Identifying Finnish Children’s Impulsivity Trajectories From Kindergarten to Grade 4: Associations With Academic and Socioemotional Development

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to identify the developmental trajectories of impulsive behavior among 378 Finnish children who were followed from kindergarten to fourth grade. In addition to ratings of children’s impulsivity, the analyses included measures of motivation, cognitive skills, socio-emotional adjustment, and teacher–student relationship. Four latent groups were identified that differed in the level and change of the children’s impulsive behavior across time: first, a group with low impulsivity; second, a group with decreasing impulsivity; third, a group with moderate impulsivity; and, fourth, a small group with a contradictory trajectory showing an upward trend…

Yksinäisyyden, omaehtoisen yksinolon ja vanhemmille uskoutumisen yhteydet varhaisnuorten kouluviihtyvyyteen

Tämä tutkimus on osa Jyväskylän yliopiston psykologian laitoksen tutkijoiden toteuttamaa ja Suomen Akatemian rahoittamaa TIKAPUU – Alakoulusta yläkouluun -tutkimushanketta. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää yksinäisyyden ja omaehtoisen yksinolon yhteyttä varhaisnuorten kouluviihtyvyyteen. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli tarkastella, ovatko yksinäisyyden ja omaehtoisen yksinolon yhteydet kouluviihtyvyyteen erilaisia sen mukaan, missä määrin nuori pystyy uskoutumaan vanhemmilleen. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu syksyllä 2014 tutkimukseen osallistuneista kuudesluokkalaisista nuorista (N = 856). Oppilaat vastasivat kysymyksiin yksinäisyydestä, omaehtoisesta yksinolemisesta, kouluviihtyvyydestä sekä v…

The feasibility of working memory tablet tasks in predicting scholastic skills in classroom settings

Cognitive assessment in natural group settings facilitates data collection but poses threats to the validity. In this study, tablet‐based working memory (WM) tasks, the counting span, and reading span were used in predicting 12‐year‐old children's (N = 837) scholastic skills and fluid intelligence in a classroom with environmental noise. WM tasks had excellent internal consistency, correlated with scholastic skills, and accounted for more of the variance in cognitive performance (grade point average, fluid intelligence, scholastic skills) compared with individually administered (n = 190) digit span task. Furthermore, the multilevel analysis revealed that compared with the classrooms with no…

Job Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms in Mothers and Adolescents: A Dyadic Study

AbstractIn this study, we examined whether maternal perceived job insecurity (JI) affected depressive symptoms in their adolescent children. Specifically, we tested a mediator-moderator model in which we hypothesized that maternal JI was related to adolescent depressive symptoms indirectly via maternal depressive symptoms. Most importantly, we also explored whether this indirect path was moderated by two buffering resources, i.e., maternal off-job recovery and adolescent self-esteem. There is little research on the effects of parental JI on adolescent children from the viewpoint of buffering moderators. Due to growing insecurity in the labor markets we need more information about resources …

Children's Temperament and Academic Skill Development During First Grade: Teachers' Interaction Styles as Mediators.

The present study followed 156 Finnish children (Mage = 7.25 years) during the first grade of primary school to examine to what extent parent- and teacher-rated temperament impacts children's math and reading skill development during the first grade, and the extent to which this impact would be mediated by teachers' interaction styles with the children. The results showed that the impact of children's low task orientation and negative emotionality on their math skill development was mediated via teachers' behavioral control and, among girls, also by psychological control. The negative impact of children's inhibition on math skill development, in turn, was not mediated via teachers' interact…

How are learning experiences and task properties associated with adolescents’ emotions and psychophysiological states?

We examined whether learning experiences (value of success, mastery experience) and task properties (challenge) are related to early adolescents’ (n = 190, median age = 12) emotional responses and psychophysiological states (autonomic nervous system, ANS) in achievement situations in an ambulatory laboratory. They completed four achievement tasks (two math and two reading) at different challenge levels in randomized order, and reported their learning and task perceptions for each task. The proportion of errors indicated the objective demandingness of each task. As indices of sympathetic nervous system activity, we recorded skin conductance response (SCR) and heart rate (HR), and, as parasym…

The roles of teacher–student relationship quality and self-concept of ability in adolescents’ achievement emotions: temperament as a moderator

AbstractThis study examined to what extent teacher–student conflict and closeness, on the one hand, and students’ self-concepts of ability in literacy and mathematics, on the other, are related to students’ achievement emotions (enjoyment, anxiety and boredom) in mathematics and literacy among Finnish early adolescents (N = 854). We also investigated the extent to which these associations are moderated by student temperament (surgency/extraversion, negative affectivity and effortful control). The results showed, after accounting for relevant covariates, that in both school subjects, teacher–student conflict was negatively related to enjoyment and positively to anxiety and boredom, whereas t…

The interplay between maternal homework involvement, task-avoidance, and achievement among adolescents.

