Association between Theory of Mind and Peer Problems

The current study was designed to investigate the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) development and peer problems in Pakistani children (N=80). The non-probability purposive sampling technique with survey research design had been used for data collection. Pakistani children with age ranged 4-6 years (Mage = 5.29) were recruited who?took two false belief tasks.?To tap into peer relationship of these children, their parents completed?strength and difficulty?questionnaire. For demographic variables, descriptive statistics was used. Pearson product correlation and linear regression were used to test the hypothesis. Results revealed that performance of 6 years 6 months and older was above chance on all false belief tasks, supporting the universality of ToM development with different age ranges in different cultures. Also, theory of mind negatively predicted peer relationship?problems?of this sample, revealing real life implication of mentalizing for interaction in social world. Research indicated that false belief comprehension is key to better social adjustment and the participants of this study also showed that a child's understanding of mental state terms is critical for better social adaptation.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Peer Pressure on Adolescents of School Going Age in Southern India

Background: A peer is a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person. Peer pressure is the influence of peers on people resulting in change in behaviour which could be positive or negative. As adolescent start exploring their identity towards functional independence, the teen peer relationship plays an important role. This could result in the adolescent giving more importance to the opinions and lifestyle of peer and chances of the adolescent going astray. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among school going adolescents of 15-18 years age group. The children were administered a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire on peer, parents, friends and their influence in studies, self-esteem, negative habits like smoking and alcoholism. The data collected was analysed using descriptive analytic method. Results: 242 students participated in the study. Adolescents preferred long term friendships (84.3%) and friendship with same gender (82.6%) while making friends. Majority of adolescents admitted to have good quality time spent with parents (96.7%) and considered parents as the most influential persons in their lives (88.2%). Teen peer relationship resulted in improvement of academic performance in 61.2% of the respondents. Negative peer influences were seen in few like alcohol intake (5%) and cigarette smoking (2.5%). Conclusion: Parents are the people who wield the most influence on Adolescents of school going age group in Southern India. Peer group by and large have a positive impact on the school going adolescent.

Behavioural and emotional symptoms among schoolchildren: a comparison between Jordanians and Syrian refugees

Background: There is a high prevalence of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, nicotine dependence, and sleep disorders among Jordanian adolescents and schoolchildren. There are many young Syrian refugees in Jordan, who have an increased risk of physical and psychological illnesses. Aim: To assess the behavioural and emotional symptoms among Syrian schoolchildren refugees in Jordan and their Jordanian counterparts. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from October to December 2018 on Syrian and Jordanian schoolchildren, aged 12–17 years, attending the same schools in 4 cities with the highest density of Syrian refugees. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect information about sociodemographic characteristics. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to measure behavioural and emotional symptoms. Results: This study included 1877 Jordanian schoolchildren and 1768 Syrian schoolchildren refugees. The Syrian children’s parents were significantly less educated and had significantly lower incomes and larger families than Jordanian parents had. The total difficulties and peer relationship problems were abnormally high in more than half of children. Compared to Jordanians, Syrian schoolchildren had more total difficulties (58.2% vs 52.5%), and peer relationship (55.5 vs 53.6%), conduct (47.6% vs 44.8%), and emotional problems (32.0% vs 30.8%), but they had fewer hyperactivity/inattention problems (35.5% vs 36.9%), and prosocial behaviour problems (42.5% vs 43.0%). In binary logistic regression, Syrian were more likely than Jordanian schoolchildren to experience overall difficulties and emotional symptoms. Conclusion: There were significant but unspoken behavioural and emotional symptoms and mental health needs among Syrian and Jordanian schoolchildren. They are all in need of urgent psychosocial support.

