<p> Although districts and schools have implemented several types of parental engagement programs, numerous programs fail to meet the needs of African American parents, especially during the high school years. One reason may be the lack of awareness and sensitivity toward the needs of African American parents. Using a two-part conceptual framework informed by Hoover-Dempsey Sandler&rsquo;s (1995, 1997) model of parental engagement and critical race theory, this qualitative case study examined how African American parents defined parental engagement during the high school years. This study also explored parents&rsquo; role construction and self-efficacy, and if and how parents understood district parental engagement policies. Data were collected from documents and semi-structured interviews from 15 African American parents of high school children. Data were analyzed using thematic network analysis (Attride-Stirling, 2001) and a variation of constant comparative analysis (Strauss &amp; Corbin, 1990). Study findings revealed that parents described high school parental engagement as a fluid process that changed over time to best fit the academic and nonacademic needs of their children. This impacted parents&rsquo; parental engagement behaviors and practices. Whereas parents were unfamiliar with the district&rsquo;s parental engagement policies, they were familiar with other school practices and policies that impacted their engagement behaviors. Parents defined their role in broad terms, such as being their children&rsquo;s protector, teacher, and advocate. Parents&rsquo; self-efficacy was mainly based on their children&rsquo;s academic performance in school and a village of supporters. Parents reported creating informal information networks to access information and services to assist them in supporting their child academically during high school. Although parents reported engaging in school-based activities, the primary method of engagement was home-based engagement practices.</p><p>

As the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) increases, School Psychologists (SPs) and Educational Psychologists (EPs) have an increasing role in assessing children with ASD. The systematic literature review aimed to provide an overview of the tools and processes EPs and SPs are using to assess children with ASD or possible ASD. Studies published between 1996-2016 were identified from four databases. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, and were analysed using quality and relevance frameworks. Six studies were included in the final review. Commonly used tools are identified and discussed. The SLR drew some tentative conclusions around the range of tools used by SPs in the US. The small and dated UK sample means that limited conclusions can be drawn about current EP practice. Due to the gap in current knowledge around how EPs assess children with ASD or possible ASD, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to EP professionals in the UK and Ireland in order to gain an up to date picture. Data from 161 participants were used in the analysis. Analysis of the quantitative data involved descriptive statistics and content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative responses. Frequently used tools and the factors that seem to influence decision making around the choice of assessment are discussed. Implications for EPs' assessment practices and directions for future research are discussed. Having considered evidence based practice and practice based evidence, the final paper discusses dissemination of evidence to professional practice. A strategy for disseminating the findings of the empirical study to the profession is outlined.

<p> Mindfulness is a growing topic of discussion across the United States, particularly in education. There exists an array of studies on mindfulness as an intervention used in schools to promote academic achievement and social and emotional well-being. While the research has consistently supported the benefits of mindfulness, it has not addressed its implementation into the classroom (both formally and informally) as thoroughly. Specifically, it has not examined the perceptions of those teachers that are charged with implementing this intervention into their classroom. Nor does there exist research to identify possible barriers to teachers&rsquo; implementation of mindfulness into the classroom. </p><p> In order to investigate these areas, this study employed a survey to collect data from 78 elementary school teachers from a school district in the Denver metropolitan area. The survey measured teachers&rsquo; knowledge (definition, familiarity, and use) of mindfulness, as well as their perceived barriers to its implementation. Results showed that two-thirds of teachers reported that they had somewhat of an understanding of mindfulness and were informally using it in their classroom, and that a need for training is the highest barrier to teachers&rsquo; implementation. Further research on informal mindfulness training is needed to guide future implementation efforts.</p><p>

