Numerous publications advocate that anxiety and depression are the key factors affecting academic performance among students, particularly those going through undergraduate studies. Observation through a dialogue with college students demonstrates with clarity the frustration and disappointment of students who report a lack of motivation and focus…

In the current study, we sought to understand relations among the key intervention targets of social-emotional and character development (SECD) interventions: character virtues, Positive Purpose, and social-emotional learning (SEL). Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (n = 1011, ages 11 to 16, M = 12.94, SD = 1.00) from five urban middle…

A mixed-methods study grounded in Renzulli's Operation Houndstooth Intervention Theory examined the impact of different types of volunteer experiences on the six co-cognitive factors (Optimism, Courage, Romance With a Topic/Discipline, Sensitivity to Human Concerns, Physical/Mental Energy, and Vision/Sense of Destiny) associated with the…

Teachers and longitudinal researchers have observed that the long-term benefits of participating in a quality early childhood program are more social than academic. Early childhood is a unique stage of life, not an opportunity for intervention and remediation. Kindergarten and first-grade environments should be flexible, activity-oriented, and…

Intervention programs for the disadvantaged should be based on an understanding of the behavior and attitudes of people in poverty. Poor people share a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, a lack of belief that they can change their situations, and low self-esteem. Programs to train child care workers who are themselves disadvantaged (parents,…

The present study was undertaken to investigate the interplay of motivation, socio-emotional interactions between the child and his educators in the impact of early educational intervention on the later development of disadvantaged children. The study attempted to concentrate on obtaining a broad spectrum of the child's functioning and changes in…