With the increasing polarisation on the topic of immigration and refugee reception in the Netherlands, the importance of understanding ethnic prejudice and how it originates increases. The present...Show moreWith the increasing polarisation on the topic of immigration and refugee reception in the Netherlands, the importance of understanding ethnic prejudice and how it originates increases. The present study aims to investigate the mechanisms and factors that play a role in the ethnic attitude transmission from mother to child. Mother and child implicit ethnic attitudes were determined, as well as the frequency of maternal Ethnic Socialization Messaging (Cultural Socialization/Pluralism, Preparation for Bias, and Promotion of Mistrust) and the level of Child Curiosity in White Dutch and Afro-Dutch families in the Randstad region in the Netherlands (N = 202). Results indicate that although the association of implicit ethnic attitudes within ethnic groups may not be as strong as expected, the views on ethnicity do differ significantly between the different ethnic groups. This challenges the idea that parents are the main formers of implicit ethnic attitudes as opposed to the common cultural environment of the child. However, parents may form the implicit ethnic prejudices of their children through implicit, subtle attitudes rather than the explicit attitudes, which were presently studied.Show less
The level of reading skills and the reading motivation are decreasing, causing more and more school-aged children to experience difficulties in reading. When reading in children is difficult, it is...Show moreThe level of reading skills and the reading motivation are decreasing, causing more and more school-aged children to experience difficulties in reading. When reading in children is difficult, it is less fun to do. They will read less often so their reading skills will not improve (negative reading spiral) although reading is an important skill to participate in society and labor market. The current study investigated the effectiveness of two different online reading interventions aimed at improving the reading performance and reading motivation of children with reading difficulties in grade 4/5: the online, individually, guided Universal Intervention of Literacy (UIL) based on explicit direct instruction (EDI) and the Reading Along (RA) reading method based on the guided oral reading method. The interventions differed in instructional approaches. The current study examined whether EDI is needed to improve the reading performance of children with reading difficulties. In addition, it was examined whether the change in reading motivation can be explained by the change in reading achievement, from the reading spiral. The children with reading difficulties, divided into three conditions, received the UIL or RA intervention or no additional reading support (BAU, control group). Reading performance of technical reading and reading motivation were measured before and after the intervention period. The analyses showed that the UIL and RA were effective in improving reading achievement among children with reading difficulties in grade 4/5 after a five-week intervention period. The children who followed the UIL or RA grew equally in reading achievement. This suggests that EDI is not needed to improve reading achievement in children with reading difficulties. In addition, the children in the UIL, RA and BAU condition grew equally in reading motivation. The suggests that the UIL and RA interventions were not effective in improving reading motivation. Finally, no correlation was found between the change in reading achievement and the change on reading motivation. Change in reading motivation cannot be predicted by change in reading performance.Show less
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an interactive digital reading program (ePrent&ABC) on different domains, vocabulary and print knowledge (PK), of the early literacy....Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an interactive digital reading program (ePrent&ABC) on different domains, vocabulary and print knowledge (PK), of the early literacy. This study also examined whether visual working memory plays a role in the growth of vocabulary and PK. For this study participated 85 children between the ages 50-75 months (M = 63.08, SD = 6.07) old. The sample consisted of 44 girls and 41 boys. During four different conditions a kindergarten teacher read to the class four times a week based on a protocol and using the SMART board. The first week (condition A) the teacher did non-interactive reading. The other weeks of the study teachers used the ePrent&ABC program with every week another consolidation form for learning target words (condition B: semantics, condition C: PK and condition D: phonological awareness), except condition C, which was two weeks. Pretests and posttests were administered on target words, PK, and phonological awareness. Tests were also administered for general vocabulary and executive functions. This study focused in particular on the consolidation form of PK. During this consolidation form, teachers used non-verbal and verbal cues to draw the children’s attention to the text of the book. This study shows that children acquire more vocabulary and PK during ePrent&ABC than during non-interactive reading. In addition, a large effect (r = .67) was found of the growth in PK during the consolidation form PK. The consolidation form PK has a positive effect on multiple domains of the early literacy. This study shows also that visual working memory does not play a role in the growth of vocabulary and PK. EPrent&ABC offers teachers the opportunity to stimulate early literacy in preschoolers based on an evidence-based foundation with an interactive classroom method that considers both technical developments and the interests of preschoolers.Show less
