https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/3981 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:41:38 GMT 2026-04-18T00:41:38Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58642 Title: Book reviews [International Journal of Emotional Education, 6(2)] Abstract: The first review is of Jean Mercer’s Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings a book which seeks to address 59 myths in contemporary psychology from a refreshingly critical vantage point. Both this book and Anita Woolfolk’s twelfth edition of Educational Psychology offer invigorating material for parents to digest. Woolfolk also incorporates commentary from experienced teachers on how to engage with specific situations. Woolfolk has collaborated with Nancy E. Perry on another reviewed book, Child and Adolescent Development. Both of her books engage with psychological understanding ranging from infancy to adolescence, offering a distinct focus on socio-emotional dimensions and including a vital cross-cultural focus on diversity. The fourth reviewed book, by Levine & Munsch, Child Development – An Active Learning Approach also offers a strong cross-cultural lens as a horizon for interpretation, with particular strengths in its scrutiny of attachment and empathy issues. Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58642 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58641 Title: Editorial [International Journal of Emotional Education, 6(2)] Abstract: The recent upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East have resulted in an influx of immigrants crossing the Mediterranean to European shores; while in 2013 the figure stood at 60,000, this year so far the number has more than doubled at 130,000. Migration has been also one of the main issues which influenced voting in the European elections held earlier this year, showing an increase in its importance in 19 member states since the last elections five years ago. The rise of rightist movements and political parties with their anti-immigration policies in various European countries, has also been another issue of concern in this respect. The first paper in this issue on sensitizing children to the social and emotional mechanisms underlying racism, is thus very welcome in this context. Sofia Trilvia and her colleagues (Greece) present the results of an intervention programme to help primary school students identify emotions associated with prejudice, discrimination and stereotypical thinking, understand similarities and differences between people, and develop perspective taking and empathic skills in relation to diverse others. Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/58641 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z 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