Assertiveness is an important skill for children to develop healthy human relations with peers, parents, teachers, and all the other social contacts. When children use assertiveness skills in their social, academic and personal life, they enhance the potential of reaching successful outcomes. There are some positive correlations between assertiveness and self esteem. Thus, investigating the effects of an assertiveness training on the assertiveness and self esteem levels of 5th grade children would contribute to a lot of aspects on the development of children. This study aims to develop an assertiveness program for 5th grade elementary school students and has the purpose of exploring the effects on children&rsquo / s level of assertiveness and self esteem. The participants of the study were from Ankara University Education Development Foundation Primary School. Twenty four students participated in the study. The experimental design was used in which 2 groups were compared on pre test and post test measures by using Assertiveness Inventory and Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory. Moreover, observations of teachers were collected through the record sheets. The experimental group was given an 8 week training. In order to explore the effects of assertiveness training on assertiveness levels of the children independent samples t test was used. The results revealed that there were significant differences between the two groups based on assertiveness scores. Inn order to explore the effects of assertiveness training on self esteem levels of children, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used. However, there were no significant differences found on self esteem scores between the two groups. On the other hand, according to the observations that were collected from the teachers, it could be stated that the training contributed positively to the children&rsquo / s self esteem.

The problem of this study was twofold: first, to determine what personal and social characteristics of normal American preadolescent children are revealed in research studies completed since 1950; and, second, to integrate this research into a pattern from which implications could be drawn for use by persons who work with preadolescents.

In my thesis, I studied patterns of associations between the quality of parent-child relations and components of parent-child conflict in families with preadolescent children from European Canadian families, as well as recent immigrant families of Chinese and Eastern European backgrounds. A sample of 96 provided the data, which I organized in three parts. Part 1 examined associations between the quality of parent-child relations and confrontation in parent-child conflicts. 277 children and parents from 96 families participated (i.e., 96 children, 96 mothers, and 85 fathers). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to predict children's and parents' confrontation in conflicts at the parent-child dyadic level. In all models, the parent-child relationships variables (i.e., lower levels of egalitarian warmth and higher levels of power assertive parenting strategies) jointly predicted each family member's confrontation in conflicts over and above the contribution of the cultural differences. Few interactions were found. These results suggest that there are general principles governing the interface between family relationships and parent-child conflicts that transcend culturally specific socialization practices in these groups. Part 2 investigated associations between children's and parents' English knowledge, use and preference for the host or native language, and the quality of parent-child relationships and conflict negotiation in the Chinese and Eastern European immigrant families. 183 family members participated: 64 children, 64 mothers and 55 fathers. Participants independently filled out questionnaires on parent-child relationship and assessments of English knowledge and use. The results demonstrated that (1) children's English knowledge is related to warm and egalitarian relationships with their parents; (2) children's use and preference for using English at home is related to the quality of children’s relationship and conflict negotiation with mothers but not with fathers; and (3) contrary to expectations, parents' knowledge of English and the gap between parents’ and children’s English knowledge was not associated with the quality of parent-child relationships in the first years of families' adaptation to Canada. Part 3 examined associations between frequencies of conflict components with particular focus on actual and desired conflict outcomes within individually reported conflicts in parent-child dyads from the three cultural groups. Ninety two children and mothers and 75 fathers provided diary accounts of parent-child conflicts, reporting on types of conflicts, conflict outcomes, their individual satisfaction with conflict endings and any aspects of conflict that they would have changed in retrospect. Moreover, each respondent reported on their dyadic partner’s typical use of conflict strategies across daily disputes. The participants reported 1406 conflicts over a period of two weeks. Several interesting patterns of findings emerged: First, very few cultural differences emerged; rather, similar frequencies of reported conflict issues and outcomes were found across the three cultural groups. Second, preadolescent children and parents appear to have different views on which conflict components are associated with frequency of particular outcomes. Mothers' views of conflict endings are more frequently related to the nature of conflict issues than children's and fathers' views. Preadolescent children, being generally dependent on their parents, are less often likely to experience control over how conflicts should be resolved; however, they have clear views on how specific conflict issues should be resolved. More specifically, children often wished to submit when they often argued with their parents about obligations but expressed wishes to yield in retrospect less often when they argued over activities of their personal choice. In turn, mothers were less likely to compromise when they often argued over obligations and were more often likely to do so when they disagreed with their children over children's personal interests. Fathers, however, may expect to exert control regardless of the conflict issue that is being negotiated and appear satisfied when they often won. Third, conflicts over children's misbehavior appeared to be particularly salient for parents but not for their children. Parents reported more conflicts over children's misbehavior than their children did, such conflicts were related to frequencies of reported standoffs, parents were often dissatisfied and desired more often changes for constructive negotiation by both sides of parent-child dyads than their children did. Children, on the other hand, often chose not to report conflicts related to their misbehavior, which likely showed self-serving biases in disclosing their own transgressions. Fourth, children's and parents' desires for a change in reported conflicts in retrospect often did not challenge but re-affirmed patterns of actual conflict outcomes, which likely suggests that in preadolescence certain conflict sequences are relatively well established. Finally, the findings presented in Part 3 are among the first to provide evidence of links between frequencies of conflict issues, intensity of disagreements, actual and desired outcomes in parent-child dyads from three cultural groups. This multicultural study contributes to the existing literature (1) by substantiating the generality of interrelations between major qualities of parent-child relationships, (2) by providing evidence of the relations between children's and parents' English knowledge and the quality of their relationships and conflict negotiation in the earlier phases of acculturation, and (3) by providing a nuanced presentation of children's and parents' views on how they resolve conflicts on a daily basis. These evaluations provide an integrated picture of how preadolescents view and assess as well as are being viewed and assessed by their parents on important relationships matters.

