George G Bear

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Delaware

Prior research demonstrates the importance of school climate in shaping student behavior but tells us less about which aspects of school climate matter. In this paper we consider how distinct elements of school climate relate to skipping school and cheating on tests. Using survey and administrative data from several statewide Delaware sources, we p...

Exclusionary discipline is commonly employed in U. S. schools and disproportionately affects students of color. This article describes current approaches to discipline and contextualizes these approaches historically with particular attention to racial dynamics and violence. We identify the harmful effects of exclusionary discipline and describe ef...

Understanding which environmental factors influence the trajectory of self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition may help schools better support students during this period. This short longitudinal study examined the influence of students’ perceptions of school climate upon the trajectory of students’ self-concept and self-esteem...

In Portugal, transition from elementary to middle school occurs after the fourth grade, which is much earlier than in most other countries. The impact of early transition to middle school on students’ perceptions of school climate is unknown and was a focus of this study. To investigate this issue we conducted two studies. Study 1 served to provide...

Although multiple cross-sectional studies have supported moral disengagement and school climate being associated with bullying perpetration, few have examined how these three factors interact with each other over time. Guided by the social-ecological theory and social-cognitive theory, a multilevel approach was used to examine the longitudinal asso...

Being retained a grade in school has been associated with a number of negative outcomes for children. It is unclear, however, if being bullied is among them. In this study, differences were examined between retained and promoted students in their self-reported bullying victimization—verbal, physical, and social/relational bullying, and bullying in...

Life satisfaction is a critical indicator of student development. Although several longitudinal studies have examined the predictors of life satisfaction, this study has several unique strengths. First, it examines hope (i.e., a positive motivation and power for success and happiness) as a possible mediator variable. Second, it separates between-pe...

Presents psychometric properties for the Delaware School Survey: Scales of School Climate; Bullying Victimization; Student Engagement; Positive, Punitive, and Social Emotional Learning Techniques; and Social and Emotional Competencies. Surveys included.U

Helping Handouts: Supporting Students at School and Home provides an easy, convenient way to access over 1300 recommended interventions and supports that address the most common academic and behavioral concerns and student challenges faced by schools today. Intervention teams, school administrators, school psychologists, school counselors, and othe...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine differences between American and Chinese students in their perceptions of school climate and engagement in school, and in the relation between school climate and engagement. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses were used to support the factor structure and measurement invariance of the two measure...

The concurrent association between students’ perceptions of cognitive-behavioral and emotional engagement in schools and three factors aligning with the major aims of school-wide social–emotional learning (SEL) approach (i.e., teacher-student relationships, student-student relationships, teaching of social and emotional competencies) were examined...

This is a one-page position statement, Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America. It presents an eight-point plan to prevent gun violence prepared by an interdisciplinary group of 19 prevention scholars. The statement has been widely endorsed by professional organizations and scholars and practitioners. https://curry.v...

The Delaware Social-Emotional Competency Scale (DSECS-S) was developed to provide schools with a brief, inexpensive, and psychometrically sound self-report scale to assess students’ social-emotional competencies. Confirmatory factor analyses, conducted on a sample of 32,414 students from 126 public elementary, middle, and high schools in Delaware,...

Differences in self-reported perceptions of cognitive-behavioral and emotional engagement between students who were continuously promoted, retained once, or retained multiple times were examined in this study of 199 students, grades 5–9, in Brazil. Retained students reported significantly less cognitive-behavioral engagement than their promoted pee...

Objective: To compare the differences in Perceptions of school climate among Chinese and American adolescents. Methods: 3685 Chinese and 3724 American 6-12 th grade adolescents were measured with Delaware School Climate Scale-Adolescent(2013 edition) to compare the perceptions of school climate among Chinese and American adolescents.Results:(1)Comp...

School climate assessments aim to evaluate the social, emotional, ethical, academic and environmental aspects of school life, such as rules, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices as well as institutional structures. This paper presents the process of cross-cultural adaptation and content validity investigation...

This study presents evidence of the validity and reliability of scores for the newly developed Brazilian Portuguese version of the Delaware School Climate Survey–Student (Brazilian DSCS-S). The sample consisted of 378 students, grades 5 through 9, attending four private and three public schools in southern Brazil. Confirmatory factor analyses suppo...

Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese Version of Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-Student (DBVS-S). Methods: 2443 students were measured, 117 of which participated the test-retest 4 weeks later. CES-D, SLSS and BVQ were used as the criteria-related validity instrument. Results: ①Exploratory and confirmatory fact...

Prevalence rates for bullying victimization among children with disabilities have varied greatly in the research literature. Two reasons for such variability were the focus of this study: (a) rates vary as a function of disability type, and (b) rates vary based on the bullying measure and criteria used to classify students as bullying victims. The...

