The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of students' self-concept and their perceptions of family environment in the psychosocial adjustment and academic achievement of accelerated college students in a residential program. A secondary purpose was to investigate the differential role of those factors for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Cette recherche porte sur la problématique du développement psychosocial des enfants doués. Bien qu’il existe des travaux qui indiquent que les enfants doués souffrent plus souvent de problèmes d’adaptation que les autres, comme l’isolement social, la dépression, l’anxiété et une faible estime de soi, la littérature de recherche considère peu l’environnement familial des enfants doués comme étant un facteur qui puisse contribuer au niveau d’adaptation de l’enfant. La présente recherche a eu donc pour objectif de déterminer si les styles parentaux, tels que définis par Baumrind, sont associés à l’adaptation des enfants doués. Les styles parentaux des parents ont été mesurés à l'aide d'un questionnaire auto-rapporté. Le niveau d’adaptation d’un groupe d’enfants doués, âgés de 7 à 11 ans, a été évalué à l’aide de mesures de comportement et de concept de soi. La douance a été mesurée avec un test d’intelligence standardisé. Quarante-huit enfants doués et 52 enfants du groupe contrôle ont participé à l'étude. Les résultats ont démontré que les parents des enfants doués utilisent majoritairement un style parental démocratique. Les mères ont rapporté être significativement plus démocratiques que les pères. Les parents ont identifié un sous-groupe d'enfants doués ayant des problèmes sociaux avec leurs pairs, tandis que ces enfants doués et leurs enseignants n’en n’ont pas indiqué. Aucune association n’a été mise en évidence entre l'utilisation d'un style parental particulier et les problèmes sociaux chez les enfants doués. Cependant, l’utilisation du style parental autoritaire des mères a été associée à des problèmes de comportement moins élevés ainsi qu’un concept de soi intellectuel plus élevé chez les enfants doués. Inversement, le style parental démocratique des mères a été associé à des problèmes de comportements plus élevés chez les enfants doués. Le style parental permissif des mères a été associé à des niveaux de concept de soi moins élevés chez les enfants doués. Pour les pères, les styles parentaux autoritaires et permissifs ont été associés à des niveaux d’adaptation et de concept de soi moins élevés chez les enfants doués. Enfin, le niveau d’adaptation ainsi que les styles parentaux ont été comparés entre les deux groupes d’enfants. Les deux groupes ont présenté des niveaux d’adaptation dans la gamme de la normalité. De plus, les parents des deux groupes d’enfants ont rapporté des styles parentaux similaires. Pour les pères des enfants du groupe de contrôle, le style parental démocratique a été associé à des niveaux d’adaptation plus élevés. Le style parental autoritaire des mères et le style parental permissif des pères ont été associés à des niveaux de concept de soi moins élevés chez les enfants du groupe de contrôle. En somme, les conclusions de cette thèse permettent une meilleure compréhension de la complexité des liens entre les styles parentaux et l’adaptation des enfants doués. / The present study examines the psychosocial development of gifted children. Although much evidence exists that gifted children experience problems of adjustment, such as social isolation, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, few studies have investigated the family environment of gifted children and its possible links to child psychosocial adjustment. The goal of this study, therefore, was to address these questions by examining the parenting styles, as defined by Baumrind, of parents of gifted children and their potential associations with the adjustment levels of their children. Parenting styles were measured using a self-report questionnaire. The level of adjustment for gifted children, aged 7 to 11 years old, was measured using behavioural and self-concept measures. Giftedness was determined using a standardized intelligence test. Forty-eight gifted children and 52 nongifted children participated in the study. Parents of gifted children reported using a predominantly authoritative parenting style. Mothers, however, reported significantly higher authoritative scores than fathers. Parents reported several gifted children to experience problems with peers, but their teachers did not report this nor did the children themselves. No associations were found between a particular parenting style and the reported presence of peer social problems in gifted children. Mothers’ authoritarian parenting style was significantly associated with lower conduct problem levels, and higher intellectual self-concept levels in gifted children. As for mothers’ authoritative parenting style, a significant relationship was found with higher conduct problem levels in gifted children. Mothers’ permissive parenting style was found to be associated with lower self-concept levels in gifted children. As for the fathers, authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were found to be linked to lower adjustment and self-concept levels in gifted children. Adjustment levels and parenting styles were also compared between gifted and nongifted children. For both groups of children, adjustment levels were in the normal range and the parents reported similar use of the three parenting styles. As for the relationships between parenting styles and adjustment in nongifted children, fathers’ authoritative parenting style was found to be associated with higher child adjustment levels. Mothers’ authoritarian and fathers’ permissive parenting styles were found to be associated with lower self-concept levels in nongifted children. The conclusions of this thesis permit a better understanding of the complexity of the links between parenting styles and the psychosocial adjustment of gifted children.

