Thomas P. Gumpel

Behavioral Disorders in the School: Participant Roles and Sub-Roles in Three Types of School Violence.

This study presents an attempt to widen the study of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to include children not formally identified by the school as having EBD through examining the case of extreme school aggressors and their victims. The research describes the validation of the School Violence Inventory (SVI) and its use to map participant roles in six types of school aggression and victimization. Middle and high school students in Israel (N = 10,383) completed the SVI and were designated as uninvolved, pure aggressors, pure victims, and mixed aggressor—victims for direct physical, relational, and sexual aggression and victimization. Results showed a main effect for grade level for all types of aggression. Multiple hierarchical regressions showed different trajectories for each of the four participant roles. Implications for future research delineating the psychological markers of each of the different roles and implications for the future study of EBD are discussed.

A Comparison of Special Education in Israel and Palestine Surface and Deep Structures

Comparative studies of special education policy typically compare the provision of special education services in different countries, based primarily on comparative variables such as legal mandates, rules and regulations, and budgetary allocations. Aside from the analysis of these surface structures, it is imperative also to take into account the deep structures (i.e., sociohistorical background) of the culture that created those policies. In this study, different aspects of Israeli and Palestinian Authority special educational policies were compared on both surface and deep levels. The surface analysis revealed that both systems are currently undergoing major revisions and restructuring. On the one hand, the Israeli system is redefining how it will educate children with special educational needs in more inclusive settings (in stark contrast to previous segregationist policy). On the other hand, special education in the Palestinian Authority is an emerging field, currently experimenting with different models of inclusionary practices. Despite their differences, both systems are similar in that teachers are being asked to implement these changes. On a deep-structure level, Palestinian teachers tended to have a more radical view of issues concerning education and equity as they pertained to the necessity of educating all children in order to build a strong nation. Israelis tended to see their role as less steeped in the language of equity.

An ethnographic study of participant roles in school bullying

An ethnographic study in a 10th grade remedial class was undertaken in order to discern patterns of school bullying. Twenty 10th graders were observed over the course of one academic year as they interacted with their peers and teachers. The observations helped us identify dispositional and situational factors which influenced participant roles. In-depth interviews of students involved in school bullying showed how participants interpreted and explained their classroom behaviors. The analysis of the data gathered allowed the identification of four main actor roles recognized in the existing literature on bullying-the pure victim, the pure bully, the provocative-victim, and the bystander-as well as the differentiation between aggressive bullies and the bully managers. Most roles fluctuated according to specific circumstances and often appeared to be moderated by the teachers management style and contextual variables. Some pupils assumed different roles in different contexts, sometimes changing roles within or between episodes. Teacher personality and style also had an impact on the frequencies and types of aggression and victimization. The use of an ethnographic research paradigm is discussed as an important supplement to positivistic studies of school bullying.

Generators and Interpretors in a Performing Arts Population: Dissociation, Trauma, Fantasy Proneness, and Affective States

An international sample of 130 working artists was divided into two domains: generators (writers, designers, choreographers, one composer) and interpreters (directors, actors, opera singers, dancers). The correlations between dissociation, trauma experiences, fantasy proneness, and affective states were examined, followed by a regression analysis to predict elevated levels of dissociation. Artists, regardless of creative domain, scored in the moderate range for dissociation and fantasy proneness. Both groups endorsed lower levels of affective variability than a normed group. Interpreters scored significantly higher than generators on total dissociation, absorption/imagination, absorption/changeability, and depersonalization/derealization. Additive factors of younger age, affective states of anger, sadness and spirituality, and higher scores on fantasy proneness and traumatic experiences predicted elevated levels of dissociation, with only sadness predicting pathological dissociative levels on the taxometric Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II) subscale. Given these findings, greater awareness about dissociation and the need for an elaborated model of affect regulation is recommended.

