Although it is generally assumed that the origins of adolescents' perceptions of self-competence lie in shared family environmental influences, the contributions of nonshared environmental or genetic influences have not been explored. We investigated sibling resemblance for perceived competence and self-worth in 720 adolescent pairs aged 10 to 18 years, using a twin, full sibling, and step-sibling design. Our goals were to assess the magnitude of shared and nonshared environmental influences and to disentangle resemblance due to shared genetic heritage from that due to shared environmental experiences. Shared environment was not significant for any of the scales. 4 of the subscales showed significant genetic influence: scholastic, social, physical, and athletic competence. We also explored possible sources of genetic influences on perceived competence. Bivariate models revealed common genetic variance between scholastic competence and vocabulary and social competence and sociability. These measures, however, did not account for all of the genetic variance in perceived social and scholastic competence.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit challenging behaviors and social skills delays that can interfere with their ability to build relationships. Intervening early (e.g., in elementary school) can prevent short- and long-term consequences of these challenging behaviors. General educators serve as the primary educator of these students, with some students with EBD spending more than 80% of their school day in the general education setting. In addition, given the amount of time elementary students spend with their general educators, these educators may be able to build a community that can help students establish and maintain positive relationships while engaging equally and actively in classroom activities. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary general educators’ perceptions of social inclusion of students with EBD, and to identify facilitators and barriers of social inclusion. We identified four themes: social inclusion, relationships, facilitators, and barriers and needs. Findings indicated that general educators work to socially include students with EBD, but barriers related to collaboration with special educators and needed professional development. Implications include the need for more collaboration between practitioners to promote socially inclusive environments for students with EBD.

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Students who engage in challenging behavior should receive preventive and intervening supports and services in general education settings based on their individual needs. These supports are necessary for students to be successful in school, yet preservice teachers receive limited education and training in both classroom and behavior management. As such, the purposes of this study were to identify the effects of an online behavior management training on newly graduated elementary education teachers immediately after completing their teacher preparation programs and to explore their perceptions regarding the training. A randomized-controlled trial was used, with 39 participants in the intervention group and 44 participants in the waitlist-control group. Results indicated participants in the intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in both knowledge and self-efficacy compared with participants in the waitlist-control group, and insignificant gains in their ability to analyze the use of behavior management strategies. Participants reported feeling the training was highly effective and were eager to implement the strategies with their future students.

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