Color (sub)Conscious explores the African American female's experience with colorism. Divided into three distinct sections. The first section is a literary analysis of such works as Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place, Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Alice Walker's "If the Present Looks Like the Past, What Does the Future Look Like?" an essay from her collection In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens. The second section is a research project based on data gathered from 12 African American females willing to share their own experiences and insights on colorism. The final section is a creative non-fiction piece of the author's own personal pain growing up and living with the lasting effects of colorism.

The transition to college is usually the first time many late adolescents live apart from their parents for an extended period, making it an important developmental task (Kenny, 1987) that requires a variety of adaptational resources. Bowlby's (1969/1982, 1973, 1980) attachment theory has been refined by Kenny and Rice (1995) to explain how internal working models of late adolescents are the bases of the adaptational resources that determine the quality of adjustment to college. The Kenny and Rice model may be interpreted to suggest that external resources should include relationships with parents and friends, while internal resources can include self-concept. According to the authors, "these resources are assumed to moderate or buffer the effects of developmental challenges and stressful events on adjustment" (p.437). The purpose of the present study was to extend and further clarify the ways that quality attachment relationships and positive self-concept conjointly may promote healthy adaptation in the college milieu. In particular, the present study examined the influence of self-concept as a mediating variable with respect to attachment and healthy adjustment to college. Students from Freshman Psychology classes completed measures to assess their attachment relationships with each parent, their attachment relationships with peers, their level of self-concept, and their perceived adaptation to college. These measures were completed by students of traditional age (ages 18-20) within the first year of starting college. The results of the study indicate that: 1) a relationship exists between attachment and self-concept; 2) attachment is associated with college adjustment; 3) self-concept is related to college adjustment, and functions as a mediator variable between attachment and college adjustment; 4) there were no gender effects in the levels of mother or father attachment, and females reported higher levels of peer attachment; and 5) there were no gender effects in overall levels self-concept, but females reported higher levels of Moral Self-Concept.

TITLE: "Self-concept of pupils with specific learning disability in group and individual integration" AUTHOR: Bc. Barbora Paukova DEPARTMENT: Special education department THESIS SUPERVISOR: Mgr. Lenka Felcmanova ABSTRACT: The major topic of the diploma thesis named "Self-concept of pupils with specific learning disability in group and individual integration" is the different self-concept of success rate of older school age pupils with specific learning disability who are educated in a form of individual integration and in a form of group integration. The theoretical foundation of the thesis deals with the term of specific learning disability, with its terminology, definition, causes, classification and reeducation. It further focuses on the education of pupils with specific learning disability, on the term of self-concept and on the older school age period. Practical part of the thesis includes the quantitative research made using the standardized SPAS questionnaire. Methodology of the research, research preconditions, targets of the research, analysis of the collected data and evaluation of the research results are described in the thesis. KEY WORDS: Specific learning disability, older school age, self-concept, individual integration, group integration

In my final thesis I have dealt with the development of metacognitive strategies for primary school pupils in the Montessori environment. The aim of the first part of the thesis was to anchor the entire issue in the broader context of the current educational situation with respect to the requirements of The General educational program. In the second part of the thesis I described both - metacognitive strategies as well as key aspects of Montessori education. This characteristic I based on the analysis of the available literature. The final part of theory deals with the synthesis of both areas. This synthesis showes their harmonious connections and considerable complementarity. In this section I also revealed some problems that educators face in practice, and I tried to outline possible ways to address them - from my own experience of teaching practice. Empiric part of thesis uncovers the ways of introduction metacognitive strategies to education and presents few "examples of good practice.

