Masculinity (M) and Femininity (F) were related to multiple dimensions of self-concept for responses from 962 high school students. Androgyny theory predicts that F, as well as M, will contribute positively and uniquely to self-concept, but previous research has typically found that the contribution of F is nil or even negative after controlling…

The Zuckerman Affect Adjective Check List (AACL) is used to measure trait anxiety and situation-specific trait anxiety relating to peer interaction, vocational aspiration, and the learning of English, mathematics, science and social studies. The subjects were 262 grade 10 students attending an Australian metropolitan high school. Additional…

This study used data from the Australian Temperament Project to examine how child temperament characteristics and the "fit" between parent and child from early in life might influence social competence when children were 11 and 12 years old. Findings indicated that problematic child functioning, poor fit, or both, had negative…

Examined the role of sexual orientation and gender-related personality traits in disordered eating attitudes and behavior in Australia. Self-report measures of homosexual and heterosexual males and females indicated that both sexual orientation and gender traits affected disordered eating in men and women. For both genders, irrespective of sexual…

This study examines dispositional and situational approaches to attribution research, individual differences in self-attribution, and the relationship between self-attributions and dimensions of self-concept. Results of a study of 248 fifth graders in Sydney, Australia, are discussed. (BS)

Replicates the Asch conformity experiment (two participants pretend to misjudge a shorter line for a longer one in an attempt to influence a third participant) and applies it to 110 school children ages 3 to 17. Indicates that conformity decreases with age in perceptually ambiguous tasks. (MJP)

Reports a six-year study of explicit references to young children's small physical stature in an Australian newspaper. Suggests that when newspaper representations of children and childhood are examined for their focus on children's diminutive size, two conflicting themes emerge: endearment versus depreciation. Suggests that these size-value…

Background: This study examined the impact of family transitions, that is, parental separation, divorce, remarriage and death, upon the lives of Australian children and adolescents in a longitudinal study of temperament and development. Methods: Using longitudinal and concurrent questionnaire data, outcomes for young people experiencing…

The increasing trend for the globalisation of business has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the factors that influence levels of intercultural awareness within organisations. Within the higher education sector, one initiative that aims to address this issue is student study abroad programs. This paper reports on a study that…

Personal and environmental variables that characterize students who are involved in different types of interactions in different types of classroom settings were studied. Organizational, behavioral, task, response, and initiation interactions were studied in four eighth-year science classrooms using both student-centered and teacher-directed…

The learning of decision-making (DM) skills and appropriate attitudes is an important objective of career education. This study provides an empirical test of theoretical links between aspects of DM styles and vocational maturity (VM) in adolescence. Approximately 260 Australian students in grades ten and twelve answered questionnaires measuring…

A study used the standardized Group Embedded Figures Test to assess field dependence-field independence among groups of vocational education teachers of varied ages and teaching backgrounds. The sample consisted of 170 volunteers who were vocational education teachers and trainers in the process of completing the requirements for either a diploma…

The study with 238 Australian primary and secondary teachers found factors associated with stress arising from 4 aspects of the teaching role: time/work-load pressures, student factors, school administration/staff tension, and employment/community factors. All 4 areas of stress were positively associated with the use of emotion-focused appraisals.…

There is increasing concern about the number of preschool children displaying problem behaviour. This study examines the relative contribution of potential risk factors, particularly those related to families, to problem behaviour in the lives of a sample of western Sydney three- to five-year-old children. Problem behaviour was assessed using the…

Although students need to be competent in a wide range of work knowledge, skills, and abilities, they also need to be "capable" human beings to take their place as contributors to the Australian community. Capability has been described as having confidence in one's ability to acquire and apply knowledge, new skills, and understanding,…