Several previous studies have found that Chinese students perceive teacher-student relationships and student-student relationships more favorably than American students. In this study we examined if the same holds true with respect to teachers’ perceptions. Also examined were both students’ and teachers’ perceptions of conduct problems. The sample...

Based on theory and research on learning environments, the Delaware School Climate Survey–Teacher/Staff (DSCS–T/S) was developed to provide schools with a brief, psychometrically sound measure of teachers' perceptions of school climate. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses, conducted on a sample of 5,781 teachers, support staff, administrators a...

Abstract The goal of this study was to develop a parent school climate survey of high practical utility, grounded in theory, and supported by evidence of the reliability of its scores and validity of the inferences for their use. The Delaware School Climate Survey-Home is comprised of seven factors: Teacher–Student Relations, Student–Student Relati...

Resistance and the lack of fidelity or integrity in the use of rewards and praise are commonly cited in the behavioral consultation literature, particularly when teachers are asked to manage student behavior using frequent rewards and praise in a systematic manner. There are multiple potential reasons for resistance and lack of implementation fidel...

Although the construct of student climate has been studied extensively in the United States, we know little about how school climate is perceived in other countries. With large class sizes yet higher academic achievement and less disruptive and aggressive student behaviors, schools in China present a contrast to many schools in the United States. D...

In this commentary on the special series, I argue that whereas a zero-tolerance approach to school discipline is “something stupid” (Kauffman & Brigham, 200025. Kauffman , J. M. and Brigham , F. J. 2000. Editorial: Zero tolerance and bad judgment in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 25: 277–279. [...

The purposes of this study were to determine whether two forms of moral reasoning commonly found in early elementary school, self-oriented and psychological needs-oriented, are related to both current and future aggression. A total of 132 students participated in a study that began when they were in first or second grade and concluded two years lat...

The Delaware School Climate Survey-Student (DSCS-S) was developed to provide schools with a brief and psychometrically sound student survey for assessing school climate, particularly the dimensions of social support and structure. Confirmatory factor analyses, conducted on a sample of 11,780 students in 85 schools, showed that a bifactor model cons...

School discipline addresses schoolwide, classroom, and individual student needs through broad prevention, targeted intervention, and development of self-discipline. Schools often respond to disruptive students with exclusionary and punitive approaches that have limited value. This article surveys three approaches to improving school discipline prac...

Recent research and theory on shame and guilt has highlighted the “dark side to shame” in motivating harmful behavior. Although researchers recognize that cultural differences in shame exist, few studies have examined such differences. In this study of 130 fourth and fifth graders from the United States and 118 from Japan, cultural differences in a...

A recent meta-analysis found that across studies individual differences in aspects of children's emotionality predict social status [Dougherty, L.R., (2006). Children's emotionality and social status: a meta-analytic review. Social Development, 15, 394–417.]. In the present study we extended these findings by examining the emotion of interest and c...

From its inception, a primary goal of public education has been to develop self-discipline among students, best seen as them exhibiting socially and morally responsible behavior. This goal coincides with another important educational imperative, as well as an alternative meaning of the term "discipline": to correct misbehavior to create and maintai...

Although academic and behavioral problems place many students with learning disabilities (LD) at risk for not completing high school, we know very little about the differences between children with LD who complete school and those who fail to do so. In this study of 76 male youth (45 school completers and 31 noncompleters), standardized measures we...

Results are presented of a cross-cultural study of differences in the reasons that children in the United States and Japan give for refraining from common types of aggression. Over 200 children, primarily fifth-graders, were interviewed individually. The study was an extension of previous research showing that children who voice a self-centered or...

What do children need? They need understanding and support to help ensure they live safe, healthy, happy, and productive lives. Educators and health care professionals can help prevent many of the common social, emotional, and academic problems faced by children and schools. As shown throughout this volume, a wealth of research exists to guide prac...

We examined the relations between emotionality, emotion processing, and aggression in 182 first- and second-grade children. Consistent with Tomkins' and Izard's theoretical predictions, emotionality correlated with emotion processing. In particular, the happiness component of emotionality correlated with emotion attribution accuracy and empathy, th...

The creation of a federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative reflects a growing level of concern across the United States that many children do not feel safe at school, and that teachers must receive a new level of training to better equip themselves to manage a diverse student population. PROJECT BLUE was funded during the first phas...

Traditionally, the development of responsible behavior has been a primary aim of American education. Responsible behavior entails self-motivation and self-guidance, and not obedience and compliance to rules merely in response to external supervision, rewards, and punishment. External factors certainly play a major role in responsible behavior, but...

