Review of Psychopedagogy

Cognitive inertia in mathematical thinking on students with intellectual disability

Viorel Agheana — 2023-12-22

This research delves into cognitive inertia within mathematical cognition among students with intellectual disabilities, uncovering pivotal challenges in arithmetic operations and problem-solving. Numeric ordering tests reveal a preference for ascending order, signaling the necessity for nurturing reverse thinking and analytical skills. Notably, superior addition performance hints at a need for a heightened focus on subtraction. Problem-solving complexities intensify, especially with combined addition and subtraction tasks, accentuating challenges in managing operational shifts. The analysis underscores a decline in performance as tasks grow intricate, attributing this not solely to heightened difficulty but to the pronounced cognitive inertia. The intricate web of mathematical exercises exacerbates errors, demanding adaptive teaching methods and substantial support for complex problem-solving. While heightened complexities pose challenges, comprehensive analysis considers teacher support and methodologies. This study builds on existing research, shedding light on the impact of unsolvable tasks and cognitive exhaustion symptoms. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for tailored educational strategies, addressing cognitive inertia, and enhancing mathematical proficiency in students with intellectual disabilities.

Assessment of phonological skills in the context of intellectual disabilities: comparative study between children with Down syndrome and children with intellectual disabilities

Cristian Anghel — 2023-12-22

This scientific investigation delves into the pivotal role of phonemes in language acquisition among children aged 8 to 11 with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities. The study uncovers significant disparities between these groups, emphasizing the need for tailored educational strategies. Findings reveal fluctuations in rhyme, syllable, and phoneme recognition, underscoring the complexity of linguistic development. Noteworthy is the positive correlation between higher intelligence and enhanced phonological performance in both groups. The study suggests the importance of early interventions for children with Down syndrome and advocates for personalized educational programs.

The role of coping strategies in the relationship between attachment style and psychological well-being in mothers of children with autism

Cornelia Denisa Bogoi — 2023-12-22

This study aims to evaluate the relationship between attachment style and psychological well-being in mothers of children with autism, as well as the mediating role of maternal coping in this relationship. The pragmatic aim of the research was to provide theoretical and practical information regarding the attachment style, coping, and well-being of families who have children with autism especially mothers, as they are most often involved in the care and upbringing of these children. The present study is a correlational, cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 113 mothers of autistic children aged between 22 and 51 years, M = 39.78, SD = 4.89. The children’s ages ranged between three and 14 years, M = 10.61, SD = 2.65. A number of 66 children were boys (58%) and 47 were girls (42%). The instruments used were the Psychological Well-being Scale (PWBS), Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Brief COPE. The multiple linear regression showed that only the secure attachment of mothers is a significant predictor of well-being. Mediation analyses showed that neither adaptive nor maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between attachment style and well-being. In conclusion, we discussed the limitations and future research direction and also the importance of preserving higher well-being in mothers of children with autism.

Well-being in adolescents with and without visual impairments

Alina Chiracu — 2023-12-22

The present study has two main objectives. First, to analyze the differences between adolescents with visual impairments and those without visual impairments in terms of peer attachment, loneliness, self-esteem, and well-being. Secondly, to investigate the relationships between these variables among adolescents, starting from the premise that peer attachment is negatively associated with loneliness, which in turn is negatively associated with well-being. At the same time, self-esteem moderates the relationship between peer attachment and well-being. A number of 80 adolescents participated in the study, of which 40 with visual impairments and 40 without visual impairments, aged between 17 and 18 years, M = 17.58, SD = .50. The instruments used were Index of Parents and Peers Attachment, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. The results showed that, unlike adolescents without visual impairments, those with visual impairments report lower levels of peer attachment, self-esteem and well-being, and higher levels of loneliness. Loneliness also mediates the relationship between peer trust/peer alienation and well-being, and self-esteem moderates the relationship between peer communication and well-being. Possible ways of increasing self-esteem and well-being among adolescents with visual impairments, as well as reducing feeling of loneliness, are discussed. At the same time, intervention models are proposed to improve the well-being of adolescents by implementing psychoeducational programs to increase the level of socialization, alleviate loneliness and increase self-esteem.