In my thesis, I studied patterns of associations between the quality of parent-child relations and components of parent-child conflict in families with preadolescent children from European Canadian families, as well as recent immigrant families of Chinese and Eastern European backgrounds. A sample of 96 provided the data, which I organized in three parts. Part 1 examined associations between the quality of parent-child relations and confrontation in parent-child conflicts. 277 children and parents from 96 families participated (i.e., 96 children, 96 mothers, and 85 fathers). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to predict children's and parents' confrontation in conflicts at the parent-child dyadic level. In all models, the parent-child relationships variables (i.e., lower levels of egalitarian warmth and higher levels of power assertive parenting strategies) jointly predicted each family member's confrontation in conflicts over and above the contribution of the cultural differences. Few interactions were found. These results suggest that there are general principles governing the interface between family relationships and parent-child conflicts that transcend culturally specific socialization practices in these groups. Part 2 investigated associations between children's and parents' English knowledge, use and preference for the host or native language, and the quality of parent-child relationships and conflict negotiation in the Chinese and Eastern European immigrant families. 183 family members participated: 64 children, 64 mothers and 55 fathers. Participants independently filled out questionnaires on parent-child relationship and assessments of English knowledge and use. The results demonstrated that (1) children's English knowledge is related to warm and egalitarian relationships with their parents; (2) children's use and preference for using English at home is related to the quality of children’s relationship and conflict negotiation with mothers but not with fathers; and (3) contrary to expectations, parents' knowledge of English and the gap between parents’ and children’s English knowledge was not associated with the quality of parent-child relationships in the first years of families' adaptation to Canada. Part 3 examined associations between frequencies of conflict components with particular focus on actual and desired conflict outcomes within individually reported conflicts in parent-child dyads from the three cultural groups. Ninety two children and mothers and 75 fathers provided diary accounts of parent-child conflicts, reporting on types of conflicts, conflict outcomes, their individual satisfaction with conflict endings and any aspects of conflict that they would have changed in retrospect. Moreover, each respondent reported on their dyadic partner’s typical use of conflict strategies across daily disputes. The participants reported 1406 conflicts over a period of two weeks. Several interesting patterns of findings emerged: First, very few cultural differences emerged; rather, similar frequencies of reported conflict issues and outcomes were found across the three cultural groups. Second, preadolescent children and parents appear to have different views on which conflict components are associated with frequency of particular outcomes. Mothers' views of conflict endings are more frequently related to the nature of conflict issues than children's and fathers' views. Preadolescent children, being generally dependent on their parents, are less often likely to experience control over how conflicts should be resolved; however, they have clear views on how specific conflict issues should be resolved. More specifically, children often wished to submit when they often argued with their parents about obligations but expressed wishes to yield in retrospect less often when they argued over activities of their personal choice. In turn, mothers were less likely to compromise when they often argued over obligations and were more often likely to do so when they disagreed with their children over children's personal interests. Fathers, however, may expect to exert control regardless of the conflict issue that is being negotiated and appear satisfied when they often won. Third, conflicts over children's misbehavior appeared to be particularly salient for parents but not for their children. Parents reported more conflicts over children's misbehavior than their children did, such conflicts were related to frequencies of reported standoffs, parents were often dissatisfied and desired more often changes for constructive negotiation by both sides of parent-child dyads than their children did. Children, on the other hand, often chose not to report conflicts related to their misbehavior, which likely showed self-serving biases in disclosing their own transgressions. Fourth, children's and parents' desires for a change in reported conflicts in retrospect often did not challenge but re-affirmed patterns of actual conflict outcomes, which likely suggests that in preadolescence certain conflict sequences are relatively well established. Finally, the findings presented in Part 3 are among the first to provide evidence of links between frequencies of conflict issues, intensity of disagreements, actual and desired outcomes in parent-child dyads from three cultural groups. This multicultural study contributes to the existing literature (1) by substantiating the generality of interrelations between major qualities of parent-child relationships, (2) by providing evidence of the relations between children's and parents' English knowledge and the quality of their relationships and conflict negotiation in the earlier phases of acculturation, and (3) by providing a nuanced presentation of children's and parents' views on how they resolve conflicts on a daily basis. These evaluations provide an integrated picture of how preadolescents view and assess as well as are being viewed and assessed by their parents on important relationships matters.