This study examined three aspects of maternal homework involvement (i.e., the quantity, quality, and source of initiative) and their direct and indirect associations with adolescents’ task-avoidant behavior in homework situations and academic achievement. The sample consisted of Finnish mothers and their adolescents who were transitioning from primary to lower secondary school. Mothers rated the quantity of their homework involvement (i.e., monitoring and help), quality of their homework involvement (i.e., autonomy support and psychological control), and source of initiative (i.e., mother- vs. adolescent-initiated monitoring and help) at the beginning of Grade 6. They also reported on adole…

Nuorten toiminnanohjauksen pulmien yhteys kaverisuhteisiin

Tämä tutkimus on osa Jyväskylän yliopiston psykologian laitoksen tutkijoiden toteuttamaa ja Suomen Akatemian rahoittamaa TIKAPUU - Alakoulusta yläkouluun -tutkimushanketta. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin seitsemäsluokkalaisten nuorten [n = 377] toiminnanohjauksen pulmien ja kaverisuhteiden välisiä yhteyksiä. Nuorten pulmia toiminnanohjauksessa tarkasteltiin opettajien täyttämällä Keskittymiskyselyllä. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin nuorten kavereiden määrää, läheisen ystävyyssuhteen laatua ja nuorten asemaa vertaisryhmässä. Kavereiden määrää mitattiin laskemalla niiden luokkakavereiden lukumäärä, joiden kanssa nuoret kertoivat viettävänsä mieluiten aikaa. Ystävyyssuhteen laatua mitattiin läheisyy…

Temperament and symptoms of stress and depression among adolescents: The mediating role of psychological flexibility

Abstract Background Early appearing temperamental differences and the psychological flexibility skills of individuals are proposed factors influencing stress and depression among adolescents. We test the theoretical assumption that temperament may form a basis for facing the outer world, while the development of psychological flexibility being another such basis and a mediator in well-being outcomes. Methods Using data on 740 adolescents (Mage = 15.7 years, 57% female) assessed at the beginning and end of the final grade of basic education, structural equation modeling (SEM) with mediation analysis was conducted to examine the associations between the key temperament dimensions, changes in …

Motivation and academic performance among first-graders : A person-oriented approach

The present study applies a person-oriented approach to examine the motivational patterns children show on the basis of their reading- and math-related intrinsic value and self-concept of ability and how these patterns are related to their reading and math performance during the first grade of elementary school. The participants were 156 first grade children. The children were examined at the beginning and at the end of their first grade of elementary school. Five groups of children showing differing motivational patterns were identified using the ISOA procedure: Positive, Negative, Math-motivated, Reading-motivated, and Low interest but high belief. Children's motivational patterns were as…

The role of mothers' beliefs in students' self-concept of ability development

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the child-related competence beliefs of mothers are associated with the development of Finnish adolescents' self-concept of mathematics and literacy ability during their transition from primary to lower secondary school and whether these associations depend on adolescents' level of performance. The results showed that, first, adolescents' self-concept of mathematics and literacy ability decreased over time. The impact of maternal beliefs on the linear trend of the self-concept of mathematics and literacy ability was dependent on the level of students' performance. Mothers' high beliefs buffered against the decrease in adolescents' self-concep…

Reducing Stress and Enhancing Academic Buoyancy among Adolescents Using a Brief Web-based Program Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy : A Randomized Controlled Trial

Acceptance and commitment therapy programs have rarely been used as preventive tools for alleviating stress and enhancing coping skills among adolescents. This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of a novel Finnish web- and mobile-delivered five-week intervention program called Youth COMPASS among a general sample of ninth-grade adolescents (n= 249, 49% females). The intervention group showed a small but significant decrease in overall stress (between-group Cohen’s d = 0.22) and an increase in academic buoyancy (d= 0.27). Academic skills did not influence the intervention gains, but the intervention gains were largest among high-stressed participants. The results suggest that …

