Introduction: Physical and verbal violence toward staff or other detained individuals is a reoccurring problem within correctional facilities. Screening for violence risk within the prison setting... Show moreIntroduction: Physical and verbal violence toward staff or other detained individuals is a reoccurring problem within correctional facilities. Screening for violence risk within the prison setting could provide a valuable first step in the prevention of institutional violence. The brief and compact Risk Screener Violence (RS-V) has shown to be an efficient new method for assessing concerns regarding post-release violent offending for incarcerated persons. This study aimed to find out whether the RS-V is also able to predict future violent and aggressive incidents during imprisonment.Methods: The predictive validity of the RS-V for future violent and aggressive incidents during a follow-up time of 4 months within prison was analyzed, using a file-based design. Violent incidents toward staff and other inmates (physical violence and violent threats), other aggressive incidents (aggression toward objects and verbal disruptive behavior), and both categories combined, were included as outcome measures based on disciplinary reports.Results: The RS-V showed medium to large predictive values for both violent and aggressive behavior during prison stay. In particular, good predictive values of the RS-V were found for violence toward prison staff.Discussion: This study shows that, besides post-release violent recidivism, the RS-V is able to accurately predict future violent and aggressive incidents during prison stay. By correctly differentiating between low concern and high concern individuals, the RS-V aims to contribute to more personalized interventions and risk management and, subsequently, to improved prison safety. Future studies using prospective prison practice data are needed to further support the validity of the RS-V regarding institutional violence. Show less
De huidige studie had als doel om te onderzoeken of 1) de schoolinterventie Rots en Water (r&w) effectief was in het verbeteren van competenties en voorkomen van problemen in het intra- en... Show moreDe huidige studie had als doel om te onderzoeken of 1) de schoolinterventie Rots en Water (r&w) effectief was in het verbeteren van competenties en voorkomen van problemen in het intra- en interpersoonlijkdomein van leerlingen op het voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (vmbo), en of 2) interventie-effecten veranderden naarmate er meer mensen betrokken waren bij de interventie (kernteam van leerkrachten, het hele schoolteam, het hele schoolteam en ouders). We hebben een gerandomiseerdegecontroleerde studie uitgevoerd onder brugklassers (N = 1299; Mleeftijd = 12,38; 54 % jongens) die vier keer digitale vragenlijsten hebben ingevuld. De resultaten lieten zien dat r&w een aantal interventie-specifieke uitkomsten (zelfcontrole en emotionele zelfregulatie), uitkomsten in het intrapersoonlijk domein(psychologisch welzijn, seksuele autonomie en internaliserend gedrag) en in het interpersoonlijk domein (agressie) verbeterde, maar uitsluitend wanneer een kernteam van leerkrachten betrokken was bij de implementatie van de interventie. De (gematigde) interventie-effecten waren het grootste in het eerste jaar van de tweejarige interventie. Deze resultaten laten zien dat r&w positieve effecten kan bewerkstelligen bij vmbo-leerlingen wanneer deze geïmplementeerd wordt door een kernteam. Het lijkt dus waardevol voorscholen om te investeren in interventies met een leerstijl die aansluit bij die van de doelgroep, met een hoge kwaliteit van implementatie en een beperkt aantal betrokken personen. Show less
Siezenga, A.M.; Mertens, E.C.A.; Gelder, J.L. van 2023
Background Engagement with smartphone‑based interventions stimulates adherence and improves the likelihood of gaining benefits from intervention content. Research often relies on system usage data... Show moreBackground Engagement with smartphone‑based interventions stimulates adherence and improves the likelihood of gaining benefits from intervention content. Research often relies on system usage data to capture engagement. However, to what extent usage data reflect engagement is still an open empirical question. We studied how usage data relate to engagement, and how both relate to intervention outcomes. Methods We drew data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (N = 86) evaluating a smartphone‑based intervention that aims to stimulate future self‑identification (i.e., future self vividness, valence, relatedness). General app engagement and feature‑specific engagement were retrospectively measured. Usage data (i.e., duration, number of logins, number of days used, exposure to intervention content) were unobtrusively registered. Results Engagement and usage data were not correlated. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that general app engagement predicted future self vividness (p = .042) and relatedness (p = .004). Furthermore, engagement with several specific features also predicted aspects of future self‑identification (p = .005 – .032). For usage data, the number of logins predicted future self vividness (p = .042) and exposure to intervention content predicted future self valence (p = .002). Conclusions Usage data did not reflect engagement and the latter was the better predictor of intervention outcomes. Thus, the relation between usage data and engagement is likely to be intervention‑specific and the unqualified use of the former as an indicator of the latter may result in measurement error. We provide recommendations on how to capture engagement and app use in more valid ways. Show less
