School climate is a topic of increasing importance internationally. The current study investigated the established measurement invariance of an eight-factor school climate scale using a multinational sample of secondary students. School climate factor means across 14 international groups were compared and findings on the association between school climate factors and mental health were also investigated. Findings, from this study, illustrate several cross-national similarities regarding the ways in which secondary students perceive school climate and the influence of school climate on student mental health. These findings can support school psychologists' efforts to identify strategies and supports that improve the school environment in areas that are most consistently related to student experiences, such as school safety and school connectedness. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

A deep approach to learning is essential for student academic achievement and several studies demonstrate a significant association between such an approach to learning and student academic performance. However, findings from some empirical studies in this domain are inconsistent and the main objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of application of the Biggs (2001) Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) for the diagnosis and monitoring of teacherstudent approaches to learning. Also, the aim of this study was to examine the association of the different approaches to learning with student reading habits and literacy skills. The sample included 202 undergraduate teacher education students. The study found that both, male and female students at the year of study have similar deep and surface approaches to learning. This initial evaluation of the R-SPQ-2F indicates that the questionnaire has acceptable internal consistency and is a promising short instrument for the diagnosis of student teachers′ deep and surface approaches to learning. Results are discussed with reference to a procedure that combines qualitative and quantitative data to increase the diagnostic validity of student learning approaches. Based on the findings of this study, it seems that the R-SPQ-2F scale can be used as a reliable instrument that can help educators diagnose and encourage the development of student teacher approaches to learning, that is a significant contributing factor to their academic performance and teaching practice.

Empirical studies of the relationship between dyslexia and creativity and visuo-spatial skills are inconsistent. While some anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a positive association between dyslexia and creativity, other studies suggest that such an association emerges only in adulthood as a result of adverse life experiences. Others state that dyslexia is associated with weaker rather than enhanced creativity and visuo-spatial ability. The aim of this study was to examine whether adolescents with dyslexia possess superior creativity and visuo-spatial ability as measured by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and two measures of visuo-spatialability, the Spatial Reasoning Test and the Virtual Bungalow Test. Overall, no support was found for the hypothesis that adolescents with dyslexia are highly creative or visuo-spatially endowed and it is advised that teachers treat learners with dyslexia like other learners with learning difficulties and not assume that they possess compensatory skills.

The concept of student diversity has brought together issues related to at least two major categories of students whose needs are not usually adequately addressed in general educational provisions: students with disabilities and other forms of special educational needs, and students from minority cultures or disadvantaged backgrounds (UNESCO, 2009). School psychologists have long been at the forefront in helping education systems, educators and parents in developing an understanding and adequate provisions for these students. However, the main role ascribed to psychologists was generally that of individual assessment and intervention. Increasing understanding of the cultural context of development, increasing student diversity in schools, and a deeper appreciation of the principles of social justice, have put inclusive education at the forefront of educational reform, and this in turn has called for a change in the role of psychologists as promoters of whole-school healthy contexts for learning and development.peer-reviewe

A number of studies suggest that dyslexia is associated with enhanced visuospatial ability but the empirical evidence is inconsistent and there are numerous methodological issues. This study examined visuospatial ability among dyslexic and asymptomatic (non-dyslexic) adolescent boys aged 12 years. Thirty-six Maltese participants constituted the research and comparison groups. All participants were assessed on the age-appropriate section of the Spatial Reasoning Test and they were matched by age, ability measured by Ravens Progressive Matrices, socio-economic status and the type of school attended. Overall, the degree of visuospatial ability of the two groups was similar. A statistically significant advantage for the asymptomatic over the dyslexic group was evident on one task only, Hidden Shapes. In contrast, dyslexics outperformed non-dyslexics on the other three tasks constituting the battery including Jigsaws, Wallpaper and Right Angles subscales but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Although these findings did not support the notion that dyslexic individuals were more visuospatially endowed than a comparable, asymptomatic group of peers, the possibility of an underlying difference could not be discounted altogether. A number of reasons for the results obtained were examined including the relatively small sample size, participants' age, verbal mediation strategies and the nature of the visuospatial tasks. However, the findings that both groups had similar average results, with the dyslexic group having greater variation on the Hidden Shapes scale, smaller variation on Sections, Jigsaws and Wallpaper scales and the small tendency of this group to outperform the non-dyslexics group on a number of subscales warrants additional exploration of dyslexia and visuospatial ability. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n3p111

The aim of this study was to explore the issue of adolescent learners with dyslexia and their visuospatial ability. There is a substantial body of findings in educational and psychological literature suggesting that individuals with dyslexia are likely to have high levels of visuospatial ability. A group of 38 thirteen-year-old male and female bilingual (Maltese and English) students who were ethnically Maltese and clinically registered as having dyslexia, participated in this study. They were recruited from secondary schools from a number of regions on the island of Malta and were considered to be representative of the wider population of similarly affected peers of their age. The research group was matched for age, sex, ethnicity and ability with another group of 38 peers who were average readers in English and who came from the same classes as the research group. Both groups completed a Maltese standardised English reading comprehension test to confirm their status as weak and competent readers respectively. They then completed a published paper-and-pencil test of visuospatial reasoning and an interactive, computer-based virtual reality test based on a similar test described in published literature (Bungalow Test). In general, males tended to outperform females but this was only statistically significant in one of the many measures they completed. No consistent and statistically significant differences were evident between the groups on the wide array of visuospatial measures administered. The findings suggest that in the groups studied, adolescent learners with dyslexia possessed similar visuospatial skills as their average peers.