No studies have analyzed agreement between mother, father, and teacher ratings of academic, cognitive, and handwriting problems in school-age children and compared these with objective achievement, IQ, and writing scores. The sample comprised 503 children with autism and/or ADHD 6-16 years rated by mothers, fathers, and teachers on the Pediatric…

This study examined gender differences in the psychometric properties of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing behaviors (SRSS-IE) using item response theory methods among a sample of 2,122 middle school students. The SRSS-IE is a screening instrument used to identify students who are potentially at risk for…

Motivation and self-concept count among the educationally most relevant factors and the evaluation of many educational interventions requires their valid measurement. The present study examined the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the Students' Approaches to Learning questionnaire measuring 10 distinct motivational and…

The study examined whether an academic, social, or both an academic and social focus might relate with achievement goals and academic achievement. Participants were 412 urban elementary school students. Results suggest that students with an academic focus toward school have more mastery-approach and less mastery-avoid achievement goals. Academic…

Research suggests beliefs about the stability of ability can be dichotomized into two mindsets: fixed and growth (Dweck, C., 1999). Teachers' (n = 238) beliefs regarding the stability of ability (mindset) and the stability of ability for 4 hypothetical students scenarios (mindset for scenarios) were measured. Mindset scores were related to…

Universal screening for behavioral and emotional difficulties is integral to the identification of students needing early intervention and prevention efforts. However, unanswered questions regarding the stability of screening scores impede the ability to determine optimal strategies for subsequent screening. This study examined the 2-year…

In the present study, attitudes of elementary school teachers toward different types of bullying (verbal, physical, and relational) were investigated. Six written vignettes describing all types of bullying were given to 405 elementary school teachers (F = 218; M = 187). Results indicated that teachers perceived relational bullying, specifically,…

The term "controversial" has been used in the professional literature to describe children and adolescents who have the seemingly paradoxical quality of being both socially skilled and antisocial. Although there have been some widely influential studies regarding controversial children and youth, there has been relatively little research in this…

This study assesses the predictive validity of the Phelps Kindergarten Readiness Scale (PKRS) for later academic achievement and explores the utility of a domain-specific measure of kindergarten readiness. Kindergarten readiness scores were significantly correlated with both math and language arts achievement as measured by New York State…