School Psychology International

Past learning environment studies have shown the importance of teacher-student interpersonal behaviour in determining student learning outcomes. This study provides a distinctive contribution to learning environment research in that it investigated the relationship between student and teacher perceptions of teacher-student interpersonal behaviour using the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and teacher personality using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). A sample of 108 teachers from eight secondary colleges (Grades 11 and 12) in Tasmania, Australia completed the MBTI and QTI and the students in one of the classes of each teacher completed the QTI. A greater positive association was found between teacher personality and self-perception of student-teacher interpersonal behaviour than between teacher personality and their students' perceptions. Teacher personality appeared to be consistently associated with teacher self-perception of being friendly, helpful, giving freedom, responsibility and opportunity for independent work in class, uncertainty, maintaining a low profile and being passive. Students' perceptions of their teacher's interpersonal behaviour were related to the personality of the teacher in regard to how much freedom and responsibility students thought they were allowed. The relative proportions of the 16 personality types of the MBTI in the sample were determined and the college teachers were heavily represented by TJ (Thinking-Judging) types of personality (47.5 percent).

All schools in the United Arab Emirates employ full-time social workers whose tasks are similar in many respects to those of school psychologists in the West. UAE school social workers are well positioned in the school structure to promote school effectiveness, but, as elsewhere, they work within a bureaucratic framework. Definitions of their work remain imprecise, but one major strand continues to be that of handling disturbed youngsters and dealing with disruptive behaviour. Because of local conditions in the Gulf region social workers' relationships with students' parents and the home are of great importance. The severe shortage of qualified and skilled teachers in the Gulf where most are not local citizens emphasizes the importance of monitoring progress to avoid drop-out-an abiding problem. Rapid, unplanned and unrealistic social policies have created many social problems which adversely affect students' learning and behaviour. Many of these are common to developing and Western societies. Sharing experience could enrich and consolidate school effectiveness theory and emphasize the contribution of school psychologists and social workers.

A group of children and adolescents aged between 11 and 17 years were administered four questionnaires, Offer's Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), Kovacs' Children Depression Inventory (CDI), Spielberger's Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and an inventory of items to assess Parental and Educational Attitudes (IPEA). Step-wise multiple regression revealed that trait anxiety was the most potent predictor of trait depression, together with emotionality, low self-confidence, inferior family relationships (parental tension), mental illhealth and impulsivity. Linear discriminant analysis was conducted to determine which Self-image scales were useful determinants of depression in two extreme depression scoring groups. Personality attributes rather than attitudinal dimensions appeared most highly related to depression, and this was not moderated by ethnicity. Adolescents scoring high on the depression scale further differed in their attitudes towards parents, siblings and school. They were more likely to complain about their relationship to their parents (low family involvement and cohesiveness), and to display low achievement motivation and obediency. A 2 x 2 ANOVA-using groups of anxiety/stable and external/internal respondents generated on the basis of their scores on the DIKJ and AS1 Offer scale-showed that although a main effect was found for anxiety (highly anxious respondents were likely to be more depressed) and externality (externals are more susceptible to depression than internals), a significant anxiety x externality interaction term was found: it was the combination of low self-confidence or externality and trait anxiety which seems to determine trait depression.

To investigate teachers' perceptions and actions regarding the psychological and counselling needs of their pupils, we collected data from 258 teachers in primary and secondary schools. The teachers' reports revealed significant differences between teachers in the two educational settings, in almost all the issues investigated. Secondary school pupils were described as more troubled by various issues and more in need of individual counselling in school than their primary school counterparts. Secondary school teachers are approached mainly with issues associated with school lives, whereas primary school pupils request more help on personal and family matters. Secondary school teachers report having less time, perceiving their involvement with their pupils' emotional life as less central to their task, and believing that their own attitudes and characteristics influence their relations with their pupils. Primary school teachers, presumably being part of a school organizational culture that legitimizes greater involvement with pupils, nurture their relationships with their pupils and make it easier for pupils to approach them, making greater use of classroom activities and specific methods intended for this purpose. While some of these findings could be explained in terms of the developmental differences between primary and secondary school pupils, it is suggested that the differential impact ofthe environment in the two types of schools affects teachers' roles and intentions in dealing with their pupils' emotional lives and needs.

The perceived stress, support and psychological symptom levels were assessed in a sample of 415 guidance and non-guidance secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Results indicated that, regardless of gender and guidance status, teachers with low stress and high support levels generally reported less general psychological symptoms, and teachers with high support level reported less specific symptoms related to anxiety and sleep problems, social dysfunctioning and severe depression with suicidal ideas. Although the levels of general and specific psychological symptoms of teachers were lower than those of general psychiatric patients, they were no higher than those of nurses and undergraduate students, yielding no evidence that the teaching profession was more stressful than other occupational groups.

The reliability, factor structure, and criterion-related validity of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS: Huebner, 1994) were examined with respect to their invariance across race. One hundred and fifty-six black and 529 white children participated in the study. The results suggested some cautions with respect to use with black children in the United States. Implications for subjective well-being research with children and adults are discussed.