Although moral reasoning is recognized as an influence on students' behavior, it is often overlooked in policies and interventions developed to change their behavior. Relations between specific types of moral reasoning (i.e., imminent, probable, physical, and psychological) and teacher-reported overt aggression were examined in 203 first and second...

Educators often assume that the self-concept of children with learning disabilities (LD) is less favorable than that of children without LD. The present study, a meta-analysis of 61 studies of self-concept, was conducted to examine this assumption. Results showed that children with LD perceived their academic ability less favorably than their non-L...

This manual is intended to guide school administrators, teachers, school psychologists, and others with the design and implementation of interim alternative education settings (IAES) in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 1997. Chapter 1 discusses how the IAES evolved as a means of balancing the righ...

This book discusses the prevention of problems and the promotion of success for school children today. Chapters include: (1) "Preventing Aggression and Violence" (George G. Bear, Carolyn Webster-Stratton, Michael J. Furlong, and Sabrina Rhee); (2) "Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Children" (Joseph E. Zins, Maurice J. Elias, Mark T. Gre...

This report discusses the discipline of students with disabilities in schools, and new provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that allow school personnel to order a change in a student's placement to an interim alternative educational setting (IAES) under certain circumstances. The first section provides a brief histor...

Since the onset of public education in America, the public has expected schools to develop self-discipline among children and to use disciplinary measures. These 2 expectations continue to be supported in both public polls and federal initiatives in education. This article reviews strategies used by the most highly effective classroom teachers to a...

Kohlberg's theory of moral development draws a distinction between content and structure of moral thought. An inference based on this distinction is that content and structure are independent. To investigate this inference, we studied fourth‐and eighth‐grade students in two distinct educational settings in the United States. Sample 1 contained 83 s...

Self-perceptions of teacher feedback, social comparison of reading competence, reading satisfaction, and general self-worth were assessed among third and sixth graders with learning disabilities and normal achievement (n = 247). Relations among these variables and mean differences were examined within the and across grades. As predicted, in both gr...

Since the onset of public education in America, the public has expected schools to develop self-discipline among children and to use disciplinary measures. These two expectations continue to be supported in both public polls and federal initiatives in education. This article reviews strategies used by the most highly effective classroom teachers to...

Investigated the relationship between 3 behaviors (physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behaviors) and 3 social outcomes (peer rejection, acceptance, and reciprocal friendships) in 131 3rd and 135 6th grade girls and boys. Positive and negative peer nominations were used to measure popularity, aggression, and prosocial interact...

Teachers completed a survey of attitudes toward several basic assumptions regarding inclusion of children with mild disabilities; perceptions of self-efficacy, competence, and teaching satisfaction; and judgments of the appropriateness of classroom adaptations. Respondents included 185 regular education teachers in traditional classrooms, and 71 re...

Despite their significant academic deficits, children with learning disabilities (LD) often maintain favorable feelings of general self-worth. This study examined whether a positive bias in the evaluation of academic work is associated with such feelings. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPP-C; Harter, 1985b) was administered to a sample o...

Relations among moral reasoning, classroom behavior, and sociometric status were investigated in a sample of 133 2nd and 3rd graders. It was hypothesized that hedonistic and needs-oriented moral reasoning, 2 forms of L. Kohlberg's (1984) Stage 2 moral reasoning, would be differentially related to teachers' ratings of classroom behavior and to socio...

Relations among moral reasoning, classroom behavior, and sociometric status were investigated in a sample of 133 2nd and 3rd graders. It was hypothesized that hedonistic and needs-oriented moral reasoning, 2 forms of L. Kohlberg's (1984) Stage 2 moral reasoning, would be differentially related to teachers' ratings of classroom behavior and to socio...

This study examined the self-perceptions and peer relations among nonhandicapped boys and boys with learning disabilities (LD) in full-time integrated classes, grades 3–5. Compared to their nonhandicapped peers, boys with LD demonstrated lower self-perceptions of scholastic competence but not lower self-perceptions of social acceptance. Moreover, t...

The social adjustment of 46 children with learning disabilities (LDs) and 199 children without LDs who were integrated full-time in 3rd-grade classrooms was examined. No differences were found in the proportions of children with LDs and without LDs across accepted and unpopular sociometric groups. Two thirds of children with LDs had at least 1 reci...

Self-perceptions of specific domains of competence, judgments of the importance of these domains, and perceptions of global self-worth were examined among children with learning disabilities (LD), low achievement (LA), and normal achievement (NA) in a full-time integrated classroom setting. Results showed that children with LD and LA held lower sel...

