C. Ryan Kinlaw

Doctoral student experiences in gender-balanced and male-dominated graduate programs

Similarities and differences were examined in graduate school experiences of male and female doctoral students in programs containing predominantly male or gender-balanced faculty. Participating students reported their perceptions of mentor support, partner support, peer support, academic self-concept, sensitivity to family issues, stress, and career commitment. In studies, women in male-dominated programs expressed lower academic self-concept, less sensitivity in their departments to family issues, and lower career commitment compared with all other students. Mentor support and academic selfconcept predicted the career commitment of all students. Student reports were unrelated to the gender of their mentors. A subset of the students participated at both time points; these students showed significant drops in self-concept and career commitment across the 2 years. Since 1960, the number of women earning advanced degrees in the United States has increased dramatically, more than 2,000% in some fields (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). Nevertheless, gender equity has not yet become a reality. Compared with men, women earn advanced degrees in lower status fields (e.g., social work and education vs. business and economics), are less likely to pursue the most advanced levels of education, are more likely to exit their programs before degree completion, and receive 80% of what their male counterparts earn given equal training and experience (Digest of Educational Statistics, 1995;

The development of children’s beliefs about intelligence

Abstract We review research in the development of children’s beliefs about intelligence and propose that this development represents simultaneous processes of concept acquisition and theory building. Research in beliefs about the nature of intelligence has focused on children’s definitions of intelligence, beliefs about the component structure of intelligence, and the criteria children use to evaluate ability. Children’s beliefs about the stability of intelligence have been examined in terms of constancy, controllability, capacity, the origins of intelligence, and mechanisms of change. Researchers have also examined the relationships among beliefs about intelligence and the relationship between those beliefs and achievement behaviors. We summarize prior theoretical frameworks used to explain the development of children’s beliefs and propose a new integrative model to understand children’s conceptions.

Mothers' achievement beliefs and behaviors and their children's school readiness: A cultural comparison

We explored the relationships among mothers’ attributional beliefs, mothers’ behaviors, and children’s school readiness in European- and Chinese-American mothers and their 4-year-olds. Mothers rated the importance of ability, effort, teachers, and parents as causes of children’s academic success, and reported how many times in the previous week they had read with their children. Children’s autonomy and mothers’ encouragement of children’s autonomy were evaluated while mother–child pairs performed a joint task. Children completed a school readiness test. ChineseAmerican children scored higher on autonomy and school readiness than their European-American peers, and Chinese-American mothers showed stronger effort-related beliefs than European-American mothers. Mothers’ attributional beliefs in effort were significantly related to their autonomy encouragement. Contrary to our hypotheses, mothers’ behaviors were unrelated to school readiness or child autonomy. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and racial favouritism in Black and White preschool girls

The authors examined gender and racial preferential behaviour in 108 3- and 5-year-old Black and White girls. Children set up a birthday party for dolls that differed in gender and racial physical characteristics. Whereas White girls showed favouritism towards the doll most closely resembling themselves in both gender and race, Black girls showed most favouritism towards the White girl doll. Black girls were more likely to show preference based on gender rather than race, whereas White girls were equally likely to show race- or gender-based favouritism. Among White 5-year-olds, greater prior interaction with Blacks was positively associated with race-related favouritism (i.e., secondary preference to the White boy doll rather than the Black girl doll). Interracial contact was unrelated to racial favouritism among the other three groups. Results demonstrate the salience of gender identity during the preschool years, and indicate that majority/minority status and intergroup contact shape the development of collective identity and social behaviour.

Relations between faculty use of online academic resources and student class attendance

We investigated connections between faculty use of online resources and student class attendance. Of particular interest was whether online submission of course assignments is detrimental to attendance. Students and faculty at a small, liberal arts college completed surveys about student attendance patterns, student reasons for non-attendance, varieties of online resources used by faculty, and perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online resources. Almost one third (31%) of students indicated they were less likely to attend class if allowed to submit assignments online. In contrast, most faculty (94%) did not perceive online assignment submission as a threat to attendance, and no significant difference in reported absence rate was found between faculty who used this option and those who did not. Moreover, a higher number of course materials provided online by faculty was associated with fewer absences. Implications for training of faculty in use of electronic resources and recommendations for additional research on this topic are discussed.

Impact of Postdivorce Sibling Structure on Adolescent Adjustment to Divorce

A sample (N = 222) of middle school, high school, and college students were surveyed with regard to their adjustment to their parents’ divorces in specific domains, including coparenting, financial strain, and overall adjustment. With time since the divorce covaried, youth living with half-siblings, stepsiblings, or both (HSS) rated their experiences consistently more positively than youth living with full biological siblings only (FBS). HSS youth reported stronger perceptions that life has gotten better, parents are working together to raise them, and there are no lingering financial effects. There were no main effects for age, but an interaction of sibling structure and gender found male adolescents in the FBS group sometimes had more negative ratings than any of the other groups. Our findings contrast with prior studies suggesting that HSS youth do not adjust as well as FBS youth.

Differences in Views of Family Life According to Age, Gender, and Parental Marital Status

A sample (N = 706) of children, adolescents, young adults, and older adults were surveyed with regard to their views of family. Young adults endorsed more nontraditional views than children and older adults and were more likely than other age groups to indicate that there is no best family type. Children and older adults were more likely than adolescents and young adults to endorse married or living together parents as the best family type. Women and respondents who had experienced parental divorce endorsed traditional views of family less strongly, but women also endorsed stronger expectations for their own family formation. Findings support the possibility of both developmental and sociocontextual influences on attitudes toward family life.