Taking “Thanks” for Granted: A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Gratitude in the UK and Australia

Examinations of the influence of culture on how gratitude is experienced are sparse, as are studies that simultaneously explore developmental differences in understandings of gratitude. This paper presents three studies that examine whether perceptions and experiences of gratitude differ across children, adolescents and adults in two individualistic, WEIRD and Commonwealth cultures—Australia and the UK. Studies 1a ( N = 88, ages 17–39) and 1b ( N = 77, ages 17–25) provide initial insights into “features of gratitude” in Australia through two stages of a prototype analysis. These features are compared to a previous prototype study of gratitude in the UK, alongside a further comparison to the US. Study 2 employs vignettes to examine how perceptions of the benefactor, benefit and mixed emotions influence the degree of gratitude experienced across adolescents and adults in Australia ( N = 1937, ages 11–85), with a comparison to the UK ( N = 398, ages 12–65). In Study 3, factors examined in Study 2 are adapted into accessible story workbooks for younger children (Australia N=135, ages 9–11; UK N=62, ages 9–11). Results across these studies demonstrate similarities and differences in understandings and experiences of gratitude across cultures. While adults across Australia and the UK responded similarly to gratitude scenarios, cross-cultural differences are observed between children and adolescents in these two countries. Developmental differences are noted in relation to more sophisticated reasoning around gratitude, such as recognition of ulterior motives. These findings highlight the need for gratitude research and interventions to be cross-culturally, and developmentally, responsive.

Middle School Instructional Practices

As middle school students, typically aged 10-14, begin to navigate a new world after elementary school, not only does their environment change but so do their specific learning needs. When defining the middle school philosophy, it is important to recognize the need for higher order thinking skills. To meet this need and to utilize developmentally responsive instructional strategies, middle school teachers face the daily challenge of designing learning experiences for the classroom. In this chapter, the author discusses a study investigating middle school teachers' espoused beliefs about appropriate instructional strategies and the actual strategies used in their schools. Characteristics of developmentally responsive instructional strategies, including blended learning, are also described.

Home sweet home – how mutualistic microbes modify root development to promote symbiosis

Post-embryonic organogenesis has uniquely equipped plants to become developmentally responsive to their environment, affording opportunities to remodel organism growth and architecture to an extent not possible in other higher order eukaryotes. It is this developmental plasticity that makes the field of plant-microbe interactions an exceptionally fascinating venue in which to study symbiosis. This review article describes the various ways in which mutualistic microbes alter the growth, development, and architecture of the roots of their plant hosts. We first summarize general knowledge of root development, and then examine how association of plants with beneficial microbes affects these processes. Working our way inwards from the epidermis to the pericycle, this review dissects the cell biology and molecular mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions in a tissue-specific manner. We examine the ways in which microbes gain entry into the root, and modify this specialized organ for symbiont accommodation, with a particular emphasis on the colonization of root cortical cells. We present significant advances in our understanding of root-microbe interactions, and conclude our discussion by identifying questions pertinent to root endosymbiosis that at present remain unresolved.

Pre-Therapy in Child-Centered Play Therapy

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is widely used among practitioners as a developmentally responsive mental health treatment for children with a variety of behaviors and presenting problems, however for children with disabilities, modifications to CCPT may be warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to present a model of pre-therapy in CCPT for treating children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. This chapter begins with an overview of person-centered therapy and pre-therapy; then moves to an explanation of using pre-therapy in CCPT. The chapter concludes with a synopsis for using therapeutic responses across three phases in pre-therapy. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Pre-Therapy in Child-Centered Play Therapy

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is widely used among practitioners as a developmentally responsive mental health treatment for children with a variety of behaviors and presenting problems, however for children with disabilities, modifications to CCPT may be warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to present a model of pre-therapy in CCPT for treating children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. This chapter begins with an overview of person-centered therapy and pre-therapy; then moves to an explanation of using pre-therapy in CCPT. The chapter concludes with a synopsis for using therapeutic responses across three phases in pre-therapy. Recommendations for future research are discussed.