Showing papers in "Child Indicators Research in 2012"

Subjective Indicators of Personal Well-Being among Adolescents. Performance and Results for Different Scales in Latin-Language Speaking Countries: A Contribution to the International Debate

Abstract: Different single-item and multiple-item scales are used as subjective indicators of well-being in the international arena. However, very few cross-cultural studies exist into subjective indicators of well-being among adolescent populations. In this study, three different multi-item scales, variations of these scales and several single items –all of them previously used separately in international research- were tested together on 12 to 16-year-old adolescents in 4 different countries with Latin-based languages (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Spain). The scales are the PWI (Cummins, Eckersley, van Pallant, Vugt, Misajon, et al., Social Indicators Research, 64, 159–190, 2003), SWLS (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Smith, Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75, 1985) and BMSLSS (Seligson, Huebner & Valois, Social Indicators Research, 61, 121–145, 2003). The single-item scales explored are: one on overall life satisfaction (OLS), one on happiness with overall life (HOL), Fordyce’s single-item scale, two items from Russell’s scale (2003) on core affects (CAS), one on happiness and another on satisfaction and the optional item 6 of the BMSLSS. The performance of these scales is analyzed by taking into account overall scores from the pooled sample and scores in each country. Special attention has been paid to any trends in scores for each subjective well-being measure across age, as up until now diverse results have been obtained in different countries when using different instruments. In order to contribute to the debate on happiness versus satisfaction with life specifically in adolescents’ populations, multi-group structural equation models with factor invariance constraints have been used to model together the PWI, SWLS and BMSLSS in Brazil, Chile and Spain, with Argentina excluded due to the sample size being too small. The HOL, OLS and age were used as predictors of the three scales. The strongest relationships were between the BMSLSS and the HOL, the SWLS and the OLS, and between the PWI and the OLS. Age showed low but significant negative correlations with all three scales. A second order factor analysis model has also been tested, with some limitations. Results show directions for future exploration of a second order latent variable related to the 3 multiple-item scales, which would represent the “macro-construct” of positive life suggested by some authors. The interest in using these scales and items for cross-country comparison is discussed.

A Child Material Deprivation Index

Abstract: Child poverty is high on the policy agenda in the UK and the European Union. But poverty and deprivation is almost exclusively measured by asking adults (parents) about their incomes and living standards. Some qualitative work has been done asking children about poverty but this article develops a new, child-centric measure using children as informants. Data from two surveys run by the Children’s Society are used, both covering children aged 8–16. One included 2,000 respondents and data were linked to income data provided by parents; the other included almost 5,500 respondents and covered detailed topics relating to children’s material situation and their subjective well-being. A new ten item deprivation index was developed and children were asked whether they lacked the items, and if so whether they wanted them or not. It was found that this index explained more of the variation in subjective well-being than parental income poverty explained. This is partly because there were deprived children living in families which were not income poor and non deprived children living in families which were income poor. Child material deprivation was found to be more strongly related to low subjective well-being than the absence of deprivation was to high subjective well-being.

The Role of a Good Character in 12-Year-Old School Children: Do Character Strengths Matter in the Classroom?

Abstract: The present study investigated the role of the good character at school, specifically, its associations with satisfaction with school experiences, academic self-efficacy, positive classroom behavior, and objective school success (i.e., school grades). A sample of 247 students (mean age = 12 years) completed the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, and measures on school-related satisfaction and academic self-efficacy. Teacher-ratings on positive classroom behavior, and grades from students’ school reports were also collected. Love of learning, zest, gratitude, perseverance, and curiosity were positively associated with school-related satisfaction. Hope, love of learning, perseverance, prudence, and others were positively associated with academic self-efficacy. Character strengths of the mind (e.g., self-regulation, perseverance, love of learning) were predictive for school success. The good character explained about one fourth of the variance in positive classroom behavior, with the specific strengths of perseverance, love of learning, and prudence showing the most substantial positive correlations. A model that postulated the predictive power of classroom-relevant character strengths on school success, mediated through positive classroom behavior, was supported. Character strengths (e.g., perspective, gratitude, hope, self-regulation, teamwork) distinguished between students who demonstrated improved vs. decreased grades during the school year. This study shows that the good character clearly matters in different contexts at school, and it seems to be relevant for subjective (e.g., satisfaction) as well as objective (e.g., grades) outcomes, and for positive behavior in classrooms.

