Suha Al-Hassan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Suha Al-Hassan

Teaching Exceptional Children, May 1, 2002

... Some immigrant stu-dents might be suffering from the harmful effects of living in refugee cam... more ... Some immigrant stu-dents might be suffering from the harmful effects of living in refugee camps ... In particular, special educators are challenged to not only address cultural and linguistics differences but also meet the needs of children with disabilities (Artiles, Trent, Hoffman-Kipp ...

.................................................................................................... more .............................................................................................................................. ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii Chapters: 1. Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 Rational for Teaching Sight Words ....................................................................... 2 Peer Tutoring ......................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of Study .................................................................................................... 6 Research Questions................................................................................................ 6 2. Review of Literature .................................................................................................. 7 Elementary Urban Education................................................................................. 7 Reading Instruction.............................................................................................. 10 Basal Approach................................................................................................ 13 Whole Language .............................................................................................. 14 Direct Instruction ............................................................................................. 14 Sight Word Recognition and Comprehension ..................................................... 17 Summary .............................................................................................................. 19 Active Student Responding.................................................................................. 20 Choral Responding........................................................................................... 23 Response Cards................................................................................................ 24 Guided Notes ................................................................................................... 27 Peer Tutoring ................................................................................................... 28 Peer Tutoring and Teaching Sight Words............................................................ 29 viii Peer-Mediated Instruction.................................................................................... 31 Cooperative Learning....................................................................................... 32 Peer Tutoring ................................................................................................... 32 History of Peer Tutoring .............................................................................. 33 Cross-Age Peer Tutoring ............................................................................. 34 Reverse Role Tutoring ................................................................................. 35 Class-Wide Peer Tutoring............................................................................ 36 Reciprocal Peer Tutoring ............................................................................. 37 Benefits of Peer Tutoring............................................................................. 38 Summary .............................................................................................................. 44 3. Method ..................................................................................................................... 46 Participants........................................................................................................... 46 Setting .................................................................................................................. 47 Experimenter and Research Assistants ................................................................ 49 Definition and Measurement of the Dependent Variables................................... 49 Interobserver Agreement (IOA) for Dependent Variables .................................. 52 Intervention Integrity ........................................................................................... 53 Materials…

Young people and learning processes in school and everyday life, 2019

To date, few studies have discussed the topic of parenting from a social and cultural perspective... more To date, few studies have discussed the topic of parenting from a social and cultural perspective including Arab-Muslim parents to address the relation between parenting and academic achievement. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the education system in Jordan and Jordanian parents’ childrearing practices and their association with academic achievement. Jordan is predominantly an Arab-Muslim country with a population of approximately 10 million, in which children and adolescents account for the majority of its population. As a country with limited resources, children and adolescents are considered valuable to the country; they must be nurtured in a healthy environment and receive the best education to become productive and responsible adults to help support their families and serve the country. This chapter concludes with future directions.

Science across cultures, Sep 28, 2013

Jordanian society directs great attention to childhood. Together government and families take par... more Jordanian society directs great attention to childhood. Together government and families take part in the parenting mission. The government makes laws to protect children and family based upon global human rights and provides services such as free education and health services, while families mostly follow the rules of Arabic culture in parenting children. Parenting in Jordan generally is directed by Islamic teaching and local tradition. Jordanian society is open to western culture which introduced new concepts and methods in parenting.

Early Child Development and Care, Jun 1, 2011

This study evaluates the Better Parenting Programme (BPP), which has been implemented nationally ... more This study evaluates the Better Parenting Programme (BPP), which has been implemented nationally in Jordan to enhance parents' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to caring for young children. Participants (N = 337, 94% female) were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group participated in the BPP; the control group did not. Before and after the BPP, all participants completed questionnaires to assess their knowledge regarding key areas of child development, activities with their children, discipline practices, and perceptions regarding behaviours that constitute child abuse and neglect. Over time, participants in the experimental group (but not the control group) improved on parenting knowledge, spending time playing and reading books with their children, using more explanations during the course of disciplining their child, and accurately perceiving behaviours that constitute child neglect. Results suggest modest beneficial effects of participation in the Better Parenting Programme.