The effects of a therapeutic program based on motor learning in the recovery of apraxia of speech in children

Dana Elena Ciobanu — 2023-12-22

The purpose of the present study is to analyze comparatively the effects of some therapeutic interventions to improve the symptoms of apraxia of speech in children (CAS). In this sense, three different therapeutic programs were implemented, each lasting 12 months, in three groups of children. Two measurements were made, before and after the children's participation in the programs. P1 included therapy based on augmentative and alternative communication, P2 included therapy based on the classic speech therapy model and therapeutic speech massage, P3 included therapy based on verbal motor learning, VML. 106 children diagnosed with CAS participated in the study, aged between 5 and 7 years, M = 5.75, SD = .75, of which 81 boys (76%) and 25 girls (24%), were randomly divided into three groups. CAS severity was measured using a grid from the Dynamic Assessment of Motor Speech Skills, measuring articulatory accuracy, vowel scoring, and prosody. Visuomotor accuracy, visuospatial processing, phonemic hearing, narrative memory, and attention were measured with a series of tests from the PEDb and PEDa packages (Cognitrom, 2012). Although all three therapeutic programs registered significant effects on the improvement of CAS symptomatology, the most notable effects were obtained by the VML method. The practical implications of the study are discussed, as well as future research directions.

Work values and job satisfaction of practitioners working with persons with disabilities: the role of psychological flexibility

Carmen Costea-Bărluțiu — 2023-12-22

Various research found that values related to work are associated with job satisfaction, while psychological flexibility was found to be significantly related to well-being and satisfaction in various aspects of life and activity. The current article summarizes the results of a research study that had as its main objective to investigate the association between psychological flexibility with work values and job satisfaction, in Romanian professionals working with persons with disabilities, a challenging activity, marked by chronic stress at work, and thus exposed to the risk of burnout. A number of 42 professionals completed measures of psychological flexibility, work values, and job satisfaction that were adapted to the Romanian language. Our results showed that those professionals who tended to value external rewards in their work with persons with disabilities, such as salary and other material benefits, status, prestige, and flexible hours tended to have lower satisfaction in their work. Psychological flexibility, especially the ability to live in the present moment, cognitive defusion, and contact with own values, was associated with higher job satisfaction, while psychological inflexibility tended to be associated with lower satisfaction in working with persons with disabilities.

Teamwork efficiency of students: does the university environment contribute to the development of this competence?

Florentina Ionela Linca — 2023-12-22

Social skills are as important as basic technical skills in the academic system. Thus, the competence of working in a team helps the student to integrate not only into the student group but also in the insertion on the labor market. However, not much is known about the effectiveness of teamwork among students. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences between students in terms of their demographic characteristics (age category, education level) depending on the perceived efficiency of their work within a team. Also, the current study aims to investigate the relationship between the efficiency of teamwork, the number of courses in which the development of these skills is encouraged and the general average of the last semester of teaching activity. The results showed statistically significant differences between the demographic characteristics of students and the level of effectiveness in teamwork, but also statistically significant relationships between academic performance and efficiency in teamwork of students. These results can be used in training programs for teaching staff in higher education to be able to develop students' social skills.

Quality of Life Among Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Anca Lixandru — 2023-12-22

In recent decades, researchers have shown an increased interest in people with intellectual disabilities, as evidenced by the numerous research articles and book chapters written on this topic. This research developed in accordance with the new social politics sustained by the community and national laws and principles that promote the independence and autonomy of this population, Using the Quality of Life Inventory, developed by Michael B. Frisch, we surveyed 36 people active in the work field, diagnosed with mild and moderate intellectual disability. We found that women and men have different hierarchies of importance and satisfaction with life domains: self-esteem, money, goals, and values are important to men, and health, love, work, help, and children are important to women. We also found that health is the most problematic area for this population category, that men and people under 39 show a higher level of overall satisfaction with quality of life. The degree of impairment of the intellectual disability does not determine a low global quality of life score, since there are no major differences between people with mild intellectual disability and those with moderate intellectual disability in terms of the global level of quality of life

Alcohol Use Disorders: The Role of Employment Status and the Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy

Laura-Maria Matei-Mitacu — 2023-12-22

Alcoholism is an addiction that has a high prevalence in Central and Eastern Europe, alongside tobacco use and obesity, being recognized as one of the major factors contributing to disability and premature death. The economic pressure caused by alcohol consumption is significant, and national economies suffer major deficits due to this widely propagated phenomenon. Understanding the consumption behavior, from its origins to the development of the behavior itself, and the treatment of alcohol dependence, falls within the purview of psychiatric and psychological practice. The multitude of facets of alcohol consumption makes it both attractive to a wide range of individuals and difficult to define in terms of its influence on the person as a whole: physiologically, temperamentally, characterologically, and psychosocially. The effects of alcohol on consumers are specific to a versatile substance: disinhibition, reduction of anxiety, alteration of somatic sensations, speech rate and fluency, motor skills, and other cognitive-behavioral dimensions. The addictiveness of alcohol is closely related to its impact on consumers, especially in terms of the relationship that develops between the individual and the behavior of consumption. As the literature shows, the development of alcohol addiction is linked to deep emotional aspects specific to humans, giving it a psychosocial and cultural component that transforms it into a characteristic human construct.