To Feel Belonged: The Voices of Children and Youth with Disabilities on the Meaning of Wellbeing

Abstract: The aim of this paper was to describe the meaning of wellbeing for children and youth with disabilities from their perspective. Twenty children and young people with a range of disabilities including, cerebral palsy, autism, Aspergers syndrome, Down syndrome, mild to moderate intellectual disability and vision impairment, participated in five focus groups and one interview. Groups were facilitated by at least two experienced professionals, including one scribe who recorded the discussions within the groups and took field notes on contextual information. Open coding was used to initially name and categorise data. Constant comparison methods were then used to compare codes and categories to advance the conceptual understanding. Six themes of the meaning of wellbeing emerged from the data describing participation, the importance of good friends, family factors, anxiety relating to performance at school, coping strategies/resilience, and personal growth and development. The concept of wellbeing from the child’s perspective was described as feeling supported, included and respected, as well as feeling valued and capable. Ideas raised by children and young people have highlighted gaps within current indicator sets of children’s wellbeing. These include reciprocal respect within relationships, coping strategies, feeling valued and having a positive sense of self. Children and young people can provide valuable input into research, regardless of impairment.

Children’s Cyberbullying Victimization: Associations with Social Anxiety and Social Competence in a Spanish Sample

Abstract: Cyberbullying research has increased in recent years given the consequences of victims’ personal and social domains. However, very few studies have analyzed the antecedents that make individuals more vulnerable to cyberbullying victimization. This research, based on previous studies on school bullying, aimed to examine social anxiety, interpersonal difficulties and lack of social skills as predictors of victimization in cyberspace and to extend the research done to date by assessing the antecedents of these negative online interactions. Public primary school students aged 10–12 years old (n = 1127) completed a self-report questionnaire which measures being cyberbullied, social anxiety and social competence. Logistic regression analyses examined the associations between cyberbullying victimization and social anxiety, and two measures of social competence: social skills and interpersonal difficulties. The results reveal that specific symptoms of social anxiety (fear of negative evaluation), interpersonal difficulties to communicate with peers and close friends, and lack of appropriate social skills, all increased the likelihood of cyberbullying victimization. They suggest that increasing worry about others’ evaluation makes children vulnerable to cyberbullying and, likewise, children with poor social skills and difficulties to act in front of a large group of people or to interact with friends are at risk of being victimized in cyberspace. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Reliability and Validity of Family Affluence Scale (FAS II) among Adolescents in Beijing, China

Abstract: This study comprises two sub-studies. Study I assessed the test-retest reliability of Family Affluence Scale (FAS II) items among 95 students aged 11 and 15 years old in Beijing. Study II investigated the completion rate of traditional indicators (parents’ educational level, perceived family wealth, resident area, and school location) measuring socioeconomic status (SES) compared with FAS II, and examined the internal reliability, external and construct validity of the FAS II items in a population of 5876 schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15 years old in Beijing. Our study found that the FAS II items have high completion rates (> 99%) which are better than other SES indicators. Analyses of reliability showed a moderate internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.58) and at least substantial test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.75). Moderate external validity of FAS II was found by Spearman rank correlation between FAS II and other SES indicators (parental education level and perceived family wealth) (r s = 0.48–0.51, p < 0.001) and ordinal regressions. Graphical log-linear Rasch model (GLLRM) showed that FAS has adequate construct validity (few LD and weak DIF). In conclusion, the FAS II is a reliable and valid SES measure for adolescents in the Beijing area.

Locating the Child Centrally as Subject in Research: Towards a Child Interpretation of Well-Being

Abstract: This paper explores the notion of the 'subject' in studies of childrens subjective wellbeing. Increasingly, those researching children's well-being are acknowledging children as agents and including them as participants in research in order to tap into, and report on, their subjectivities. We explore this trend to show how dominant approaches privilege an 'objectivist' approach to subjectivity that informs epistemological and methodological approaches and has implications for policy and practice. An alternative approach is discussed which places children centrally as subjects.