PubMed, 2009

In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to i... more In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to improve readiness for first grade by opening public kindergartens. This study had three goals: (a) To describe the school readiness of Jordanian children; (b) To compare the first grade readiness of children who had and had not attended kindergarten; and (c) To compare the 2004 and 2007 readiness of children in areas that instituted kindergartens during that time period. Trained observers directly assessed 4,681 children's readiness, and teachers reported on children's social skills and behavioral readiness. At least 80% of children were rated as being almost or fully ready for first grade in each domain assessed. Children who had attended kindergarten were more ready for first grade than were children who had not attended kindergarten. In communities with newly established kindergartens, children were more ready for first grade in 2007 than in 2004.

Developmental Psychology, Mar 1, 2020

This longitudinal study examined the bidirectional associations between parents' sense of compete... more This longitudinal study examined the bidirectional associations between parents' sense of competence and children's externalizing problems, mediation of these associations by parenting behaviors, and differences between mothers and fathers concerning these associations. A sample of 551 families with children (49.9% girls; mean age ϭ 7.83 years, SD ϭ 1.08) participated. We found children's externalizing problems to predict parents' sense of competence 6 years later, both directly and, for mothers but not for fathers, indirectly through inept discipline. Parents' sense of competence did not predict children's externalizing problems, either directly or indirectly via parenting behaviors. Some differences were found between mothers and fathers in the associations between parenting behaviors and sense of competence.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Apr 19, 2023

Adolescent mental health problems are rising rapidly around the world. To combat this rise, clini... more Adolescent mental health problems are rising rapidly around the world. To combat this rise, clinicians and policymakers need to know which risk factors matter most in predicting poor adolescent mental health. Theory-driven research has identified numerous risk factors that predict adolescent mental health problems but has difficulty distilling and replicating these findings. Data-driven machine learning methods can distill risk factors and replicate findings but have difficulty interpreting findings because these methods are atheoretical. This study demonstrates how data-and theory-driven methods can be integrated to identify the most important preadolescent risk factors in predicting adolescent mental health. Machine learning models examined which of 79 variables assessed at age 10 were the most important predictors of adolescent mental health at ages 13 and 17. These models were examined in a sample of 1176 families with adolescents from nine nations. Machine learning models accurately classified 78% of adolescents who were above-median in age 13 internalizing behavior, 77.3% who were above-median in age 13 externalizing behavior, 73.2% who were above-median in age 17 externalizing behavior, and 60.6% who were above-median in age 17 internalizing behavior. Age 10 measures of youth externalizing and internalizing behavior were the most important predictors of age 13 and 17 externalizing/internalizing behavior, followed by family context variables, parenting behaviors, individual child characteristics, and finally neighborhood and cultural variables. The combination of theoretical and machine-learning models strengthens both approaches and accurately predicts which adolescents demonstrate above average mental health difficulties in approximately 7 of 10 adolescents 3-7 years after the data used in machine learning models were collected.

Bristol University Press eBooks, Feb 24, 2021

This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of Internation... more This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of International Affairs to both locate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a contribution to the development of global government and to examine the political-institutional and financial challenges posed by the SDGs. The contributors are experts in global governance issues in a broad variety of fields ranging from health, food systems, social policy, migration and climate change. An introductory chapter sets out the broad context of the governance challenges involved, and how individual chapters contribute to the analysis. The book begins by focusing on individual SDGs, examining briefly the background to the particular goal and evaluating the opportunities and challenges (particularly governance challenges) in achieving the goal, as well as discussing how this goal relates to other SDGs. The book goes on to address the broader issues of achieving the set of goals overall, examining the novel financing mechanisms required for an enterprise of this nature, the trade-offs involved (particularly between the urgent climate agenda and the social/economic goals), the institutional arrangements designed to enable the achievement of the goals and offering a critical perspective on the enterprise as a whole.

Children and Youth Services Review, Dec 1, 2022

Early Years, Oct 1, 2009

The present study investigated demographic differences in school readiness within Jordan, a parti... more The present study investigated demographic differences in school readiness within Jordan, a particularly interesting context because of widespread national reform currently sweeping the education system in Jordan. Teacher reports and researcher direct assessments of the school readiness of a national sample of 4,681 Jordanian first grade children were used to describe the levels of school readiness of children with respect to seven demographic characteristics. Higher levels of school readiness were associated with male gender, higher family income, higher paternal education, higher maternal education, smaller family size, fewer siblings, and urban residence. Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of Jordanian education reform, one aim of which is to improve the school readiness of all children by implementing public kindergartens, especially in poor, rural areas.

