Explaining Variance in Achievement Motivation Among LD Students in Regular Education Classrooms

Abstract

This qualitative study identifies individual and situational differences that might explain why some LD students acquire a greater sense of mastery in regular educational settings than do other LD students. The sample of six LD students was randomly selected from 148 LD students whose teachers enhanced their mastery orientation by creating an adaptive motivational pattern for them in the classroom. The researcher and assistants questioned the teachers of the six LD students about the learning experiences of those students in an achievement situation. Teacher responses suggest that several individual and situational differences have implications for social workers interested in bringing about correspondence in the cues teachers give and the ones LD students need to acquire a sense of mastery in an inclusive setting.     

Individual differences in the nonverbal communication of affect: The diagnostic analysis of nonverbal accuracy scale

The Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy (DANVA) was designed to measure individual differences in the accurate sending and receiving of nonverbal social information. The DANVA consists of four receptive and three expressive subtests that measure nonverbal processing accuracy in children from 6 to 10 years of age. Four propositions were offered to guide the gathering of construct validity data for the DANVA. In support of the propositions, researchers found that DANVA accuracy scores increased with age, were internally consistent and reliable over time, and snowed significant relationships with indices of personal and social adjustment and academic achievement but were not related to IQ. Evidence for construct validity was stronger for receptive, as compared to expressive, subtests. Future research should include additional populations of subjects and study of the impact of intensity of emotion being sent or received.     

Learning disabled students and access to accommodations: socioeconomic status,capital, and stigma

In the 1990s, Canadian universities began implementing policies to accommodate learning disabled students. While such policies appear to make post-secondary education more accessible, students must manage considerable complexity and absorb social and financial costs to receive accommodations. Through interviews with learning disabled students, this research explores the effects of socio-economic status (SES) on how, or whether, students access accommodations at a Nova Scotian university. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu and Goffman, this study suggests that SES affects students’ abilities to navigate the accommodation process successfully, and that accommodation policies, while important, may not ensure equal access to accommodations.     

It don't go both ways: Limited bidirectionality in sociolinguistic perception

This article explores the sociolinguistic perception of morphosyntactic variation, using sociolinguistic priming experiments. Two experiments tested participants' perception of the connection between social status and variation in two English subject‐verb agreement constructions: there's+NP and NP+don't. Experiment 1 tested sentence perception and found that exposure to non‐standard agreement boosted the perception of non‐standard agreement, but only for there's+NP. Social status cues had no effect on sentence perception. Experiment 2 tested speaker perception and found that participants were more likely to believe that non‐standard agreement was produced by low‐status than high‐status speakers. Results suggest that, especially for heavily stigmatized variables, non‐standard sentences strongly constrain the social judgments made by speakers, yet social cues do not necessarily constrain linguistic perception. The results suggest that the perceptual relationship between linguistic and social knowledge may be one of only limited bidirectionality. Implications for sociolinguistic perception and exemplar‐theoretic accounts of sociolinguistic competence are discussed.     

Gender and Disability in Male‐Dominated Occupations: A Social Relational Model

Evidence from male‐dominated sectors points to high levels of disability and the disabling nature of working environments. However, research of this nature assumes a medical model of disability that does not account for the social construction of disability or the lived experiences of disabled employees. Using data from seven focus groups (n = 44) and semi‐structured interviews with professional transport employees with life‐long hidden ‘impairments’, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADD/ADHD and Asperger syndrome (n = 22), this paper explores the lived experiences of men and women working in a sector traditionally dominated by men, the transport industry. Key themes include homosociality, public–private divide and the impact of changing work practices. Further, the data revealed how those with hidden ‘impairments’ in part construct their identities in relation to both non‐disabled colleagues and those considered stereotypically representing disability (wheelchair users). This study furthers understandings of the relationality of gender and disability in the workplace, and the lived experiences of disabled employees.     

Learning Disabilities Within Postsecondary Education

Abstract

Learning disabilities (LD) are a significant issue in the U.S. educational system and the fastest growing disability group in need of services at the postsecondary educational level. This growth has led to an increase in colleges and universities offering support services to the adult LD population. However, many students are still having difficulty remaining in college and completing degree programs. This difficulty may arise, in part, from confusion and misunderstanding among postsecondary professionals, including disability support coordinators and professors. The purpose of this article is to address some of the issues postsecondary educational staff and faculty members come across when dealing with the adult learning disabled population.     