Associations between Adolescents’ Interpersonal Relationships, School Well-being, and Academic Achievement during Educational Transitions

AbstractA youth’s ability to adapt during educational transitions has long-term, positive impacts on their academic achievement and mental health. Although supportive relationships with parents, peers, and teachers are protective factors associated with successful educational transitions, little is known about the reciprocal link between the quality of these interpersonal relationships and school well-being, with even less known about how these two constructs affect academic achievement. This longitudinal study examined how the quality of interpersonal relationships and school well-being worked together to affect academic achievement during the transition from primary school to lower second…

Children evoke similar affective and instructional responses from their teachers and mothers

In the present study, we examined the extent to which the responses of teachers and mothers toward a particular child are similar in respect to their instructional support and affect, and whether child characteristics predict these responses. The data of 373 Finnish child–teacher–mother triads (178 girls, 195 boys) were analysed. Teachers and mothers reported their instructional support and affective responses toward a child in the school/homework context in Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4. At the beginning of Grade 1, the children’s performance in reading and math was tested, and teachers evaluated the children’s externalizing and internalizing problem behaviour. The results demonstrated that mothe…

The Quality of Maternal Homework Involvement : The Role of Adolescent and Maternal Factors

This study examined adolescent and maternal factors of the quality of maternal homework involvement and the extent to which the factors predicted adolescents' subsequent achievement through adolescents' and mothers' perceptions of the quality of maternal homework involvement. The sample consisted of 847 Finnish adolescents and their 662 mothers who both rated the quality of homework involvement (i.e., autonomy support and psychological control) in the fall of Grade 6. Adolescents rated their positive and negative academic emotions. Mothers rated their beliefs about adolescents' school success, their positive and negative emotions, and adolescents' task avoidance in homework situations. Info…

Siirtymä alakoulusta yläkouluun yhtenäis- ja erilliskouluissa : siirtymään liittyvät huolet nuorilla

Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin, millaisia koulusiirtymään liittyviä huolia nuorilla on ennen ja jälkeen alakoulusta yläkouluun siirtymisen. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin, pysyvätkö huolet kuudennella ja seitsemännellä luokalla samanlaisina vai muuttuvatko ne ja vaikuttaako muuttumiseen mahdollinen koulun vaihtaminen. Tutkimus on osa laajempaa tutkimushanketta, jonka tavoitteena on tunnistaa koulusiirtymää edistäviä tekijöitä. Aineisto (N = 876) on kerätty keväällä 2015, kun nuoret olivat kuudennella luokalla, sekä syksyllä 2015 heidän siirryttyään seitsemännelle luokalle. Molempina ajankohtina nuoria pyydettiin ilmaisemaan omin sanoin alakoulusta yläkouluun siirtymää koskevia huoliaan. Vastaukset luoki…

Task-focused behaviour and literacy development: a reciprocal relationship

University of Jyva¨skyla¨The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effect of task-focusedbehaviour on reading fluency, spelling and comprehension; and (b) to examine therole of the different literacy skills in subsequent task-focused behaviour. Twohundred and seven Finnish-speaking children were followed from preschool untiltheir fourth year at school and were tested for reading fluency, spelling and readingcomprehension. The teachers also rated the children’s task-focused behaviour. Theresults showed that task-focused behaviour was a significant predictor of laterreading comprehension and spelling skills. However, all three literacy skillspredicted subsequent task-focused beha…

A person-oriented approach to maternal homework involvement during the transition to lower secondary school

This study examined patterns of mothers' homework involvement (n = 680 in Grade 6 and 665 in Grade 7) and changes in them during 12-year-old Finnish adolescents' (n = 848; 391 boys) transition to lower secondary school. Moreover, the extent to which adolescents' motivational behavior and prior academic achievement predicted these patterns was examined. The latent transition analyses identified four relatively stable latent patterns of maternal homework involvement in Grades 6 and 7: averagely involved, psychologically controlling and intrusive, noninvolved, and intrusive monitoring and helping. The higher task avoidance and the poorer achievement adolescents showed, the more likely their mo…

Dropout intentions in secondary education : Student temperament and achievement motivation as antecedents

Introduction As early school leaving and dropping out from education pose a challenge for later life adjustment, it is important to identify antecedent factors for the risk of school dropout to tailor individual support for adolescents. Consequently, this study examines the role of adolescents' motivational beliefs and behaviors (i.e., success expectations, planning, and task-avoidance) as well as their temperament (i.e., extraversion/surgency, negative affectivity, effortful control, and affiliativeness) in their dropout intentions in the first year of upper secondary education. Methods Participants were Finnish adolescents' (n = 536; 57% girls, mean age 12.39 at outset, standard deviation…

