Psychology Collection – serie

College Student Psychological Adjustment provides the reader an in-depth understanding of students' relationship experiences in college and how those experiences shape their adjustment to college. Each chapter examines research on one key relationship in a student's life to better understand how those relationships are re-worked during the college years and what factors help determine adaptive relational outcomes. Along the way, a number of controversial topics are considered from a scholarly perspective, including the effects of helicopter parenting on students' development in college, the prevalence and problematic nature of the hook-up culture on college campuses today, and policies related to whether students should be randomly assigned to live with their first-year roommates or be allowed to choose their roommates, based on a matching system. Aimed at advanced students and scholars in the fields of psychology, human development, and higher education, readers of this book will gain a fresh perspective on the relationship development of college students and possible avenues for intervention to help students enhance their relationships skills and prevent development of mental health difficulties.

College Student Psychological Adjustment: Theory, Methods, and Statistical Trends introduces the reader to the college adjustment process, highlighting the many challenges facing college students today. The four chapters review recent trends in college attendance and mental and physical health problems of college students, classic and contemporary theories of college student development (such as Chickering's seven vectors of development), and techniques for studying student adjustment, targeting five domains of adjustment most relevant to college students. The final chapter provides an overview of the unique adjustment challenges of ethnic minority students adjusting to predominantly white colleges as well as the adjustment process for minority students attending historically black colleges and universities. This book is aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars in the fields of psychology, human development, and higher education who are interested in understanding the process of college adjustment. It is also an excellent starting point for scholars who may wish to design their own study of college students and their adjustment challenges.

The Elements of Mental Tests provides an introduction to mental testing and the use of psychological and educational measures. Part I: The Elements of Measurement introduces the types of educational and psychological tests commonly in use, the test data those measures collect, and the types of test items that make up a test. Part II: The Elements of Test Scores introduces the mathematical models that professionals use to represent test-takers' answers to test questions. Part II begins with a review of basic statistics particularly relevant to measurement, including the conversion of test scores to z-scores and the use of correlation coefficients to relate test items and tests to one another. Part II continues with an integrated introduction to both Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory-the most influential methods for understanding tests in use today. Part III: The Elements of Test Quality examines the standards of good testing including a test's reliability and its precision of measurement, the evaluation of test validity, and the features of a good test administration. Altogether, the book provides a comprehensive foundation for readers who are interested in tests, in testing, and in their use in contemporary life.

A marked change in traditional thinking about children and childhood was promoted by the adoption by the United Nations (in 1989) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the early 90s sociologists in the United States and the UK developed Childhood Studies to promote a holistic view of children's lives, recognition of their competence and agency, and the impact and value of their everyday experiences. As a result of this impetus, different thinking has emerged about the role and recognition of children, the institutions of childhood, and the way we view and treat children in modern societies. This book focuses on research emerging from Children's Rights and Childhood Studies thinking, which has important implications for developing policies and practices to improve children's well being and rights. The author presents the implications of children's rights for six contexts of children's everyday lives: families; early childhood education; schooling; child protection services; health services; and employment.

If somebody asked you whether life was fair, how would you respond? In this book, learn how to critically think about this question of justice in our lives. You will learn that people mean many different things when they talk of a just or fair outcome. For instance, have you gotten what you deserve? Have you been listened to and treated with respect? Have your rights been protected? Have you been unfairly privileged? Were you sufficiently rewarded for your contributions? Did you receive unjust punishment if you broke the law? These are tremendously important topics to consider in the contentious times in which we live. In this book, you will be given new ways of thinking about these critical justice debates. In addition to getting up to speed on the research and literature in the area, you will have a chance to apply what you learn by analyzing topics like the right to free universal health care or the morality of the death penalty. This book is a tremendous resource for faculty teaching traditional or online classes on the topic of social justice, as well as for those general readers who are simply interested in learning more about the topic.

Investigating the complex relationship between perfectionism and academic achievement, advanced students and researchers are introduced to different conceptualizations and measures of perfectionism in the opening chapter. Subsequent chapters of this book then provide an in-depth exploration of factors known to influence perfectionism such as parenting, attachment, and personality, as well as academic outcomes such as motivation, stress, burnout, anxiety, and procrastination. The book highlights avenues for future research to extend the exploration of perfectionism and academic achievement. The authors propose a theoretical model for future work on perfectionism and academic achievement and discuss additional areas that, while less well researched, deserve attention for their potential influence on how perfectionism may impact academic achievement.

This concise book is for students and therapists who wish to develop competencies in family therapy and systemic practice with children. Using a fictional clinical case, the book describes the contributions of couple and family psychology (CFP) to the understanding and treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders among children ages 2 to 12. CFP competencies are presented and applied to the case of a nine-year-old girl with school refusal and behavior problems. The book describes how a systemic perspective affects clinical decisions from intake to treatment termination. Specific competencies discussed include: scientific knowledge, assessment, evidence-based practice, intervention, individual and cultural diversity, ethical and legal standards, and reflective practice. Readers will come away from this book with a clear sense of how to conceptualize and treat common childhood emotional and behavioral disorders from a systemic perspective.

Using students as peer leaders, mentors, supporters, and sources of information for other students, especially first-year students, is an established practice among higher-education institutions. These student leaders are especially influential at creating a social community for first-year students. However, many student leaders in these important roles are not provided with the necessary training to develop, lead, and maintain a connected and cohesive peer group. This book provides readers with a guide for selecting, training, and supervising students as leaders of a first-year student peer group, the Transition to University program. The book also includes theories and techniques specific to group dynamics and leadership skills as well as a format for a supervision course for students serving as peer leaders.

The transition to university life challenges many first-year students who experience the normative issues of adjustment during this pivotal year. The Transition to University (T2U) program uses peer-led groups to provide support and information first-year students need in order to be academically and socially successful. This book is a manual for the T2U program that outlines weekly meetings for first-year students throughout their first year of university life. These meetings are co-led by advanced-level undergraduate students who facilitate discussion and offer support, advice, and strategies to be successful throughout the first year. The book also includes a description of a supervision practicum for the student leaders with assignments and suggested readings. Finally, it includes suggestions for assessing the effectiveness of the program. This book is meant to be used in conjunction with the student leadership book, Transition to Success: Training Students to Lead Peer Groups in Higher Education (Harper & Allegretti, 2018).