abstract: Previous research has shown that highly empathic children are generally more emotionally positive, sociable, and altruistic compared to their less empathic peers (Miller & Jansen op de Haar, 1997). These traits and behaviors linked with empathy have been associated with positive outcomes such as popularity in the peer group (Decovic & Gerris, 1994). However, a negative relation between these constructs has been found when studied in the context of preadolescence for boys (Oberle, Schonert-Reichl, & Thomson, 2010), suggesting a potential moderating effect of gender typicality since empathy is classified as a communal and therefore stereotypically feminine trait. The current study examines the relation between the constructs of gender, empathy, gender typicality, and peer acceptance in a preadolescent sample, and mixed findings suggest differential effects of empathy on peer acceptance for preadolescent boys and girls. Future research should continue examining these differential effects for boys and girls throughout childhood and adolescence. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Family and Human Development 2015

No description available.

Repeated exposure to media images that portray women as sex objects can have negative long-term effects on self-esteem beginning in preadolescence. Negative effects include decreased feelings of competence, increased focus on appearance, increased body dissatisfaction, and limited achievement in domains not related to appearance. There is a gap in the literature examining if media literacy training can mitigate the negative effects of exposure to sexualized media content. Festinger's social comparison theory and Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development provided the framework for this study. A quasi-experimental pre-post-test design was used to examine the interaction of media literacy training and time of measurement, on self-esteem and body-satisfaction in preadolescent girls. Archival data from 73 5th grade girls were obtained from a media literacy group with the addition of data from 14 5th grade girls collected to form a non-media literacy comparison group to control for confounding variables and bias. Two separate 2-way, mixed-model, factorial ANOVAs were conducted. The analyses failed to show a significant interaction between literacy group and time of measurement on self-esteem and/or body-satisfaction. However, the potential effectiveness of media literacy skills in neutralizing the negative impact of sexualized media imagery on preadolescent girls' self-esteem and body-satisfaction was observed in the between-group analyses. Positive social change may occur when society continues to identify and incorporate positive self-esteem influences and media literacy skills into the lives of preadolescent girls as to mitigate negative long-term effects of media sexualization.