The Relationship Between Attachment Style and Aggression in Young School-Aged Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Mihaela Cezarina Niculae — 2023-12-22

Attachment, which forms during childhood, specifically from the first year of life, is manifested as an emotional bond between the child and the primary attachment figure. It becomes a predictive factor for action mechanisms in emotionally charged situations. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the type of attachment and aggressiveness in young school-aged children with intellectual disabilities. We were interested in determining the extent to which the dominant attachment type influences the onset of behavioral disorders and aggressive reactions. The results obtained in the research process demonstrated the extent to which the dominant attachment type influences aggressive manifestations in children with intellectual disabilities.

Differentiated teaching-learning-assessment of students with disabilities in mainstream education

Luciana Pădeanu — 2023-12-22

The purpose of this article is to explore ways in which appropriate and personalized education can be provided to students with disabilities in a mainstream education context, taking into account the different needs and abilities of these students, adapting instruction and assessment. It is important to provide additional support to ensure their inclusion and success in the learning process, developing effective strategies to differentiate the instructional-educational process for students with disabilities integrated into mainstream education. These strategies should focus on individually addressing the specific needs of each student, thereby ensuring that they receive the support and resources necessary to achieve success in the classroom.

Being, Belonging, Becoming – a quality of life frame for building resilient inclusive schools for peri- and postpandemic period

Loredana Adriana Patrascoiu — 2023-12-22

This article describes the concept of quality of life in the equation of quality of inclusive education starting from the Being-Belonging - Becoming approach, a model of quality of life validated by the University of Toronto. The aim of the study is to identify solutions for inclusive schools as a social actor (through educational and social practices) that has to be involved in improving the quality of life of beneficiaries for the peri- and post pandemic period. A semi structured interview (Voice of Beneficiaries) is the main method for a radiography of the quality of education addressed to children with special needs from urban and rural geographical areas during the pandemic period, by questioning 34 experts belonging to several interest groups (16 teachers with expertise, 5 school principals, 8 parents with expertise in the field and 5 representatives of NGOs) about their perception regarding socio-emotional development and well-being of stakeholders and how learning environments/learning and assessment strategies/teacher-student interactions have changed; their improvement proposals about. This process is not designed to be statistically significant, but rather to get ideas that can be important for further analysis. The identified solutions allow us to elaborate of a matrix of educational services listed in the Being-Belonging - Becoming pattern.

Effects of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles on the motivation of children with SEN integrated in mainstream schools

Petronela Piticari — 2023-12-22

The aim of this study is to analyze the differences related to students’ motivation between two moments, respectively before and after participation in a program of teaching on the basis of UDL principles. The participants were 72 students with SEN enrolled in mainstream schools in Brașov county, aged between seven and 10 years, M = 8.26, SD = 1.04. The instrument used for measuring motivation was The Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ). A number of 37 teachers aged between 25 and 54 years, M = 37.89, SD = 7.56, were involved in the study, of which four men (11%) and 33 women (89%). They participated in the UDL PPS Course (48 training hours). After the course, they started to teach SEN children using UDL principles for six weeks. Students’ motivation was measured twice, before and after the six weeks of UDL teaching. The results showed a significant increase in cognitive persistence, gross motor persistence, social persistence in relation to adults, social persistence in relation to other children, pleasure in doing things well, general competence, and a significant decrease in negative reactions. The discussions emphasize the importance of training teachers in the UDL model.

Students' life satisfaction and career choice. Comparative study: 2006-2023

Valentina Georgeta Vartic — 2023-12-22

The article has two main objectives: (1) to investigate the level of life satisfaction and the hierarchy of motivation involved in the choice of profession and (2) to compare the current results with those obtained almost two decades ago. Did the generational changes, the economic and political changes in society, and the course of the pandemic period influence the students' perception of the two aspects in question? In the efforts to get to know the young generation of students, the levels of the sectoral indicators of life satisfaction are highlighted, as well as the reasons that led to the choice of the profession; The results obtained today are compared with those from a previous study, from 2006, highlighting the common aspects but also the differences between the two generations of students.