KNOWLEDGE OF NONVERBAL CUES,GENDER, AND NONVERBAL DECODING ACCURACY

The Test of Nonverbal Cue Knowledge (TONCK), a paper and pencil test measuring explicit knowledge of nonverbal cue meanings and uses, was developed and found to be reliable and to have predictive ability. In four studies, participants were given the TONCK and one or more tests of accuracy in decoding nonverbal cues the adult faces and voices tests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA) and the video and audio tests of the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS), as well as a test of general cognitive ability (the Wonderlic Personnel Test). Results are reported for the four studies individually and also in a meta-analytic summary. Females scored higher than males on the TONCK and on the PONS, and the TONCK predicted accuracy on the PONS and DANVA. Knowledge of nonverbal cues did not account for the gender difference in decoding ability on the PONS. Cognitive ability was related to the TONCK but did not compromise relations with other variables. The future utility of the TONCK, content specificity of tests, as well as the automaticity of judging cues are discussed.The authors thank Crystal Mileti, Jenna Lavery, Erica Dempsey, and Jared Majerle for their assistance in conducting this research.     

What makes a good placement? Findings of a social work student-to-student research study

Social work fieldwork placements are recognised as a key component of social work education. This article analyses the experiences of students who have completed one social work placement and examines what they felt was most effective in aiding their learning. The innovative methodology used for the research enabled first year students to design an on-line survey which they administered to their second year student colleagues. The first year students gained experience in designing and administering a piece of research, but also gained a greater understanding of what previous students have found assisted their learning on placement. This cross-sectional research surveyed accessed the 2014/15 cohort of year 1 and year 2 Masters in Social Work (MSW) students. Students reported how prepared they felt for placement and also who or what facilitated their learning on placement. Students’ perception of the volume of learning on placement was strongly correlated with satisfaction. It is argued that being able to clearly identify types of interaction that enhance students’ learning, leads to more positive outcomes for all involved in the placement experience.     

Understanding the Impact of Using Oral Histories in the Classroom

Oral histories are a powerful pedagogical tool in developing historical understanding and important learning skills simultaneously. Teachers use firsthand accounts of historical time periods and/or events to help develop students' sense of history. In addition to gaining historical understanding, students are able to bring history alive by capturing personal stories and connecting with individuals to better understand their experiences and point of view. The purpose of this interpretive case study was to explore in depth how classroom teachers can develop knowledge of the social studies by engaging students in collecting oral histories of local residents. In addition, this case study explores how these strategies impact students' perception of learning social studies and their historical understanding.     

A Measure of the Ability to Identify Emotion in Children's Tone of Voice

This paper introduces a test of the ability to decode emotion of varying intensity in the voices of children. Construction of the measure, the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy Child Paralanguage (DANVA2-CP), is described. An initial study using elementary-school-aged children found that accuracy scores increased with age, were internally consistent, and were correlated, as expected, with indices of personality and social competence. Data from 20 additional studies, using participants from across the age range, provided further evidence of construct validity for the DANVA2-CP. Based on the results, it was concluded that the DANVA2-CP may be an appropriate measure of the ability to identify emotion in children's paralinguistic presentations.     

Predictors of cyber-victimization of higher-education students with and without learning disabilities

Higher-education institutes today face an uphill battle in trying to restrain online misbehavior. This study examined the cyber-victimization experience of 1,052 higher education students with and without learning disabilities. All participants completed five online questionnaires regarding cyber-victimization, social support, self-perception, well-being, and body perception. Results revealed that compare to students without learning disabilities a higher proportion of students with learning disabilities reported cyber-victimization. Positive associations were found between students with learning disabilities and cyber-victimization, and negative correlations between students with learning disabilities, self-perception and well-being. Regression analysis indicated that for students with learning disabilities, predictors of cyber-victimization were low social support, low self-perception, and being female, whereas for students without learning disabilities, the predictors were low social support, low well-being, and low body perception.     

Relationship of sleep quality and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms with quality of life in college students

Abstract

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) negatively influences various aspects of life such as social relations, adaptive skills, and occupation. In addition, many university students experience sleep problems, academic failure, and low quality of life (QOL). We investigated the relationship among ADHD symptoms, sleep quality, and QOL of college students, and identified the factors related to their QOL. Participants and Methods: Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 195 students from March–May 2017. Results: QOL of students was related to ADHD symptoms and sleep quality. Factors significantly associated with better QOL were fewer ADHD symptoms, good sleep quality, male sex, high academic performance, and high economic status. The explanatory power of these variables on QOL was 32.0%. Conclusion: To improve the QOL of college students, a multifaceted approach that includes assessment of ADHD symptoms and sleep quality is needed.     

The expressive and communicative functions of preschool children's smiles in an achievement-situation

Two studies examined how different social contexts determine whether preschoolers' smiles in an achievement-game serve an expressive function indicating success versus failure experiences and/or a communicative function. Facial behavior was coded with the Facial Action Coding System. Unexpectedly, in Study 1 children (N=19) smiled more often after failure than after success. Study 2 investigated the influence of face-to-face contact with the experimenter on preschoolers' smiles (N=20). However, there were no differences between success and failure, but with face-to-face contact subjects exhibited more smiles than without. Features of the social situation that are supposed to determine the predominance of the communicative or expressive function of a smile are discussed.We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Detlef Friedrich and Katja Johann in the data collection and Signe Preuschoft in coding and analyzing the data.     