La dimensione itinerante può essere assunta come cifra dell'esperienza esistenziale di ogni persona, in relazione con gli altri. Il tema è di particolare rilievo in un tempo caratterizzato da incertezza e inquietudine, a motivo delle varie forme di mobilità. Esplorando le diverse modalità di essere-in-cammino, di cui si mostrano inautenticità e aspetti positivi, la tesi cerca di delineare la significatività dell'erranza per esprimere la complessità del processo educativo. In prospettiva pedagogica, l'educazione itinerante evidenzia il senso dell'attraversamento e dell'esperienza vissuta, l'importanza della direzionalità assiologica e teleologica, il valore dell'errore, la tensione al cambiamento, qualificando l'erranza come ricerca di senso. Si profila il ruolo dell'educatore-wanderer, guida partecipe nel cammino, che fa della strada metafora e luogo del suo agire educativo. In una cornice fenomenologico-esistenziale si esaminano i vissuti dell'homo viator e le tonalità emotive che scaturiscono dall'essere-per-via. Alla luce di queste preliminari considerazioni teorico-pedagogiche, si rivolge un'attenzione privilegiata al periodo preadolescenziale. È infatti questa fase dello sviluppo un tempo in cui il passaggio trova una sua apicalità e il divenire della persona si esprime in tutta la sua portata trasformativa. La riflessione teoretica si arricchisce qui delle narrazioni dei preadolescenti sui temi dell'erranza, frutto di un'esperienza laboratoriale condotta in ambito scolastico. / By exploring the multifaceted ways of the «art of wandering» as a means of leading a life of constant change, this Thesis attempts to outline the implications of the process of wandering as an experience which never ceases to retain truth searching significance in order to identify the complexities and best practises of educational pathways. The act of wandering can be viewed as an indicator of existential experience of one's life when confronted with human reality both individually and collectively. This topic is of particular interest in a time characterized by profound uncertainties and unrest due to ever-changing habits and forms of what is regarded as mobility. In pedagogy, itinerant education pays strict attention to the importance of «going through» and lived experience, teleological and axiological direction, the value and consequences of doing errors and the need for change making the process of wandering an indispensable tool for the search for meaning. Subsequently, the functions of the educator-wanderer take shape and he becomes a guiding light through on the «way» of Education. In view of what will be discussed throughout the first part of this paper, special attention will be paid to pre- adolescence years. These are in fact the years in which the experience of becoming is so strong. That theoretical analysis grow rich by preadolescent's autobiographic narrations about wandering, written during some workshop in the school.

De acordo com uma perspectiva sociocultural, é no contexto das conversações em que os pais relembram com a criança as suas experiências que esta aprende um modo de avaliar e de lidar com as experiências que envolvem emoções, e desenvolve uma compreensão de si mesma. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a influência da conversação familiar sobre experiências envolvendo emoções na maneira do pré-adolescente lidar com esse tipo de experiência. A amostra foi constituída por 189 famílias de classe média com um filho com idade de 10 a 13 anos. Foram realizados três estudos: o primeiro objetivou conhecer o espaço de conversação familiar e nele, o lugar das experiências envolvendo emoções; já o segundo e o terceiro estudos enfocaram a maneira do pré-adolescente lidar com experiências envolvendo emoções, cujo acesso se obteve por meio de narrativas ficcionais e de narrativas autobiográficas, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos pré-adolescentes costuma compartilhar suas experiências em casa com a família e que as emoções conduzem a esse tipo de conversação. Em comparação com os pré-adolescentes que não costumam conversar em casa sobre suas experiências, aqueles que têm esse costume desenvolveram mais as habilidades para lidar com situações que envolvem raiva, para selecionar experiências self-relevantes e as encaixar em uma linha de continuidade, e também apresentaram um maior conhecimento sobre o próprio self. Esses resultados indicam que a conversação familiar sobre experiências envolvendo emoções é um contexto que favorece o desenvolvimento de estratégias de regulação e da coerência na narrativa autobiográfica. Considerando que a narrativa autobiográfica reflete o grau de integração do self, pode-se dizer ainda que esse contexto forma uma base para o desenvolvimento da identidade que virá a seguir, na adolescência. / From a sociocultural perspective, it is through conversations in which parents reminisce their children‟s experiences that the latter learn how to evaluate and deal with their own emotional experiences and to better understand themselves. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of family conversations on emotions, with a focus on the way preadolescents deal with this type of experience. The sample comprised 189 middle-class families with one son or daughter aged 10 to 13 years. Three investigations were conducted: 1) the first one aimed to describe the context of conversational interaction and the place occupied by emotions within such conversations; the second and third studies focused on the way preadolescents deal with emotional experiences, based on the analysis of fictional and autobiographical narratives, respectively. The results showed that most preadolescents share their experiences with their families and that emotions usually lead to this type of conversation. A comparison between preadolescents who did not talk about their experiences at home and those who did showed that the latter were more able to develop abilities to deal with situations involving anger and to select self-relevant experiences and fit them into a line of continuity; also, preadolescents who shared their emotional experiences presented an improved knowledge of their own selves. These results suggest that family conversation about emotional experiences promote the development of emotions regulation strategies and improve the coherence of autobiographical narratives. Moreover, if we take into consideration that autobiographical narratives provide information on the level of integrated self, it is possible to infer that family conversations about emotional experiences form the basis for identity development in the subsequent adolescence years.

