Individual Differences in Emotional Reactivity and Academic Achievement: A Psychophysiological Study

Factors related to grade point average (GPA) are of great importance for students' success. Yet, little is known about the impact of individual differences in emotional reactivity on students' academic performance. We aimed to examine the emotional reactivity–GPA link and to assess whether self‐esteem and psychological distress moderate this relationship. Eighty undergraduate students reported on their GPA, self‐esteem, and psychological distress. Students' pupil radius was monitored during affective picture viewing to assess sympathetic activation in response to emotional stimuli. Cluster analysis on pupil reactivity to pictures identified low, average, and high emotionally reactive students. Regression analyses indicated that profiles of emotional reactivity were associated with GPA. This relationship was moderated by self‐esteem, but not psychological distress. Among students with higher emotional reactivity, those with lower self‐esteem reported poorer GPA. Findings document the importance of differences in students' emotional reactivity and self‐esteem in relation to academic success.     

Inclusion and social exclusion issues in university education in prison: considerations based on the Italian and Spanish experiences

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on university education in prison as a strategic tool for building social inclusion. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, it examines the Italian and Spanish experiences in this area. In Italy and Spain, the idea of punishment having a rehabilitative function has been supported by strong motivation to achieve this ideal. In both countries, the way in which inmates are treated by the prison system was established to oppose prison systems designed by authoritarian regimes. However, the rhetoric of rehabilitation that is now prevalent seems to morally legitimise imprisonment and encourage the emergence of forms of ‘symbolic violence’. For these reasons, focusing attention on higher education in prison takes the form of an analytical and critical exercise that is particularly useful, as it allows the distance between prison and society, and prison and prisoner stereotypes, for example, to be questioned. It also enables the transformative effects that education has on the individual and on the system, beyond any rhetoric of treatment, to be understood.     

Effects of organizational pictures and modality as a feedback strategy on learner comprehension and satisfaction

One of the strongest instructional interventions documented in educational literature is the use of feedback to influence learning outcomes. However, there is lack of empirical research specifically pertaining to the use of multimedia in the feedback message. The purpose of this research was to test whether organizational pictures and modality as a feedback strategy had an effect on learner comprehension and satisfaction. The research design was a 2 Multimedia (Picture Present vs. Picture Absent) × 2 Modality (Narration vs. On-screen Text) × Trial (Trial 1 vs. Trial 2) with Multimedia and Modality serving as between-subject conditions and Trial serving as a repeated measure. One-hundred fifteen university students participated in the study. Findings show statistically significant increases in comprehension scores from Trial 1 to Trial 2 assessments for all four treatment conditions. Learners in the Picture present conditions were statistically more satisfied with the learning experience. Additionally, we used eye-tracking to verify the extent to which the pictures were used in the feedback message. A discussion and recommendations for future research and feedback design are provided.     

Differences in the relations between antisocial behavior and peer acceptance across contexts and across adolescence

This study tests the hypothesis that, during adolescence, antisocial behavior becomes positively associated with peer acceptance. This hypothesis was tested considering both classroom and out-of-class peer relations. Data from a previously published study, with a cross-sectional sample of 577 Italian 11- to 13-year-olds, were used. Analyses showed that in the 6th grade antisocial behavior was negatively related to classroom peer preference, but not significantly related to out-of-class peer inclusion. By the 8th grade, antisocial behavior was positively related to out-of-class peer inclusion, but not significantly related to classroom peer preference. Similar results were found for males and females. The higher level of peer acceptance among the 8th grade antisocial individuals was primarily due to nominations received by other antisocial individuals.     

Diversity in Sport? Utilizing the Business Literature to Devise a Comprehensive Framework of Diversity Initiatives

Diversity in sport, especially in relation to those who hold positions of power in interscholastic, intercollegiate, and professional sport, seems to be some what of an oxymoron. There is ample evidence that those who are not similar to the status quo that has long dominated such sport settings (i.e., white, heterosexual, male) are far less represented within positions of power in sport than they are in the population at large (Acosta & Carpenter, 1996; Washington. 1998). Furthermore, some suggest that the maintenance of the status quo goes beyond demographics and that homologous reproduction exists in attitudes. values, and leadership priorities among those in leadership positions in sport (Boutlier & San Giovanni, 1994). Because diversity and valuing diversity have received a greal deal of attention in the corporate world, this paper utilizes the business literature in an attempt to obtain a fresh perspective regarding the lack of diversity in one of the most criticized areas of sport, Division IA intercollegiate athletic organizations. A review of the literature resulted in a framework comprised of three dimensions: 1) noncompliance/compliance. 2) reactive diversity management; and 3) proactive diversity management. The framework is presented and described and its application to kinesiology, physical education. and sport is provided.     

The Effects of Computer‐assisted Systematic Observation on the Attitudes and Efficiencies of Pre‐service Teachers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of computer‐assistance during systematic observation on the attitudes of pre‐service teachers towards systematic observation and on the time required to analyze the data gathered. During their field experience, pre‐service teachers were randomly assigned to conduct systematic observation in a computer‐assisted group or traditional ‘pencil and paper’ group. Results indicated that pre‐service teachers who used computer‐assisted systematic observation required significantly (alpha – 0.01) less time to perform quantitative analysis. The data also revealed several significant differences in attitudes between the pre‐service teachers who used computers and those who used the traditional ‘pencil and paper’ methods of systematic observation.