Introduction. Many children in the Netherlands fail to achieve adequate reading levels by the end of primary school, posing concerns for their academic and later societal success. Effective...Show moreIntroduction. Many children in the Netherlands fail to achieve adequate reading levels by the end of primary school, posing concerns for their academic and later societal success. Effective stimulation of early literacy skills in kindergarten, including vocabulary, print knowledge, and phonological awareness, can reduce differences among students and reduce the risk of reading difficulties later on. While storybooks are effective in stimulating these early literacy skills, traditional storybook reading is not enough to provide a steady foundation for later reading success. Additionally, children with a smaller vocabulary do not benefit as much from storybook reading as their larger vocabularied peers, which increases early literacy skill level gaps between children. In this study, several effective methods in enhancing these skills are combined into the e-Prent&ABC method, which aims to enhance these skills simultaneously. Methods. 85 kindergarteners (41 boys, 44 girls) aged 4;2 to 6;3 years participated. Interactive digital reading sessions were conducted over five weeks, utilizing six picture books and varied reading methods. The first condition utilized non-interactive video books. Successive conditions used variations of the e-Prent&ABC reading method, focusing on either semantics, print knowledge, or phonological awareness. Participants underwent assessment of productive vocabulary, print knowledge, and phonological awareness before and after the reading conditions, along with a receptive vocabulary test before the conditions. Data were analysed using Mixed ANOVA and Repeated Measures ANOVA. Results. Kindergarteners, especially those with lower receptive vocabularies, experienced great vocabulary growth with the e-Prent&ABC method. The simultaneous stimulation of either print knowledge or phonological awareness proved effective, but not at the expense of vocabulary growth. Discussion. The e-Prent&ABC method proves effective in stimulating all three early literacy skills in the kindergarten setting, especially benefitting children with smaller vocabularies and thereby reducing skills gaps between individuals. These findings hold promise for improving children’s literacy outcomes.Show less
The main purpose of the current study is to improve interventions for boys with conduct disorder, in order to decrease criminal offenses in this group. Another goal was to gain more knowledge on...Show moreThe main purpose of the current study is to improve interventions for boys with conduct disorder, in order to decrease criminal offenses in this group. Another goal was to gain more knowledge on empathy in this group. There is thought to be a connection between welldeveloped empathy in youth and a decrease of criminal offenses. In this study, boys with conduct disorder (N = 25) and autism spectrum disorder (N = 23) are compared in their empathy, using 2-way ANOVA’s. Boys with conduct disorder score higher on cognitive empathy. There are no differences in affective empathy. Differences in empathy do not increase or decrease as boys grow older. Findings provide arguments to base interventions for boys with conduct disorder on empathy development, similar to what is already done for boys with autism spectrum disorders. However, a careful interpretation of the findings is needed due to limitations in current research.Show less
This thesis describes an experimental study with a between-subjects and within-subjects design on the possibility to train inferential skills by using expository video. Over the past years the...Show moreThis thesis describes an experimental study with a between-subjects and within-subjects design on the possibility to train inferential skills by using expository video. Over the past years the level of reading comprehension among Dutch students decreases. A low motivation may perhaps explain this downward trend. One way to increase the motivation of Dutch students could be by using digital resources. Inferential skills are crucial during reading to create a mental representation of the text. This is an important part of reading comprehension. This research focusses on the progression in inferential skills of students, when these skills are taught using expository video. The progression made is compared to the progression in inferential skills of students who were taught inferential skills using expository text, and students in the control condition. Furthermore, the relation between this progression and the level of reading fluency was studied. Participants were 105 Dutch student (age 8 to 11 years) in grade six from four different primary schools. They were randomly assigned to one of the conditions, namely video condition, text condition and control condition, where they received either eight trainings with expository video or text, or no training at all. The inferential skills of all participants were tested using a pretest and a posttest, before and after the training was given. Results show that the training, either with expository video or text, is not effective in teaching inferential skills to Dutch students in grade six. In addition was the level of reading fluency not related to the effectivity of the training with expository video or text.Show less
