Using longitudinal data from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, the authors assessed 1,977 adolescents across Grades 5 to 8 to determine if there were distinctive developmental paths for behavioral and emotional school engagement; if these paths varied in relation to sex, race/ethnicity, and family socioeconomic status (SES); and whether links existed between trajectories of school engagement and grades, depression, substance use, and delinquency. Four trajectories for behavioral school engagement and four trajectories of emotional engagement were identified using a semiparametric mixture model. These trajectories were distinct with regard to initial levels of and changes in engagement, as well as to their shapes. Trajectories varied in regard to sex, SES, and race/ethnicity. Different trajectories of behavioral and emotional engagement were linked to grades, depression, delinquency, and substance use. Directions for future research and application are discussed.

Trajectories of School Engagement during Adolescence: Implications for Grades, Depression, Delinquency, and Substance Use.

Motivations for non-medical prescription drug use: a mixed methods analysis.

The study in this article employed a multidimensional (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive) construct of school engagement to examine its relationship to school achievement in mathematics across the five major racial groups. The sample included 115 American Indians, 486 Asians, 1, 551 Blacks, 1, 682 Latinos, and 7, 554 Whites who participated in the Educational Longitudinal Study (2002-2004). Data were analyzed using a multiple regression analysis for each of the five racial groups. Behavioral and cognitive engagement accounted for much more of the variance in math achievement scores than did emotional engagement. Ways in which professional school counselors can promote these kinds of engagement are discussed.

The Multidimensionality of School Engagement and Math Achievement among Racial Groups.

The effects of perceived coercion and motivation on treatment completion and subsequent re-arrest were examined in a sample of substance-abusing offenders assessed for California’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA) program. Perceived coercion was measured with the McArthur Perceived Coercion Scale; motivation was measured with the subscales of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). At treatment entry, clients were more likely to believe that they had exercised their choice in entering treatment than that they had been coerced into treatment. SACPA clients scored relatively low on Recognition and Ambivalence regarding their drug use but relatively high on Taking Steps to address their drug problem. Correlations between perceived coercion and motivation measures at treatment entry indicated that these are separate constructs. In logistic regression models, the Recognition subscale of the SOCRATES significantly predicted “any re-arrest,” and Ambivalence and Taking Steps predicted “any drug arrest.”

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Influence of Perceived Coercion and Motivation on Treatment Completion and Re-Arrest among Substance-Abusing Offenders

This study examines the degree to which English language learners' (ELL) descriptions of classroom supports for learning are similar to or different from the descriptions of non-ELL students. Specifically, the study compared the classroom perceptions of ELL students and general education students using the ClassMaps Survey (CMS), which includes indices of classroom relationships (teacher–student, peer, and home–school) and supports for self-regulation (self-efficacy, self-determination, and self-control). It was hypothesized that the CMS subscale scores would differ for the two student groups. Results indicated that ELL students rated themselves significantly lower in academic efficacy and rated their classmates as more likely to follow class rules compared to the ratings of non-ELL students. Implications for practical application of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

English language learners' and non-english language learners' perceptions of the classroom environment

This study addresses the effects of motivation and problem severity on outcomes in two court-baseddrug treatment programs. Data were examined for 578 offenders served by a drug court and223served by a drug treatment court mandated through California's Substance Abuse Crime Prevention Act (SACPA). It was hypothesized that client-reported motivation would be associated with severity of drug problems and that motivation would be positively associated, and severity negatively associated, with program completion and 12-month, postdischarge recidivism. The first hypothesis was supported— motivation for treatment, measured by client-reported need for treatment and acknowledgementof problemseverity, was associatedwith severity of druguse. Program completion in drug court was predicted by client motivation and prior jail time, whereas SACPA completion was predicted by severity of drug problems and prior employment. Recidivism was associated with program completion and problem severity but not treatment motivation ...

Effects of Motivation and Problem Severity on Court-Based Drug Treatment

There are many factors associated with academic success at school. In addition to having the requisite cognitive abilities and scholastic skills, students need to feel that school is a place in which they belong. This study examines factors related to perceptions of school belonging for a sample of Latino elementary school students. Participants were 57 Latino youth, 26 of whom were English Language Learners and the rest of whom were English proficient. Students were assessed in fourth and sixth grades in this longitudinal study. Self-perceptions and teacher perceptions of these students were available at the beginning and end of each academic year. The results indicated that in fourth grade English Language Learners had a decrease in school belonging while their English proficient classmates did not. Factors associated with school belonging differed between the fourth and the sixth grades. In addition to the impact of language proficiency, fourth graders’ sense of belonging was associated with teacher evaluations while sixth graders’ perceptions were primarily affected by peer self-concept. Implications for school psychologists and other educational professionals are discussed.

Emily Campos

Papers

Effects of Motivation and Problem Severity on Court-Based Drug Treatment

Changes in Latino Students’ Perceptions of School Belonging Over Time: Impact of Language Proficiency, Self-Perceptions and Teacher Evaluations