12 research outputs found
Personality characteristics of Greek mothers of children with special needs who are involved in special needs support centres
It is generally accepted that support of the family is critical for
effective intervention in the case of a child with special educational needs (SEN).
The quality of this support highly depends on the personality characteristics and
the mental health of the parents. It has also been argued that, because of the
increased pressure and the strain of having to care for a child with SEN, the
opportunity to learn from and share problems with other families is very
beneficial. It is also essential to seek emotional support at times of crisis through
the means of parent support groups. This empirical study focuses on the mothers'
personality since they are more directly affected by their child's disability. The
aim of the study was to examine whether participation in parent support groups
and sharing with others the care of a child with SEN affect the self-esteem, the
coping mechanisms and the depression of mothers with such children.peer-reviewe
Do Girls and Boys Perceive Themselves as Equally Engaged in School? The Results of an International Study from 12 Countries
This study examined gender differences in student engagement and academic
performance in school. Participants included 3420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th
graders) from Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal,
Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results
indicated that, compared to boys, girls reported higher levels of engagement in
school andwere rated higher by their teachers in academic performance. Student
engagement accounted for gender differences in academic performance, but
gender did not moderate the associations among student engagement, academic
performance, or contextual supports. Analysis of multiple-group structural
equation modeling revealed that perceptions of teacher support and parent
support, but not peer support, were related indirectly to academic performance
through student engagement. This partial mediation model was invariant across
gender. The findings from this study enhance the understanding about the
contextual and personal factors associated with girls' and boys' academic
performance around the world
Primary School Students with Reading Comprehension Difficulties and Students with Learning Disabilities: Exploring Their Goal Orientations, Classroom Goal Structures, and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies
The aim of the present study was to investigate goal orientations and classroom goal structures and their relationship with strategies of self-regulated learning (SRL) in students with and without learning disabilities (LD) and reading comprehension difficulties (RCD). The sample consisted of 537 students attending the two last grades of primary school, fifth and sixth grade (Mage = 11.28 years, SD = ±0.59). Of these, 58 students were diagnosed with LD, and 70 students, after individually administered assessments in reading accuracy and reading comprehension, were assigned to the RCD group. Self-reported questionnaires were administered, assessing students’ personal goal orientations, classroom goal structures, and strategies of SRL. The results showed that students with LD and students with RCD scored lower in mastery orientation and higher in performance avoidance compared to their peers without difficulties (ND). LD students reported lower scores of adaptive strategies than their peers. In addition, the results confirmed the adaptive character of mastery-approach goals and mastery goal structures and the negative effects of performance-avoidance goals and performance goal structures on the adaptive strategies of SRL. Performance-approach goals predicted adaptive behaviors for all students, confirming the argument of an adaptive type of motivation. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of goal orientations and classroom goal structures for students’ SRL. Implications of the findings for enhancing motivation for students with LD and students with RCD are discussed
Primary School Students with Reading Comprehension Difficulties and Students with Learning Disabilities: Exploring Their Goal Orientations, Classroom Goal Structures, and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies
The aim of the present study was to investigate goal orientations and classroom goal structures and their relationship with strategies of self-regulated learning (SRL) in students with and without learning disabilities (LD) and reading comprehension difficulties (RCD). The sample consisted of 537 students attending the two last grades of primary school, fifth and sixth grade (Mage = 11.28 years, SD = ±0.59). Of these, 58 students were diagnosed with LD, and 70 students, after individually administered assessments in reading accuracy and reading comprehension, were assigned to the RCD group. Self-reported questionnaires were administered, assessing students’ personal goal orientations, classroom goal structures, and strategies of SRL. The results showed that students with LD and students with RCD scored lower in mastery orientation and higher in performance avoidance compared to their peers without difficulties (ND). LD students reported lower scores of adaptive strategies than their peers. In addition, the results confirmed the adaptive character of mastery-approach goals and mastery goal structures and the negative effects of performance-avoidance goals and performance goal structures on the adaptive strategies of SRL. Performance-approach goals predicted adaptive behaviors for all students, confirming the argument of an adaptive type of motivation. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of goal orientations and classroom goal structures for students’ SRL. Implications of the findings for enhancing motivation for students with LD and students with RCD are discussed
