Structural and functional characteristics of prediction in preschool children with speech impairment

The ability to predict is one of the important aspects of human mental development. There is a relationship between prognostic competence and the process of socialization. Psychological studies show that children with special educational needs, including children with general speech underdevelopment, when compared with their peers without speech pathology, are more susceptible to impaired socialization and the occurrence of school maladjustment. This affects the success of their schooling. Such children experience difficulties in complying with social norms in the implementation of their goals, since they cannot anticipate the consequences of a certain situation. This can lead to deviant behavior and failure at school. This article examines the features of the structural and functional characteristics of forecasting in preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment. It analyzes the research results given in the scientific literature, presents the results of the authors’ own experimental research conducted using the “Prognostic stories” technique developed by the teachers of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy of Special Education of the Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, and a comparative analysis of the data obtained during the experiment. The study showed that preschool children with general speech underdevelopment have lower indicators in all predictive characteristics in comparison with normative peers, and also have specific prognosis features due to speech pathology and deficiencies in higher mental functions. The most important of these are the lack of cognitive predictive function and prediction of utterance. The disadvantages of the prognostic ability of preschoolers with speech pathology determine the risk of social maladjustment, which requires the attention of specialists in the field of special education. The results obtained expand the understanding of the state of development of the prognostic competence of preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment. They present a more complete picture of its specific features, and highlight the most significant disadvantages of the forecasting process for this category of children. This indicates the directions of work on the development of prognostic processes in preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment, as well as the prevention or minimization of the outcomes of school maladjustment.

Psychological and pedagogical characteristics of a future first grader: kindergarten and school continuity problems

The article examines the psychological and pedagogical characteristics of a first grader as a continuity problem indicator between preschool and primary school education levels. The increase in the number of children with special educational needs, inclusion, and modernization of education put children, teachers, and parents in new socio-psychological conditions in which kindergarten graduates may have difficulties in passing the educational route. In preschool and school educational organizations, there are differences in the assessment of the child's psychophysical development specifics, there is a mismatch in the leading education and training lines. The authors show that the continuity problem is currently very relevant and contains problems of an organizational and methodological nature, sharing responsibility problems between a child, family, society, and educational organizations, as well as cooperation problems of all participants in the children transition from one education stage to another. According to the research data, more than a third of future first-graders may fall into the risk group for possible school maladjustment. More than half of children have impaired hand-to-eye coordination and a high level of anxiety. The revealed relative disadvantage indicators of the children's psychophysical development indicate the need for meaningful cooperation between kindergarten teachers, educational institutions, and parents to create conditions for success in the continuity of various stages for adequate readiness for school for each child. The main areas of interaction can be the kindergarten teachers-psychologists training in early prevention of school maladjustment, psychological and pedagogical education of parents of future first-graders on school readiness, and increasing the kindergarten teachers competence in working with children with special educational needs.

The Role of Aggressive Peer Norms in Elementary School Children’s Perceptions of Classroom Peer Climate and School Adjustment

Although prior research has indicated that peer norms for aggression enhance the spread of aggression in classrooms, it is unclear to date how these norms relate to students’ classroom climate perceptions and school adjustment. Aggressive descriptive norms reflect the average aggression of all students in classrooms, whereas aggressive popularity norms represent the extent to which aggressive behavior relates to popularity among peers. This study examined the role of aggressive descriptive and popularity norms in the classroom climate perceptions (cooperation, conflict, cohesion, isolation) and school adjustment (feelings of belonging; social, academic, and general self-esteem) of popular, well-liked, and victimized children. Self-reported and peer-nominated data were obtained from 1511 children (Mage = 10.60 years, SD = 0.50; 47.2% girls) from 58 fifth-grade classrooms. The results indicated that aggressive descriptive and popularity norms both matter in elementary school, but in diverging ways. Specifically, aggressive descriptive norms—rather than popularity norms—contributed to negative classroom climate perceptions irrespective of students’ social position. In addition, whereas descriptive norms contributed to between-classroom variations in some aspects of school adjustment, aggressive popularity norms related to increased school maladjustment for popular and victimized children specifically. Thus, aggressive descriptive norms and popularity norms matter in complementary ways for children’s classroom climate perceptions and adjustment in elementary education.

Prevalence and Predictors of the Persistence and Incidence of Adolescent Internet Addiction in Mainland China: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Although Internet addiction (IA) has been considered a stable problem among adolescents, there can be different development patterns of IA (i.e., remission/persistence and incidence/absence). Such conversions of IA are less addressed in previous research. Due to the large and increasing number of adolescent Internet users in Mainland China, it has also become an obligation for health professionals to investigate the prevalence and conversations of IA and identify factors that can prospectively predict IA persistence and incidence. OBJECTIVE The current study investigated the prevalence of persistence and incidence regarding internet addiction (IA) among adolescents in Mainland China across three years using a 2-wave longitudinal design. METHODS A total of 1544 students from five secondary schools in the 7th grade participated in the study, and 1301 remained after two years. Self-report questionnaires were delivered to assess the developmental patterns of IA (i.e., persistence and incidence) and intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that predicted persistence and incidence respectively. RESULTS Generally, of the 187 students with IA in 7th grade, the addiction persisted for 40.64% of students by grade 9. Of the 1114 students without an IA in 7th grade, 10.32% had initiated IA by grade 9. Multilevel logistic regression analyses indicated that higher levels of depression (OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.09; P = .04) and maternal education (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.20, 4.15; P = .01) could increase the likelihood of IA persistence. Significant predictors of IA incidence were males (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.94; P = .03), single children (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.15, 3.17; P = .01) low family income (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.39; P < .001), and school maladjustment (OR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.16; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS The persistence and incidence of adolescent IA are worthy of attention in the context of rapid social development. Psychosocial factors identified in the current study that are predictive of IA persistence and incidence should be addressed in future studies.

Adolescent-to-Parent Violence: Psychological and Family Adjustment

Adolescent-to-Parent Violence (APV) or Child-to-Parent Violence (CPV) is a specific form of violence that has remained inconspicuous until recently, but is becoming a mounting social issue and is increasingly the focus of scientific research. Of the variables related to APV, the study assessed the characteristics of the family system and its relationship to the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents, an aspect scarcely examined in the literature. Thus, a field study was performed on a community sample of 210 adolescents aged 12–17 years (51.4% girls) who were assessed on measurements of APV, parenting (parental socialization), victimization, and psychological adjustment (personal, family, and school). The results revealed higher rates of psychological APV, and no gender effects in violence exercised against either parent. The adolescents involved in APV exhibited a greater psychological maladjustment in the different areas under analysis. Moreover, adolescents engaging in psychological APV reported a parental socialization style characterized by severe strictness and supervision in comparison to non-aggressors not implicated in psychological APV. Finally, adolescents exercising APV who were victimized by their parents showed more psychological, personal, and school maladjustment. These results have implications for needs analysis and the planning of community prevention strategies.

Adaptation as a factor of psychological safety of primary school children

The article contains the results of a study of school motivation and adaptation to school in younger students. The subjects were first-grade students, their teacher, and parents. Analysis of the results revealed students with problems in educational motivation and manifestations of school maladjustment, which can serve as both a cause and a consequence of problems in the psychological safety of students.