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Peer victimization among children is a major concern in our society as it is associated with a number of adjustment difficulties that manifest over time. Although peer victimization declines for most children during the elementary school years, research suggests that between 2-25% of children continue to report high-stable or increasing levels of peer victimization over time. However, little is known about the developmental changes that explain why children become locked into these high-risk groups. Using a longitudinal sample of children in grades 1-3 followed across 5 waves of assessments, this dissertation investigated how differences in the chronicity of children's peer victimization experiences relate to changes in their mental health (internalizing and externalizing symptoms), social competence (prosocial leadership and social responsibility), and experiences of school climate. Latent class analyses revealed that children follow 4 distinct trajectory groups of physical and relational peer victimization characterized by chronically high (ns = 102 & 199, physical and relational respectively), increasing (ns = 115 & 169), decreasing (ns = 466 & 174) or low stable (ns = 1260 & 1402) levels of physical and relational peer victimization across time. Findings from multilevel analyses showed that the peer victimization subgroups also varied in their longitudinal patterns of mental health, social competence and experiences of school climate after accounting for differences in sex, age, socioeconomic status, and prevention program participation. Children who had chronically high levels of peer victimization had higher mental health symptoms, lower levels of social competence and poorer experiences of school climate consistently over time compared to children in the low stable group. Children who reported increasing levels of peer victimization over time had slower rates of improvement in their social competence than children in the low stable group. Furthermore, children with increasing levels of peer victimization also had declining experiences of school climate over time compared to children in the low stable peer victimization group. The heterogeneity in children’s experiences of peer victimization suggest that programs need to tailor prevention efforts to the specific needs of at-risk children who adjust differently to their victimization experiences. / Graduate

Some investigators have proposed that concept learning in humans can best be explained in terms of internalized processes mediating between the external stimulus and overt response. This approach contrasts with "single-unit" theory, emphasizing direct association between stimulus and response. Some psychologists advocate the developmental hypothesis that single-unit theory applies to lower organisms but that mediational theory holds for advanced organisms. Comparative psychological studies have yielded inconclusive findings with respect to this hypothesis. Some investigators have tried to experimentally influence the hypothesized mediating process by teaching subjects verbalizations which could serve as mediating responses. In general, findings suggest that older children utilize verbal mediators more readily than younger children. The current investigation stems from interest in whether young children have a specific inability to mediate verbally or a more general deficiency in mediation. Are mediating processes in young children possible on a “sensori-motor” level? The purpose of the present research is to compare younger and older children in their use of perceptual cues as a basis for mediation and in their preferences for perceptual versus verbal cues when these are in conflict. Fifty nursery-school children and seventy-five second-grade children learned two successive discriminations. The stimuli, cylinders varying in size (large-small) and brightness (black-white), were arranged on a tray before a vertical clown's face. The child put one of two stimuli taken from the tray into the clown's mouth and was rewarded, when correct, by the clown's nose blinking, an edible item, and praise. In the first discrimination a large, black cylinder was positive; in the second task the "small" object was rewarded, regardless of brightness. Since the first discrimination was solvable on the basis of either size or brightness (or both), the experimenter could attempt to influence the subject to make a mediating response to a particular dimension. The major experimental variables manipulated for this purpose during the initial discrimination were (1) kind of object arrangement on the tray, and (2) kind of verbal label children applied to the stimuli. The size arrangement, for example, had same-sized objects in proximity; but brightness was randomly distributed. In the size verbalization condition the child was instructed to precede his choices with the appropriate size label, i.e., "big" or "little." Independent groups received the following treatments at each age level: (1) size arrangement, (2) brightness arrangement, (3) size arrangement and brightness verbalization, simultaneously,(4) brightness arrangement and size verbalization, simultaneously, and (5) random arrangement, no verbalization (control). The major dependent variable was the mean number of trials to criterion on the second task, as it was assumed that ease of learning the "small" concept was an index of availability of the size dimension relative to the brightness dimension. The results indicated that both younger and older children responded in a mediational manner to the perceptual arrangements, suggesting that previous findings regarding lack of verbal mediation in young children should not be generalized to include other modes of mediation. The interfering effect of perceptually emphasizing an irrelevant dimension was stronger for younger children than for older children. Older children were more influenced than the younger children by relevant verbal cues. When relevant verbal cues were pitted against irrelevant perceptual cues, the former dominated with older children, but the latter with younger children. Younger children, however, were not influenced as predicted by relevant perceptual cues nor older children by irrelevant verbal cues . These discrepancies were discussed in terms of the nature of the experimental manipulations. It was tentatively concluded, subject to further verification, that younger children favor perceptual mediation and older children verbal mediation. / This thesis was digitized as part of a project begun in 2014 to increase the number of Duke psychology theses available online. The digitization project was spearheaded by Ciara Healy.

