Interrelations Among Adolescents' Family Connections, Solitude Preferences, Theory of Mind and Perceptions of Academic and Work Competence.

This study explored the links among family connections, solitude preferences, perceptions of work (academic and job) competence, and Theory of Mind (ToM) in 73 Canadian adolescents aged 11-18 (M age = 13.1). Previous studies show significant connections among these factors, although little is known about how such associations may relate to one another, especially the role of young people's perceptions. To address these gaps in the literature, this study focused on adolescents' experiences and perceptions of their family relationships, solitude preferences, and competence in the school context and workplace. Participants completed a series of self-report measures, advanced ToM tasks and written explanation for perceived family emotional connections. Results revealed that adolescents with more positive family connections reported higher levels of self-perceived academic and job competence, embraced solitude positively, yet felt less desire to be alone. Girls showed a higher affinity for solitude than boys, and the presence of more siblings reduced the desire for solitude. Those youth who were proficient in ToM skills reported positive family connections and high levels of academic competence. Findings hold implications for future research and education in adolescent's social cognition and social and academic outcomes.

Leaders of Peer Groups in Chinese Early Adolescents: The Roles of Social, Academic, and Psychological Characteristics in Group Leadership.

Leadership in peer groups is an important issue in adolescent socioemotional development, yet it has received limited attention in research. This one-year longitudinal study examined peer group leadership and the roles of social, academic, and psychological characteristics in the dynamics of group leadership. Participants included 1061 Chinese students (initial mean age =11.17 years; SD = 6.98 months; 49.4% female). Data were collected from peer assessments, teacher ratings, and self-reports. The longitudinal social network analysis (SIENA) indicated that peer group leadership was fluid with leadership status evolving over time across groups in a hierarchical manner. Adolescents displaying higher social competence and aggression and lower shyness were more likely to become group leaders. Academic performance and loneliness were not significantly associated with the dynamics of peer group leadership. The results help understand peer group leadership and contributions of social behaviors to the attainment of leadership status in peer groups in early adolescence.

Still worried? Parental control and academic competence as antecedents of middle school students' post-transition worries.

This study examined whether parental psychological control reported by children before the transition to middle school, in the second semester of the fourth grade, is associated with children's worries after the transition to middle school, in the first semester of the fifth grade. We also evaluated the mediating role of children's post-transition perceived academic competence and the moderating role of physical transition (changing schools) on these relations. 370 Romanian early adolescents participated at both time points, with 30% of them having changed schools. Path analysis showed that the relation between children's perceptions of dependency-oriented psychological control and post-transition worries was mediated by academic competence and moderated by physical transition. Educational and counseling implications are discussed.

Self-regulated learning as a mediator of the relation between executive functions and preschool academic competence.

Executive functions (EF) and self-regulated learning (SRL) are processes for the goal-directed control of cognition and (learning) behavior that positively affect academic outcomes. Based on the finding that EF form the developmental basis for SRL, this study tested a model that assumes SRL as a mediator of the relationship between preschool EF and academic competence. Previous studies that found evidence for this mediation considered as predictors cool EF, which are important in emotionally neutral situations. However, since (pre)school-based learning is also associated with motivational incentives (e.g., praise from teachers and educators), this study aimed to test the validity of the above-mentioned mediation model using as predictors hot EF, which are important in emotional-motivational contexts. To this end, the constructs included in the model were cross-sectionally examined using performance measures and parent ratings in a sample of n = 77 German preschoolers (Mage = 71.61 months, SD = 4.13; 51.9 % girls). Results show that SRL mediates the relationship between hot EF and academic competence. Methodological limitations of the present study and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Exploring the linkage between workplace precaution measures, covid-19 fear and job performance: The moderating effect of academic competence.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has created emerging mental health challenges around the world. Like other countries, Pakistan is also confronted with covid-19 calamities. The aim of the study is to examine the impacts of workplace measures (WM) on the job performance (JP) and covid-19 fears (CF) along with the moderating role of academic competence (AC) based on the organizational support theory (OST) and job demand and resources (JDR) theory. A quantitative approach was applied to collect data from 333 banking employees in Gujranwala (Pakistan), and the hypothesis were tested via structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS. The study findings indicate that workplace measures significantly affect covid-19 fears except for individual preventive measures (IPM). Similarly, workplace measures significantly impact on job performance apart from information about the pandemic (IAP). Moreover, academic competence insignificantly moderates between workplace measures and covid-19 fears, but a significant moderation is found between information about pandemic (IAP) and covid-19 fears. Meanwhile, academic competence significantly moderates between workplace measures and job performance instead of a relationship between information about pandemic and job performance. However, this study was limited only to the banking sector of Pakistan. So, it will open the doors for future researchers to investigate other cultural contexts and sectors. This research gives a holistic understanding of workplace measures and contributes to the body of knowledge by enlightening the moderating role of academic competence in the banking sector of Pakistan. These useful insights would enable practitioners and policy makers to develop more efficient strategies and workplace measures to enhance job performance and reduce the fears of covid-19 among employees.

