Benoît Galand

Peer victimization and school disaffection: exploring the moderation effect of social support and the mediation effect of depression

BACKGROUND Peer victimization is associated with increased internalizing problems and reduced school adjustment. Research into the main effect and the buffering effect of social support on these internalizing problems has produced inconsistent findings, and none has tested the buffering effect of social support on school adjustment. Moreover, recent studies have underlined the importance of taking various sources of social support into account. AIMS This study aims to test the relationships between peer victimization and school disaffection, the moderation effect of parental, peer and teacher social support, and the mediation effect of depression. SAMPLE Four hundred seventh and eighth graders participated in this study. METHOD Students filled out a questionnaire assessing peer victimization, depression, academic self-efficacy, school disaffection, and perceived social support from parents, peers, and teachers. RESULTS Peer victimization was negatively associated with self-efficacy and positively associated with school disaffection. Regression analyses showed a main negative effect of social support (especially teacher support) on depression and school disaffection and a positive effect on self-efficacy. No significant interactions emerged between victimization and social support or between sources of social support. Path analyses indicated that the effects of victimization on self-efficacy and school disaffection were fully mediated by depression, but that the effects of social support are partially independent of depression. Multigroup analyses indicated that these relationships were parallel among boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are consistent with the main effect model of social support. They also highlight the importance of teacher support for school adjustment.

The multilevel impact of transformational leadership on teacher commitment: cognitive and motivational pathways

A growing body of research indicates that transformational leadership affects teachers’ commitment to their school. The present study aims to investigate the processes explaining this effect at the organisational level. Using a sample of 660 teachers within 50 primary French-speaking Belgian schools, the authors test a model hypothesising that the impact of the school principal’s transformational leadership (as an organisational-level construct) on teacher commitment to school is mediated by school culture strength (cognitive pathway) and teacher collective efficacy beliefs (motivational pathway). Results of multilevel analyses largely support the theoretical model, but show that schools have a limited impact on teacher commitment.

The illusion of scholastic incompetence and peer acceptance in primary school

This paper reports results from two studies aimed at examining whether perception of social acceptance and actual social acceptance differ according to the presence of an illusion of scholastic incompetence. Results of both studies conducted in Belgium and in Quebec (respectively 179 and 543 participants) show that children’s illusion of scholastic incompetence is linked to a negative perception of social acceptance. However, according to the evaluation by peers, social acceptance of those children is similar to the others. This suggests a generalization of the negative bias of self-evaluation to both academic and social domains. The discussion proposes further variables that could improve the understanding of the origin of the illusion of incompetence.RésuméCet article rapporte les résultats de deux études visant à examiner si le sentiment d’acceptation par le groupe des pairs et l’acceptation réelle par ces derniers diffèrent selon que les élèves présentent un problème d’illusion d’incompétence scolaire. Autant dans l’étude réalisée en Belgique que dans celle faite au Québec (respectivement 179 et 543 participants), les résultats indiquent que l’illusion d’incompétence s’accompagne d’un biais d’évaluation négatif de son acceptation sociale. L’évaluation des pairs n’indiquant pas que les élèves affectés par l’illusion d’incompétence sont moins bien acceptés que les autres, ces résultats suggèrent une généralisation d’un biais d’évaluation négatif du domaine scolaire au domaine social. La discussion propose des pistes à explorer pour comprendre les origines de l’illusion d’incompétence.

Doctoral supervision in the light of the three types of support promoted in self-determination theory

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, we used the three types of support depicted in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (structure, involvement and autonomy support) to examine supervision practices in the doctoral context. Conversely, we used this material to discuss the theory and suggest new developments to it. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 former PhD students (8 completers and 13 non-completers). The data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. The first aim led us to illustrate how supervisors offer structure, involvement, and autonomy support to the doctoral students, and to support the relevance of this theoretical framework in this particular context. The second aim led us to provide three avenues for reflection on SDT. First, a set of practices belongs both to structure and involvement and are therefore at risk of being overlooked in research. Second, there is a thin line between structure and control (and between autonomy support and chaos) and intentions to offer the first may easily turn into providing the second in practice. Finally, we developed the hypothesis that a necessary condition for supervisors to be able to offer positive support to their doctoral students is to consider them as trustworthy.

The Delicate Balance to Adjustment: A Qualitative Approach of Student’s Transition to the First Year at University

First year experience in higher education has been extensively investigated in the literature. Yet, two limitations can be identified out of the literature. The majority of the studies focused on single factor analysis, restraining the multifactorial understanding of adjustment’s determinants. Moreover, the temporal unfolding of the first year at the university has mainly been disregarded, limiting the dynamic framing of adjustment process. To overcome these limitations, the current study used a longitudinal qualitative design in order to grasp the dynamic complexity of adjustment process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two steps with 17 freshmen from Science department. The aims were to unfold the constructs at play in student’s adjustment process and the dynamic interplay between them over time. The analyses were grounded into Nicholson’s theoretical framework of transition cycle and the material was analyzed through thematic and sequential analysis. Four themes (readiness, reaching personal drives, fighting an overwhelming program and becoming a self-regulated learner) and four different events (starting up, click, exhaustion and deficiencies accumulation) were identified in the material disclosing the dynamic nature of adjustment process. An overall reflection on the findings is proposed in the conclusion.

Witnessing violence in early secondary school predicts subsequent student impairment

Background Past research suggests that adolescents who witness violence are at risk of adjustment problems. However, few studies have implemented a longitudinal design and have accounted for direct experiences of victimisation and other major confounders. This prospective study examines the relationship between witnessing school violence and subsequent impairment and whether such associations depend on the kind of violence witnessed. Methods 3936 adolescents from Quebec (Canada) were followed from ages 12 through 15 years. Linear regression tested associations between witnessing school violence at age 13 and subsequent antisocial behaviour (drug use, delinquency), emotional distress (social anxiety, depressive symptoms) and academic adjustment (school achievement, engagement) at age 15. We compared the relative contribution of differing forms of witnessing school violence versus being victimised directly. Results General school violence predicted later impairment. The adjusted associations between indirectly experiencing violence as a bystander and subsequent impairment were comparable to those of direct victimisation. Witnessing covert and major violence was associated with drug use and delinquency. Witnessing minor violence was associated with increases in drug use, social anxiety, depressive symptoms and decreases in school engagement. Conclusions Almost all students witnessed school violence, which predicted impairment. Witnessing violence was associated with risk of subsequent adjustment problems 2 years later. Directly experienced victimisation showed a comparable magnitude of risk. This suggests that when it comes to symptoms of conduct disorder, witnessing violence might have the same impact as experiencing it directly. Witnessing earlier covert and major violence predicted social impairment whereas minor violence predicted psychological and academic impairment.

Misfits between doctoral students and their supervisors: (How) are they regulated?

The purpose of the present study is to explore the “misfits” occurring between doctoral students and their supervisors. More precisely, we investigate the types of incongruences that occur, whether and how they are regulated and their consequences on students’ outcomes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 former PhD students (8 completers and 13 non-completers). Results show that, when facing a misfit, PhD students either (1) learn to live with it and/or turn to alternate resources, (2) suffer from it without being able to address the problem with their super-visor, (3) address the issue with their supervisor and try to solve it in various ways, or (4) are unable to address the issue because it reached a point of no return. Further, types of misfit regulation are likely to have an influence on students’ motivation and engagement. These results are discussed in the light of person-environment fit, coping, emotional regu- lation, and conflict management frameworks.