Routledge eBooks, Jan 29, 2021

Early Child Development and Care, Oct 1, 2010

The present study evaluates a major education reform in Jordan-the implementation of public kinde... more The present study evaluates a major education reform in Jordan-the implementation of public kindergartens-and provides an example of how evaluation can be incorporated into education reform. In the context of education reform in Jordan, 532 public kindergartens have been created over the last five years. A stratified random sample of kindergartens was selected to represent these new public kindergartens (n = 84) and previously existing private kindergartens (n = 23). Independent observers rated the quality of kindergarten environments in seven domains. Overall, 13% of public kindergarten environments were observed to be inadequate, 43% were of minimal quality, 43% were good, and 1% were excellent. In four of the seven domains, the quality of public kindergartens was significantly higher than the quality of private kindergartens; there were no significant differences in the other domains. Findings suggest the importance of continuing to implement high quality kindergartens in Jordan and of incorporating evaluations into education reform.

Frontiers in Psychology

In this study, we examine the predictions of a storm and stress characterization of adolescence c... more In this study, we examine the predictions of a storm and stress characterization of adolescence concerning typicality and trajectories of internalizing, externalizing, and wellbeing from late childhood through late adolescence. Using data from the Parenting Across Cultures study, levels and trajectories of these characteristics were analyzed for 1,211 adolescents from 11 cultural groups across eight countries. Data were longitudinal, collected at seven timepoints from 8 to 17 years of age. Results provide more support for a storm and stress characterization with respect to the developmental trajectories of behavior and characteristics from childhood to adolescence or across the adolescent years than with respect to typicality of behavior. Overall, adolescents’ behavior was more positive than negative in all cultural groups across childhood and adolescence. There was cultural variability in both prevalence and trajectories of behavior. The data provide support for arguments that a mo...

School Community Journal, Apr 1, 2009

The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the school-parentscommunity partnerships c... more The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the school-parentscommunity partnerships created by teachers who received the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education. This study analyzes the applications of the 28 teachers who received the Award in 2007 and addresses three questions: How do teachers who received the Queen Rania Award communicate with parents and the broader community? What kinds of voluntary work do teachers who received the Award pursue inside and outside the school? And, How do teachers who received the Award encourage students to be more aware of social and community issues and then motivate students to be involved in the community? The findings of the study show that teachers connect with parents and the community in five ways: (1) communicating with parents, (2) involving parents in the learning process, (3) involving the community in the school, (4) pursuing volunteer projects, and (5) involving students in the community. Each of these categories are divided into several themes that represent ways to connect with parents and the community.

In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to i... more In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to improve readiness for first grade by opening public kindergartens. This study had three goals: (a) To describe the school readiness of Jordanian children; (b) To compare the first grade readiness of children who had and had not attended kindergarten; and (c) To compare the 2004 and 2007 readiness of children in areas that instituted kindergartens during that time period. Trained observers directly assessed 4,681 children's readiness, and teachers reported on children's social skills and behavioral readiness. At least 80% of children were rated as being almost or fully ready for first grade in each assessed domain. Children who had attended kindergarten were more ready for first grade than those children who had not attended kindergarten. In communities with newly established kindergartens, children were more ready for first grade in 2007 than in 2004.

Prevention Science, Jul 20, 2022

Aggressive Behavior, Dec 24, 2022

Parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression both predict the emergence of child aggressio... more Parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression both predict the emergence of child aggression, but they are rarely studied together and in longitudinal contexts. The present study does so by examining the unique predictive effects of parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 on child aggression at age 9 in 1456 children from 13 cultural groups in 9 nations. Multiple group structural equation models explored whether age 8 child and parent endorsement of reactive aggression predicted subsequent age 9 child endorsement of reactive aggression and child aggression, after accounting for prior child aggression and parent education. Results revealed that greater parent endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 predicted greater child endorsement of aggression at age 9, that greater parent endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 uniquely predicted greater aggression at age 9 in girls, and that greater child endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 uniquely predicted greater aggression at age 9 in boys. All three of these associations emerged across cultures. Implications of, and explanations for, study findings are discussed.