Prospective associations between peer support, academic competence, and anxiety in college students.

Previous literature has demonstrated that peer support is instrumental for the promotion of adaptive academic and mental health outcomes; however, limited research has examined prospective directional associations between peer support and adjustment within college settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal associations between peer support, academic competence, and anxiety among U.S. college students. U.S. students from a diverse 4-year university (N = 251, 75% women, 24% men, and < 1% a different gender) reported on peer support, academic competence, and anxiety using validated questionnaires at two time points (Fall term of sophomore year and Spring term of senior year). Results showed that peer support was positively associated with academic competence over time but was not significantly related to future anxiety. Academic competence did not significantly predict peer support or anxiety over time, but anxiety was associated with lower future academic competence. These findings offer insight into how types of social relationships link with academic motivation and anxiety over time within educational settings.

Children's peer relationships, well-being, and academic achievement: the mediating role of academic competence.

The present study aimed to explore the interplay among two indicators of children's school peer relationships (i.e., peer acceptance and perceived number of friends) and two significant life domains (i.e., global life satisfaction and academic achievement). We also explored the potential mediating role of the perceived academic competence in these relations. Participants were 650 Romanian primary school students (45.7% boys), aged between 9 and 12 years old (Mage = 10.99). Path analysis showed a direct positive effect of perceived number of friends on children's life satisfaction, as well as a direct positive effect of peer acceptance on academic achievement. Moreover, perceived academic competence mediated the links between each of the two indicators of peer relationships and children's both life satisfaction and achievement. Several implications in the educational contexts are discussed.

Longitudinal associations between academic competence-building and depression symptoms in early adolescence.

The longitudinal associations between academic competence-building and depression symptoms were investigated among 741 early adolescents in Singapore. Extending from past studies on academic achievement and depression, the current research tested two competing hypotheses - the academic incompetence hypothesis versus the adjustment erosion hypothesis using a 3-wave longitudinal study over an academic year. The former hypothesis suggests that prior deficits in academic competence-building lead to subsequent depression symptoms, whereas the latter posits that previous depression leads to subsequent deficits in competence-building. Longitudinal associations between a higher-order competence-building factor (operationalized using multiple constituent motivational variables) and depression were examined using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Results indicated that within-individual decreases in competence-building prospectively predicted subsequent within-individual increases in depression symptoms, but the opposite effect was not observed. Within-individual fluctuations in competence-building also predicted end-of-year grades and teacher-reported adjustment problems. Overall, the current findings were consistent with the academic incompetence hypothesis, suggesting that interventions aimed at sustaining academic competence-building could offer protection against the worsening of depression. These results clarified the within-individual developmental dynamics between academic competence-building and depression symptoms in adolescents over time.

The Relationship Between Early Life Adversity and Academic Competence in Early Childhood.

It is well-documented that early life adversity negatively affects children academically and that these impacts magnify as the number of negative life events (NLEs) they experience increases. However, it is unclear whether the types of NLEs children are exposed to differentially relate to their levels of academic competence, a component of educational functioning. The present study addressed this question by assessing the relationships between different types of early life adversity and academic competence in 4- to 6-year-olds (N = 111) using secondary data analyses of parent reports in which respondents indicated children's levels of academic competence and exposure to NLEs. The results showed that family turmoil (b = -2.31, 95% CI [-4.05, -0.57], p = .01, f2 = .07), poverty (b = -2.92, 95% CI [-4.31, -1.53], p < .001, f2 = .16), and violence (b = -3.43, 95% CI [-5.14, -1.73], p < .001, f2 = .15) negatively predicted academic competence, whereas family separation and death/illness did not relate to academic competence. Additionally, poverty negatively predicted academic competence above and beyond family turmoil and violence (b = -2.36, 95% CI [-0.49, 0.72], p = .03, f2 = .04). These findings demonstrate that some, but not all, types of NLEs negatively predict preschoolers' academic competence, illustrating the differential relationship between different types of early life adversity and academic performance. Moreover, these findings reveal the deleterious impacts of certain types of NLEs on children's academics prior to beginning formal education, suggesting the importance of early intervention targeting family turmoil, poverty, and violence from a young age.

