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The construct of 'lexical quality' (Perfetti Scientific Studies of Reading 11, 357-383, 2007) is widely invoked in literature on word recognition and reading to refer to a systematic dimension of individual differences that predicts performance in a range of word identification and reading tasks in both developing readers and skilled adult populations. Many different approaches have been used to assess lexical quality, but few have captured the orthographic precision that is central to the construct. This paper describes, evaluates, and disseminates spelling dictation and spelling recognition tests that were developed to provide sensitive measures of the precision component of lexical quality in skilled college student readersthe population that has provided most of the benchmark data for models of word recognition and reading. Analyses are reported for 785 students who completed the spelling tests in conjunction with standardized measures of reading comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed, of whom 107 also completed author recognition and phonemic decoding tests. Internal consistency analyses showed that both spelling tests were relatively unidimensional and displayed good internal consistency, although the recognition test contained too many easy items. Item-level analyses are included to provide the basis for further refinement of these instruments. The spelling tests were moderately correlated with the other measures of written language proficiency, but factor analyses revealed that they consistently defined a separate component, demonstrating that they tap a dimension of variability that is partially independent of variance in reading comprehension, speed, and vocabulary. These components appear to align with the precision and coherence dimensions of lexical quality. Keywords Reading ability . spelling ability . individual differences . lexical quality hypothesis This paper has both practical and theoretical goals. The major practical goal is to validate and disseminate two measures of spelling ability that were developed to discriminate among samples of skilled, native English-speaking university students. Although other measures of spelling ability are available in batteries such as the Wide Range Achievement Tests (Wilkinson & Robertson, 2017), they were not specifically developed for university student populations. This may, in part, account for why spelling ability has received little attention in the literature on individual differences among skilled readers relative to measures of word and nonword reading (e.g., Kuperman & Van Dyke, 2011), reading speed (e.g.,

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Emotional intelligence (EI) abilities relate to desirable outcomes such as better well-being, academic performance, and job performance. Previous research shows that coping strategies mediate the effects of ability EI on such outcomes. Across two cross-sectional studies, we show that coping strategies mediate the relationships of ability EI with both well-being (life satisfaction, psychological well-being) and ill-being (depression, anxiety, stress). Study 1 (N = 105 first-year university students, 78% female) assessed EI with the Situational Test of Emotion Understanding (STEU) and Situation Test of Emotion Management (STEM). Avoidant coping significantly mediated the relationship of both the STEU and STEM with depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being. EI was associated with lower avoidant coping, higher well-being and lower ill-being. Study 2 (N = 115 first-year university students, 67% female) assessed EI with the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Avoidant coping mediated the relationship between EI and ill-being, but not the relationship between EI and well-being. These effects were significant for three of the four EI branches—emotion perception, understanding, and management. We discuss possible reasons why avoidant coping may be an active ingredient by which lower EI relates to lower well-being. We also discuss a possible application of our findings—that EI training programs might benefit from including content aimed at reducing avoidant coping.

The 21st century has heralded many changes to the nature of work, and to contemporary workplaces. These changes demand workers who can adapt and thrive in dynamic environments and roles. It is the role of educational institutions to cultivate these future workers and foster a range of cognitive and noncognitive skills that are easily transferrable between careers and workplaces. This chapter outlines four noncognitive graduate attributes discussed in previous chapters—respect for diversity, entrepreneurship, interest, and conscientiousness. Each attribute is discussed in terms of its importance to contemporary workplaces and employers, how potential employers or educational institutions may be able to identify the attribute, and how educational institutions can better prepare students for the workforce. In a rapidly changing economy in which individuals are expected to change careers multiple times, widely applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities are becoming far more valuable to employers, and more central to educational programs.

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