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This study investigated the contributions of child and parents' sociodemographics, daily stressors, family environment, and coping strategies, to academic achievement, cognitive functioning and aggression in a sample of 600 children at the intermediate grade levels from Gaza Strip. Each of the predictor variables exhibited a different pattern of relations with the outcome domains. Although the study highlights the negative consequences of stress on children's development, certain daily stressors had a positive effect. Optimal family relationships predicted better developmental outcomes. More emphasis on personal growth, control and organisation in the family predicted less optimal child development except for personal growth and achievement. More reliance on positive coping and less reliance on negative coping is associated with better academic achievement. The clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.

This study was designed to identify predictors of behavioural disorders in children with learning disabilities and children without learning disabilities in the United Arab Emirates public school system. It examined the relative contributions of child characteristic (i.e. presence of learning disability, gender, age), parents' socio-demographics and aspects of classroom environment (e.g. social support received from teachers, peers and friends, meaningful and genuine relationships with classmates, teachers help in academic matters and use of educational resources, and cooperative learning, in addition to students satisfaction with the physical environment) to behavioural disorders such as internalising and externalising problems, and mixed syndromes, mainly anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, somatic complaints, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, rule breaking behaviour and aggressive behaviour. The participants were 200 students from both sexes who ranged in age from 12 to 18 years. Structured interviews were carried out with students at schools. Practical implications to special education at the identification prevention and intervention level were discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study was designed to examine the relative contributions of student and parents' socio-demographics, students' beliefs about learning, parental support of children's learning, peers' attitudes towards learning, teacher-student interaction and curriculum content to students' motivation to learn. The sample consisted of 275 school-age children ranging from 12 to 16 years old. All measures were constructed for the purpose of this study. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to predict student motivation to learn. Results indicated that students' beliefs about learning, teacher-student interaction and curriculum content contributed to the United Arab Emirates middle and high school students' motivation to learn. Implications for research are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)