The Use of Domains in Constructing a Comprehensive Composite Index of Child Well-Being

Abstract: As the field of measuring and monitoring child well-being has evolved over the past 20 years, increasing numbers of researchers have combined indicators into comprehensive composite indices to provide a more concise picture of how children are faring. This paper reviews how domains have been used in the construction of such indices. Based on examination of 19 key studies which combine domains into indices, it is clear there is little agreement on the exact number of domains that should be used in constructing a composite index. However, of the 19 studies examined here, 11 incorporated either six and seven domains in their index. In addition there is a wide range of judgments about which domains should be included in constructing indices of child well-being and how to conceptualize each domain. This study identifies education, health, and material well-being as the key domains used in almost all of the studies examined.

The Relationship Between Parent’s Subjective Well-Being and the Life Satisfaction of Their Children in Britain

Abstract: This paper uses longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey to investigate the relationship between the subjective well-being of parents, in terms of life satisfaction and affective well-being, and the life satisfaction of their children. Literature, primarily from psychology, suggests that such a relationship exists due to the shared family environment, common stressors and the heritability of subjective well-being. Linear and logit regression showed a significant positive relationship between parent’s life satisfaction and the life satisfaction of their children, which differed between mothers and fathers. High life satisfaction in mothers was found to be more influential on children whose life satisfaction was not low, while the influence of father’s life satisfaction was not found to vary; having a consistent influence on children regardless of their level of life satisfaction. Parent’s affective well-being was not significantly related to the life satisfaction of their children. Parent’s subjective well-being was compared with parent–child relationship quality in terms of influence on child life satisfaction. Parental life satisfaction measures were found to maintain their significant influence but relationship quality was found to explain a far higher amount of the variance in child life satisfaction. As with the findings for parent’s life satisfaction, quality of relationship with their mother was found to vary according to the level life satisfaction of the child while quality of relationship with father had a consistent influence.

Well-Being in Middle Childhood: An Assets-Based Population-Level Research-to-Action Project

Abstract: This paper presents findings from a population-level, research-to-action partnership project on children’s well-being during the middle childhood years. Relations between 4th graders’ (N = 3,026) well-being (composite of satisfaction with life, optimism, self-concept, overall health, and depressive symptoms) and their social and contextual assets (adult connectedness, peer connectedness, school experiences, health habits, after-school program participation) were examined via a school district-wide administration of the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)—a self-report, population-based survey administered by teachers to children in their classrooms. Findings corroborated the premise that children’s well-being is associated with their social and contextual assets. Specifically, after controlling for socioeconomic status and language background, significant and positive relationships were found between children’s well-being and the number of social and contextual assets reported, with each additional asset associated with a significantly higher level of well-being. In order to disseminate our findings to school and community stakeholder groups and to facilitate the translation of research into action, we developed geographical maps that illustrate the relationship between the children’s well-being composite and their social and contextual assets at the neighborhood-level. We conclude by addressing theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges of our research-to-action partnership, and by discussing the importance of collecting and disseminating population-level data on children’s well-being in combination with data on developmentally-relevant social and contextual factors that are amenable to change by school and community programs and initiatives.

Assessing Gelotophobia, Gelotophilia, and Katagelasticism in Children: An Initial Study on How Six to Nine-Year-Olds Deal with Laughter and Ridicule and How This Relates to Bullying and Victimization

Abstract: The study describes the development and initial assessment of a questionnaire for the assessment of the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), the joy in being laughed at (gelotophilia), and the joy in laughing at others (katagelasticism) in a sample of 386 six to 9 year olds. The 30-item measure (PhoPhiKat-30c) demonstrated a robust three-factor structure and satisfactory internal consistency (all ≥.68). An evaluation of the answering pattern of the children revealed that for between one third and half of the children fear of being laughed at seemed to be a concern for them. In self and teacher-reports, gelotophobia was related to victim-status and katagelasticism to bully-status. This initial study enables research in three dispositions towards ridicule and being laughed at in younger children. This closes a gap in the literature and should provide a better understanding on the role of laughter and ridicule in children.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Gender, ‘Concerted Cultivation’ and Unequal Achievement in Primary Education

Abstract: It is well established that cultural and economic resources imparted to children vary significantly by social class. Literature on concerted cultivation has highlighted the way out-of-school activities can reproduce social inequalities in the classroom. Within this literature however, little attention has been given to the role of gender in concerted cultivation. In this paper, we use data from the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study to consider how both social class and gender influence the out-of-school activities of children. Moreover, we examine how out-of-school activities, class and gender impact on children’s school engagement and academic achievement. We find that while childrearing logics tend to operate within social class categories, there is an additional cultural aspect of gender in the uptake of different types of out-of-school activities. Our findings suggest the need to move beyond explanations of concerted cultivation to explain gender differences in mathematics and reading attainment.