Use of Item Response Theory to develop a measure of first‐grade readiness

This paper describes the development of a measure of readiness for first grade. The Readiness Inventory (RI), consists of six items, uses a 4-point rating scale, and has an alpha of 0.86. The RI was completed on 139 first-grade children and analyzed using a polytomous rating scale model of Item Response Theory. The instrument shows a high level of item and case fit. Based on an item map which elucidates the latent trait of school readiness as perceived by first-grade teachers, behaviors dealing with academic skills are less indicative of readiness than abilities dealing with role-governed behaviors or strategic learning behaviors. The RI was then validated through the examination of two different groups of preschool children: those who underwent an intensive school readiness preparation training (the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters or HIPPY) and those who did not participate in any such program. Scores on the RI were significantly higher for HIPPY graduates versus non-HIPPY graduates, a breakdown by sex revealed that only HIPPY boys out-performed their non-HIPPY boy peers on the RI. This validation study suggests that the RI is able to discriminate between ready and not-ready children.

Teaching game-playing social skills using a self-monitoring treatment package

We examined an alternative model to social skills and social competence training through conceptualizing social skills deficits according to a dichotomous model of either (a) not possessing the necessary skill in the behavioral repertoire or (b) possessing the skill but not using it appropriately. We hypothesized that many skills deficits could be explained by the latter interpretation. Using an ABAC design we compared the use of two behavioral monitoring systems: self-monitoring and group monitoring of social skills while playing board games. The data suggest substantial increases in prosocial behaviors along with concomitant reductions in antisocial behaviors as a result of the two monitoring procedures. Data also show generalization across gaming situations and maintenance over time. Suggestions are presented for further research to isolate the role of self-regulation in social skills research.

SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW IN ISRAEL

This article presents an overview of the legal status of special education in Israel. An examination of the Israeli Special Education Law of 1988, along with relevant Israeli legal precedents, basic laws, and recent judicial rulings, reveals a basic view of the nature of special education in Israel. Through a systematic examination of the legislative and judicial mandates, I draw specific inferences regarding the nature of parent participation in the educational process, the least restrictive environment (LRE), and the concept of due process in the public special education system in Israel. I argue that special education mandates in Israel do not guarantee education in the LRE and hence have promulgated a parallel placement system in which the special education bureaucratic system is empowered to act without parental input. I provide several specific suggestions to alleviate this problem; I further argue that these aspects of special education law and practice reflect more general aspects of Israeli life, aspects of the Israeli social structure that are changing as the state approaches its 50th birthday.

Application of a Rasch analysis to the examination of the perception of facial affect among persons with mental retardation

An instrument for the assessment of perception of nonverbal facial affect was developed and administered to two separate groups of respondents: adults with mental retardation and adults without mental retardation. The instrument was developed and calibrated using an item response theory (Rasch) analysis on respondents without mental retardation. Following assurance of item stability, data were analyzed using an anchored analysis for persons without mental retardation. Cumulative score differences between the two groups were expected and were found. The Rasch analysis uncovered a difference in the structure of the latent trait of understanding of facial affect between the two groups. In view of these qualitative differences, the argument is presented that quantitative differences in the two groups are irrelevant. We suggest that qualitative differences such as those found herein may partially account for the traditionally limited scope of generalization and maintenance of treatment effects of social skills training with persons with mental retardation. Theoretical and empirical implications of the findings, and future research directions based on these qualitative differences are discussed.

An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Conners Teacher's Rating Scale

We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28–item Conners Teachers Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.

Special Education in Israel.

The foundation for answering questions and understanding Israeli special education is the Special Education Law of 1988 (SEL). The SEL marks a turning point in the provision of special education services to children and adolescents with special needs in Israel. The law was passed with wide multiparty support with hopes that it would create procedural certainty and would codify guidelines where none had previously existed (Gumpel, 2000). Examination of the legislative intent of the Israeli parliament (the unicameral Knesset) reveals a basic conceptualization of disability among Israeli lawmakers at the time as it advocates for a segregationist and categorical perception of service provision (see box, “Complexities,” for a description of the educational system in Israel). This article describes changes taking place in Jewish special education (the focus is on the Jewish system, because non-Jewish special education is attempting to reach parity and match this system’s resources and service provision model).