Why Did Students Report Lower Test Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Test anxiety is a common experience shared by college students and is typically investigated in the context of traditional, face-to-face courses. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of universities, and many students had to rapidly shift to and balance the challenges of online learning. We investigated how the shift to online learning during the pandemic impacted trait (habitual) and state (momentary) test anxiety and whether there was variation across different demographic groups already vulnerable to performance gaps in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Quantitative analyses revealed that trait and state test anxiety were lower in Spring 2020 (COVID semester) than in Spring 2019 and were higher overall in women than men. We did not find a difference in either trait or state anxiety in first-generation students or among persons excluded because of ethnicity or race. Qualitative analyses revealed that student priorities shifted away from coursework during Spring 2020. While students initially perceived the shift to online learning as beneficial, 1 month after the shift, students reported more difficulties studying and completing their coursework. Taken together, these results are the first to compare reports of test anxiety during a traditional, undisrupted semester to the semester where COVID-19 forced a sudden transition online.

CNS-Directed Cancer Treatment and Child Adjustment: Moderating Effects of Maternal Parenting.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether maternal parenting behaviors (i.e., warmth, behavioral/psychological control) moderate the association between central nervous system (CNS)-directed treatment and adjustment among pediatric cancer survivors at 3 years post-diagnosis or relapse. METHODS: Three years after their child's cancer diagnosis or relapse, mothers (N = 84) reported on their child's academic and social competence, as well as their internalizing and externalizing problems. Children (N = 84; Mage = 13.21 years, 52.4% male) reported on maternal parenting behaviors. Using medical chart data, children were separated into CNS (i.e., received cranial radiation, intrathecal chemotherapy, and/or neurosurgery; N = 45) or non-CNS-directed treatment (N = 39) groups. Twelve moderation models were tested when examining two-way interactions between CNS treatment group and maternal parenting behaviors. RESULTS: Children in the CNS-directed treatment group demonstrated significantly worse academic and social competence. Moderation analyses revealed four significant two-way interactions between CNS treatment group and maternal parenting behaviors when predicting children's adjustment. High levels of maternal behavioral control buffered the negative impact of CNS-directed treatment on children's social competence. In addition, maternal warmth had a contrasting effect, as CNS-directed treatment was associated with worse academic competence at high levels of warmth. Analyses with psychological control revealed that low levels of this parenting style were not protective against internalizing or externalizing problems among those with CNS-directed treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Children who receive CNS-directed treatment may benefit from a different pattern of parenting during early cancer survivorship. Findings highlight the importance of considering the broader family context when conceptualizing the impact of illness-related factors on adjustment among pediatric cancer survivors.

Associations between Physical Activity and Academic Competence: A Cross-Sectional Study among Slovenian Primary School Students.

Physical activity has beneficial effects on overall academic performance in children. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding how the individual characteristics of physical activity interact with other confounding variables of academic competence. Leisure-time physical activity with potential confounders-such as developmental, behavioral, family, and school factors, predicting overall, mathematical, and reading academic competence-was studied in a random sample of 1520 Slovenian primary school students in grades 4-6 (51.9% female; mean age = 10.4 years; SD = 0.93). A structured self-reported questionnaire was used to gather data on the children's leisure-time physical activity and social-demographic variables, while academic competence was measured by teachers using the SSRS Academic Competence Evaluation Scale. The findings showed that children engage in physical activity most days a week, with moderate-intensity and unorganized activities. It was predicted that engaging in physical activity would lead to an increase in academic performance by 4.2% in males (p = 0.002) and 3.2% in females (p = 0.024), but after fully adjusting the model for controlling confounding variables, the prediction increased to 81.1% in females and 84.1% in males (p < 0.001). The frequency and intensity of physical activity, the absence of digital games, and attending sports clubs seem to have the most beneficial effects in terms of academic competence in school children, among other relevant confounders mediating in this complex relationship.

Identifying Relationally Aggressive Students: How Aligned are Teachers and Peers?