König, M.; Berhe, O.; Ioannidis, K.; Orellana, S.; Davidson, E.; Kaser, M.; ... ; Harmelen, A. van 2023
We developed and tested a smartphone-based intervention, FutureU, that aims to stimulate future-oriented thinking and behavior by strengthening the degree to which people identify with their future... Show moreWe developed and tested a smartphone-based intervention, FutureU, that aims to stimulate future-oriented thinking and behavior by strengthening the degree to which people identify with their future self. In order to examine the potential of this intervention prototype and opportunities for further optimization, we evaluated 1) the immediate and long-term efficacy of the intervention, and 2) intervention effects after each of three intervention modules. To this end, we conducted a randomized controlled pilot study among first-year university students (N = 176). Results showed a decrease in goal commitment immediately after the intervention. At 3-months follow-up, trends showed an increase in future orientation and in self-efficacy. During the intervention, there was a positive effect on vividness of the future self after the first module. Although there is scope for improvement, the findings highlight the potential of the intervention to increase people’s future-oriented thinking and behavior. Show less
Adler, R.M.; Rittle-Johnson, B.; Hickendorff, M.; Durkin, K. 2023
The current study explored individual and gendered differences in Black students’ motivation for learning mathematics using three key Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) constructs ... Show moreThe current study explored individual and gendered differences in Black students’ motivation for learning mathematics using three key Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) constructs (expectancies of success, interest, and importance). It also evaluated whether math motivational profiles in 6th grade or 10th grade predicted math achievement and STEM career aspirations in 10th grade among Black students while controlling for prior math achievement. Black students (n = 408, 55% female) attending schools in a metropolitan area of Tennessee, USA and mostly from families surviving economic marginalization completed surveys and math achievement assessments across middle and high school. Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles of math motivation in 6th grade, including a profile of high motivation across constructs, and Black girls were less likely to be in the high motivational profile than Black boys. Profile membership in 6th grade predicted 10th grade math achievement. In contrast, math motivation profiles in 6th grade did not predict STEM career aspirations in 10th grade. Parallel analyses for concurrent relations in 10th grade were similar, except that there were no gender differences in profile prevalence. Overall, findings suggest that SEVT is useful for understanding motivation and academic performance among Black students when a person-centered analytic approach is used, but more work is needed to expand the theory to understand the development of Black students’ STEM career aspirations. Show less
Belonging is a basic human need, with social isolation signaling a threat to biological fitness. Sensitivity to ostracism varies across individuals and the lifespan, peaking in adolescence.... Show moreBelonging is a basic human need, with social isolation signaling a threat to biological fitness. Sensitivity to ostracism varies across individuals and the lifespan, peaking in adolescence. Government-imposed restrictions upon social interactions during COVID-19 may therefore be particularly detrimental to young people and those most sensitive to ostracism. Participants (N = 2367; 89.95% female, 11-100 years) from three countries with differing levels of government restrictions (Australia, UK, and USA) were surveyed thrice at three-month intervals (May 2020 - April 2021). Young people, and those living under the tightest government restrictions, reported the worst mental health, with these inequalities in mental health remaining constant throughout the study period. Further dissection of these results revealed that young people high on social rejection sensitivity reported the most mental health problems at the final assessment. These findings help account for the greater impact of enforced social isolation on young people's mental health, and open novel avenues for intervention. Show less