Teaching Exceptional Children, May 1, 2002

... Some immigrant stu-dents might be suffering from the harmful effects of living in refugee cam... more ... Some immigrant stu-dents might be suffering from the harmful effects of living in refugee camps ... In particular, special educators are challenged to not only address cultural and linguistics differences but also meet the needs of children with disabilities (Artiles, Trent, Hoffman-Kipp ...

.................................................................................................... more .............................................................................................................................. ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii Chapters: 1. Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 Rational for Teaching Sight Words ....................................................................... 2 Peer Tutoring ......................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of Study .................................................................................................... 6 Research Questions................................................................................................ 6 2. Review of Literature .................................................................................................. 7 Elementary Urban Education................................................................................. 7 Reading Instruction.............................................................................................. 10 Basal Approach................................................................................................ 13 Whole Language .............................................................................................. 14 Direct Instruction ............................................................................................. 14 Sight Word Recognition and Comprehension ..................................................... 17 Summary .............................................................................................................. 19 Active Student Responding.................................................................................. 20 Choral Responding........................................................................................... 23 Response Cards................................................................................................ 24 Guided Notes ................................................................................................... 27 Peer Tutoring ................................................................................................... 28 Peer Tutoring and Teaching Sight Words............................................................ 29 viii Peer-Mediated Instruction.................................................................................... 31 Cooperative Learning....................................................................................... 32 Peer Tutoring ................................................................................................... 32 History of Peer Tutoring .............................................................................. 33 Cross-Age Peer Tutoring ............................................................................. 34 Reverse Role Tutoring ................................................................................. 35 Class-Wide Peer Tutoring............................................................................ 36 Reciprocal Peer Tutoring ............................................................................. 37 Benefits of Peer Tutoring............................................................................. 38 Summary .............................................................................................................. 44 3. Method ..................................................................................................................... 46 Participants........................................................................................................... 46 Setting .................................................................................................................. 47 Experimenter and Research Assistants ................................................................ 49 Definition and Measurement of the Dependent Variables................................... 49 Interobserver Agreement (IOA) for Dependent Variables .................................. 52 Intervention Integrity ........................................................................................... 53 Materials…

Young people and learning processes in school and everyday life, 2019

To date, few studies have discussed the topic of parenting from a social and cultural perspective... more To date, few studies have discussed the topic of parenting from a social and cultural perspective including Arab-Muslim parents to address the relation between parenting and academic achievement. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the education system in Jordan and Jordanian parents’ childrearing practices and their association with academic achievement. Jordan is predominantly an Arab-Muslim country with a population of approximately 10 million, in which children and adolescents account for the majority of its population. As a country with limited resources, children and adolescents are considered valuable to the country; they must be nurtured in a healthy environment and receive the best education to become productive and responsible adults to help support their families and serve the country. This chapter concludes with future directions.

Science across cultures, Sep 28, 2013

Jordanian society directs great attention to childhood. Together government and families take par... more Jordanian society directs great attention to childhood. Together government and families take part in the parenting mission. The government makes laws to protect children and family based upon global human rights and provides services such as free education and health services, while families mostly follow the rules of Arabic culture in parenting children. Parenting in Jordan generally is directed by Islamic teaching and local tradition. Jordanian society is open to western culture which introduced new concepts and methods in parenting.

Early Child Development and Care, Jun 1, 2011

This study evaluates the Better Parenting Programme (BPP), which has been implemented nationally ... more This study evaluates the Better Parenting Programme (BPP), which has been implemented nationally in Jordan to enhance parents' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to caring for young children. Participants (N = 337, 94% female) were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group participated in the BPP; the control group did not. Before and after the BPP, all participants completed questionnaires to assess their knowledge regarding key areas of child development, activities with their children, discipline practices, and perceptions regarding behaviours that constitute child abuse and neglect. Over time, participants in the experimental group (but not the control group) improved on parenting knowledge, spending time playing and reading books with their children, using more explanations during the course of disciplining their child, and accurately perceiving behaviours that constitute child neglect. Results suggest modest beneficial effects of participation in the Better Parenting Programme.