An Eight-Layer Model for Mathematical Cognition
In recent years, more and more researchers have been investigating mathematical knowledge, as well as the cognitive skills that seem to be related to the improvement of mathematical thinking, numerical skills, mathematical logic and problem solving techniques. In this paper, we present the cognitive processes that are related to mathematical performance, such as working memory, anxiety, attention, spatial cognition, executive function and phonological awareness. In addition, we refer to metacognitive skills and their role in controlling and regulating cognitive processes, in order to improve mathematical performance. Finally, we present a new taxonomy of mathematical skills, the pyramid of mathematical cognition, as well as their gradual development through the appropriate cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms
An Eight-Layer Model for Mathematical Cognition
In recent years, more and more researchers have been investigating mathematical knowledge, as well as the cognitive skills that seem to be related to the improvement of mathematical thinking, numerical skills, mathematical logic and problem solving techniques. In this paper, we present the cognitive processes that are related to mathematical performance, such as working memory, anxiety, attention, spatial cognition, executive function and phonological awareness. In addition, we refer to metacognitive skills and their role in controlling and regulating cognitive processes, in order to improve mathematical performance. Finally, we present a new taxonomy of mathematical skills, the pyramid of mathematical cognition, as well as their gradual development through the appropriate cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms
Neurofeedback and ADHD
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder across children population and much research is being conducted to find the best ADHD treatment. Neurofeedback (NF) is widely used for the treatment of ADHD, thus such ADHD cases will be reviewed in this study. As an introduction, a short overview of the definition of ADHD and Neurofeedback, as well as the history of neurofeedback in ADHD will be given. The main part of the paper will present a literature review of neurofeedback in ADHD while mentioning the effects of this treatment. Results and evaluation of NF applications among other treatments are to be discussed in the conclusion, showing that NF is quite promising on ADHD subjects
Occupational stress in mainstream and special needs primary school teachers and its relationship with self-efficacy
In recent years there has been intense interest in teachers'
occupational stress in the educational community. The aim of the present
study was to investigate the relationship between occupational stress
and self-efficacy among primary school teachers working in mainstream
and special education schools. The sample consisted of 501 teachers (412
women and 89 men) working in schools mainly in Athens, Greece. The
Occupational Stress Scale for teachers and the Teachers' Sense of
Efficacy Scale were administered to the teachers. The findings showed
that the specific stress factors for teachers included government and
school administration's favouritism, time pressure and pupils'
character, pupils' improvement, resources and equipment, as well as
support from parents and society. Moreover, mainstream school teachers
reported higher levels of stress and higher levels of self-efficacy in
comparison to special educational needs teachers. Individual variables
were also shown to have an effect of teachers' stress and self-efficacy
Understanding and Measuring Student Engagement in School: The Results of an International Study From 12 Countries
The objective of the present study was to develop a scale that is appropriate for use internationally to measure affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement. Psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data of 3,420 students (7th, 8th, and 9th grade) from 12 countries (Austria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The intraclass correlation of the full-scale scores of student engagement between countries revealed that it was appropriate to aggregate the data from the 12 countries for further analyses. Coefficient alphas revealed good internal consistency. Test–retest reliability coefficients were also acceptable. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the data fit well to a second-order model with affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement as the
first-order factors and student engagement as the second-order factor. The results
support the use of this scale to measure student engagement as a metaconstruct.
Furthermore, the significant correlations of the scale with instructional practices,
teacher support, peer support, parent support, emotions, academic performance, and school conduct indicated good concurrent validity of the scale. Considerations and implications regarding the international use of this student engagement in school measure are discussed