Associations of temperament types and gender of early adolescents and teachers with adolescents’ school well‐being

This study examined the role of temperament type and gender of adolescents and teachers in adolescents’ well‐being in school. The sample consisted of 677 Finnish students and 56 classroom teachers. Parents rated adolescent temperament and teachers rated their own temperament in autumn of Grade 6. Self‐reports of school well‐being among adolescents were obtained in autumn and the fall of Grade 6. The results showed that being a girl and having resilient temperament type predicted higher school well‐being. In turn, boys with undercontrolled temperament, who were otherwise at risk for decreased school well‐being, particularly benefited from having a female teacher with resilient temperament. O…

Adolescents’ Stress and Depressive symptoms and Their Associations with Psychological Flexibility before Educational Transition

Introduction: Relatively little is known about individual differences in adolescent psychological flexibility and its associations with symptoms of stress and depression. This study examined different profiles of adolescent stress and depressive symptoms and their associations with developing psychological flexibility before the critical educational transition. Methods: The data were derived from a general sample of 740 Finnish ninth-grade adolescents (Mage = 15.7 years, 57% female) who were assessed twice during the final grade of their basic education. The data were analyzed using growth mixture modeling. Results: Four profiles of stress and depressive symptoms were identified during a sc…

Parents' role in adolescents' educational expectations

The present study examined the extent to which mothers' and fathers' expectations for their offspring's future education, their level of education, and adolescents' academic achievement predict adolescents' educational expectations. To investigate this, 230 adolescents were examined twice while they were in comprehensive school (in the 7th and 9th grades). Their parents also filled in questionnaires at the same time points. The results showed that high parental expectations concerning their offspring's future education predicted high educational expectations among adolescents and they became more similar in the 9th grade compared to 7th grade. Parents' high level of education predicted both…

Elämän hallinnan ongelmien määrittelyt terapiakeskustelussa

Alakoulusta yläkouluun yhtenäis- ja erilliskouluissa

Suomessa alakoulusta yläkouluun siirrytään tavallisimmin 12‒13 vuoden iässä. Tuolloin nuoren elämässä tapahtuu monia haasteellisia muutoksia, kuten puberteettiin liittyviä fyysisiä ja psyykkisiä muutoksia sekä alakoulusta yläkouluun siirtymiseen liittyviä fyysisen ja sosiaalisen lähiympäristön muutoksia. TIKAPUU-pitkittäishankkeessa selvitettiin, miten yhtenäis- tai erilliskoulua käyvät nuoret kokevat alakoulusta yläkouluun siirtymisen. nonPeerReviewed

Maternal homework assistance and children's task-persistent behavior in elementary school

The present study used a sample of 365 children to investigate the longitudinal associations between maternal homework assistance (i.e., help, monitoring, and autonomy granting) and children's task-persistent behavior in learning situations from grade 2 to grade 4 of elementary school. Also, the extent to which task-persistent behavior plays a role in the links between parental homework assistance and children's academic performance was examined. The results showed that the more autonomy granting mothers reported, the more task-persistent behavior children exhibited; and more task-persistent behavior children exhibited, the more autonomy their mothers granted. In contrast, the more mothers …

Maternal homework assistance and children's task-persistent behavior in elementary school

Abstract The present study used a sample of 365 children to investigate the longitudinal associations between maternal homework assistance (i.e., help, monitoring, and autonomy granting) and children's task-persistent behavior in learning situations from grade 2 to grade 4 of elementary school. Also, the extent to which task-persistent behavior plays a role in the links between parental homework assistance and children's academic performance was examined. The results showed that the more autonomy granting mothers reported, the more task-persistent behavior children exhibited; and more task-persistent behavior children exhibited, the more autonomy their mothers granted. In contrast, the more…

Children's achievement behaviors in relation to their skill development and temperament

Reciprocal Relations between Adolescents’ Self-Concepts of Ability and Achievement Emotions in Mathematics and Literacy