PubMed, 2009

In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to i... more In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to improve readiness for first grade by opening public kindergartens. This study had three goals: (a) To describe the school readiness of Jordanian children; (b) To compare the first grade readiness of children who had and had not attended kindergarten; and (c) To compare the 2004 and 2007 readiness of children in areas that instituted kindergartens during that time period. Trained observers directly assessed 4,681 children's readiness, and teachers reported on children's social skills and behavioral readiness. At least 80% of children were rated as being almost or fully ready for first grade in each domain assessed. Children who had attended kindergarten were more ready for first grade than were children who had not attended kindergarten. In communities with newly established kindergartens, children were more ready for first grade in 2007 than in 2004.

Developmental Psychology, Mar 1, 2020

This longitudinal study examined the bidirectional associations between parents' sense of compete... more This longitudinal study examined the bidirectional associations between parents' sense of competence and children's externalizing problems, mediation of these associations by parenting behaviors, and differences between mothers and fathers concerning these associations. A sample of 551 families with children (49.9% girls; mean age ϭ 7.83 years, SD ϭ 1.08) participated. We found children's externalizing problems to predict parents' sense of competence 6 years later, both directly and, for mothers but not for fathers, indirectly through inept discipline. Parents' sense of competence did not predict children's externalizing problems, either directly or indirectly via parenting behaviors. Some differences were found between mothers and fathers in the associations between parenting behaviors and sense of competence.

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Apr 19, 2023

Adolescent mental health problems are rising rapidly around the world. To combat this rise, clini... more Adolescent mental health problems are rising rapidly around the world. To combat this rise, clinicians and policymakers need to know which risk factors matter most in predicting poor adolescent mental health. Theory-driven research has identified numerous risk factors that predict adolescent mental health problems but has difficulty distilling and replicating these findings. Data-driven machine learning methods can distill risk factors and replicate findings but have difficulty interpreting findings because these methods are atheoretical. This study demonstrates how data-and theory-driven methods can be integrated to identify the most important preadolescent risk factors in predicting adolescent mental health. Machine learning models examined which of 79 variables assessed at age 10 were the most important predictors of adolescent mental health at ages 13 and 17. These models were examined in a sample of 1176 families with adolescents from nine nations. Machine learning models accurately classified 78% of adolescents who were above-median in age 13 internalizing behavior, 77.3% who were above-median in age 13 externalizing behavior, 73.2% who were above-median in age 17 externalizing behavior, and 60.6% who were above-median in age 17 internalizing behavior. Age 10 measures of youth externalizing and internalizing behavior were the most important predictors of age 13 and 17 externalizing/internalizing behavior, followed by family context variables, parenting behaviors, individual child characteristics, and finally neighborhood and cultural variables. The combination of theoretical and machine-learning models strengthens both approaches and accurately predicts which adolescents demonstrate above average mental health difficulties in approximately 7 of 10 adolescents 3-7 years after the data used in machine learning models were collected.

Bristol University Press eBooks, Feb 24, 2021

This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of Internation... more This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of International Affairs to both locate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a contribution to the development of global government and to examine the political-institutional and financial challenges posed by the SDGs. The contributors are experts in global governance issues in a broad variety of fields ranging from health, food systems, social policy, migration and climate change. An introductory chapter sets out the broad context of the governance challenges involved, and how individual chapters contribute to the analysis. The book begins by focusing on individual SDGs, examining briefly the background to the particular goal and evaluating the opportunities and challenges (particularly governance challenges) in achieving the goal, as well as discussing how this goal relates to other SDGs. The book goes on to address the broader issues of achieving the set of goals overall, examining the novel financing mechanisms required for an enterprise of this nature, the trade-offs involved (particularly between the urgent climate agenda and the social/economic goals), the institutional arrangements designed to enable the achievement of the goals and offering a critical perspective on the enterprise as a whole.

Children and Youth Services Review, Dec 1, 2022

Early Years, Oct 1, 2009

The present study investigated demographic differences in school readiness within Jordan, a parti... more The present study investigated demographic differences in school readiness within Jordan, a particularly interesting context because of widespread national reform currently sweeping the education system in Jordan. Teacher reports and researcher direct assessments of the school readiness of a national sample of 4,681 Jordanian first grade children were used to describe the levels of school readiness of children with respect to seven demographic characteristics. Higher levels of school readiness were associated with male gender, higher family income, higher paternal education, higher maternal education, smaller family size, fewer siblings, and urban residence. Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of Jordanian education reform, one aim of which is to improve the school readiness of all children by implementing public kindergartens, especially in poor, rural areas.

