Welcome to this edition of the Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling. As you will noticed we have had another change for the journal — we have a new publisher. We are very fortunate that the journal will now be published by the prestigious Cambridge University Press. We hope to have a long and productive relationship with them. I trust you find this issue interesting and informative for your practice.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Stanford-Binet — Fifth Edition (SB5) are two of the most commonly used intelligence tests for children and adolescents. No comparative studies of the WISC-IV and SB5 have yet been published. In the current study the WISC-IV and SB5 were administered in counterbalanced order to 30 typically developing 12- to 14-year-old adolescents. There was a significant difference between Full Scale IQs on the two measures, with scores being higher on the WISC-IV. A significant difference was also found between Verbal IQs and there were large score differences for some participants. The article concludes that the WISC-IV and SB5 cannot be presumed to be interchangeable measures of intelligence.

The current study considers grade repetition rates in the early years of schooling in Queensland state schools with specific focus on the pre-schooling year, Prep. In particular, it provides empirical evidence of grade repetition in Queensland state schools along with groups of students who are more often repeated. At the same time, much of the educational research literature, drawn mainly from the United States, argues that grade repetition has limited, long-term value and may be harmful (Jimerson, 2001, 2004). Little is known about grade repetition rates or the groups of children who may be repeated in Australian schools as almost all research on grade repetition has been done overseas. To better understand grade repetition in Australia, the study draws on data from the Queensland Government's Department of Education and Training (DET), which looks specifically at grade repetition rates in Queensland state schools. While grade repetition rates remain low in Queensland states schools, the possible negative academic, social and emotional consequences for students who are repeated warrants serious re-evaluation of this long-term, early intervention practice in Australian schools. An alternative strategy would include promotion of all students to the next year level with a range of interventions to enable groups of low achieving students meet minimum national standards.

Playing computer games is a routine activity for most young people today. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of time spent playing computer games, the violence of the game, and self-reported anger of students in North Cyprus. Four hundred participants between the ages of 15–18 completed the State-Trait Anger and the Anger Expression questionnaire, together with a section on gaming. The results showed that most (43%) students played computer games 3–4 days a week, with many (31.5%) playing every day. It was found that students who played computer games for 2–3 hours a day scored higher on expressed anger than those who played for less than half an hour a day. Those young people who preferred to play action, adventure, fight and strategy games were found to have reported higher levels of anger than those who played other types of computer games. The implications for guidance counsellors, parents and teachers are discussed.

The aim of the study was to examine the nature of perfectionism, to gain a better understanding of the construct using the Chinese population. The study also explored the relationships between perfectionism, self-esteem and depression after identifying the three dimensions of perfectionism. A sample of 292 Chinese university students completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), the Hewitt Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (HMPS), the Almost Perfect Scale — Revised (APS-R), the Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). As hypothesised, the confirmatory factor analyses revealed that multidimensional perfectionism is explained as a three-factor construct with dimensions of maladaptive perfectionism, adaptive perfectionism and order factor. As predicted, the structural equation model analyses indicated that self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and depression. Implications for counselling interventions and future research are discussed.

Adaptability is proposed as individuals’ capacity to constructively regulate psycho-behavioral functions in response to new, changing, and/or uncertain circumstances, conditions and situations. The present investigation explored the internal and external validity of an hypothesised adaptability scale. The sample comprised 2,731 high school students. In terms of internal validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) suggested a reliable higher order adaptability factor subsumed by a reliable first order cognitive-behavioural factor and a reliable first order affective factor. Multi-group CFA indicated invariance in factor structure as a function of gender, age, and language background. Further, age (younger adolescents), language background (non-English speaking), and parents’ education (higher levels) predicted higher order adaptability, while gender (males) predicted first order affective adaptability. In terms of external validity, consistent with hypotheses, higher and first order adaptability was differentially associated with cognate/aligned factors (personality, implicit theories of ability, buoyancy) and also with psycho-educational wellbeing ‘outcome’ factors (achievement, enjoyment of school, meaning and purpose, life satisfaction). Findings hold theoretical and empirical implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to better understand the constructive regulation of individuals confronted with situations involving novelty, change, and uncertainty.

