Rhonda G. Craven – författare

Maximising self-concept is recognised as a critical goal in itself and a means to facilitate other desirable outcomes in a diversity of settings. The desire to feel positively about oneself and the benefits of this feeling on choice, planning, persistence, and subsequent accomplishments transcend traditional disciplinary barriers and are central to goals in many social policy areas. ‘International Advances in Self Research’ monograph series publishes scholarly works that primarily focus on self-concept research and pertain to a broad array of self-related constructs and processes including self-esteem, self-efficacy, identity, motivation, anxiety, self-attributions, self-regulated learning, and meta-cognition. The research focus of the monograph series includes theory underlying these constructs, their measurement, their relation to each other and to other constructs, their enhancement and their application in research and practice. Chapters address a wide cross-section of: settings participants and research areas This series has a special interest in self-concept theory and research in settings characterised by diversity, such as special education, linguistic diversity, socioeconomic and cultural diversity.

International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice is an international research monograph of scholarly works that are seeking to advance knowledge and understanding of a diverse range of Indigenous or First Peoples across the globe. With the overarching emphasis being towards education, this collection of works outlines the unique history, policy, and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples within education systems around the world. The volume itself is split into three sections that offer: (i) an overview of the past and current educational conditions of Indigenous peoples; (ii) policy and practice aimed at enhancing cultural inclusiveness and resisting deculturalization, and (iii) finally the identification of pedagogical factors that may be important for the educational progress of a diversity of Indigenous students. Overall, this volume will act as a valuable source for those seeking to maintain and restore Indigenous cultures and languages within the education system, as well as identifying other methods and practices that may increase the engagement and resilience of Indigenous students within a variety of education settings. As a result, this collection of works will be a valuable tool for educators, researchers, policy makers, and school counselors who may be seeking to further understand the experiences of Indigenous students within the education system.

Research on the Self relates to various phenomena including self-esteem, self-concept, self-verification, self-awareness, identity, self-efficacy, passion, self-determination, goals etc. that are predictive of optimal functioning and well-being. Such a research endeavor is consistent with the positive psychology movement focusing on the scientific study of what makes people psychologically healthy, happy, and satisfied in their lives, as well as on their strengths and virtues. The positive psychology movement cultivates a sensible approach to optimal human functioning and well-being in various life contexts. Chapters in this volume will illustrate some of the best of the research on the interplay between the self and positive psychology, to show the potential of this research for transforming our societies.

SELF – Driving Positive Psychology and Well-being thus provides a unique insight into self and its fundamental role for well-being. This volume is intended to develop both theoretical and methodological ideas and to present empirical evidence of various phenomenon important for well -being. The scope of the volume is thus very broad, and provides a framework for the development of the chapter as authors see most appropriate.

Research on the self relates to various phenomena including self-esteem, self-concept, self-verification, self-awareness, identity, self-efficacy, passion, self-determination, and goals. Moreover, research on self is multidisciplinary and of interest to a broad range of areas, such as education, economics, (social) psychology, neuro sciences, motivation, physical activity and behavior sciences, philosophy, and learning sciences. Chapters in this volume will illustrate some of the best of the research within these disciplines examining different aspects of self from various perspectives. A feature of this volume is that we will explore not only positive aspects of high perceived levels of self-determination and competence or self-concept on achievement, motivation and wellbeing, but also the dark side of an uncertain and negative self on identity and wellbeing. We learn from this that the self is a dynamic and powerful, yet fragile and highly amenable construct that needs self-care and constant reassurance.

SELF – A Multidisciplinary Concept thus highlights the broad application of self-research and its diversity. This volume is intended to develop both theoretical and methodological ideas and to present empirical evidence of various disciplines and applications dealing with self. The scope of this seventh volume of the International Advances in Self Research series, started in 2000 by Herbert W. Marsh, Dennis M. McInerney, and Rhonda G. Craven, is thus very broad. Keeping within the tradition of the series, this volume will highlight the applicability of a multitude of empirical approaches and methods to self-research. We also aimed to maintain a balance between discussing theoretical research in SELF and deriving implications for effective practice. This volume thus includes chapters covering self-related topics within an educational, social, emotional, psychological, physiological, managerial, and health context.

As a social justice endeavor, one of the goals of inclusive education is to bolster the education of all students by promoting equal opportunities for all, and investing sufficient support, curriculum and pedagogy that cultivates high self-concepts, emphasizes students’ strengths rather than weaknesses, and assists students to reach their optimal potential to make a contribution to society. Dedicated to the identification of international strategies to achieve this goal, Inclusive Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities presents examples of theory, research, policy, and practice that will advance our understanding of how best to educate and more generally structure educational environments to promote social justice and equity. Importantly, this discussion transcends research methodology, context, and geographical locations and may lead to far-reaching applications. As such, the focus is placed on research-derived educational and psycho-educative practices that seed success for students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive educational settings and the volume showcases new directions in theory, research, and practice that may inform the education and psychosocial development of students with intellectual disabilities globally.

The chapter contributors in this volume consist of 31 scholars from ten different countries, and they come from a great variety of research areas (i.e., teacher education, educational psychology, special education and disability policy, special needs and inclusive education, health sciences). This volume, with a series of subsections, offers insights and useful strategies to promote meaningful advances for students with intellectual disabilities globally.

The concept of the Self has a long history that dates back from the ancient Greeks such as Aristotle to more contemporary thinkers such as Wundt, James, Mead, Cooley, Freud, Rogers, and Erikson (Tesser & Felson, 2000). Research on the Self relates to a range of phenomena including self-esteem, self-concept, self-protection, self-verification, self-awareness, identity, self-efficacy, self-determination etc. that could be sharply different or very similar. Despite this long tradition of thinkers and the numerous studies conducted on the Self, this concept is still not very well defined. More precisely, it is not a precise object of study, but rather a collection of loosely related subtopics (Baumesiter, 1998). Also, in the philosophical literature, the legitimacy of the concept of “self” has been brought into question. Some authors have argued that the self is not a psychological entity per se, but rather an illusion created by the complex interplay between cognitive and neurological subsystems (Zahavi, 2005). Although no definitive consensus has been reached regarding the Self, we emphasis in this volume that the Self and its related phenomena including self-concept, motivation, and identity are crucial for understanding consciousness and therefore important to understand human behavior.

Self-concept, motivation and identity: Underpinning success with research and practice provides thus a unique insight into self-concept and its relationship to motivation and identity from varied theoretical and empirical perspectives. This volume is intended to develop both theoretical and methodological ideas and to present empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of theory and research to effective practice.