The purpose of this study was to identify whether maladaptive perfectionism predicts elevated symptoms of anxiety in a sample of primarily Puerto Rican middle school students. Participants included students (N = 128) from Grades 6 through 8 (48% male; average age = 11.9 years) who attended an urban, bilingual, public, charter school. Results…

Based on Greenspoon and Saklofske's (2001) dual-factor model of mental health, we defined adolescents' mental health as comprised of two distinguishable factors: positive and negative mental health. We tested the direct relations between the Eysenck's (1967) Big Two personality traits (Extraversion and Neuroticism) and positive and negative mental…

Theories of creativity and empirical evidence have highlighted the importance of autonomy as a motivational source of creativity. However, we know little about the relationship between the implicit autonomy motive and creativity. Using a multi-method multi-informant design, we investigated the relationship between implicit autonomy motives and…

Building on recommendations from several of the articles in the special section on conscientiousness in the June 2014 issue of "Developmental Psychology," the present study tested predictions from the interactionist model (IM) of socioeconomic influences on individual development. In an approach consistent with the idea of cumulative…

This mixed-method research explores how students (ages 12-15) describe dispositional qualities for belonging and fitting in one junior high school. Inductive coding of open-ended responses about perceptions of belonging in school shows candor about the emotional performances and management of emotions for belonging at school. Recommendations for…

Personality traits are well-known predictors of academic success across all levels of education. However, whether school provides an environment to cultivate and promote personality traits is largely unknown. Theories about personality development give reasons to assume that enduring experiences at school could lead to prolonged personality…

Among the main causes of low learning achievement in mathematics learning is a delayed behavior to do tasks, commonly called academic procrastination. The objectives of this research are to describe and to explain the causal factors and consequences of academic procrastination in learning mathematics for junior high school students. This research…

Recent trends in education have emphasized the importance of customizing education for learners (Collins and Halverson, 2009). The current paper aims to explore the effects of one factor that can play an important role in customizing education: curiosity (Luce and Hsi, 2015). We explore how students express curiosity within design learning…

The present study aimed to examine an effective mathematics teacher's qualifications from the perspectives of secondary school students. The study was a qualitative one carried out with the descriptive model. The study was carried out with 40 students from all the four class grades of a secondary school (10 students from each class grade) in…

Purpose: This study aimed at examining the effects of narcissism and family relations on secondary school students' decision-making characteristics. The study also investigated whether or not students' decision-making characteristics differentiated according to gender. Research Methods: Participants were secondary school students who were studying…

This study investigated early adolescents' psychophysiological response to a school-related stressor (SRS) as indexed by heart rate variability and examined the unique and interactive effects of heart rate variability and temperament on academic achievement. A total of 91 seventh graders watched an SRS video-clip while their heart rate variability…

This study explored how adaptive help seeking was related to academic self-efficacy, perfectionism (maladaptive and adaptive), attitudes towards help seeking (perceived benefits and perceived threats), and teacher emotional support among 311 grade 9 students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes. Significant bivariate links…

The teacher's role as evangelizer in a Catholic elementary school is important since most classroom teachers are expected to teach the content of the Catholic faith and every teacher, Catholic or non-Catholic, is encouraged to share their faith with the students. This study explored the relationship among teachers' perceptions of their role as…

When we envision the ideals of middle school, we so often think about the importance of physical setting. Physical setting helps to create a material space for so many of the tenets of the middle school mindset. For example, "A successful (middle) school for young adolescents is an inviting, supportive, and safe place -- a joyful community…

There is a shortage of studies that explore adolescents' academic procrastination. The author hence attempted to examine the mechanisms determining Taiwanese adolescent students' perfectionistic tendencies, time management, and academic procrastination. A total of 405 eighth-grade Taiwanese students completed a self-reported survey assessing their…