The social experience of physically disabled Australian university students

Research on the university experience of disabled students has focused on barriers in learning and teaching, while the social world of university has as yet gained little attention as a distinctive object of study. Here we examine social experience and socially imposed restrictions through the lenses of social capital and self-concept. A qualitative study investigated the formation of social capital and changes in self-concept amongst physically disabled Australian university students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a grounded theory approach. The study found weak social attachments at university, but stronger attachments outside. Self-concept did not appear to be structured in any direct way by university-generated social capital, partly as a consequence of its weakness.     

Disablement, Disability and the Nigerian Society

This paper seeks to examine the question of disability in developing countries, particularly Nigeria. Most of the diseases causing disabilities are preventable. Many of these are infections which could be prevented with medical care.

The perception of handicapping conditions by most Nigerians it is argued, are greatly influenced by myth and superstition, which in turn influences the negative attitude of people towards disabled people.

The lack of medical facilities has contributed to the spread of common diseases which otherwise would have been controlled or eradicated, as is the case in developed countries like Britain and America.

Rights of disabled people are emphasized. This includes the right to an education and the right of access into buildings. Fortunately, there are moves towards the attainment of these basic rights in various sectors, particularly the University of Jos which has the largest concentration of blind students in one single institution of higher learning.     

Prevalence and predictors of suicidal ideation,plan, and attempts,in first-year college students with ADHD

Abstract

Objective. The present study evaluated the prevalence of past suicidal ideation (SI), plan, and attempt in college students with ADHD (N?=?102) compared to a matched control (N?=?102). Predictors of SI, plan, and attempts, were examined. Participants. Study participants were first year college students at a large Southeastern university who completed measures during August or September of 2014 or January of 2015. Methods. Measures were completed by first year students via an online survey. Results. Prevalence rates for SI and related behaviors were higher among the ADHD group than the matched control, with suicide attempts rates four times higher in the ADHD group (13.7% vs. 2.9%). Results showed that ADHD predicted rates of SI and suicide attempt accounting for depression and key demographic variables. Conclusions. Findings have implications for suicide risk assessments conducted with college students with ADHD.     

The Importance of Practice Learning in Social Work: Do We Practice What We Preach?

This paper reports on themes identified from focus group discussions with practice educators, in which they articulated concerns about factors that limited their work with students on placement. Four key themes are identified from analysis of the data: (1) The absence of workload relief for agency based practice educators; (2) A lack of knowledge about the academic curriculum in qualifying social work programmes; (3) A sense of isolation from universities placing students with them; (4) Concerns about the quality of practice learning experiences they could provide to students. Expressions of guilt and anxiety were a prominent feature of the focus group discussions. Almost all the practice educators felt that their work in this role was not good enough. They were concerned about standards and missed opportunities to work developmentally with students who may be at risk of failing, or conversely to stimulate those who were more able. The findings suggest that universities should consider whether practice educators are sufficiently connected with other parts of the social work education system to fulfil their role.     

Anxiety and depression among college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Cross-informant,sex, and subtype differences

Objective: This study examined symptoms of anxiety and depression among college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants: Data were collected between March 2011 and March 2016 from 150 college students with ADHD and 150 college students without ADHD. Method: Participants with ADHD were compared to a sex- and ethnicity-matched control group. For the ADHD group, parent and self-report of anxiety and depression were also compared. Results: College students with ADHD self-reported significantly higher anxiety and depressive symptoms than did students without ADHD. Scores on parent-report measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly higher than scores on self-report measures. Significant sex differences were found for participants with ADHD, with females showing higher depressive and anxiety symptoms than males. Parent-reported anxiety symptoms were higher for those with inattentive type ADHD compared to combined type ADHD. Conclusion: The current study highlights the importance of multi-informant assessment in ADHD evaluations for college-aged adults.     

A Survey of Wellness/Healthy Lifestyling on College and University Campuses

Abstract

Mental health providers at university counseling and health centers should be alert to the possibility that college students with previously unrecognized attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may present for initial evaluation at their centers. This study was a systematic chart review of 42 students at an Upper Midwest university who were diagnosed with ADHD during calendar year 1993. Diagnoses were made by the treating psychiatrist, who reviewed records for presenting problems; recent associated problems; previous evaluations as a child, adolescent, or adult; and associated problems in childhood. Presenting problems included ADHD symptoms, mood symptoms, nonspecific learning disability, and academic underachievement. Associated problems were depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, drug and alcohol abuse or both, dependency, legal problems, learning disabilities, and eating disorders. Thirty-three percent had been evaluated for academic or behavior problems as children, and 36% had sought previous psychological care for non-ADHD symptoms as adults. Thirty-one percent were presenting at the university health center for their first evaluation. Childhood histories showed educational underachievement, learning disabilities, and behavior problems.