From Perspective-Taking to Emotion-Making in a Middle School Pair

PurposeThis empirical quantitative research study aimed to test whether historical texts could activate empathic concern and perspective taking in a US History classroom with adolescent students.Design/methodology/approachEighth-grade participants (n = 227) were randomly assigned to read either a historical narrative text or a collection of primary documents, then participants self-reported a range of emotions and wrote a paragraph that was assessed for historical perspective taking.FindingsResults indicated that for students randomly assigned to read the narrative text, empathic concern or compassion, was associated with higher historical perspective taking, even after controlling for literacy ability.Research limitations/implicationsAll participants attended a single predominantly. White upper middle class middle school, and read either one narrative text or one collection of primary documents. Findings cannot be generalized to all students or all texts. The study design did not assess for a causal relationship of empathic concern and historical perspective taking.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrates that empathic concern, when activated through a certain narrative text, can be associated with greater achievement on cognitive academic tasks such as writing a paragraph assessed for historical perspective taking. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that empathic concern should be a target emotion for students rather than a similar emotional experience as the person they are empathizing with.Originality/valueAdolescents today appear to have lower levels of empathy than in the past. Empathy may be crucial for moral behavior. Research indicates that historical texts could potentially provide effective empathic interventions for adolescents. However, there are no published empirical quantitative research studies related to activating empathy for adolescents through literacy in a history classroom.

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Why do people believe in a zero-sum economy?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18000389 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Samuel G. B. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Perspective Taking ◽

Evolutionary Model ◽

Everyday Experience ◽

Coalitional Psychology ◽

The Face ◽

Zero Sum

AbstractZero-sum thinking and aversion to trade pervade our society, yet fly in the face of everyday experience and the consensus of economists. Boyer & Petersen's (B&P's) evolutionary model invokes coalitional psychology to explain these puzzling intuitions. I raise several empirical challenges to this explanation, proposing two alternative mechanisms – intuitive mercantilism (assigning value to money rather than goods) and errors in perspective-taking.

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Adolescent Students Who Stutter: A Qualitative Exploration of School Experiences

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_persp-19-00085 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 1327-1336

Author(s):

Tiffany R. Cobb ◽

Derek E. Daniels ◽

James Panico

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Middle School ◽

Peer Relationships ◽

Speech Therapy ◽

School Setting ◽

Image Data ◽

School Experiences ◽

Adolescent Students ◽

Therapy Decision ◽

Qualitative Phenomenological

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which adolescent students who stutter perceive their school experiences. Method This study used a qualitative, phenomenological research design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 7 adolescent students who stutter (3 in middle school and 4 in high school). Participants were interviewed about their school experiences, including the effects of stuttering on academics, learning, teacher relationships, peer relationships, speech therapy experiences, and self-image. Data analysis consisted of transcribing interviews and analyzing them for emerging themes. Results Findings revealed that participants described a variety of experiences around the school setting. Participants reported less favorable middle school experiences. Middle school participants reflected more on teasing, bullying, and feelings of embarrassment, whereas high school participants revealed that teachers, staff, and peers were receptive and accepting of them and their stuttering. All participants reported that their speech therapy helped with classroom participation. Conclusions As a result of the participants' varied experiences, it is important to listen to and incorporate the voices of students who stutter into school, classroom, and therapy decision-making practices.

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The Effect of Vocabulary Intervention on Text Comprehension: Who Benefits?

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2019_lshss-voia-18-0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 562-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dawna Duff

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Text Comprehension ◽

Classroom Instruction ◽

Vocabulary Instruction ◽

Clinical Intervention ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Vocabulary Intervention ◽

The Mean ◽

The Difference

Purpose Vocabulary intervention can improve comprehension of texts containing taught words, but it is unclear if all middle school readers get this benefit. This study tests 2 hypotheses about variables that predict response to vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: gains in vocabulary knowledge due to treatment and pretreatment reading comprehension scores. Method Students in Grade 6 ( N = 23) completed a 5-session intervention based on robust vocabulary instruction (RVI). Knowledge of the semantics of taught words was measured pre- and posttreatment. Participants then read 2 matched texts, 1 containing taught words (treated) and 1 not (untreated). Treated texts and taught word lists were counterbalanced across participants. The difference between text comprehension scores in treated and untreated conditions was taken as a measure of the effect of RVI on text comprehension. Results RVI resulted in significant gains in knowledge of taught words ( d RM = 2.26) and text comprehension ( d RM = 0.31). The extent of gains in vocabulary knowledge after vocabulary treatment did not predict the effect of RVI on comprehension of texts. However, untreated reading comprehension scores moderated the effect of the vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: Lower reading comprehension was associated with greater gains in text comprehension. Readers with comprehension scores below the mean experienced large gains in comprehension, but those with average/above average reading comprehension scores did not. Conclusion Vocabulary instruction had a larger effect on text comprehension for readers in Grade 6 who had lower untreated reading comprehension scores. In contrast, the amount that children learned about taught vocabulary did not predict the effect of vocabulary instruction on text comprehension. This has implications for the identification of 6th-grade students who would benefit from classroom instruction or clinical intervention targeting vocabulary knowledge.

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Most Middle School Teachers Show High Levels of Stress, Indicates Study

Leader Mag Digital Object Group ◽

10.1044/leader.rib2.25052020.15 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Teachers ◽

School Teachers

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Test Anxiety and Standardized Achievement Test Performance in the Middle School Years

Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development ◽

10.1080/07481756.1988.12022865 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 149-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Linda Crocker ◽

Alicia Schmitt ◽

Linda Tang

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Test Anxiety ◽

Test Performance ◽

Achievement Test

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Does It Matter How I Say It?

Journal of Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1027/1866-5888/a000125 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 104-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dan S. Chiaburu ◽

Ann Chunyan Peng ◽

Linn Van Dyne

Keyword(s):

Perspective Taking ◽

Joint Effect ◽

Overall Performance ◽

Low Levels

We conducted an experiment to examine the effect of how subordinates present ideas (constructive vs. complaining form) on supervisor (receiver) responses (perceptions of subordinate intrusiveness and of overall performance). We demonstrated a joint effect of subordinate idea presentation (manipulated) and supervisor dogmatism (measured) such that supervisors with high levels of dogmatism rated subordinates who presented voice constructively as more intrusive and lower in performance than those with low dogmatism. Supervisor perspective taking mediated these relationships. Our findings highlight the importance of presenting ideas in a constructive form to receivers with low levels of dogmatism.

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