Arfé, B.; Carretti, B.; Broek, P.W. van den; Benincasa, P.; Genovese, E.; Oakhill, J. 2023
Teaching can be emotionally demanding. The current study investigated how teachers handle demanding situations in class, and how their behavioral and physiological reactions shape their emotions... Show moreTeaching can be emotionally demanding. The current study investigated how teachers handle demanding situations in class, and how their behavioral and physiological reactions shape their emotions after the lesson. Interpersonal behaviors of 80 secondary school teachers were coded based on video recordings of one real-life lesson. During the lesson, heart rate and cardiac output were recorded continuously as indicator of relative challenge versus threat motivational states. Overall, teachers differed substantially in the number of demanding situations and how they changed their interpersonal behavior and physiological responses. Although teachers’ behavioral and physiological changes were not a straightforward predictor of their emotional outcomes, especially teachers with dispositional low agency or communion were at risk of less positive and more negative emotions. Show less
According to Self-Determination Theory, teachers can enhance their students’ motivation, engagement, and learning through need-supportive teaching, which involves providing autonomy support,... Show moreAccording to Self-Determination Theory, teachers can enhance their students’ motivation, engagement, and learning through need-supportive teaching, which involves providing autonomy support, structure, and involvement. However, within classes, there appears to be great variation in the degree to which teachers support students’ psychological needs. The current studies aimed to investigate to what extent this differentiation in need support was associated with students’ socioeconomic background. Additionally, we examined whether teachers differentiated their need support more strongly when they had more biased Explicitly or Implicitly measured attitudes toward students from a low socioeconomic background. We conducted two studies: Study 1 was a vignette study representing a fictional student from a high or low socioeconomic background, and Study 2 was a field study where teachers reported on the need support provided to real students from a high and low socioeconomic background from their own class. Findings of both studies indicated that teachers reported lower levels of involvement for students from a low compared to a high socioeconomic background. Moreover, in Study 2, teachers reported to provide students from a low socioeconomic background with less autonomy support and more structure compared to students from a high socioeconomic background. However, these differences in autonomy support and structure seemed to be related to other student characteristics, namely students’ gender, and teachers’ perceptions of students’ academic ability and classroom behavior. Furthermore, we revealed that teachers differentiated their need support more strongly when they had more biased attitudes toward low socioeconomic backgrounds. Show less
González-Garcia, N.; Buimer, E.E.; Moreno-López, L.; Sallie, S.N.; Váša, F.; Lim, S.; ... ; Harmelen, A. van 2023
Individual variation in mathematical skills can be ascribed to differences in cognitive ability, but also to students’ emotional experiences of mathematics, such as enjoyment and anxiety. The... Show moreIndividual variation in mathematical skills can be ascribed to differences in cognitive ability, but also to students’ emotional experiences of mathematics, such as enjoyment and anxiety. The current study investigated how the interplay of working memory with math anxiety and enjoyment explains mathematical performance in primary school students. We also explored whether these relations differed with the type of math test and students’ age. Using mixed effect models, we reanalyzed data from 4471 Dutch primary school students (grades 2–6) who had completed two computerized working memory tasks, had filled out a questionnaire on math emotions, and had completed two math tests: story problems and speeded arithmetic. Findings showed that working memory, anxiety, and enjoyment were linear (but not curvilinear) predictors of performance on both tests, while some relations were stronger for the math (story)-problem-solving test. Higher math anxiety negatively impacted performance more strongly for students with stronger working memory skills, but only on the arithmetic test. No interaction between working memory and enjoyment was found. The relation between math anxiety and math performance increased with grade level, but no other age-related changes were found. Interpretations and recommendations focus on situated views on learning and emotion. Show less
Scheuplein, M.; Ahmed, P.S.; Foulkes, L.; Griffin, C.; Chierchia, G.; Blakemore, S. 2023