This longitudinal study examined cross-lagged relations of self-concepts of ability and achievement emotions (i.e., enjoyment, boredom, anxiety) in two central school subjects (i.e., mathematics and literacy). Adolescents (N = 848) reported their achievement emotions and self-concepts of ability four times during Grades 6 and 7. The pattern of results was different for mathematics and literacy subjects. For mathematics the results of random intercept cross-lagged panel models showed a positive reciprocal relationship between self-concepts of ability and enjoyment and a negative reciprocal relationship between self-concept and anxiety. Lower self-concepts of ability in mathematics also predi…

Adolescents’ and mothers’ temperament types and their roles in early adolescents’ socioemotional functioning

The present study examined adolescents’ and mothers’ temperament types and their roles in the socioemotional functioning of early adolescents. A total of 869 sixth-grade students and 668 mothers participated in the study. The students rated their temperament and socioemotional functioning and the mothers rated their own temperament. Latent profile analyses identified four temperament types among the adolescents (resilient, reserved, average, and mixed) and three types among the mothers (resilient, average, and mixed). The results showed that the adolescents with resilient or reserved temperaments reported significantly fewer conduct problems and emotional symptoms, less hyperactivity, and …

School-related stress among sixth-grade students : Associations with academic buoyancy and temperament

The present study examined to what extent sixth-grade students' academic buoyancy and temperament contributed to their school-related stress. A total of 845 students rated their school-related stress at the beginning and end of the school year and their academic buoyancy at the beginning of the year. Parents rated students' effortful control and negative affectivity. The results showed that high academic buoyancy, high effortful control, and low negative affectivity at the beginning of the school year were related to lower school-related stress at the end of the school year, after controlling for gender, GPA, and previous level of stress. Effortful control and negative affectivity had no si…

The role of achievement strategies on literacy acquisition across languages

Abstract We examined the importance of children’s achievement strategies in different literacy outcomes in three languages varying in orthographic consistency: Chinese, English, and Greek. Eighty Chinese-speaking Taiwanese children, 51 English-speaking Canadian children and 70 Greek children were assessed on measures of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, reading fluency, and spelling. The children’s use of a task-focused versus task-avoidant achievement strategy in the classroom context was rated by their teachers. The results indicated that the teacher-rated task-focused behavior was a significant predictor of spelling and to a lesser extent of reading fluency and that its e…

The role of academic buoyancy and emotions in students' learning-related expectations and behaviours in primary school.

Background. Academic buoyancy refers to students’ ability to come through ordinary challenges they face in the academic context, and it can positively contribute to students’ beliefs and behaviours in learning situations. Although buoyancy has been found to be related to positive academic outcomes, previous studies have not examined how buoyancy influences academic emotions in learning situations and how these emotions further affect students’ learning-related expectations and behaviours. \ud Aims. This study investigated to what extent academic buoyancy predicts students’ failure expectations, avoidance behaviour, and task-oriented planning in learning situations, and to what extent academ…

Early temperament and age at school entry predict task avoidance in elementary school

This study examined the role of temperament, prereading skills, and age at school entry in the development of Finnish children's task avoidance. Teachers rated the task-avoidant behavior of 198 participants in kindergarten and twice in Grades 2 and 3. Parents rated the children's temperament at age 3 and children's prereading skills were measured at age 5. The results showed that, on average, the level of children's task avoidance remained the same from kindergarten to Grade 2 fall, but decreased from Grade 2 fall to Grade 3 spring. A low task avoidance level was predicted by good prereading skills, high effortful control, and high negative affectivity. Low surgency predicted a decrease in …

The development of school well-being in secondary school: High academic buoyancy and supportive class- and school climate as buffers

Abstract Students experience increasing pressure to perform well and worry about their academic performance before critical school transitions. These challenges may compromise students' school well-being. Drawing on the Model of Personality and Affect for Education (Matthews et al., 2005) as well as on the Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1989), we investigated the buffering role of high academic buoyancy and supportive class- and school climate against decreases in school well-being (i.e., school-related stress, anti-school attitude, and satisfaction with school) among Finnish lower secondary school students (N = 1024) from grades seven to nine. Controlling for gender, fluid inte…

Adolescents’ Academic Emotions and Academic Achievement Across the Transition to Lower Secondary School : The Role of Learning Difficulties

This study examined the role of learning difficulties in academic emotions and achievement across the transition to lower secondary school among 848 Finnish adolescents. Reading difficulties (RD) and math difficulties (MD) were identified based on test scores in Grade 6 and 7. Students with difficulties were identified as having resolving, emerging, or persistent RD/MD. Students rated their academic emotions and information on students’ academic achievement was acquired from school registers. The results showed that a decline in academic emotions and achievement was typical among all students across the transition. Resolving, emerging, or persistent types of RD/MD were also meaningfully ref…

