The authors discuss the applicability of nonparametric item response theory (IRT) models to the construction and psychometric analysis of personality and psychopathology scales, and they contrast these models with parametric IRT models. They describe the fit of nonparametric IRT to the Depression content scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic…

Numerous studies have been conducted on the impact of dual-earner parents' employment on their children, yet the reverse process the impact of children and their behavior on the work functioning of their parents has been ignored. This study investigated spillover from the mother role to the work role in a sample of more than 300 families. At 4…

This study examined perceptions of a university-level occupation using the recently developed Position Classification Inventory (PCI). Results suggest that the PCI shows promise as a method of classifying specific occupations according to Holland's theory.

To children, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943) may be a mystical story about a traveler among planets. For adults, the story can be appreciated for the lessons it teaches us about what it is like to be a child--and how children may perceive the world of adults. And, for science educators, particularly, The Little Prince…

This concluding chapter reviews some of the methodological issues that analysts need to consider when evaluating the success of character-development programs.

Using a longitudinal design, we investigated the relation of childhood personality type to volunteering during adolescence. We hypothesized that participants with more adaptive personality functioning during childhood would be more likely to volunteer during adolescence and that membership in social organizations would mediate the relation of…

The statistics for divorce in the United States are alarming. Among the shouting there are voices that are not being heard: the children's. Empirical research has shown that the implementation of protective measures may increase the probability of a child becoming resilient in the face of divorce. This review of current literature is written to…

The Developmental Audit[R] is a new strength-based assessment model for youth who are in conflict in home, school, or community. Developmental Audits involve collaboration with young persons who are seen as experts on themselves. Discussing challenging life events provides a window to the young person's private logic and goals. The audit scans…

The contemporary relevance of the German philosopher of vocational education, Georg Kerschensteiner, is first indicated in general terms in relation to current debates and policies. Kerschensteiner's main ideas are then outlined. There is a discussion of his relationship with progressivism, his ideas about learning and the importance of practical…

Although personality is viewed as a precursor to self-efficacy and interest development (e.g., Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), little research concerns linkages between personality and self-efficacy. This article bridges the relation by presenting the pattern of findings across four university samples. Three general and 11 specific personality…

Contemporary approaches to moral education are influenced by the "domain theory" approach to understanding moral development (Turiel, 1983; 1998; Nucci, 2001). Domain theory holds there are distinct conventional, personal and moral domains; each constituting a cognitive "structured-whole" with its own normative source and sphere of influence. One…

The purpose of the current study was to examine the extent to which self-oriented versus socially prescribed perfectionism can be differentiated by their correlations with adaptive versus maladaptive constructs (i.e., self-esteem, perceived self-control, achievement motivation, depression, anxiety, suicidal proneness, shame, guilt, and…

There is a distinct difference between preventing a problem and promoting students' emotional and intellectual development. Today's schools, with their focus on standards and accountability, frequently use a risk-based problem-prevention approach in both policy and practice to address young people's drug use, delinquency, unsafe sex, violence, and…

Two experiments examined young children's use of behavioral frequency information to make behavioral predictions and global personality attributions. In Experiment 1, participants heard about an actor who behaved positively or negatively toward 1 or several recipients. Generally, children did not differentiate their judgments of the actor on the…

This study examined the roles of hassles, avoidant and problem-focused coping, and perceived social support as mediating the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and psychological distress in a sample of university professors. Hassles and avoidant coping both partially mediated a strong association between maladaptive perfectionism and…