A number of studies show that both children and adults exhibit difficulties with problem-solving tasks. In fact, only one-third of adults reach the formal operational stage. Coaching such tasks in everybody’s language proves to be helpful only if the situation described is close to life events. The presented study confirmed the improvement in the thematic version of the Wason Test both in pupils and university students, albeit being far from spectacular. The authors suggest distinguishing a bounded type of thinking characterized by highly schematic, mechanistic, and automated thinking. They argue that it results both in educational and everyday failures.
The present research relates to relationships between procrastination and a university subject. It included 84 students of pre-school and early school pedagogy, psychology and economics as well as an additional group of extramural students of management being in employment. They were asked to fill up the Pure Procrastination Scale Questionnaire. Findings indicate that a tendency to procrastinate is highest in students of pre-school and early school pedagogy, and psychology. Moreover, the tendency to procrastinate was most clearly manifested in the behavioral domain, which suggests lack of self-efficacy and/or poor time management. The results obtained proved to be statistically significant, yet they should be treated with caution due to a small sample of the examined subjects. They, however, point to the direction of further research.
The study assessed whether students who contracted COVID-19 and did not fall ill differed in coping strategies. The study comprised 111 participants, including 55.9% who were infected and 44.1% who were not. It consisted of online (49.5%) and blended mode learners (50.5%) aged 19 to 31. We used the Brief COPE Inventory to assess ways of coping with stress. Among online students, 65.5% fell ill, while less than half of blended mode learners got sick. Students who contracted COVID-19 were more likely to use maladaptive coping strategies, and respondents who did not become ill were more likely to use adaptive strategies.
The study assessed children’s ability to develop narratives and express ideas. It comprised 120 children (5-10 years), and differences in relation to age, sex, and economic area were measured. To this end, we compared four schools in 2 economic areas (poor and average). We used 2 picture and 2 story re-telling tasks designed to elicit narrations reflecting the generation of ideas in response to visual and auditory stimuli. Significant differences for age and sex but not economic areas were found. Suggestions are made for balancing brain activity and developing more creative approaches in teaching and assessment.
Personality traits and adolescents’ decisions concerning education and career planningOne of the most signifi cant tasks confronting adolescents is planning future career in order to start an independent life (Kanfer et al., 2001). A number of studies show that it poses number of signifi cant problems (Super, 1963; Super, Savickas, Super, 1996; Webber, 1990; Borgen, Amundson, 2010). The aim of the present study was to defi ne decision-making mechanisms that have an impact on career planning by adolescents and the infl uence of their personality traits upon it. The NEO-FFI Inventory and a self-constructed questionnaire were administered to 116 students of the last year of a secondary school. The data indicate correlations between the choices concerning further studies and personality traits measured with NEO-FFI Inventory. The following traits proved to be signifi cant: neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness
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