Relational aggression is characterized by attempts to damage another's relationships or social status and is a major concern affecting academic, socioemotional, behavioral, and health outcomes, particularly for urban, minority youth. Teachers and peers frequently disagree about which students are relationally aggressive. Factors associated with peer and teacher discordant and concordant identification of relationally aggressive students were explored including prosocial behavior, perceived popularity, academic competence, and gender. Participants included 178 3rd-5th grade students across 11 urban classrooms. Findings revealed that students were more likely to be rated as relationally aggressive by their peers but not their teacher as scores on peer nominations for prosocial behavior decreased, while teacher-rated academic motivation/participation increased. Female students were more likely to be concordantly identified by peers and teachers as relationally aggressive when ratings for overt aggression increased. These results highlight the utility of obtaining ratings from multiple informants as well as the difficulty in accurately identifying all students who may benefit from interventions targeting relational aggression. Findings also suggest factors that may be related to the potential shortcomings of current measures and provide avenues for additional research to improve detection of relationally aggressive students.

Inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and academic competence: Findings from three cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk for learning. Because ADHD commonly includes behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity, how the two types of behaviours independently affect children's academic competence remains poorly understood. AIMS: To investigate the impact of behaviours of inattention and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity on Chinese students' academic competence. SAMPLES: Parents of 167 preschoolers (Cohort 1), parents of 313 first graders (Cohort 2), and 1,003 high school students (Cohort 3). METHODS: The ADHD-RS-IV Preschool version (Cohort 1), ADHD-RS-IV Home version (Cohort 2), and BASC-SRP (Cohort 3) were used to measure behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Academic competence was operationalized as school readiness (Cohort 1), math and language arts scores at two time points provided by school (Cohort 2), and self-reported academic performance (Cohort 3). Multiple regressions were performed to investigate the relationship between academic performance and behaviours of inattention alone (Step 1), and behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity alone (Step 2), and behaviours of inattention together with behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity (Step 3). RESULTS: For each cohort, both types of behaviours were negatively correlated with academic competence. However, regression analyses showed that in Step 3, behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity either failed to predict academic competence or predicted better academic competence. Overall, behaviours of inattention alone accounted for a similar amount of variance in academic competence as did behaviours of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity combined. CONCLUSIONS: Behaviours of inattention presented a risk for academic competence but the effect of behaviours of hyperactivity/impulsivity varied. Implications for instructional strategies for behaviours of inattention were discussed.

Preferences for Parenting Programs in Head Start: Using Conjoint Analysis to Understand Engagement in Parenting Health Promotion Programs.

The impact of evidence-based parenting health promotion programs is threatened by limited enrollment and attendance. We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to examine how Early Head Start and Head Start parents prioritized key attributes of parenting programs when considering potential participation. Utility values and importance scores indicate that parents placed the highest priority on a program that optimized child academic outcomes, and after that, on a program that offered incentives and logistical supports, and maximized potential effects on friendship skills, behavioral skills, and the parent-child relationship. Next, we used simulations or forecasting tools to estimate parents' preferences for types of programs. Sixty-five percent of parents preferred Outcome-focused Programs that fostered parents' understanding and practice of skills, whereas 23% prioritized Enhanced Support Programs offering logistic support, such as incentives, followed by child outcomes. The remaining 12% of parents preferred Format-focused Programs that targeted positive outcomes via one 30-min meeting. Parents preferring Outcome-focused Programs reported higher child prosocial behaviors compared to parents preferring Enhanced Support and Format-focused Programs. Parents preferring Outcome-focused Programs were more likely to be those of 3- and 4-year-old children than of 2-year-olds. Findings challenge the one-size-fits-all approach to offering parenting programs and suggest ways to enhance accessibility and program reach.

Impact of central nervous system-directed treatment on competence and adjustment among children in early cancer survivorship.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS)-directed treatments can cause long-term academic, social, and emotional difficulties for children with cancer. However, limited research has examined the emergence of problems longitudinally and has often stratified risk by diagnosis alone. Therefore, this study compared competence and adjustment in children, who did and did not receive CNS-directed treatment, over the first 3 years following a cancer diagnosis. PROCEDURE: Mothers, fathers, and children (ages 5-18 years at diagnosis) from 217 families reported on the child's competence (academic, social) and adjustment (anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed) near a new cancer diagnosis or relapse and 3 years later. Children were categorized into CNS-directed treatment (n = 112; including cranial radiation, intrathecal chemotherapy, and/or neurosurgery) and non-CNS-directed treatment (n = 105) groups. RESULTS: At enrollment, there were few differences in competence and emotional adjustment among children based on treatment or diagnostic group. At 3 years, mothers and fathers reported poorer social competence for the CNS-directed treatment group, and fathers reported poorer school competence for the CNS-directed treatment group. Over time, father ratings of social competence increased for the non-CNS-directed treatment group, but not the CNS-directed treatment group. While father ratings of academic competence declined for the CNS-directed treatment group, mother ratings declined the most for children diagnosed with a brain tumor. All children demonstrated higher anxious/depressed scores over time. CONCLUSIONS: CNS-directed treatment may be a valuable indicator to identify childhood cancer survivors at risk for poor competence during early survivorship. Follow-up screening and supportive services are recommended, as well as additional longitudinal research.