<p>Parenting stress (PS) is a phenomenon experienced by all parents to varying degrees due to the demands of meeting a child?s needs. This distinct type of stress is caused by an imbalance between the perceived demands of parenting and the perceived coping resources available to parents. The construct of twice-exceptionality (2E) is defined as the co-occurrence of giftedness and disability or possessing both high cognitive abilities and at least 1 of 13 potential disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. The purpose of this study was to understand how PS is experienced by parents of children who have been identified with 2E. The theoretical perspectives of stress appraisal, coping, and attribution guided this study and provided a framework for understanding the lived experiences of parents and the meaning they ascribe to these experiences. The goals of the study were accomplished through in-depth interviews with 13 participants, an extensive literature review, and reflective journaling. Interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological techniques of epoche, bracketing, horizontalization, and imaginative variation, and several relevant themes and subthemes were developed. High levels of PS described by the parents in this study indicate that further research is indicated for better understanding and serving the significant needs of this population. The social implications of this research include raising awareness of PS and 2E; increasing the potential for positive outcomes for children and families; and addressing misconceptions concerning giftedness, gender bias in the perceptions of parental roles, and the impact of PS on family systems.

<p> This mixed-methods study examines the experiences of academically talented students of color (ATSOC) who attend or have recently graduated from predominantly white independent schools. The participants of the study who were enrolled in independent schools at the time of this study were in grades 6 through 12. Participants who recently graduated from independent schools ranged from first-year college students to students one year out of college. This study focuses on three domains of ATSOC independent school experiences: sense of belonging, racial coping self-efficacy, and emotional wellbeing. This study also examines the relationships between these conceptual frames. As a proxy for ATSOC, this study collected data from participants who are students or alumni of a highly selective educational access and leadership development program in New York City (The Program). The Program identifies talented students of color from low to moderate socioeconomic backgrounds in the New York City area and places them in highly regarded independent schools in the Northeast. As of December 2017, The Program had 720 students (in 7th through 12th grade) at nearly 80 different independent day and boarding schools in the Northeast as well as close to 4000 alumni. The study collected data through surveys, individual interviews, and focus groups. The study adds to the current literature on the experiences of students of color at independent schools. In particular, the findings identify and examine the relationships between ATSOC sense of belonging, racial coping self-efficacy, and emotional wellbeing. This study also examines implications of these relationships for independent schools and other predominantly white institutions that serve students of color.</p><p>

In this thesis, an investigation into how visualisation and manipulation tools can provide better support for learners of Modal logic is described. Problems associated with learning Modal logic are also researched. Seven areas topics in Modal logic are investigated, as is the influence of domain independent factors (e. g. motivation) on learning. Studies show that students find concepts such as Modal proofs and systems difficult to learn, whilst possible worlds and Modes are fairly straightforward. Areas such as reference, belief and accessibility relations fall between these extremes. Two roles for representations in reasoning are identified: providing a concrete domain for students to reason about, and supporting the process of reasoning. Systems which make use of these complementary representations were found to be more effective for learners than either the syntactic or the diagrammatic representations traditionally used to teach Modal logic. A review of software used to support students learning logic highlights two important features: the use of examples, and automation of routine tasks. A learning environment for Modal logic was designed which incorporated these. The environment was developed using an adapted version of Smalltalk's Model-View-Controller mechanism, and incorporates complementary representations, enhance by direct manipulation. A further study investigates the added benefits of using this tool, as opposed to using the same representation but working with pen and paper. This confirms the importance of using 'concrete' content representations and minimising learners' cognitive load. Performance measures show that software users learnt more, had a deeper style of learning, and found the topics less abstract than their counterparts working with pen & paper. This research shows that complementary representations are an effective way of supporting students studying Modal logic, and that visualisation and manipulation tools which incorporate these systems will provide additional benefits for learners.

