Christina Hamme Peterson

Unraveling the Differential Effects of Motivational and Skills, Social, and Self-Management Measures from Traditional Predictors of College Outcomes.

The authors report on a large-scale study examining the effects of self-reported psychosocial factors on 1st-year college outcomes. Using a sample of 14,464 students from 48 institutions, the authors constructed hierarchical regression models to measure the predictive validity of the Student Readiness Inventory, a measure of psychosocial factors. Controlling for institutional effects and traditional predictors, the authors tested the effects of motivational and skill, social, and self-management measures on academic performance and retention. Academic Discipline was incrementally predictive of academic performance (grade-point average) and retention. Social Activity and Emotional Control also helped predict academic performance and retention, whereas Commitment to College and Social Connection offered incremental prediction of retention. This study elaborates recent meta-analytic findings (S. Robbins et al., 2004), demonstrating the salience of a subset of motivational, social, and self-management factors. Future research questions include how measures of psychosocial factors can be used to aid students, the salience of these measures over the entire college experience and for predicting job performance, and the need for testing theoretical models for explaining postsecondary educational outcomes incorporating traditional, motivational, self-management, and social engagement factors.

Effects of Familial Attachment, Social Support, Involvement, and Self-Esteem on Youth Substance Use and Sexual Risk Taking

A study of protective factors against substance use and sexual risk taking was conducted among 610 high-poverty urban youth. Higher levels of family attachment, social support, involvement, and self-esteem were associated with lower levels of risk behaviors.

Parent and Teacher Support Among Latino Immigrant Youth: Effects on School Engagement and School Trouble Avoidance

While a significant portion of Latino immigrant youth are failing to meet their academic potential, many others have been able to acquire the resources needed to excel academically. This study examined social capital assets (i.e., parent and teacher supports) for school engagement and trouble avoidance among a sample of recently arrived, non-U.S. born, middle school Latino adolescents (n = 141) residing in a high-poverty community located in the northeastern United States. School outcomes were compared for students who reported different combinations of low and high teacher and parent support. Findings from this study provided evidence of the additive benefit of teacher and parent support on school engagement and trouble avoidance among middle school, Latino immigrant adolescents. Implications for school-based interventions for this underserved population are discussed.

The Individual Regulation Component of Group Emotional Intelligence: Measure Development and Validation.

Counseling work is increasingly conducted in team format. The methods counseling teams use to manage the emotional component of their group life, or their group emotional intelligence, have been proposed as significantly contributing to group member trust, cooperation, and ultimate performance. Item development, exploratory factor analysis, and evidence of validity for the Group Emotional Intelligence Individual Regulation (GEIQ–IR) scale are described. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors to describe group emotional regulation of its members: Caring Orientation, Confronting Members, and Ground Rules. Reliability and evidence of validity were strong.

Building the Emotional Intelligence and Effective Functioning of Student Work Groups: Evaluation of an Instructional Program

Group-based learning is common practice in university classrooms. Despite the frequent student complaint of social loafing from teammates, methods for teaching students how to address teamwork issues are rarely incorporated into group assignments. Students are instructed on their final product, rather than their group process. In this article, an instructional method based on group emotional intelligence (GEI) theory for assisting students in addressing potential group derailment is described. The effectiveness of the model for building strong group norms and reducing social loafing was evaluated using a comparison group design. Formative and summative evaluation results are presented. Findings suggest that the instruction positively affected group handling of emotions and reduced social loafing behaviors.

Item Construction Using Reflective, Formative, or Rasch Measurement Models: Implications for Group Work

Measures that accurately capture the phenomenon are critical to research and practice in group work. The vast majority of group-related measures were developed using the reflective measurement model rooted in classical test theory (CTT). Depending on the construct definition and the measure’s purpose, the reflective model may not always be the most appropriate. Two other models, Rasch and formative, present viable alternatives. In this article, we describe reflective, formative, and Rasch models using the examples of group conflict and group facilitation skills. We then provide practical guidelines for construct definition and item writing as they relate to each measurement model.

Cognitive Interviewing for Item Development: Validity Evidence Based on Content and Response Processes

ABSTRACT Cognitive interviewing (CI) is a method to identify sources of confusion in assessment items and to assess validity evidence on the basis of content and response processes. We introduce readers to CI and describe a process for conducting such interviews and analyzing the results. Recommendations for best practice are provided.

Influence of Mindfulness Practice on Counseling Skills Development

This study assessed the impact of mindfulness practice, incorporated alongside a five-week counselor skills training model, on the counseling skills development of master’s-level trainees (N = 59). Three groups of counseling students were studied: those who engaged in no mindfulness practice; those who engaged in a brief amount of mindfulness practice (five mindfulness practice sessions); and those who engaged in an extended amount of mindfulness practice (11 mindfulness practice sessions). The results showed improvements in counseling skills associated with mindfulness practice, although the brief and extended intervention groups did not significantly differ from one another.

Counselor Training in the Use of Spiritual Lifemaps: Creative Interventions for Depicting Spiritual/Religious Stories

In this study, the authors explored the experiences of 39 students trained in the use of the spiritual lifemap intervention. Participants reflected on their experience via essay responses. Three predominant themes emerged: (a) aversion to the topic of spirituality/religion, (b) the spiritual lifemap as facilitative of breadth and depth in client expression during role-play sessions, and (c) appreciation of the creative elements of the spiritual lifemap. Based on these themes, the authors suggest implications for counselor training.

Investigating the Theoretical Structure of the Differential Ability Scales—Second Edition Through Hierarchical Exploratory Factor Analysis

When the Differential Ability Scales–Second Edition (DAS-II) was developed, the instrument’s content, structure, and theoretical orientation were amended. Despite these changes, the Technical Handbook did not report results from exploratory factor analytic investigations, and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented using selected subtests across the normative age groups from the total battery. To address these omissions, the present study investigated the theoretical structure of the DAS-II using principal axis factoring followed by the Schmid–Leiman procedure with participants from the 5- to 8-year-old age range to determine the degree to which the DAS-II theoretical structure proposed in the Technical Handbook could be replicated. Unlike other age ranges investigated where at most 14 subtests were administered, the entire DAS-II battery was normed on participants aged 5 to 8 years, making it well suited to test the full instrument’s alignment with theory. Results suggested a six-factor solution that was essentially consistent with the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC)-based theoretical structure suggested by the test publisher and simple structure was attained. The only exception involved two subtests (Picture Similarities and Early Number Concepts) that did not saliently load on a group factor. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.