The dynamics of motivation, emotion, and task performance in simulated achievement situations

Abstract This study aimed to examine associations between motivation, emotion, and task performance in simulated achievement situations. A group of sixth grade students (n = 190) completed an achievement task. Situational information on task value, success expectations, emotions, effort, task performance, and causal attributions was collected and information on subsequent academic achievement was obtained from school registers. The results showed, first, that high task value, high expectancy of success, and high positive emotions before a task contributed to a higher level of effort during the task. This, in turn, was related to better task performance. Second, high expectancy of success pr…

The Role of Adolescents’ and Their Parents’ Temperament Types in Adolescents’ Academic Emotions: A Goodness-of-Fit Approach

Abstract Background Academic emotions (e.g., enjoyment of learning or anxiety) play a significant role in academic performance and educational choices. An important factor explaining academic emotions can be students’ temperament and the goodness-of-fit between their temperament and their social environment, including parents. Objective This study investigated the unique and interactive effects of early adolescents’ and their parents’ temperament types on adolescents’ academic emotions in literacy and mathematics. Method The participants in the study consisted of 690 adolescent–parent dyads. Parents rated their own and their adolescents’ temperaments, and adolescents reported their positive…

Cross-lagged relations between teacher and parent ratings of children's task avoidance and different literacy skills.

Background Task avoidance is a significant predictor of literacy skills. However, it remains unclear whether the relation between the two is reciprocal and whether it is affected by the type of literacy outcome, who is rating children's task avoidance, and the children's gender. Aim The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the cross-lagged relations between teacher and parent ratings of children's task avoidance and different literacy skills. Sample One hundred and seventy-two Greek children (91 girls, 81 boys) were followed from Grade 1 to Grade 3. Methods Children were assessed on reading accuracy, reading fluency, and spelling to dictation. Parents and teachers rated the chi…

The developmental dynamics of task-avoidant behavior and math performance in kindergarten and elementary school

Besides cognitive factors, children's learning at school may be influenced by more dynamic phenomena, such as motivation and achievement-related task-avoidant behavior. The present study examined the developmental dynamics of task-avoidant behavior and math performance from kindergarten to Grade 4. A total of 225 children were tested for their arithmetic skills in kindergarten and in Grades 1, 2, and 4 of elementary school. Children's task-avoidant behavior in learning situations was rated by their teachers. The results of latent growth curve analyses showed that math performance and task-avoidant behavior develop in tandem: an increase in task-avoidant behavior was related to less improvem…

The role of reading difficulties in the associations between task values, efficacy beliefs, and achievement emotions

The aim of this study was to examine the situational associations of reading-related task values and efficacy beliefs with achievement emotions, and whether these associations are moderated by reading difficulties (RD). The sample comprised 128 Finnish sixth-grade students (66 with no reading difficulties [No RD], 31 with mild reading difficulties [Mild RD], and 31 with severe reading difficulties [Severe RD]) who were randomized to complete either a non-challenging or challenging reading task. Students reported their reading-related task values (attainment and interest) and efficacy beliefs right before and their achievement emotions both before and after performing the reading task. The r…

The role of temperament in children's affective and behavioral responses in achievement situations

Abstract Although students' affects and behaviors in achievement situations have been shown to be influenced by their previous learning experiences, less is known about how they relate to students' dispositional characteristics, such as temperament. This study examined to what extent children's temperament is related to their affective and behavioral responses in achievement situations. Teachers rated first-graders' ( n  = 153) temperamental characteristics in the Fall semester. Children's active task avoidance, anxiety, and helplessness were rated in test situations in the Fall and Spring semesters. The results showed that the more easily distracted the children were, the more task avoidan…

The Youth Compass -the effectiveness of an online acceptance and commitment therapy program to promote adolescent mental health: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Purpose Mental health problems affect 10-20% of adolescents worldwide. Prevention and early interventions for promoting adolescent mental health are therefore warranted. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the effects of a 5-week web-intervention (Youth COMPASS) based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on adolescents’ depressive symptoms, life satisfaction and psychological flexibility. Methods The sample comprised 243 adolescents at the age of 15-16 years (51%females) from 15 lower secondary schools. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups of which two groups received an ACT-based online-intervention including support via What…