaccine-preventable disease in developed countries. The resurgence of pertussis has been associated with the expansion of Bordetella pertussis strains with a novel allele for the pertussis toxin (Ptx) promoter, ptxP3, which have replaced resident ptxP1 strains. Compared to ptxP1 strains, ptxP3 produce more Ptx resulting in increased virulence and immune suppression. To elucidate how B. pertussis has adapted to vaccination, we compared genome sequences of two ptxP3 strains with four strains isolated before and after the introduction vaccination. RESULTS: The distribution of SNPs in regions involved in transcription and translation suggested that changes in gene regulation play an important role in adaptation. No evidence was found for acquisition of novel genes. Modern strains differed significantly from prevaccination strains, both phylogenetically and with respect to particular alleles. The ptxP3 strains were found to have diverged recently from modern ptxP1 strains. Differences between ptxP3 and modern ptxP1 strains included SNPs in a number of pathogenicity-associated genes. Further, both gene inactivation and reactivation was observed in ptxP3 strains relative to modern ptxP1 strains. CONCLUSIONS: Our work suggests that B. pertussis adapted by successive accumulation of SNPs and by gene (in)activation. In particular changes in gene regulation may have played a role in adaptation

Research protocol of the NeedYD-study (Needs in Young onset Dementia): a prospective cohort study on the needs and course of early onset dementia

Contains fulltext : 89407.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Early onset dementia has serious consequences for patients and their family members. Although there has been growing attention for this patient group, health care services are still mainly targeted at the elderly. Specific knowledge of the needs of early onset dementia patients and their families is limited but necessary for the development of adequate health care services and specific guidelines. This research project is mainly targeted at delineating the course of early onset dementia, the functional characteristics and needs of early onset dementia patients and their caregivers, the risk factors for institutionalization and the interaction with the caring environment. METHODS/DESIGN: The NeedYD-study (Needs in Young Onset Dementia) is a longitudinal observational study investigating early onset dementia patients and their caregivers (n = 217). Assessments are performed every six months over two years and consist of interviews and questionnaires with patients and caregivers. The main outcomes are (1) the needs of patients and caregivers, as measured by the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly (CANE) and (2) neuropsychiatric symptoms, as measured by the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Qualitative analyses will be performed in order to obtain more in-depth information on the experiences of EOD patients and their family members. The results of this study will be compared with comparable data on late onset dementia from a historical cohort. DISCUSSION: The study protocol of the NeedYD-study is presented here. To our knowledge, this study is the first prospective cohort study in this research area. Although some limitations exist, these do not outweigh the strong points of this study design

Further evidence for social projection in the classroom : Predicting perceived ethnic norms

This longitudinal study examines whether children in late childhood (age 7–12) project their ethnic attitudes on their classroom peer group, by using these attitudes to predict children's perceptions of the descriptive ethnic norms in their classroom. Children's norm perceptions were relatively unstable over a half year period, and their ethnic minority group attitudes in the fall uniquely predicted their perceptions of the corresponding classroom norm in the spring. This effect seemed to be unrelated to age-related cognitive limitations, because it was equally strong for younger versus older participants and absent for children's majority group attitudes. Results indicate that children can use social projection to make inferences about ethnic classroom norms, which has important implications for peer influence studies that rely on subjective norm perceptions: What seems to be a normative influence in those studies might (partly) be a perpetuation and strengthening of children's prior attitudes and beliefs via social projection

Further evidence for social projection in the classroom : Predicting perceived ethnic norms

This longitudinal study examines whether children in late childhood (age 7–12) project their ethnic attitudes on their classroom peer group, by using these attitudes to predict children's perceptions of the descriptive ethnic norms in their classroom. Children's norm perceptions were relatively unstable over a half year period, and their ethnic minority group attitudes in the fall uniquely predicted their perceptions of the corresponding classroom norm in the spring. This effect seemed to be unrelated to age-related cognitive limitations, because it was equally strong for younger versus older participants and absent for children's majority group attitudes. Results indicate that children can use social projection to make inferences about ethnic classroom norms, which has important implications for peer influence studies that rely on subjective norm perceptions: What seems to be a normative influence in those studies might (partly) be a perpetuation and strengthening of children's prior attitudes and beliefs via social projection