Mandy Kienhuis

Self‐reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behaviour

This study investigated the relationship between primary school teachers’ self‐reported and actual use of classroom management strategies, and examined how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behaviour. The total sample consisted of 97 teachers from primary schools within Melbourne. Teachers completed four questionnaires which gathered information on demographics, disruptive student behaviour, teacher management strategies, and teacher self‐reported stress. In addition, 20 of the 97 teachers were observed in their classrooms while teaching, with teacher behaviour management strategies and student on‐task behaviour recorded. Observation and questionnaire data were then matched. The findings indicated that teacher self‐reports accurately reflect actual practice, that relatively minor forms of student misbehaviours are a common concern for teachers, and that teachers are spending a considerable amount of time on behaviour management issues. The findings also revealed that the use of predominantly reactive management strategies has a significant relationship with elevated teacher stress and decreased student on‐task behaviour. These findings have important implications for teaching practices and student learning.

New insights into family functioning and quality of life after pediatric liver transplantation.

Denny B, Beyerle K, Kienhuis M, Cora A, Gavidia‐Payne S, Hardikar W. New insights into family functioning and quality of life after pediatric liver transplantation.

The relationships among self-care, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress in medical students

Background Past research suggests that medical students experience high levels of psychological distress. Objective The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationships among engagement in self-care behaviours, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress. Methods The sample consisted of 139 female and 68 male Australian medical students (N=207) aged 17–41 years (M=21.82, SD=3.62) across the 5 years of the Monash University medical course. Participants completed an online survey comprising a demographics questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. Results Results revealed significant and interpretable multivariate correlations between distress and both mindfulness and self-care. Furthermore, the dispositional mindfulness observation subscale was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between several dimensions of self-care and psychological distress. Conclusions The present study points to the potential of self-care and mindfulness to decrease medical student distress and enhance well-being.Background Past research suggests that medical students experience high levels of psychological distress. Objective The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationships among engagement in self-care behaviours, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress. Methods The sample consisted of 139 female and 68 male Australian medical students (N=207) aged 17–41 years (M=21.82, SD=3.62) across the 5 years of the Monash University medical course. Participants completed an online survey comprising a demographics questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. Results Results revealed significant and interpretable multivariate correlations between distress and both mindfulness and self-care. Furthermore, the dispositional mindfulness observation subscale was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between several dimensions of self-care and psychological distress. Conclusions The present study points to the potential of self-care and mindfulness to decrease medical student distress and enhance well-being.

A proposed model for the impact of parental fatigue on parenting adaptability and child development

Fatigue is a commonly reported problem for new parents. Considering that maternal fatigue is a risk factor for depression in the post‐partum period, and that post‐partum depression is associated with parent and child outcomes, it is important to investigate the relationship between fatigue, parenting, and child development. Further, given that research in areas other than parenting suggests that fatigue has a negative impact on performance via executive functioning, it is argued that parenting, being reliant on executive functioning, is likely to be disturbed by fatigue. Despite this, there is limited research investigating the relationship between fatigue, parenting, and child development. This paper applies the Optimal Parenting Development model to these constructs to propose a model for investigating the relationships between fatigue, parenting, child outcomes, and factors that may mediate these relationships.

Fatigue in mothers of infants and young children: factor structure of the fatigue assessment scale

Background: Fatigue is a common experience among mothers of young children, yet there are few well validated tools to assess fatigue in mothers. Purpose: The aim of this paper was to examine the suitability, construct validity, and reliability of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). Method: Participants were 779 mothers of young children (aged 0–5 years) living in Australia who participated in an online survey about parent health and wellbeing. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that both one- and two-factor models representing physical and cognitive aspects of fatigue, with modifications, were an adequate fit to the data. Modified versions demonstrated high internal consistency. Measurement invariance was also established across mothers in the postnatal period and mothers of older children. Conclusions: The utility of the FAS in assessing maternal fatigue is discussed, along with implications for clinical use and future research.

Interteaching: A Model to Enhance Student Engagement

Interteaching is an innovative approach to teaching developed by Thomas Boyce and Philip Hineline (The Behaviour Analyst 25:215–226, 2002) that reconceptualises the standard university model of lectures and tutorials. This relatively new, evidence-based model uses guided, independent learning and reciprocal peer tutoring to enhance student engagement and learning. This new model shifts the focus from lectures to tutorials: lectures, rather than coming first, follow tutorials and focus on material identified by students as difficult. This chapter describes the implementation of interteaching in a second year psychology course, exploring the impact for both students and staff. We examine the effect of interteaching on students’ academic performance, engagement, perceptions of learning, and evaluations of the course. The impact for staff includes changes to workload and roles as well as perceptions of innovation as an opportunity for renewal. In addition, the chapter describes the way in which the model has been adapted with the integration of Web 2.0 learning technologies to enhance flexibility and access for students via podules, short podcasts of core content. Recommendations for implementation of the model are outlined.

Implementation of the interteaching model: implications for staff

This article describes the process of implementing a teaching innovation, the interteaching model, in a second-year psychology course. Interteaching is an evidence-based model that uses guided independent learning and reciprocal peer-tutoring to enhance student engagement and learning. The model shifts the focus from lectures to tutorials: lectures follow tutorials and focus on material identified by students as difficult. As such, the model reconceptualises the roles of students, lecturers and tutors. Qualitative data, analysed by thematic analysis and summarised in this article, suggest that this innovative model of learning has implications for staff workload, particularly in the first implementation, for staff perceptions of their roles, and for how staff renew their conceptualisation of their learning objectives and content. An iterative cycle of review is emphasised by staff who are continuing to revise the interteaching model to best meet the needs of both students and staff.