According to the Family Systems theory, family members are part of an interdependent network in which individuals and relationships affect other family members or other relationships. This study...Show moreAccording to the Family Systems theory, family members are part of an interdependent network in which individuals and relationships affect other family members or other relationships. This study examines the association between the quality of the parent-child relationship and the quality of the sibling relationship and investigates if perceptions of differential parenting mediate the association between within-family differences in parent-child relationship quality and sibling relationship quality. Sibling relationship quality, parent-child relationship quality and the magnitude of perceived differential parenting were assessed in a sample of 26 Dutch sibling pairs aged between 8 and 15 years old and their biological and/or legal parent, using the Parent-Child Interaction Questionnaire - Revised, the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire - Short version and the Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience. The results showed that older siblings and younger siblings reported the same relationship qualities and the same magnitude of differential parenting. In line with the Family Systems theory, the association between the quality of the parent-child relationship and the quality of the sibling relationship was significant for older siblings. Moreover, there was no mediating effect of differential parenting, but differences in parent-child relationship quality and sibling relationship quality were positively related. For younger siblings both associations were not significant. However, the associations between relationships of the older siblings were not significantly different from the associations for the younger siblings, in that both children reported a higher sibling relationship quality when the older sibling had a higher parent-child relationship quality than the younger sibling. This suggests that a spillover effect may exist from the relationship between parent and older sibling to other relationships in the family. Future research could investigate the underlying mechanisms of this association and could clarify the direction of the association between the parent-child relationship quality and the sibling relationship quality.Show less
Background: Studies on Selective Mutism (SM) often focused on young children rather than on adolescents. Emotion regulation difficulties likely play a role in the fear of speaking among children...Show moreBackground: Studies on Selective Mutism (SM) often focused on young children rather than on adolescents. Emotion regulation difficulties likely play a role in the fear of speaking among children with SM. Emotion regulation has been investigated in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, but knowledge about emotion regulation among adolescents with SM is scarce. To fill this gap, the current mixed-methods study examined which emotion regulation strategies adolescents with SM use in anxiety-provoking situations. First, differences between adolescents with and without SM in the use of adaptive, maladaptive and external emotion regulation strategies were examined. Subsequently, it was investigated whether the use of emotion regulation strategies was related to and predicted SM symptoms in adolescents with SM. In addition, this study investigated in an exploratory qualitative way, which emotion regulation strategies adolescents themselves and parents of adolescents with SM reported in online focus groups. Methods: 33 adolescents with SM (SM-group) and 44 healthy adolescents (control group) were compared using the FEEL-KJ questionnaire on their use of different emotion regulation strategies. 79 parents filled in the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ) to confirm the SM diagnosis and to measure the severity of SM symptoms. Results: Adolescents with SM significantly used adaptive strategies less often and maladaptive strategies more often, compared to healthy adolescents. The adolescents with or without SM did not significantly differ from each other on external regulation strategies. In contrast, adaptive, maladaptive and external emotion regulation strategies did not relate to or predict the extent of SM symptoms in adolescents with SM. Quotes from the chat- and focus groups suggested that adolescents with SM use adaptive, maladaptive and external emotion regulation strategies, whereby withdrawal after freezing can be seen as an effective useful strategy for adolescents with SM. Conclusions: The results indicate emotion dysregulation among adolescents with SM. Limitations and strengths and suggestions of implications for treatment of adolescents with SM were discussed.Show less
The aim of the present study was to collect knowledge about the role of executive functioning on social development in children (3-7 years) with Sex Chromosome Trisomy (SCT). This knowledge has...Show moreThe aim of the present study was to collect knowledge about the role of executive functioning on social development in children (3-7 years) with Sex Chromosome Trisomy (SCT). This knowledge has contributed the understanding of the social development in children with SCT and has ensured the use of appropriate treatment. SCT children have an extra X- or Y-chromosome. As a result of SCT, these children show deficiencies in several areas of development, primarily focused on social-emotional development. With data from 132 children at an age between 3 and 7 years, this study has given insights about the relationship between executive functioning and social withdrawal. The insights in this study were measured, based on statistical analyses with the outcomes of the ‘Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function’ and ‘The Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning- Third Edition’. Children with SCT have shown significant differences in level of executive functioning between children with and without SCT. Especially shifting and planning and organisation have been predictive of the level of social withdrawal. A weak ability of shifting, planning and organisation has led to more social withdrawal in children with SCT. Age has not influenced the relationship between these executive functions and social withdrawal. This knowledge has suggested treatment for young children with SCT should address shifting, planning, and organization to limit social withdrawal. Limitations of this study have been discussed. Additionally, implications for further research have been mentioned and have been focused on development of treatment and deepening the insights.Show less