This investigation examined the relationship between adolescent students’ attributional style and their perceived academic self-efficacy using the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ) (Seligman et al., 1984) and Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self Efficacy (Bandura, 1989). Attributional style, defined as the way in which people explain events (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978), is represented by three dimensions: permanence, pervasiveness, and personalisation. Statistically significant differences were observed between attributional style for gender and academic streams. Females were more optimistic and hopeful than males. They attributed permanence to good events, but assumed personal responsibility for bad events. Males displayed a more negative attributional style, perceiving negative events as permanent and pervasive. Higher-ability students reported greater optimism about their future compared to their lower-ability students. No gender and ability differences were found for academic self-efficacy. Students’ attributional style was positively associated with their efficacy for self-regulated learning. Findings were interpreted in terms of educational implications and student empowerment, with suggestions made for future studies.

This research investigated the reliability and validity of the Mindfields Assessment Battery (MAB), measuring three components of self-regulation (forethought, performance control, self-reflection) of young offenders. Participants were 57 12- to 18-year-olds from youth justice service centres, alternative education schools, and a youth correctional facility (Nmales = 46; NIndigenous = 7). Psychometric properties of the battery were sound with adequate alpha levels for the scales. The factor structure and internal reliability of three measures were replicated and validated. Positive significant correlations found between these subscales indicated consistent relationships with young people's responses to challenging situations. Prodelinquency scores were significantly positively correlated with minor misdemeanours and negatively correlated with social competency. Significant positive correlations were found between social competence and goal commitment, and self-regulation and life satisfaction. The battery provides a reliable, valid way of assessing forethought, performance control, self-reflection, and treatment amenability within the conceptual framework of self-regulation.

What strategies do students use to cope with bullying and how effective are they? Answers to such questions will not only help students understand how they can cope, but also inform school-wide policies and practices to reduce the incidence of bullying. To do this, schools need evidence on what strategies to focus on to most effectively target their intervention and prevention programs. Students across Years 8, 9 and 10 in three South Australian high schools (n = 1223) completed a Coping with Bullying questionnaire, indicating strategies they used, and 82 informed professionals (IPs) rated each strategy's effectiveness, along with its applicability to different bullying types. IPs generally agreed on which strategies were effective and ineffective and that the same strategies were appropriate for all types of bullying. Seriously bullied students reported under-using some effective strategies. No significant difference between males and females in strategy use was found. Awareness of effective and ineffective coping strategies provides schools with a workable framework for targeting prevention and/or intervention programs that align with extant knowledge on coping with bullying. Disseminating such research evidence is important as this study shows that seriously bullied students are evidently under-using many strategies that IPs in this study regarded as effective.

The challenge for high schools to adopt effective measures to reduce bullying has been underscored by international media coverage highlighting the consequences of school bullying. Despite whole-school anti-bullying programs being accepted as the best evidence-based approaches to intervention, research continues to yield ambiguous findings, and only a limited number of studies have been conducted in secondary schools to systematically evaluate the components of this approach. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of anti-bullying interventions in four international secondary schools in Hong Kong. Schools were randomly assigned to: (a) a whole-school intervention, (b) a curriculum and Shared Concern intervention at Year 7, (c) a Shared Concern intervention at Year 7 and (d) a control school. Year 7 students in the four schools anonymously completed a bullying questionnaire at the beginning (N = 545) and end of the school year (N = 549). A highly significant main effect for schools was found between pre-test and post-test composite bullying scores (F = 7.70, p < .001). Results showed the most significant reductions occurred when a whole-school intervention was used (F = 10.73, p < .001). The research provides strong support for use of whole-school preventative/management interventions and the effective components of this approach are discussed.