“They are there for you”: The Importance of Neighbourhood Friends to Children’s Well-Being

Abstract: An understanding of children’s own perspectives on their relationships and experience is essential in developing a comprehensive ‘whole child’ perspective on well-being in all its domains. Eliciting authentic accounts of children’s experience requires an approach which positions children as key informants, central to the research enterprise. This article reports some of the findings of a neighbourhood based study which sought to explore aspects of children’s daily lives, particularly those autonomous spaces of childhood away from the gaze and direction of adults, within which children enact and transact their daily lives. The study findings reveal the children to be significant users of their neighbourhood with detailed local knowledge and expertise and a unique perspective on the opportunities and risks they encounter. Their social relationships, especially their friends and friendships, were found to be critical to their sense of satisfaction, in tandem with the opportunity the neighbourhood terrain afforded for physically active movement and play. Friends and friendship are experienced by children as essential to their well-being and play is the means by which they actualise this key relationship. Consistently the children named ‘space’ and ‘friends’ as the things that they most liked about their neighbourhood.

Factor Structure and Reliability of an Abbreviated Version of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

Abstract: This study examined the internal consistency reliability and factor structure of an abbreviated version of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS: Huebner, Psychological Assessment, 6, 149–158, 1994), which measures the life satisfaction of youth in five domains: family, friends, school, self, and living environment. A total of 10 negatively-worded items were excluded from the original 40-item MSLSS. The data were obtained from a sample of 844 middle school students in a Southeastern US state. The analyses revealed acceptable reliability coefficients across the five domains (range = 0.71–0.91). Using confirmatory factor analysis procedures, the correlated factors model also suggested acceptable fit across several indices. Pending further research, the abbreviated 30-item version of the MSLSS provides a promising alternative to the original MSLSS when brevity of measurement is a consideration.

Spending Time with Family and Friends: Children’s Views on Relationships and Shared Activities

Abstract: Sociologists of childhood have stressed the importance of children’s experience in the present and children as agents who actively construct their own lives and influence relationships with family and friends. Current thinking in the field of child well-being emphasises the need to consult children as experts in their own lives. Findings from research with children have led to important insights about what contributes to well-being. Relationships with family and friends have been found to be central to well-being whilst bullying by peers deeply impacts on their well-being. Shared activities appear to be the context for children to not only master competences but also learn about and negotiate relationships. The Growing Up in Ireland interviews with 9 year old children were re-analysed with a view to exploring these crucial domains and how they impact on the children’s well-being. The children were found to have a wide circle of family connections and were particularly close to their mothers although also close to their fathers. Grandparents played a significant role in their lives and their relationships with siblings were often positive but did fluctuate. Reasons for closeness centred around trust. Lack of availability due to work was a key contributor to children feeling less close to a family member. The children were involved in a wide range of structured activities after school and at the weekend, This was usually balanced with free time although some ‘hurried’ children had frenetic lifestyles. Involvement in unstructured activities such as free play was particularly associated with time with friends and choice. Friendship was characterised by sharing and trust. On the other hand, bullying by peers had been experienced by many of the children and almost all were conscious of the danger of becoming bullied. The wider issues of work-family balance and its impact on children, the predominance of bullying and children’s right to be heard are reflected upon.

