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The paraeducator workforce as well as the breadth of their responsibilities to serve students in special education has increased considerably in public schools. Unfortunately, research to identify the most effective methods for training paraeducators has not kept pace. Addressing this dynamic, through an implementation science framework, requires a better understanding of contextual factors. In this study, focus groups (FGs) with paraeducators and teachers were conducted to examine (a) responsibilities, training needs, and related issues of paraprofessionals; (b) training needs and related issues of teachers as supervisors of paraeducators; and (c) factors that support or impede special educators' self-efficacy and their perception of competence of their colleagues. Four FGs, homogeneous based on role and assignment (mild vs. moderate-to-severe disabilities), were conducted utilizing a semistructured interview protocol. Qualitative content analysis revealed important challenges and training-related deficiencies experienced by both teachers and paraeducators, as well as suggestions for addressing these issues.

Project Choices (PC), a newly developed videogame for correctional intervention, consists of realistic decision-making scenarios and cognitive behavioral skills feedback. A pilot study investigated PC engagement and immersion by employing a cross-over design with a sample of 24 men on probation remanded to residential treatment. The study also examined effects of gameplay on criminogenic thinking, self-perceived criminogenic risk, and social problem-solving. As hypothesized, relative to a leisure video game (Tetris), participants generally appeared comparably engaged by and immersed in PC. Most hypothesized effects of PC on treatment-relevant outcomes were not statistically significant; however, PC contributed to moderate to large treatment effects across most outcomes of interest. Although results are promising, PC requires further validation to determine whether it could serve as a useful adjunctive tool for practitioners hoping to further reach and engage corrections clients in criminogenic risk-reduction services. Future research directions for technology like PC are numerous and encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do producers' distinctiveness and social structure influence third-party certifications? We argue that producers compete against prior and current competitors, and against their past selves. In the context of 153 artists active during a key period of the emergence of modern art (1905–1916), we utilize a convolutional neural network used in computer vision to extract feature vectors of artworks, and measure quantitative distance of these artists' works from canonical reference points. We find that artists are rewarded for distinctiveness from prior and current competitors and their past selves (up to a point). However, artists' autonomy to differentiate themselves depends on their position in the social structure, which we divide into supply-side artist-to-artist networks, and demand-side artist-to-gallerist networks. Artists with high or low supply-side status receive higher rewards for distinctiveness from current competitors than do artists with middle supply-side status. Artists with higher demand-side status receive higher rewards for distinctiveness from their own past, but lower rewards for distinctiveness from current competitors. These results show that peers strive to constrain each other to conform to positions of gravity within product space, and that market audiences deploy either higher or lower constraints on a producer's identity depending on the reference point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does personal identity multiplicity—a self-perception with more elements—help an individual connect with others? I argue that identity multiplicity increases the likelihood of establishing professional network ties through two mechanisms: individuation, or the tendency of a potential network partner to view one as an individual as opposed to a representative of a category; and identity homophily, or the attraction and interaction opportunities that emerge as a function of shared identity elements with a potential partner. The benefits of identity multiplicity are particularly strong for promoting interracial ties as individuation reduces racial stereotyping. I find support for these ideas in an analysis of the creation of network ties of mid-career professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing diversity in today's workplace requires engaging with people who not only look different but also think different. Yet, research on workplace relations has treated similarity-attraction as a human universal and paid limited attention to individual differences in who respects or tolerates different views and values, and why. We address this gap by examining how lay theories people hold about instrumental relations affect dispositional similarity-attraction. Because people who hold a fixed (versus growth) theory of instrumental relations believe that relationships form primarily on the basis of natural compatibility (versus effort), they should be particularly prone to similarity-attraction on the basis of dispositional similarity in values, attitudes, and personality traits. To test our arguments, we first develop a lay theories of instrumental relations scale, which we use to demonstrate that holding a growth theory decreases (moderates) people's tendency to avoid dispositionally dissimilar partners in a naturally occurring network (Field Study) and a dyadic task (Experiment 1). Finally (Experiment 2), we manipulate lay theories to show that inducing growth theories increases people's satisfaction with a task partner who is dispositionally dissimilar. We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications for building diverse yet cohesive workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]