Text in Afrikaans / Wanneer 'n individu affektief en kognitief in 'n krisis inbeweeg, verberg die presipiterende gebeure dikwels die werklike presipiteerder. Die individu bevind horn gewoonlik in 'n situasie waarin hy dit moeilik of onmoontlik vind om selfstandig te reageer. Ingryping in die situasie word dan nodig om die voortbestaan van die individu te verseker. Van die twee groepe, naamlik predisponerende - en presipiterende faktore in opvoeding, is dit gewoonlik een of meer van laasgenoemde wat die presipiteerder vorm. Hieronder resorteer persoonlike - en antler verliese, deur onder andere dood en egskeiding, verlies aan sekuriteit en status, fisiese-, emosionele- en seksuele molestering, asook depressie. In die opvoeding van die kind, is dit die selfkonsep as dimensie van die self, wat in volwassewording, en dan veral die kognitiewe en affektiewe komponente, die inisieerder van gedrag is. Dit is in sy opvoeding dat die kind in sy primere opvoedingsituasie, waarin hy deur opvoedingsfoute en - belemmeringe, nie altyd daarin kan slaag om effektiewe relasies te stig nie. Die intrapsigiese selfgesprek moet optimaal deur selfaanvaarding, selfagting en 'n gerigte handelingsgeneigdheid die self aktualiseer. Waar die klimaat en leefwereld van die kind in opvoeding, relasievorming sodanig affekteer dat emosionele wording geinhibeer word, kan 'n vrugbare teelaarde vir 'n krisis ontstaan. Vanuit Relasieterapie kan 'n opvoedkundige ingryping as 'n spesifieke program vir krisishantering, beplan word. Aanwysbare fasette van Rasioneel-Emotiewe Terapie, Realiteitsterapie asook Krisisintervensie, word by die' program ingeskakel. Om die werking van die program te illustreer, is een geval volledig as idiografiese studie aangebied. Orie ander gevalle word in kort detail beskryf as bevestiging van die ondersoek. Deur die essensies betekenisgewing, betrokkenheid, belewing en selfaktualisering in te skakel, is die onderskeie hipoteses aanvaarbaar bevind. Opvoedkundige ingryping in 'n krisissituasie ontleed eerstens die funksioneringsbeeld van die persoon. Daarna word die handelinge as profenomeen verbeeld. Deur gebruik te maak van 'n selfkonsepvraelys en kaartprojeksietoets word die relasies en persoonsbeeld van beskou. Na die irrasionele affektiewedie persoon en kognitiewe belemeringe ondersoek is, lei die diagnose tot terapie, soos beplan is. Hierdie terapie blyk suksesvol te wees. / When an individual moves affectively and cognitively into a crisis, the actual precipitator is often obscured by the precipitating event. The individual finds himself in a situation in which it is difficult, if indeed not impossible, to react independently. Intervention in the situation then becomes necessary to assure the continued existence of the individual. Of the two groups of factors in education - predisposing and precipitating - it is usually the latter group that forms the precipitator. Personal loss, death and divorce, loss of security and status, loss of significant other, physical, emotional and sexual molestation, as well as depression, are all included. In the education of a child, it is the self-concept as dimension of the self especially the cognitive and affective components - that forms the initiator of behaviour. It is for the child in education in his primary education situation, through education defects and impediments, that he experiences an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. The intra-psychical discourse with the self, should actualize optimally through self-acceptance, self-esteem and a directed self-actuation propensity. Where the educative climate and live-world of the child-in-education affect the forming of relationships in such a way that emotional becoming is inhibited, a fertile breeding ground for a crisis develops. Through Relationships Therapy an educative intervention as a specific program for Accentuated facets of crisis handling, Rational Emotive can be developed. Therapy, Reality Therapy as well as Crisis Intervention, are incorporated into the program. To illustrate the application of the program, one case is described in detail as an idiographic study. Three other cases are presented in summary form. Through application of the essentials: giving meaning, involvement, live-experience and selfactualization, the various hypotheses are proved acceptable. Educative intervention into a firstly, the functional image of problem. Then the activity is crisis situation analyses the individual - the actual imaged as a phenomenon. Using a selfconcept questionnaire and a card projective test, the relationships, as well as the person-image of the individual are observed. After investigation of the irrational affective and cognitive experiences, the diagnosis leads to therapy. The therapy appears to be successful. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)