Compared the merits of 2 hypotheses in which moral reasoning predicts classroom behavior problems: Hypothesis 1, conduct problems decline monotonically with increasing moral maturity; Hypothesis 2, Stage 1 and Stage 3 levels of moral reasoning are associated with fewer conduct problems, and the relationship between development and conduct is curvil...

Knowledge of computer ethics and its relationship to attitude toward computers and sociomoral reasoning was examined in a sample of sixty junior-high students. A measure of computer ethics was empirically derived via factor analysis of twenty-four items created by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Both computer attitude and sociomoral...

Examined how judgments of the fairness and predicted effectiveness of a disciplinary practice are influenced by (1) problem severity, (2) reputation of transgressor, and (3) age and sex of students making the judgments. Exp 1, with 37 male and 24 female 5th graders and 23 male and 36 female 8th graders, showed that the 2 types of judgments were dif...

Based largely on social comparison theory, it was hypothesized that self-perceptions of scholastic competence, behavioral conduct, and global self-worth are (a) lower among children with learning disabilities (LD) in integrated classes than among nonhandicapped (NH) children in the same classes, and (b) higher among NH children in integrated classe...

The influences of problem severity, gender and moral development on early adolescents' acceptability ratings of disciplinary interventions were examined among 8S seventh graders. Problem severity was defined qualitatively: In two vignettes, two students were portrayed as either talking and getting out of their seats without permission or cheating o...

We compared achievement gains of mildly handicapped and nonhandicapped third graders in a full‐time integrated program, Team Approach to Mastery (TAM), with gains of similar students in regular classrooms and resource‐room programs. Comparisons of residualized gain scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills showed that nonhandicapped students...

The relationship between sociomoral reasoning and social problem-solving (SPS) skills in the prediction of decisional choice was investigated. The criterion behavior involved hypothetical decisions of whether or not students, 53 seventh graders, would violate a school rule prohibiting the copying of computer software. Using written interviews, deci...

Comparison of IQ-subtest scores has gained new popularity with the recent introduction of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The present study addressed questions pertinent to the utility of K-ABC subtests in differentiating LD children from students classified as EMR, SEM, and referred but Unclassified. In addition, it directly c...

Examined the relationship between behavior problems and sociomoral reasoning in 77 6th graders (aged 11 yrs 4 mo to 14 yrs 6 mo). Ss were administered a sociomoral reasoning preference task; 19 Ss also received the Kohlberg Moral Judgment Interview. Behavior problems were assessed on 5 scales of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Maturity of s...

The purpose of the study is twofold: (a) to provide information about the cross-time stability of the Elementary Form of the Estes Attitude Scales; and (b) to provide additional evidence for the criterion-related validity of these scales. To meet these objectives, children who were third- and fourth-graders when the study began were administered th...

A preliminary version of a scale to measure attitudes toward computers, the Bath County Computer Attitudes Scale (BCCAS), was developed and piloted on 398 students in grades 4 through 12 who were attending three rural schools in western Virginia. This instrument consisted of thirty-eight Likert items. The scale was judged to be unidimensional and i...

This study examined the usefulness of the Gesell Preschool Test (GPT), a developmental readiness test used by teachers and school psychologists to determine a child's readiness to begin formal instruction. Results of a discriminant analysis revealed that, after the effects of math and reading achievement had been accounted for, the GPT failed to co...

Richards, Gaver, and Golicz (1984) found that, in contrast to peers whose grades were accurately predicted from performance on aptitude tests, both extremely underachieving and extremely overachieving fourth-graders had negative academic attitudes. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these findings. Subjects in the replication study wer...

Reviews research on effective teacher characteristics and generalizes them to effective microcomputer instruction. Characteristics discussed include allocating adequate time for academic tasks, curriculum pacing, providing supportive and efficient learning environments, use of group management procedures, teaching skills before drill and practice,...

The present research compared the moral reasoning and classroom conduct of 14 intellectually gifted sixth grade students with 46 of their non-gifted peers. A linear relationship was found between moral reasoning and intelligence. The intellectually gifted students were found to be more advanced in their moral reasoning and to exhibit fewer conduct...

Assessed 60 6th-graders for their level of moral development using the Moral Judgment Interview. Ss were also rated by their teachers on classroom conduct. Two hypotheses were investigated: (a) Ss who employ lower stages of moral reasoning will display more conduct problems than those who reason at higher levels; and (b) those who reason at lower l...

Ten elementary school children in four grades were participants in an interdependent group-contingency system in which the group's weekly average grade on written assignments (later the daily average) was used to control the amount of extra recess time that would be awarded to all members of the group. (CTM)

Thesis--University of Virginia, 1979. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-84).