Case Examination of Teacher-Tailored Student Evaluation of Teaching Augmented with Peer Observation of Teaching in a Vietnamese University

<p>This study explored how teacher-tailored student evaluation of teaching (TT-SET) augmented with peer observation of teaching (POT) impacted on academics’ pedagogical reasoning in a Vietnamese university. The qualitative case study within the constructivist paradigm used multiple data collection methods. Detailed analysis developed findings through descriptions of individual academics’ experience of the intervention and analysis across participants (using thematic analysis). The intervention encouraged academics to reflect on their practice. This reflection promoted changes in their understandings of practice, actions to refine practice, future plans, and other outcomes (e.g., enhanced confidence, self-efficacy, sense of autonomy, and collegiality). However, there were several challenges which varied among the participants, including perceiving TT-SET as lacking reliability and validity, limited learning from junior peers, disagreement with feedback and lack of sensitivity, and limited time for POT and changes. The findings also suggested that among other factors, the nature of the peer relationship, which is under the impact of the Vietnamese Confucian collectivist culture, was important to successful implementation of the intervention. The theoretical framework developed for this study helps explain the changes in academics’ pedagogical reasoning, particularly reflection. The study contributes to the area of tertiary teacher development, both theoretically and practically. It offers insights into how such an approach may be effective, particularly in the context of Vietnamese higher education, and provides guidance for both practice and policies. It identifies what needs to be done to improve the implementation of the intervention. It also offers ideas for leaders to make institutional policies to support academics’ professional learning and development. Its findings contribute to understanding how the intervention works, and why it works in the Vietnamese context and also of academics’ reflection and reflective practice. The study includes recommendations for the use of TT-SET augmented with POT for promoting teacher reflection that may lead to changes in practice by addressing necessary conditions for the intervention to be effective. Further research is recommended into the nature of the peer relationship and the characteristics of the peer for POT (e.g., in terms of age, experience, gender, and discipline), the impact of contextual factors, the role of leaders in creating the culture of the learning community, the timing of the intervention, and the use of students’ learning outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of changes.</p>

Case Examination of Teacher-Tailored Student Evaluation of Teaching Augmented with Peer Observation of Teaching in a Vietnamese University

<p>This study explored how teacher-tailored student evaluation of teaching (TT-SET) augmented with peer observation of teaching (POT) impacted on academics’ pedagogical reasoning in a Vietnamese university. The qualitative case study within the constructivist paradigm used multiple data collection methods. Detailed analysis developed findings through descriptions of individual academics’ experience of the intervention and analysis across participants (using thematic analysis). The intervention encouraged academics to reflect on their practice. This reflection promoted changes in their understandings of practice, actions to refine practice, future plans, and other outcomes (e.g., enhanced confidence, self-efficacy, sense of autonomy, and collegiality). However, there were several challenges which varied among the participants, including perceiving TT-SET as lacking reliability and validity, limited learning from junior peers, disagreement with feedback and lack of sensitivity, and limited time for POT and changes. The findings also suggested that among other factors, the nature of the peer relationship, which is under the impact of the Vietnamese Confucian collectivist culture, was important to successful implementation of the intervention. The theoretical framework developed for this study helps explain the changes in academics’ pedagogical reasoning, particularly reflection. The study contributes to the area of tertiary teacher development, both theoretically and practically. It offers insights into how such an approach may be effective, particularly in the context of Vietnamese higher education, and provides guidance for both practice and policies. It identifies what needs to be done to improve the implementation of the intervention. It also offers ideas for leaders to make institutional policies to support academics’ professional learning and development. Its findings contribute to understanding how the intervention works, and why it works in the Vietnamese context and also of academics’ reflection and reflective practice. The study includes recommendations for the use of TT-SET augmented with POT for promoting teacher reflection that may lead to changes in practice by addressing necessary conditions for the intervention to be effective. Further research is recommended into the nature of the peer relationship and the characteristics of the peer for POT (e.g., in terms of age, experience, gender, and discipline), the impact of contextual factors, the role of leaders in creating the culture of the learning community, the timing of the intervention, and the use of students’ learning outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of changes.</p>