Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder are prevalent and persistent but also treatable. Little is known about how and why parents of such children seek help for sleep disturbance. Via an online survey (n = 244 respondents), we gathered information about parents' attributions about children's sleep problems and beliefs about…

While principal goal-setting has been shown to be an important leadership practice, there is little research examining principals' goal-setting and goal-achievement. This research examined novice principals' school improvement goals and factors affecting their achievement. Goals from 460 principals enrolled in a national induction programme were…

This article draws on ethnographic work undertaken with 21 students and several members of staff at an elite girls' school in New Zealand to investigate the relation between school culture, pedagogical practices and discourses of physical education and school sport. It explores what and who contours the participation of these young women in sport,…

Within New Zealand, Adult and Community Education providers are facing radical reductions in government support. Providers are reacting in different ways with many being forced to withdraw from offering non-credit education at affordable rates. This paper explores the likely consequences, in terms of changes in learner profile, of efforts to…

The way in which behaviour is perceived and managed by teachers can influence the classroom environment. The current study examined teachers' perceptions of the cause of school behavioural problems and the effectiveness of positive behavioural interventions. It also examined the level of formal training participants have received in behaviour…

There is disagreement in the literature regarding the influence of social and cultural factors on the propensity for young people to undertake higher education. This study draws upon a national data set of over 45,000 young people to assesses their propensity to progress to bachelor level study, while controlling for their ethnic backgrounds,…

College students (N=220) completed questionnaires on their perceptions of attributions and consequences of poverty and wealth. Results indicated that students emphasized significance of the family and placed little weight on luck when dealing with poverty and wealth. Students emphasized economic consequences of poverty and wealth, and did not rate…

Investigated the validity of applying Kelley's covariation attribution model to unemployment. Results of a laboratory study of 168 students supported the model, but a field study of 82 unemployed did not. The relationship of self-esteem and locus of control to attributions of success and failure was examined. (JAC)

The central idea behind this study is that at about seven years of age the concept of normative difficulty emerges, resulting in changes in interpretation of terms such as "hard" and "easy," as well as of normative cues. (Author/DB)

Studied the construct validity of the dimensions of the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale based on B. Wiener's attribution model (1979) in achievement and affiliation goal domains. Results for 172 New Zealand college students provide evidence that the measure is better used as a goal specific measure than a general measure. (SLD)

This study investigated age trends in children's explanations of their own academic successes and failures. Ability attributions for success and failure in reading were more effectively predicted by reading attainment in older than in younger children. Perception of own attainment was more accurate in older children. Sex differences were also…

Examined the attributions of, the criteria for, the likelihood of obtaining, and the importance of success and failure in examinations. 200 New Zealand and 200 Singaporean students were surveyed. Singaporean students were found to have a higher criterion mark for success than New Zealand students, but a lower criterion mark for failure. (SVE)

Investigated differences in children's emotional functioning as a product of their parents' reported disciplinary practices and child abuse potential. Children's anxiety symptoms were higher in those children whose parents obtained higher abuse potential scores and had harsher discipline practices. Results suggest emotional difficulties similar to…

"School refuser" is an always-already negative child identity. The term is used to categorize children or adolescents who appear to dislike and fear school (or aspects of school) and persistently refuse to attend or attend very unwillingly. Given that school attendance is generally considered a necessary social good, regular and anxious…