Elizabeth Moorman Kim

A Contextual Approach to Social Skills Assessment in the Peer Group: Who Is the Best Judge?

Using a contextual approach to social skills assessment in the peer group, this study examined the criterion-related validity of contextually relevant social skills and the incremental validity of peers and teachers as judges of childrens social skills. Study participants included 342 (180 male and 162 female) students and their classroom teachers (N = 22) from rural communities. As expected, contextually relevant social skills were significantly related to a variety of social status indicators (i.e., likability, peer- and teacher-assessed popularity, reciprocated friendships, clique centrality) and positive school functioning (i.e., school liking and academic competence). Peer-assessed social skills, not teacher-assessed social skills, demonstrated consistent incremental validity in predicting various indicators of social status outcomes; peer- and teacher-assessed social skills alike showed incremental validity in predicting positive school functioning. The relation between contextually relevant social skills and study outcomes did not vary by child gender. Findings are discussed in terms of the significance of peers in the assessment of childrens social skills in the peer group as well as the usefulness of a contextual approach to social skills assessment.

Congruence in parent-teacher relationships: The role of shared perceptions.

Parental engagement is an important avenue for supporting student achievement. Positive relationships between parents and teachers are increasingly recognized as vital in this process. Most studies consider parents’ and teachers’ perceptions separately, and it is unknown whether shared perceptions of relationship quality matter with respect to child outcomes. This study investigated the role of relationship congruence in predicting child academic, social, and behavioral outcomes in 175 elementary students referred for behavioral consultation. Results indicated that teacher, but not parent, ratings of child social skills and externalizing behaviors were more favorable in the presence of a shared, positive view of the relationship. Furthermore, parents who reported higher levels of home-school conferencing and greater self-efficacy were more likely to be in congruent, positive relationships. Though preliminary, these results suggest that shared perceptions of relationship quality may be important in understanding reports of child behavior and finding ways to support positive student outcomes.

Efficacy of the Getting Ready Intervention and the Role of Parental Depression

Research Findings: This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (the Getting Ready intervention) on directly observed learning-related social behaviors of children from low-income families in the context of parent–child interactions. The study explored the moderating effect of parental depression on intervention outcomes. Participants were 204 children and their parents as well as 29 Head Start teachers. Semistructured parent–child interaction tasks were videotaped 2 times annually over the course of 2 academic years. Observational codes of child behaviors included agency, persistence, activity level, positive affect, distractibility, and verbalizations. Practice or Policy: When gender and disability concerns were controlled, those in the treatment condition experienced a significant decline in activity level relative to children in the control group. Furthermore, compared to children of nondepressed mothers and to control children, those in the experimental condition whose parent reported elevated levels of depression showed greater gains in positive affect and in verbalizations.

Foundational Aspects of Family–School Connections: Definitions, Conceptual Frameworks, and Research Needs

Connections between families and schools are viewed as a key element of children’s positive adjustment, and are linked to children’s academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. However, there is great variability in how these connections are defined and conceptualized. This chapter provides a brief description of some of the core features of family–school connections. The key elements of two commonly employed approaches to family–school connections are outlined. Structural approaches are conceptualized as those that focus on activities and behaviors of parents to promote their children’s development and learning. Relational approaches are conceptualized as those that focus on partnerships between families and schools to support children across social, emotional, behavioral, and academic domains. Although these two approaches share some core features of family–school connections, they are often undertaken in isolation. The goal of this chapter is to bring together these two approaches and orient them within the broader context of family–school connections. Building on this metamodel of family–school partnerships, a research agenda focused on a framework of relationally embedded family–school connections is offered.