Background: This article casts the analytical spotlight on the practice of within-class homogeneous (same) ability grouping where learners are placed in small groups for instruction based on their perceived performances, reading levels and interest. Very few studies have focused on within-class ability grouping, especially in a South African…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how primary school principals in Israel cope with the gaps between authority and responsibility in their work, deriving from partially implemented decentralization processes, and how this relates to school-based management (SBM) and accountability principles. Design/methodology/approach: Using…

The present study describes the development and validation of an instrument to measure volition in the exercise context. Volition describes an individual's self-regulatory mental processes that are responsible for taking and maintaining a desirable action (e.g., exercising regularly). The scale structure was developed in an exploratory factor…

In this article, I offer a critical feminist theoretical reflection on my lived experiences as a working-class White woman as a challenge to some of the dominant narratives in academia. In particular, I describe my development of feminist and class-consciousness as an "organic intellectual." I discuss changes to my working-class identity and the…

Choice theory identifies five psychological needs: survival, freedom, power, belonging, and fun (Glasser, 1998). There are close parallels with self-determination theory (SDT), which specifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as essential needs (Deci & Ryan, 2000). This case study examines a very successful example of choice theory…

This article had four goals. First, the authors identified a set of general challenges and questions that a life-span theory of development should address. Second, they presented a comprehensive account of their Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development. They integrated the model of optimization in primary and secondary control and the…

Power is a resource for living that is present in all individuals, and has a positively uplifting effect on one's quality of life. In a grounded theory approach, we searched for factors influencing the sense of power, which exist in elders' interactions in their environment. These factors were awareness of personal changes, coping, role taking,…

Proposes that death anxiety is related to degree of individuation and self-actualization. Sees concerns about death increasing as people relinquish defenses, reach new levels of differentiation of self, and expand their lives and personal power. Notes that therapeutic progress poses existential dilemma. (Author/NB)

Examined influence of situational characteristics and coping on outcome of relapse crisis for 232 subjects followed for 1 month after self-initiated attempt at smoking cessation. Survival of a relapse crisis was most strongly related to the number of coping strategies used, rather than to their type (cognitive or behavioral). Results are discussed…

Those who make memorials for the victims of motor vehicle crashes assume an authority to do so that stems from three main elements of experience: the overwhelming empowerment of grief; the belief that the presence of the deceased can be felt and recognized; and the understanding that the place where life was lost is a special place for…

The generalizability of Person-Relative-to-Event (PrE) theory, originally applied to disaster-related situations, is investigated in a non-disaster simulation. The PrE theory of coping with threat emphasizes the relationship between level of appraised threat relative to person resources and personal responsibility. This theory has previously been…

The Dependable Strengths Articulation Process (DSAP) is a systematic intervention which enables individuals to recognize, articulate, communicate, and use their Dependable Strengths. Dependable Strengths are those personal strengths that are clearly established and owned by the individual. They can earn the Dependable Strengths designation by…

Presents a survival expert's model of survival. Characterizes survival in terms of being prepared for a crisis, escaping the immediate threat, avoiding disorientation and fear, and the survival routine, which includes hope, flexibility, and humor. Notes the impact of posttrauma situations and the need for continued vigilance. (RJM)

Examined the effects of self-coping cognitive treatment for test anxiety delivered in a massed format and a spaced format. Ninety-three test-anxiety subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) workshop, (b) six-session treatment, or (c) control. Results suggest that this treatment is effective in treating test anxiety.…

Suggests that counselors can help discouraged people regain their sense of strength and potential to cope with their problems. Describes various techniques for doing this including reliving earlier success, creating images of successful performance, and identifying with people who have risen above their circumstances. (JAC)