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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The present study investigated the atypically developing preschool children's numerical abilities in a variety of tasks. The microgenetic methodology was employed in this study in order to capture the change and variability of the participants' numerical abilities. First, it used a matching task to investigate the participants' ability to recognize equivalence in sets composed of high and low similarity items. Second, the abilities involved in counting, calculation, and production of a given numerical set was studied through different task, such as: Board Game, Give-A-Number, and Calculation. The results indicated that while atypically developing children are able to recognize equivalence by the age of 4 Y2 years in sets of high and low similarity, this ability is not generalized to all kind of contexts yet. Instead, participants did better in a context that provides perceptual and conceptual support. In addition, the results from counting, calculation, and production of a set revealed that there is a gradual development of these numerical abilities, which are initially isolated and context dependent and later become more integrated. The results also suggest that the learning of mathematics involves the interrelation of procedural and conceptual knowledge. Furthermore, participants showed different profiles of understanding according to their individual differences. In order to create effective educational programs and to assess mathematical di fficulties in children developing atypically, researcher and teachers need to collect information about the factors that might influence the development of mathematical abilities. This study contributed to the growth ofthis knowledge. / 2031-01-01

An independent groups comparative design was used to investigate mothers' attributions and affective-behavioural responses in relation to their pre-school child's problem behaviour. Mothers' beliefs about the age at which children develop aspects of social understanding and skills was also investigated. One group involved mothers whose pre-school child was identified as presenting with a behaviour problem, a second group involved' mothers of a 'non-problem' pre-school child. A premise of the research, however, was that all young children will at times present their parents with behaviour management problems. Participants were recruited from a number of sources, predominantly within community settings. Twenty-one participants were assigned to each group. The main findings were that groups differed significantly in terms of the extent to which participants believed their child had misbehaved in order to deliberately upset them, with problem group participants rating their child as having acted more intentionally. There was some evidence that groups also differed in relation to the extent to which they believed their cnild had control over the causes of their misbehaviour, with non-problem group participants rating their child as having more control. No group differences were found in terms of mothers' estimates of the age at which children develop a range of skills and understanding. Groups were also found to differ significantly in the number of child misbehaviour incidents they resolved and the type of behaviour response strategies used. Participants in the non-problem group were more likely to use 'co-operative' responses than those in the problem group. There was also a suggestion of some differences between groups in terms of reported affective responses to child misbehaviour. Results are discussed in relation to previous research and relevant theoretical literature. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are suggested.

This project was an exploratory study of malperformance among 60 children of the seventh grade of Creston Elementary School, Portland, Oregon. This class was described as an unusually disruptive group of students and was considered by the school as one of the most troublesome in the school's history. The study focused on the concept of malperformance itself and the reliability of its assessment. The major hypotheses were these: A. Teachers are consistent among themselves in how they define malperformance and in whom they designate as malperformers. B. Teachers' and students' estimation of the students' level of performance in the dimensions studied are positively related. C. A student's self- estimate in the dimensions studied is related to his estimation of the teachers' reactions to himself and other classmates. D. The label of malperformer is associated with lower ratings of personal behavior and school subject grades. E. Factors of sex, age, and I.Q. are related to malperformance. Each teacher was asked to define malperformance and to identify malperforming students in his class. Each student was asked if he felt the teachers liked him and if they were fair. The Pupil Behavior Inventory, a standardized rating scale dealing with five areas of student behavior, was administered to the teachers. A modified form of the Pupil Behavior Inventory was administered to each student to determine his assessment of his own behavior. Data was analyzed with the help of statistical tests of significance to evaluate the differences obtained. Study findings did not support the hypothesis that teachers are consistent among themselves in how they defined malperformance and which students they designated as malperformers. Each teacher defined malperformance differently. Some definitions were difficult to interpret in terms of specific behavior traits. There was only 53% marginal probability that another teacher would agree when a particular teacher designated a student as a malperformer. However, there was no significant difference in the number of students designated as malperformers by each teacher. Findings yielded evidence to support the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between the teachers' estimation of the level of the students' performance and the students' own assessment of his performance. Students designated as normals rated their own behavior very close to teacher ratings. In contrast, malperformers tended to rate their behavior much higher than did the teachers; however, malperformer self-ratings were lower than self-ratings of the other students. Malperformers had lower personal behavior and school subject grades than normals. No significant differences were found in the I. Q. range for normals and malperformers. This study indicated the need for more clarity and consistency in evaluating student behavior within the school system. Further research is needed in developing methods of identifying problem students and how to best help them.

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<p>Using the social constructionist theoretical framework as a point of departure, the primary aim of the study is to explore the extent to which the meanings that children assign to &lsquo / childhood&rsquo / are ideologically configured. More specifically, using the concept of well-being as a hermeneutic key, the study examines how children use specific discursive resources and repertoires to assign meaning to &lsquo / childhood&rsquo / . The outcome of this on children&rsquo / s meaning assignation and constructions of childhood is characterized by a consensus/contestation dichotomy as ichildren appear to both accept and resist the ideology. This emerges at the intrapersonal level (within the consciousness of children), the interpersonal level (between children) and societal level (between children and adult society). The study concludes by advancing the notion that childhood should be conceived of as an ideological configured construction, and not merely as a discursive construction, functioning within various social contexts. Thus, the meanings of childhood, whether constructed by, or present in discourses, cannot be independent from the ideologically configured social, historical and material structures. It is believed that this theoretical maneuver will bring theories of childhood into better alignment with practical actions resulting in opportunities for intervention, services, monitoring and research initiatives, as well as policy development and implementation, aimed at improving child and youth wellness.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1929. / Vita. Published also as Teachers college, Columbia university, Contributions to education, no. 348. Bibliography: p. 52-53.