Exploring the Relative Influence of Family Stressors and Socio-Economic Context on Children’s Happiness and Well-Being

Abstract: This paper examines the relative influence of family stressors and the family’s socioeconomic circumstances on children’s happiness. Data from the 9 year old cohort of the national Growing Up in Ireland study (GUI) was used to examine these relationships. The sample consisted of 8,568 children and their families. The stressors considered were a conflictual parent–child relationship; children with emotional and social problems; parental depression; low parental self-efficacy and child isolation. A group of families and children who were experiencing a higher level of these stressors was identified. This constituted 16 % of the sample. Although socioeconomic disadvantage contributed significantly to the vulnerability of this group, it was by no means the sole or dominant issue. Using the Piers-Harris Happiness and Satisfaction Subscale, children’s self-assessed happiness in this identified group was found to be significantly lower than in the other groups, irrespective of socioeconomic and demographic variables. The family stressors were found to explain more than twice the variance in the children’s happiness than explained by the measures of socioeconomic status. Nonetheless, most of the variance remains unexplained. Future research directions to explore this are indicated.

Capacity for Freedom—A New Way of Measuring Poverty Amongst Australian Children

Abstract: A little over 200 000 children and youths in Australia between the ages of 5 and 19 years were in Freedom poverty in 2003—they had low family income, and either poor health or an insufficient level of education. These individuals are some of the most disadvantaged in society due to their multiple capability restrictions. Current political rhetoric focused on increasing the education opportunities of children and youth to maximise their labour force participation in the future and thus improve their living standards may offer a means of improving the lives of these most disadvantaged children. However, half of these children have poor health and this may act as a barrier to their future labour force participation. It is shown that when looking at the health, education and labour force status of adults, amongst those with and without a disability those with a higher education had a greater likelihood of participating in the labour force—indicating policies to promote education amongst children are justified. However, it was also shown that regardless of education attainment those with a disability still had lower labour force participation rates than those without a disability. As such, efforts to increase children’s future labour force participation rates as a means of improving their living standards should also focus on improving childhood health, as well as education. Political promises to improve the lives of children should take a holistic view of the lives of individuals taking note in particular of how health may be restraining their quality of life.

Contextual Influences of Proactive and Reactive Subtypes of Aggression

Abstract: The contextual factors associated with proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression have not been well-studied. In order to address this omission in the literature, the current study evaluated relations between perceived best friend delinquency, negative life events, and proactive and reactive aggression in a sample of 147 school-age children (Mage=8.22 years; 54.4% male). Multiple regression analyses suggested that negative life events were uniquely associated with reactive aggression and best friend delinquency was uniquely associated with proactive aggression. Findings and their implications are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) in the Asian Setting: Hong Kong and the Philippines

Abstract: Students' achievement goals in school have received increasing research attention because they have been shown to be important in predicting important outcomes. As such, there has been a growing interest in measuring and comparing them across different cultural groups. However, these comparisons cannot be made until validity evidence has been attained to support the use of an instrument in the new cultural setting. In this study, we investigated the cross-cultural applicability of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM, McInerney et al. American Educational Research Journal 34:207-236, 1997) in the Hong Kong Chinese and Philippine contexts using both within-network and between-network approaches to construct validation. The ISM measures four types of achievement goals: mastery, perfor- mance, social, and extrinsic goals. 1,406 high school students from Hong Kong (n= 697) and the Philippines (n=709) participated. Results of the within-network test showed that the ISM had good internal consistency reliability and the confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the hypothesized four-factor model. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported invariance of factor loadings across the two samples. The between-network test also indicated that these achievement goals correlated systematically with different aspects of students' self-concepts. These findings support the applicability of the ISM among Hong Kong Chinese and Filipino students.

A New Tool for Monitoring (Child) Poverty: Measures of Cumulative Deprivation

Abstract: Governments’ social indicator portfolios have expanded taking the multidimensionality of poverty into account. However, few if any, of the indicators provide insight into the degree to which persons experience several unfavourable conditions at the same time. This paper reviews and tests various indicators of cumulative deprivation that can be used to monitor child poverty and to identify vulnerable groups of children. This paper studies headcounts (counting deprived individuals) and adjusted headcounts (counting deprivations of deprived individuals) while the cumulative threshold can be distribution dependent (relative) or not (absolute). The measures are empirically tested on the 2007 EU-SILC data for the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The findings indicate that the absolute adjusted headcount with a cumulative threshold of one deprivation is the most attractive candidate: it has an intuitive interpretation; it is sensitive to the breadth of deprivations but not oversensitive to changes in the methodology.