The reading level of Dutch primary school pupils is declining (Inspectie van het onderwijs, 2022; Swart et al., 2022). Students with reading difficulties are in need of extra reading interventions...Show moreThe reading level of Dutch primary school pupils is declining (Inspectie van het onderwijs, 2022; Swart et al., 2022). Students with reading difficulties are in need of extra reading interventions in order to improve their reading, but finding the time and resources needed to provide these interventions is challenging for schools. The current study investigated the effect of online reading interventions on students’ word reading and reading aloud skills. The study examined improvements in reading skills for two online reading interventions provided to 52 students in the fourth and fifth grade. The two interventions were the Universal Intervention for Reading (UIL), a multicomponent instructional reading intervention, and the Read Along (MLM). Both were compared to a business-as-usual control group. The study consisted of a pretest, four intervention weeks and a posttest. A Repeated Measures ANOVA was used to investigate whether the reading performances differed between the intervention groups. There was a significant difference between the intervention groups for reading aloud from instructional texts. Students in the UIL-group improved significantly more than students in the control group. No significant group differences were found for reading aloud from transfer texts. For word reading, both the UIL-group and Read Along group improved significantly more than te control group. All results should be interpreted with caution due to the small group sizes and associated unequal variance within the groups.Show less
Previous studies suggest that positive teacher-student relationships improve school results, increase teacher and student wellbeing, and decrease disruptive student behaviour. However, many...Show morePrevious studies suggest that positive teacher-student relationships improve school results, increase teacher and student wellbeing, and decrease disruptive student behaviour. However, many teachers struggle to establish a positive teacher-student relationship, because they feel incompetent concerning disruptive student behaviour. One approach to manage feelings of incompetence is social perspective taking: the process of discerning the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others. The role of teachers’ self-efficacy concerning the relationship between social perspective taking and the teacher-student relationship is still unknown. Therefore, this mixed methods correlational study used a questionnaire to examine whether teachers’ self-efficacy mediates social perspective taking and the teacher-student relationship. The sample consisted of 130 Dutch primary school teachers. Results showed a significant relationship for articulation between social perspective taking and the teacher-student relationship (β = 0.22; t(112) = 2.19; p < 0.001). The result for positioning was not significant (β = - 0.12; t(112) = 1.21; p = 0.23). Moreover, results showed a strong significant relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and the student-teacher relationship (β = 0.42; t(112) = 5.01; p < 0.001). Finally, teachers’ self-efficacy did not mediate this association. These findings suggest no indirect relation between social perspective taking and the teacher-student relationship through teachers’ self-efficacy. However, these findings emphasize the importance of supportive relationships between teachers and their students.Show less
The prevalence of psychotrauma among victims of childhood maltreatment is clearly elevated, yet the majority does not develop clinical PTSD symptoms. Current explanatory models imply and use the...Show moreThe prevalence of psychotrauma among victims of childhood maltreatment is clearly elevated, yet the majority does not develop clinical PTSD symptoms. Current explanatory models imply and use the subjective perception of the victim’s experience. Despite the role of the personality trait neuroticism in the predisposition to perceive experiences negatively, little is known about its place in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and psychotrauma. This study aims to examine the relationship between child abuse and PTSD symptoms’ severity and the potential moderating effect of neuroticism. This correlational study (N = 229) compares groups of children (8-18 years) with and without trauma symptoms in the extent to which they have experienced child abuse, using a between-subjects analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Additionally, multiple regression analyses were conducted to further explore the relationship between child abuse and the severity of trauma symptoms, and to determine if this relationship is moderated by neuroticism. The results showed that children with (sub)clinical trauma symptoms experienced significantly more violence than children without trauma symptoms (p = .03; partial eta squared = .02). Child abuse was a significant positive predictor of the trauma score (β = .18; t = 2.67; p < .01). This was not moderated by neuroticism (p = .81), but regardless of child abuse, neuroticism had the greatest relative influence on the severity of PTSD symptoms (β = .49; t = 7.46; p <.01), partial r(198) = .47, p <.01. The final models explained 2.5% (child abuse) and 24% (child abuse and neuroticism) of the variance in trauma symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of further research into personality as a potential related factor in the relationship between child abuse and trauma, and provide indications for identifying neuroticism as a risk factor.Show less