Academic Competence, Teacher-Student Relationship, and Violence and Victimisation in Adolescents: The Classroom Climate as a Mediator.

School violence is a serious social and public health problem prevalent worldwide. Although the relevance of teacher and classroom factors is well established in the literature, few studies have focused on the role of teacher perceptions in school violence and victimisation and the potential mediational role of classroom climate in this relationship. A total of 2399 adolescents (50% girls), aged between 11 and 18 years (M = 14.65, SD = 1.78) and enrolled in five Spanish Secondary Compulsory Education schools completed measures of classroom climate, school violence towards peers and perception of peer victimisation, and their teachers informed about their academic competence and the teacher-student relationship. Correlational analyses revealed that whereas academic competence perceived by the teacher was negatively related to overt violence and victimisation, its relationship with pure relational violence was positive. Structural equation modelling analyses showed that variables of classroom climate (involvement, affiliation, and teacher support) perceived by the students functioned as partial mediators between teacher perceptions of academic competence and of teacher-student relationship and violence and victimisation. In the mediational model, teacher perception of academic competence acted as a direct protective factor against violence and victimisation, and teacher perception of teacher-student relationship acted as a direct risk for violence, as well as an indirect protective factor through classroom climate for victimisation. The interpretation of these results points to the importance of the teacher's subjective perceptions in the prevention of violence and victimisation problems and their practical implications for the classroom climate perceived by students.

Self-regulation as promotive for academic achievement in young children across risk contexts.

The link between self-regulation and academic achievement in young children is well-documented. However, few studies have examined the extent to which different aspects of self-regulation are more important for early numeracy and literacy for those in contexts of high cumulative risk, such as children experiencing homelessness. In the current study, 116 children ages 4;0-7;1 years (58 residing in an emergency homeless shelter and 58 from a community participant pool) completed assessments of math and reading, as well as multiple measures of self-regulation: executive function (EF), emotion regulation (ER), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Parents completed a questionnaire about their children's behavioral regulation. We examined whether sample (i.e., shelter or community) moderated the association between each aspect of self-regulation and academic outcomes. Results showed a main effect of EF skills on early numeracy, and this relation did not differ across samples. Intervention efforts to promote academic competencies might specifically target EF in those who struggle with early EF skills regardless of risk context.

Brief Report: Predictors of Teacher-Rated Academic Competence in a Clinic Sample of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) necessitates a greater understanding of the academic experience of diagnosed children. The present study investigates several predictors of teacher-reported academic competence among a sample of elementary school children. All children in the sample were referred for an ASD evaluation and approximately half received a diagnosis. Children with and without ASD did not differ on overall academic competence, social skills, or problem behaviors. Regression analyses indicated that cognitive ability, social skills, and problem behaviors accounted for significant variance in academic competence. Moderation analyses indicated that the relations between the predictors and academic competence were comparable for children with and without ASD. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Young men's behavioral competencies and risk of alcohol use disorder in emerging adulthood: Early protective effects of parental education.

We investigate how early exposure to parental externalizing behaviors (EB) may contribute to development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in young adulthood, testing a developmental cascade model focused on competencies in three domains (academic, conduct, and work) in adolescence and emerging adulthood, and examining whether high parental education can buffer negative effects of parental EB and other early risk factors. We use data from 451,054 Swedish-born men included in the national conscript register. Structural equation models showed parental EB was associated with academic and behavioral problems during adolescence, as well as with lower resilience, more criminal behavior, and reduced social integration during emerging adulthood. These pathways led to elevated rates of AUD in emerging and young adulthood. Multiple groups analysis showed most of the indirect pathways from parental EB to AUD were present but buffered by higher parental education, suggesting early life experiences and competencies matter more for young men from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families than from higher SES families. Developmental competencies in school, conduct, and work are important precursors to the development of AUD by young adulthood that are predicted by parental EB. Occupational success may be an overlooked source of resilience for young men from low-SES families.