Developmental differences in reported speech and internal state language in preschoolers' personal narratives.

The present study explored developmental differences in preschoolers' use of reported speech and internal state language in personal narratives. Three-, four-, and five-year-olds attending a laboratory preschool shared 204 stories about 'a time when you were happy/sad'. Stories were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for reported speech (direct, indirect, narrativized) and internal state language (cognitive states, total emotion terms, unique emotion terms). Personal narratives told by five-year-olds included more cognitive states and more narrativized speech than those told by three- and four-year-olds, even when accounting for children's vocabulary skills, and that reported speech (narrativized, direct) were positively correlated with cognitive state talk. These findings highlight distinct shifts in children's use of cognitive state talk and reported speech in personal narratives told at age five. Associations between reported speech and internal state language are both informed by and support Vygotsky's (1978) fundamental claim that psychological processes are socially mediated by language.

Reconceptualizing Social and Emotional Competence Assessment in School Settings.

The mental health needs of youth are both significant and increasing. Recent advancements have highlighted the need to reduce psychological distress while promoting the development of important social and emotional competencies. Current social and emotional assessment tools are limited in important ways that preclude their widespread use. In the current article, these limitations are discussed. A novel social and emotional learning assessment framework guided by methodological and theoretical innovations is presented. Future research directions and opportunities are discussed.

Are "well" teachers "better" teachers? A look into the relationship between first-year teacher emotion and use of evidence-based instructional strategies.

Teachers experience significant stress with 93% reported high levels of stress (Herman et al., 2018), and literature examining teacher stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that 30 percent of teachers experience significantly high levels of stress (Silva et al., 2021). Low levels of teacher well-being and higher levels of stress have been linked to punitive behavior management (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009) and lower student academic achievement (Goddard et al., 2000). The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between teacher emotion and use of evidence-based instructional strategies that promote student success. In this study, 17 first-year teachers completed a novel measurement, inclusive of single-item scales intended to assess feelings of stress, efficacy, and school connectedness, several times a day, each day of the week, for 1 month. The classroom strategies assessment system of evidence-based academic and behavioral instructional strategies was used in weekly teacher observations. Results indicated validity between these single-item scales and established measures of teacher well-being. A positive relationship between teachers' in-the-moment well-being and evidence-based instruction was found, as well as substantial variation in teacher emotional response across days and weeks. Implications and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).