Stress is a pervasive phenomenon that occurs in the lives of people of all age groups but is particularly prominent in the lives of adolescents. A limited and manageable degree of stress motivates a person to perform and engenders a zest for living, but excessive stress is harmful, not only to the victim's health, but also to his affective, social and cognitive development. Too much stress in the life of the adolescent may therefore exert a negative influence on his scolastic performance in that it may lead to underachievement, concentration problems, absenteeism, disinterest in class- and homework, and lowered student satisfaction and self-esteem. To prevent these problems teachers should be capable of identifying excessive stress in pupils and of assisting pupils to cope with stress. Although a considerable number of questionnaires aimed at identifying stress in adolescents are available overseas, no such instrument has been developed for specific application under South African conditions. The purpose of this research is therefore to furnish the educator with 'an instrument for identifying stress in adolescents, not as a means of labelling the child, but to obtain a reference point from which assistance can be offered to the victim of stress. The becoming and development of the adolescent, the definition, causes, mediators and consequences of stress, and responses to stress, have been researched by means of an extensive literature study. A model for the identification and handling of stress in pupils attending secondary schools is proposed, and emphasis is placed on the importance of the teacher's role in the prevention and identification of stress and in assisting pupils who are overburdened with stress. The Adolescent Stress Identification Inventory was developed with reference to the literature study and, following a nomothetic study, standardised by means of statistical methods. It appears from the research that the questionnaire has both a high reliability coefficient and construct validity. It can therefore be applied successfully by educationists and psychologists to identify stress in adolescents. It must be emphasised, however, that awareness and identification of stress in adolescents would be meaningless unless identification leads to prevention and assistance. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

<p> The problem that was addressed by the study is whether teachers working in blighted schools experience higher levels of secondary traumatic stress due to indirect exposure to students&rsquo; trauma and higher rates of anxiety due to direct exposure to a blighted school building than teachers working in non-blighted schools. The purely quantitative study that utilized two validated instruments and an objective checklist was conducted via Qualtrics on the internet. Study results were based on an internet survey of 172 high school teachers who work directly with students. Scores on the SDI, the STSS and the STAI-AD were analyzed. Teachers were assigned to a group, blighted or un-blighted, based on his or her qualifying scores on the SDI. Those with scores of 4 or higher were assigned to the blighted group whereas those teachers with a score of less than 4 on the SDI were assigned to the non-blighted group. Final numbers of participants for each group were 84 for the un-blighted group and 88 for the blighted group. Composite scores for the STSS and the STAI-AD were calculated. Hypothesis 1 results indicated there is a significant difference in STS, as measured by the STSS, between high school teachers who work in blighted school buildings and a control group of high school teachers who work in non-blighted school buildings (t = -6.340, p &lt; .001, df = 170). Hypothesis 2 results also indicated there is a significant difference in state symptoms of anxiety occurring during exposure to school building disrepair, as measured by the State subscale of the STAI-AD, between high school teachers who work in blighted school buildings and a control group of high school teachers who work in non-blighted school buildings (t = -4.233, p &lt; .001, df = 132.757). The findings of the study are consistent with previous studies on the negative effects of community blight and STSS in the helping professions.</p><p>

<p> A great amount of research has shown the importance of the teacher-student relationship, especially as it relates to students&rsquo; academic, and social and emotional outcomes. Pianta (1999) explains that the relationship between children, teachers, and non-parental adults have a significant role in the students&rsquo; development of competencies, their social and emotional wellbeing, and their willingness to participate in school regularly. Ellerbrock, Abbas, DiCicco, Denmon, Sabella, and Hart (2015) also agree that through meaningful relationships grounded in genuine care, educators nurture a responsive classroom environment that can help set the foundation for student success. This study examines the relationship between Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students in grades 11 and 12 and their AVID teachers. Participants of the study were from five local high schools in one school district. Data was collected from students surveyed on their relationship with their AVID teachers of whom they have had over their AVID career. Measurements such as using a Likert scale survey and focus group interviews were used to determine the influence the participants&rsquo; AVID teacher(s) had on the participants&rsquo; academics, social and emotional growth, and a willingness to attend school regularly. Results of the measuring tools reveal a strong correlation between the relationship of the AVID teacher and the impact it has on the participant, especially the positive influence in academics and social and emotional outcomes.</p><p>