De acordo com uma perspectiva sociocultural, é no contexto das conversações em que os pais relembram com a criança as suas experiências que esta aprende um modo de avaliar e de lidar com as experiências que envolvem emoções, e desenvolve uma compreensão de si mesma. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a influência da conversação familiar sobre experiências envolvendo emoções na maneira do pré-adolescente lidar com esse tipo de experiência. A amostra foi constituída por 189 famílias de classe média com um filho com idade de 10 a 13 anos. Foram realizados três estudos: o primeiro objetivou conhecer o espaço de conversação familiar e nele, o lugar das experiências envolvendo emoções; já o segundo e o terceiro estudos enfocaram a maneira do pré-adolescente lidar com experiências envolvendo emoções, cujo acesso se obteve por meio de narrativas ficcionais e de narrativas autobiográficas, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos pré-adolescentes costuma compartilhar suas experiências em casa com a família e que as emoções conduzem a esse tipo de conversação. Em comparação com os pré-adolescentes que não costumam conversar em casa sobre suas experiências, aqueles que têm esse costume desenvolveram mais as habilidades para lidar com situações que envolvem raiva, para selecionar experiências self-relevantes e as encaixar em uma linha de continuidade, e também apresentaram um maior conhecimento sobre o próprio self. Esses resultados indicam que a conversação familiar sobre experiências envolvendo emoções é um contexto que favorece o desenvolvimento de estratégias de regulação e da coerência na narrativa autobiográfica. Considerando que a narrativa autobiográfica reflete o grau de integração do self, pode-se dizer ainda que esse contexto forma uma base para o desenvolvimento da identidade que virá a seguir, na adolescência. / From a sociocultural perspective, it is through conversations in which parents reminisce their children‟s experiences that the latter learn how to evaluate and deal with their own emotional experiences and to better understand themselves. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of family conversations on emotions, with a focus on the way preadolescents deal with this type of experience. The sample comprised 189 middle-class families with one son or daughter aged 10 to 13 years. Three investigations were conducted: 1) the first one aimed to describe the context of conversational interaction and the place occupied by emotions within such conversations; the second and third studies focused on the way preadolescents deal with emotional experiences, based on the analysis of fictional and autobiographical narratives, respectively. The results showed that most preadolescents share their experiences with their families and that emotions usually lead to this type of conversation. A comparison between preadolescents who did not talk about their experiences at home and those who did showed that the latter were more able to develop abilities to deal with situations involving anger and to select self-relevant experiences and fit them into a line of continuity; also, preadolescents who shared their emotional experiences presented an improved knowledge of their own selves. These results suggest that family conversation about emotional experiences promote the development of emotions regulation strategies and improve the coherence of autobiographical narratives. Moreover, if we take into consideration that autobiographical narratives provide information on the level of integrated self, it is possible to infer that family conversations about emotional experiences form the basis for identity development in the subsequent adolescence years.