Pamela F. Maras

Life on the ocean wave: Testing some intergroup hypotheses in a naturalistic setting

A survey (N= 352) was conducted among British passengers of a cross-channel ferry. The survey aimed to test hypotheses drawn from Realistic Group Conflict, Social Identity and Contact theories using mainly a correlational design. However, an intervention by members of the outgroup (French fishermen blockading a port) also allowed a quasi-experimental test of the effects of a direct experience of intergroup conflict. Results supported the hypotheses since conflict and national identification were associated with more negative and with less positive attitudes toward the outgroup, while contact had the reverse effects. In addition, the salience of group membership in the contact relationship weakly moderated the effect of contact.

Effects of different forms of school contact on children's attitudes toward disabled and non-disabled peers

BACKGROUND There have been fluctuations in research interest into the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools over the last twenty years. It is still not clear what methods, practices and types of contact are most likely to promote positive attitudes in children toward disabled peers and disability generally. AIMS To consider two theoretical models of inter-group contact, both claiming to identify precursors for generalised attitude change, in relation to the attitudes of non-disabled children toward disabled peers as a function of different classroom contact. SAMPLE Participants were 256 non-disabled school children aged 5-11 years (128 girls and 128 boys). METHODS Measures of sociometric preference and the evaluation of psychological and physical attributes were used to ascertain childrens perceptions of known and unknown peers with disabilities. RESULTS A relationship was found between the type of contact the children had with disabled peers, and their perceptions of psychological and physical attributes (stereotypes) of groups of unknown disabled and non-disabled peers. CONCLUSIONS Results show generalisation of stereotypic attitude/judgments from one type of disability to another as a consequence of the two types of contact situation. Findings have important implications for integrating disabled children into mainstream.

The relationship between Internet identification, Internet anxiety and Internet use

This paper reports a study investigating the relationship between Internet identification, Internet anxiety and Internet use. The participants were 446 students (319 females and 127 males) from two universities in the UK and one university in Australia. Measures of Internet identification and Internet anxiety were developed. The majority of participants were NOT anxious about using the Internet, although there were approximately 8% who showed evidence of Internet anxiety. There was a significant and negative relationship between Internet anxiety and Internet use. Those who were more anxious about using the Internet used the Internet less, although the magnitude of effect was small. There was a positive and significant relationship between Internet use and Internet identification. Those who scored high on the measure of Internet identification used the Internet more than those who did not. There was also a significant and negative relationship between Internet anxiety and Internet identification. Finally, males had a significantly higher Internet identification score than females. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Gender, Internet Experience, Internet Identification, and Internet Anxiety: A Ten-Year Followup

In 2002, we found gender differences in the use of the Internet. Since then, however, the Internet has changed considerably. We therefore conducted a follow-up study in 2012. The study involved 501 students (389 females and 100 males, 12 participants unspecified gender) and we measured Internet use, Internet anxiety, and Internet identification. We found that males had a greater breadth of Internet use; they used the Internet more for games and entertainment than females. The differentiation between males and females in terms of Internet use is evident, and in some ways is even more distinct than 10 years ago. In our previous research we had found no gender differences in the use of the Internet for communication, whereas in the current study we have found that females use the Internet for communication than males and were using social network sites more than males. We also found, consistent with our previous study, that Internet identification and Internet anxiety were related to Internet use.

'But no one in my family has been to University' Aiming Higher: School Students' Attitudes to Higher Education

In this paper, we present findings from the second stage of a three year longitudinal study involving 3,570 students aged 13–18 in a London Borough looking at the impact of Widening Participation (WP) on the attitudes of students. We outline findings from a previous stage and then focus specifically on two cohorts of Year 10 students (aged 14–15) in two consecutive years. The students completed the specially designed Attitudes to Higher Education Questionnaire (AHEQ) and provided information on WP activities in which they had participated. Data on the students’ academic attainment and social backgrounds were also included. There were significant sex and cohort differences and interactions which were found to be related to WP activities specifically aimed at increasing the participation of socially disadvantaged students in higher education. The implications of findings are discussed in relation to theories of social identity and self concept and the implementation of strategies to increase participation in Higher Education.

‘They are out of control’: self‐perceptions, risk‐taking and attributional style of adolescents with SEBDs

Fifty‐six secondary school students with and without social emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBDs) completed self‐report measures of their strengths and difficulties, self‐concept and social identity, cognitive attributional style and participated in computer‐based tests of risk‐taking and impulsivity. Contrary to common understanding, the students with SEBDs made realistic estimations of their difficulties and were as able to make attributions as their peers without SEBDs; though they tended to attribute negative events internally significantly more often than did students without SEBDs. No differences were found between the two groups in terms of risk‐taking as measured on a computer‐based test. Implications of these findings for identification of and working with students with SEBDs are considered.

Attentional and activity difficulties: findings from a national study

The within–child/environmental causes of emotional and behavioural difficulties continue as a matter of debate and concern among teachers, parents and researchers. The contribution made here by Brahm Norwich, Paul Cooper and Pam Maras is much welcomed on this account. Their recent research indicates the extent of unidentified problems and the need for systematic assessment procedures and for the multidisciplinary involvement of education, health and social services

Gender, Ethnicity and Challenging Behaviour: a Literature Review and Exploratory Study

Assessment, care management and service planning for people with challenging needs should be sensitive to gender and ethnicity for equitable and appropriate service provision. This paper explores the relevant literature to map and identify the issues, and profiles a exploratory study of special schools, adult residential services and community support teams, to identify the gender and ethnic characteristics of people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. The findings suggest that gender stereotypes contribute to the attribution of maladaptive behaviour in boys, significant in severe and moderate learning disabilities in schools. The findings on ethnicity are discussed with reference to staff training and the implications of providing gender‐sensitive and culturally appropriate service responses and support.

Elephants, Donuts and Hamburgers: Young Children Co-operating To Co-operate and Co-operating To Compete in Two Primary Schools.

A total of 152 5-6-year-old schoolchildren worked alone or in groups, cooperatively within groups or competing against another group, over 4 weeks. New measures allowed us to consider their preferences for collective or individualistic styles. Three factors: individualism/collectivism, sociability and altruism were identified. The first two were found to be stable over time; the third changed and was related to whether the children worked co-operatively or competitively. Differences were found in collectivism/individualism. Girls (particularly older girls) preferred working co-peratively significantly more than boys at Time 1; however, this decreased over time for girls, whilst boys became less individualistic over time. Younger children scored significantly less than older children on a sociability factor, but this increased significantly over time compared to the older children—artificially in the group co-operative condition. Findings are discussed in light of curriculum and pedagogy of primary schools and social psychological research with children.

An International Model for Developing Capacity for Addressing the Needs of 'At Risk' Youth: a French-English affaire?

This article describes a bi-national project planned with Interreg (European) funding involving communities in Kent and Nord Pas-de-Calais. The focus is on ‘at risk’ youth and training and supporting personnel, and action to address the needs of this client group. The differences in the two systems mean that the forms of the project are different on the two sides of the Channel and the ways of proceeding are necessarily dictated by local cultural imperatives and conditions; the French centralised system where core services are enhanced to deal with new or increasing problems confronts the English style of short-term projects made up of alliances of agencies and community groups working in partnership with schools.