This book traces and summarizes the author's theoretical insights and empirical findings in the field of foreign language education. The volume explores themes such as individual differences in L1 ability and their connection to L2 aptitude and L2 achievement, L2 anxiety as an affective or cognitive variable, and the relationship between L1 and L2…

Early adolescence represents a particularly vulnerable period of development during which young people are susceptible to establishing lifelong behavior patterns associated with poor life, health, and educational outcomes. Previous research demonstrates older adolescents and young adults often experience negative life events (NLEs) prior to…

Globalization and shifting demographics have led to a call for an immediate change in education-based counseling. Future school counselors must be equipped with 21st century skills that are applicable across cultural boundaries and applied in a global context. "Addressing Multicultural Needs in School Guidance and Counseling" is a…

The purpose of the present study was to examine self-reported fears and related anxieties in children and adolescents (7-18 years of age) having learning disabilities (LD) or mild mental retardation (MIMR), and whether these fears and related anxieties differ based on gender and age. Students responded to two well validated instruments, The…

This article presents a study of academic procrastination and associated motivation variables in 508 adolescents from a general secondary school in central Turkey. Girls reported higher levels of self-efficacy for self-regulation and predicted higher Turkish grades than boys, but there was no difference in levels of procrastination. Academic…

Third to sixth graders (n=508) completed the Children's Disturbingness Scale. Findings indicated significant multivariate differences for gender and age, with girls and younger students more disturbed by virtually all categories of behaviors. Implications for inclusion are discussed. (Author/DB)

Though many theories of the greater impact of a spouse's death on men than on women derive some support from role theory, little empirical data exist to support the hypotheses. Behavioral studies of widowhood have focused on social participation as a determinant in coping, without studying the survivor's degree of social involvement before the…

Compares the extent to which adolescents worry about nuclear war to their frequency of worry about other issues. Looks at the empirical relationships among worry and grade level, gender, trait emotionality, and drug use. Results indicate that adolescents worry more often about school performance and social interactions than about nuclear war.…

A study of exceptional secondary school biology teachers was conducted to determine what factors might be important in encouraging young women to remain on the "science track" during high school. Each teacher had a record of encouraging his/her female students to enroll in further science and mathematics courses. Three questions were…

Interviews with parents of 30 school-age girls with fragile X syndrome (fraX) and 31 age- and IQ-matched controls concerning autistic behaviors found that girls with fraX had significantly more autistic behaviors than controls, but incidence of autistic behaviors was not correlated with IQ. Anxiety and posterior cerebellar area measures were also…

A study involving 56 boys and 64 girls ranging in age from 9 to 11 years, approximately, found that defensiveness was significantly and positively correlated with impulsivity among boys, both directly and indirectly. Defensiveness did not contribute to impulsivity for girls either directly or indirectly, although test anxiety did correlate with…

Researchers are divided as to whether loneliness is a result of diminished quantity or quality of social interaction. Although results have been produced which support each position, few studies have examined the relationship between the two. To qualify the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative aspects of loneliness by exploring…

Data from four studies answer Carey's (1982, 1983) critical questions about the validity of the original Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ). Discussion illuminates the complexity of establishing the construct validity of psychological assessments used with infants. Data suggest that both the original and revised Carey ITQs fail discriminant…

Previous research has suggested that behavioral differences between shy and not shy persons may be explained by differences in inhibition rather than differences in interpersonal skills. To investigate the behavior of high and low social anxiety subjects in both ambiguous social situations and in explicitly structured ones, three studies using…

Reports on the responses of 99 children ranging in age from 52 months to 95 months to questions concerning movies and television programs that frightened them. Indicates older children watch as much "impossible" content as younger children. (HOD)