Routledge eBooks, Jan 29, 2021

Early Child Development and Care, Oct 1, 2010

The present study evaluates a major education reform in Jordan-the implementation of public kinde... more The present study evaluates a major education reform in Jordan-the implementation of public kindergartens-and provides an example of how evaluation can be incorporated into education reform. In the context of education reform in Jordan, 532 public kindergartens have been created over the last five years. A stratified random sample of kindergartens was selected to represent these new public kindergartens (n = 84) and previously existing private kindergartens (n = 23). Independent observers rated the quality of kindergarten environments in seven domains. Overall, 13% of public kindergarten environments were observed to be inadequate, 43% were of minimal quality, 43% were good, and 1% were excellent. In four of the seven domains, the quality of public kindergartens was significantly higher than the quality of private kindergartens; there were no significant differences in the other domains. Findings suggest the importance of continuing to implement high quality kindergartens in Jordan and of incorporating evaluations into education reform.

Frontiers in Psychology

In this study, we examine the predictions of a storm and stress characterization of adolescence c... more In this study, we examine the predictions of a storm and stress characterization of adolescence concerning typicality and trajectories of internalizing, externalizing, and wellbeing from late childhood through late adolescence. Using data from the Parenting Across Cultures study, levels and trajectories of these characteristics were analyzed for 1,211 adolescents from 11 cultural groups across eight countries. Data were longitudinal, collected at seven timepoints from 8 to 17 years of age. Results provide more support for a storm and stress characterization with respect to the developmental trajectories of behavior and characteristics from childhood to adolescence or across the adolescent years than with respect to typicality of behavior. Overall, adolescents’ behavior was more positive than negative in all cultural groups across childhood and adolescence. There was cultural variability in both prevalence and trajectories of behavior. The data provide support for arguments that a mo...

School Community Journal, Apr 1, 2009

The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the school-parentscommunity partnerships c... more The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the school-parentscommunity partnerships created by teachers who received the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education. This study analyzes the applications of the 28 teachers who received the Award in 2007 and addresses three questions: How do teachers who received the Queen Rania Award communicate with parents and the broader community? What kinds of voluntary work do teachers who received the Award pursue inside and outside the school? And, How do teachers who received the Award encourage students to be more aware of social and community issues and then motivate students to be involved in the community? The findings of the study show that teachers connect with parents and the community in five ways: (1) communicating with parents, (2) involving parents in the learning process, (3) involving the community in the school, (4) pursuing volunteer projects, and (5) involving students in the community. Each of these categories are divided into several themes that represent ways to connect with parents and the community.

In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to i... more In 2003, Jordan initiated a period of education reform, one component of which was an effort to improve readiness for first grade by opening public kindergartens. This study had three goals: (a) To describe the school readiness of Jordanian children; (b) To compare the first grade readiness of children who had and had not attended kindergarten; and (c) To compare the 2004 and 2007 readiness of children in areas that instituted kindergartens during that time period. Trained observers directly assessed 4,681 children's readiness, and teachers reported on children's social skills and behavioral readiness. At least 80% of children were rated as being almost or fully ready for first grade in each assessed domain. Children who had attended kindergarten were more ready for first grade than those children who had not attended kindergarten. In communities with newly established kindergartens, children were more ready for first grade in 2007 than in 2004.

Prevention Science, Jul 20, 2022

Aggressive Behavior, Dec 24, 2022

Parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression both predict the emergence of child aggressio... more Parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression both predict the emergence of child aggression, but they are rarely studied together and in longitudinal contexts. The present study does so by examining the unique predictive effects of parent and child endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 on child aggression at age 9 in 1456 children from 13 cultural groups in 9 nations. Multiple group structural equation models explored whether age 8 child and parent endorsement of reactive aggression predicted subsequent age 9 child endorsement of reactive aggression and child aggression, after accounting for prior child aggression and parent education. Results revealed that greater parent endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 predicted greater child endorsement of aggression at age 9, that greater parent endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 uniquely predicted greater aggression at age 9 in girls, and that greater child endorsement of reactive aggression at age 8 uniquely predicted greater aggression at age 9 in boys. All three of these associations emerged across cultures. Implications of, and explanations for, study findings are discussed.