The work is focused on influence of schools on pupil's self-concept formation at primary school. It captures the different influences of the school and the school surrounding at shaping of the self-concept of the pupil. The theoretical part maps the internal and external that influences at pupils at school. It deals with defining of self- concept as one of the special feature of personality self development, focusing on the pupils at primary schools, which influances at success at school and self-concept formation. This work presents the various effects of schools and school surrounding that are important for the development of pupils' self-concept. At the same time the work shows the possibility of the development of a healthy self-concept of pupils at elementary school. The practical part explores the self-concept of pupils at the end of the third and fifth year. The practical tries to determine the relationship between success at school and self-concept of the pupil in the primary school. There is information about pupils' maening of success at school, if success at school is important for them. It also researches which of the various influences of school is the most important and how it differ self-consept of the pupils of the third and fifth grade.

L’évolution croissante de l’obésité n’épargne pas les adolescents présentant une déficience intellectuelle. Nos travaux reposent sur le principe d’une « recherche- action » avec pour but l’amélioration de la prise en charge des personnes en situation de handicap mental. Réalisées dans 5 instituts médico-éducatifs, notre première étude montre que plus de 40% des adolescents déficients intellectuels présentent un excès de masse grasse. Plus de 30% des adolescents rapportent un faible niveau d’activité physique et seule la moitié pratiquerait suffisamment d’activité physique pour lutter contre le développement de l’obésité. De plus, les adolescents les plus actifs présentent moins de risques de développer un excès de masse grasse. Leur faible niveau de condition physique observé est un facteur de risque élevé pour la santé. Pour ces jeunes présentant un handicap mental, cela constitue un « sur-handicap » qui peut accentuer la restriction de participation sociale et altérer la qualité de vie. Etre actif au quotidien permettrait de limiter les risques pour la santé, notamment de limiter le développement de l’obésité. De ce fait, un programme d’Activité Physique Adaptée a été proposé aux jeunes repérés en situation de sur-adiposité. Celui-ci a permis d’augmenter les temps de pratique d’activité physique et de stabiliser l’évolution du poids, tout en diminuant la masse grasse et le tour de taille. L’approche interdisciplinaire de cette recherche nous a permis de considérer l’évolution du concept de soi chez ce public spécifique et de constater qu’il n’était pas altéré par cette prise en charge visant le contrôle du poids. / The growing evolution of obesity has not spared children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Ours studies based on "research-action", with the aim of improving care for people with mental disabilities. Conducted in 5 specialized schools, our first study shows that over 40% of adolescents with intellectual disabilities have an excess body fat. More than 30% of adolescents report a low physical activity level, and only half reaches enough physical activity to avoid an excess of body fat. Moreover, the most active adolescents are less likely to develop an excess body fat. Their low level of physical fitness is a high risk factor to health. For these adolescent with intellectual disabilities, this is an "extra-handicap" which may increase the restriction of social participation and impair quality of life. Being active daily would reduce the health risks, including limiting the obesity development. Thus, we proposed an Adapted Physical Activity program to over-fatness adolescents. This program has helped to increase level of physical activity and stabilize weight, while decreasing fat mass and waist circumference. The interdisciplinary approach of this research has allowed us to consider the evolution of self-concept and to note that it was not altered by this weight management program.

The diploma thesis deals with eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa. The theoretical background gives a complex picture of this issue and puts mental anorexia in a broader psychological context. The aim is to clarify myths and preconceptions related to anorexia nervosa, to stress the importance of family environment for disorder's origin, course and prevention, and to show current state of treatment in the Czech Republic. These aspects are verified by the survey, based on how women with mental anorexia perceive this disorder.