Indicators of Well-Being Among Children in the United States Child Welfare System

Abstract: The second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) is a longitudinal study intended to answer a range of fundamental questions about the functioning, service needs, and service use of children who come in contact with the child welfare system. The study includes 5,873 children ranging in age from birth to 17.5 years old at the time of sampling. The current analysis summarizes the well-being of these children at NSCAW II baseline. Overall, children reported for maltreatment in 2008–2009 were at higher risk for poor health and negative developmental, behavioral/emotional, and cognitive outcomes than children in the general population. Overall, 32.2 % of children from birth to 5 years old had a score indicating developmental problems. Among school-aged children and adolescents, 10.3 % showed some risk of cognitive problems or low academic achievement and 41.6 % exhibited risk of emotional or behavioral problems. Child well-being outcomes differed by age and gender but not by substantiation status or type of maltreatment. Proactively providing needed services at an early age to all children in need in the CWS is urged, because early services may well preempt these children’s need for extensive future developmental, mental health, and educational services.

“Subjective” and “Objective” Views of Neighborhood Danger & Well-Being: The Importance of Multiple Perspectives and Mixed Methods

Abstract: Well-being can be conceptualized and measured in a number of ways and at multiple ecological and ecocultural levels. At the neighborhood or community level, indices of well-being can be constructed using administrative data such as census measures as well as by considering the views of neighborhood residents, both children and adults. In this paper we investigate the congruence, or lack thereof, across aggregated administrative data, children’s views, and parents’ views of neighborhood well-being specifically related to violence and disorder. We argue for obtaining multiple viewpoints to best discern the processes and pathways that link neighborhood conditions with measures of well-being.

Care and Freedom: Theoretical and Empirical Aspects of Children’s Well-Being in Germany

Abstract: In 2007, we published the first survey on children in Germany. In that “1st World Vision Children Study,” we decided to perform more than just a representative and standardized questionnaire survey of 1,600 children aged 8–11 years. We also chose to carry out qualitative interviews linked together with a game, and to extend these interviews to include children from the age of 6 years onward. One important finding of the 2007 survey was the devastating impact of social inequality on children’s lives and the growing numbers of children who experience poverty. In 2010, we published a new survey of children, the “2nd World Vision Study.” This covered a sample of 2,500 children aged 6 to 11 years. We added some questions on the feelings and everyday life experiences children have when they are poor. We also included questions on respect, and self-efficacy. Both studies are based on a concept of child well-being. We consider that the World Vision Study of 2010 delivers one major finding: What contributes to the well-being of children in Germany is the granting of freedoms and the experiences of autonomy embedded among experiences of parental care within committed relationships. Hence, it is precisely a combination of freedom and parental care, of co-determination and protection that leads to a high life satisfaction in 6- to 11-year-olds.

An Index of Progress Towards the MDG 6 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Combat HIV, AIDS and Malaria

Abstract: In this article we present a new proposal for measuring progress towards Millennium Development Goal 6 to combat HIV, AIDS and malaria in the context of sub-Saharan Africa; one of the areas of the planet most affected by the AIDS epidemic and malaria. With this aim, we develop a global indicator of fulfilment of this goal. Our index was constructed using the variables defined in the UN Millennium Declaration. To construct the index, we used the P2 distance method and applied it to the year 2007; the last year for which data are available. This index incorporates variables that permit the countries of sub-Saharan Africa to be ordered at territorial scale in terms of the value of the partial indicators. Our indicator constitutes a novel contribution insofar as it was constructed using a large number of variables.

Interpersonal relations and subjective well-being among preadolescents in China

Abstract: China’s one-child policy, industrialization and urbanization have implications for children’s interacting with parents, friends, and classmates as well as their well-being. Using a stratified random sample of 1,306 sixth-grade primary school children and their parents in Nanshan district, Shenzhen, this exploratory study measured the interactive structures at home, with friends, and in school in relation to their family backgrounds, subjective well-being, and school performance. Being the only child or having household registration in Shenzhen was associated with more time and financial investments from parents. Girls, only children, or children with household registration in Shenzhen interacted more with friends than their counterparts. Girls or children with siblings engaged more with classmates but household registration did not make a difference. Having controlled for demographic and family backgrounds, parent and classmate relation were both associated positively with children’s levels of satisfaction with their relationships with siblings, parents, and friends as well as subjective well-being. But only classmate relation, besides parent’s educational attainment, was positively associated with school performance.

