https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/26839 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:21:50 GMT 2026-04-17T03:21:50Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6226 Title: From Pisa to Santander : a statement on children's growth and wellbeing Authors: Cefai, Carmel; Clouder, Christopher; Antognazza, Davide; Boland, Neil; Cavioni, Valeria; Heys, Belinda; Madrazo, Claudia; Solborg, Claes Abstract: From Pisa to Santander: A Statement on Children's Growth and Wellbeing Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6226 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6225 Title: Functioning of social skills from middle childhood to early adolescence in Hungary Authors: Zsolnai, Aniko; Kasik, Laszlo Abstract: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the social skills that crucially affect children's social behaviour in the school. Our objective was to gather information about the functioning of social skills from middle childhood to early adolescence. The sample consisted of 7-, 9- and 11-year-old Hungarian students (N=1398). Based on Stephens’s (1992) list of social skills, a 54-item Likert-type questionnaire (teacher-, parent- and selfreport versions) was developed especially for this purpose. The child and the adult versions share the same structure and scale items. The results show no spontaneous development at the level of social skills between the ages of 7 and 11. There was a moderate correlation between the three evaluators’ judgements concerning the level of children’s social skills. All three respondent groups indicated that girls’ social skills were slightly more developed than boys’. Teachers, however, perceived this difference to be twice as large as the other two raters. To sum up our results indicate that for a large percentage of participants, the acquisition of social skills has not been completed at 11 years old. This finding indicates that more attention should be paid to fostering social skills early at school. Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6225 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6224 Title: Coping with verbal and social bullying in middle school Authors: Donoghue, Christopher; Almeida, Angela; Brandwein, David; Rocha, Gabriela; Callahan, Ian Abstract: Becoming a victim of verbal and social bullying in middle school can lead to illness, psychological stress, and maladjustment. The coping strategies that students utilize when they are bullied may influence the likelihood and severity of these negative effects. In this study, we examined the predictions made by students in two middle schools about the ways that they would cope with becoming a victim of verbal and social bullying. We also analyzed influences for coping strategies and student willingness to seek help with bullying at school. The results show that middle school students generally expect that they will utilize adaptive approach strategies in trying to solve the problem or obtain support from others, but those who had been victimized in the last month were more likely than those not involved in bullying, to predict that they would engage in maladaptive avoidance coping strategies if victimized in the future. Willingness to seek help was found to be enhanced by approach coping strategies, less aggressive attitudes, and lower perceptions of school bullying. Policy implications for efforts to encourage approach coping strategies in middle school students through educational interventions and school counseling are discussed. Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6224 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6222 Title: Implications of the marketization of higher education for social emotional development in schools : a personal view Authors: Cooper, Paul Abstract: Implications of the Marketization of Higher Education for Social Emotional Development in Schools: A Personal View Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6222 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z