Spatial dimensions of child social exclusion risk in Australia: widening the scope

Abstract: Despite great concern about child well-being, and an increasing recognition of the need to monitor how well children are doing, small area measures of child disadvantage are a very recent development in understanding child well-being both within Australia and internationally. This paper describes the further development of Australia’s only small area index of child social exclusion risk. Drawing on the latest conceptual and methodological developments in child indicator research, the authors have identified additional domains and variables to best measure child social exclusion at a small area level. Incorporating new data, the paper then goes on to discuss the use of principal components analysis and equal weighting to transform the individual indicators into domain scores, and then the domain scores into a single composite index.

The Effects of Strengths-Based Information on Teachers' Expectations for Diverse Students

Abstract: This study examined the effects on teachers’ expectations of including information about students’ intrapersonal and interpersonal strengths in vignettes of Latino English Language Learner (ELL) and Caucasian non-ELL students in U.S. schools. Ninety-one elementary school teachers read one of four randomly assigned fictional vignettes describing a student struggling in school and then predicted the student’s future outcomes. Descriptions of student strengths (present vs. absent) and ethnic and linguistic backgrounds (Latino ELL vs. Caucasian non-ELL) were manipulated. Significant findings were obtained for the effects of including strengths on teachers’ expectations for both student groups in a variety of domains, including short- and long-term academic and behavioral outcomes, and level of family involvement in the child’s education. Implications for consideration of strengths in comprehensive assessments of children are discussed.

Ready or Not: Predicting High and Low School Readiness Among Teen Parents’ Children

Abstract: Past research has documented compromised development for teenage mothers' children compared to others, but less is known about predictors of school readiness among these children or among teenage fathers' children. Our multidimensional measures of high and low school readiness incorporated math, reading, and behavior scores and parent-reported health. Using parent interviews and direct assessments from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, we predicted high and low school readiness shortly before kindergarten among children born to a teenage mother and/or father (N≈800). Factors from five structural and interpersonal domains based on the School Transition Model were measured at two time points, including change between those time points, to capture the dynamic nature of early childhood. Four domains (socioeconomic resources, maternal characteristics, parenting, and exposure to adults) predicted high or low school readiness, but often not both. Promising factors associated with both high and low readiness among teen parents' children came from four domains: maternal education and gains in education (socioeconomic), maternal age of at least 18 and fewer depressive symptoms (maternal characteristics), socioemotional parenting quality and home environment improvements (parenting), and living with fewer children and receiving nonparental child care in infancy (exposure to adults). The findings preliminarily suggest policies that might improve school readiness: encouraging maternal education while supplying child care, focusing teen pregnancy prevention efforts on school-age girls, basic socioeconomic supports, and investments in mental health and high-quality home environments and parenting.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Sense of Self (SoS) Scale in Chinese and Filipino Settings

Abstract: This study explored the cross-cultural applicability of the Sense of Self (SoS) scale within the Asian context. Adolescent high school students in Hong Kong and the Philippines were asked to complete the 26-item SoS which captures students’ sense of purpose, self-reliance, negative self-concept, and positive self-concept. Preliminary analysis showed that internal reliability coefficients of the SoS were generally adequate for the two groups of participants. Separate confirmatory factor analyses indicated a good fit for the hypothesized four-factor model in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated invariant factor loadings for the SoS across the two contexts.

Delinquency Among Adolescents with Disabilities

Abstract: This study expands upon previous research by utilizing nationally representative data and multivariate analyses to examine the relationship between an adolescent’s disability status and their likelihood of engaging in a spectrum of delinquent behaviors through age 16. Logistic regression models of 7,232 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 are used to investigate the association between the presence of a learning disability or emotional condition, chronic health condition, sensory condition, physical disability, or multiple conditions and ten delinquent acts, including violence-related delinquency, property crimes, drug offenses, and arrest. Additional analyses explore differences in delinquency prevalence by more specific types of limiting conditions. Results indicate that adolescents with learning disabilities or emotional conditions are particularly at risk of committing delinquent acts. Findings suggest that disability status is important to consider when examining adolescent delinquency; however, not all youth with disabilities have equal experiences.