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Elementary Schools (elementary + school)
Terms modified by Elementary Schools Selected AbstractsBeing a Good Teacher of Black Students?CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 4 2005Unintentional Racism, White Teachers ABSTRACT This ethnographic study describes the roles adopted by four White teachers in the United States during and after they participated in a seminar on teaching antiracism with colleagues at the Woodson Elementary School, the only African American neighborhood school in a small Midwestern city. Each of these teachers self-identified as a good teacher and identified a central metaphor by which she understood her role as a teacher of Black students. By examining the roles and related practices of these teachers, I highlight the disconnect between what researchers have identified as good practices for teaching students of color and how these teachers understand themselves as good teachers. I describe how the roles that each of these four teachers adopted relate to the perpetuation of Whiteness and how such a relation is embedded in their everyday teaching practices and might function to sustain racist practice and ideology in the schooling of students of color. Findings suggest that the ways that these teachers understood their roles as teachers of Black students are intimately linked to how closely their practice represented what is known as culturally relevant pedagogy. [source] Exploring New Frontiers: What Do Computers Contribute to Teaching Foreign Languages in Elementary School?FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 3 2002Joyce W. Nutta ABSTRACT: Two growing trends in foreign language education, the study of foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) and the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), have been well researched independently but rarely in concert. This study compares the use of a print and multimedia program to teach Spanish to second through fifth graders from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The experimental portion of the study showed that the achievement and proficiency of students using print or multimedia materials did not differ at posttest. However, a small but statistically significant difference in achievement emerged at the delayed test point in favor of the students who used the multimedia materials, although this finding is limited by participant attrition over the 13-month study. The qualitative portion of the study detected differences in language behavior, with the students who used multimedia spending more time to stop, check, and revise their language production, leading to greater precision in pronunciation and the use of larger chunks of language when repeating phrases. [source] A Study of the Utilization Patterns of an Elementary School,Based Health Clinic Over a 5-Year PeriodJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 7 2006Veda Johnson It involved a retrospective analysis of computer-based data for all patient visits during this study period. Results revealed high clinic utilization with an average of over 5 encounters for all users each year. The most frequent encounters by diagnostic category were respiratory followed by health supervision, skin disorders, and symptoms. There were no significant differences in most diagnostic categories in the number of patient encounters between the first and last year. There was a significant decrease in encounters for the categories of ear and injuries and poisonings and an increase in encounters for emotional conditions between the first and last year. A separate analysis of the encounter frequencies for users with chronic illnesses and emotional problems found the average number of encounters for users with chronic illnesses to be unpredictably less than for all users and for those with emotional or mental health diagnoses the encounters were considerably higher. Finally, an analysis of clinic users by insurance types revealed an unvarying distribution over of the study period. (J Sch Health. 2006;76(7):373-378) [source] Comparing Frequent and Average Users of Elementary School-Based Health Centers in the Bronx, New York CityJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 4 2002Raymundo S. Baquiran ABSTRACT: This study analyzed health care utilization at three school-based health centers (SBHCs) in the Bronx, New York City, and compared characteristics of "frequent" and "average" service users. Encounter form data for visits by 2,795 students who received services at least once between September 7, 1998, and June 30, 1999, were reviewed. Demographic comparisons between clinic users and the total school population, and between "frequent" (five or more visits/year) and "average" (one to four visits/year) users were made. The two groups also were compared after primary diagnoses were classified into five general categories. Some 96% (3,469/3,614) of students were registered in the SBHCs, of whom 81% (2,795/3,469) used clinic services at least once during the school year. Clinic users did not differ from the general school population by gender, but were younger (p < 0.01). "Frequent" users were more likely than "average" users to be older (p < 0.01), but they did not differ by gender, race/ethnicity, or insurance status. "Frequent" users comprised 28% of the clinic-using population, but accounted for 72.5% of all visits. Similarly, "average" users comprised 72.4% of the clinic-using population, but accounted for 27.5% of all visits. "Frequent" users generated most visits for mental health and chronic medical conditions, while "average" users generated most visits for preventive care, acute medical care, and injuries/emergencies (p < 0.01 for all). Important challenges for elementary SBHCs include developing new approaches that meet children's needs while protecting clinic resources, like scheduling group interventions for those with on-going health care needs who require frequent use of school health services. [source] Schooling as a Knowledge System: Lessons from Cramim Experimental SchoolMIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION, Issue 1 2010David Chen This article describes an experiment utilizing a research and development strategy to design and implement an innovative school for the future. The development of Cramim Elementary School was a joint effort of researchers from Tel-Aviv University and the staff of the school. The design stage involved constructing a new theoretical framework that defined school as a knowledge system, based on the state of the art, interdisciplinary study of the nature of humans, and the nature of knowledge. A new school design emerged based on this theoretical framework and the school was opened in 1995. Action research followed for 8 years and the results indicated that the school has emerged as a learning organization and successfully integrated knowledge technologies into the learning processes of both students and teachers. Differentiated teaching strategy resulted in a significant increase in achievements (+11% in maths, literacy, and science; +10% in literacy in kindergarten; persistence of higher achievement in junior high schools). The greatest beneficiaries were low-achieving students. As the school is a highly complex system, individual variables contributing to the increased effectiveness could not be isolated. The article's conclusion is that experimental schools are a productive strategy to bring about changes, but unless these schools are part and parcel of the culture of the mainstream education system culture, they are destined to remain isolated cases. [source] A Ten-Year Chronicle of Student Attitudes Toward Foreign Language in the Elementary SchoolMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2007AUDREY L. HEINING, BOYNTON This article reports the results of 2 studies conducted over a 10-year period that researched student attitudes toward early foreign language learning. These studies are unique because of the long time frame in which the students were followed, and the large data sets collected at the elementary school level. Surveys of students in the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) programs examined the attitudes of all children in 2 school systems in North Carolina: one suburban and one urban. The students studied either French or Spanish. The number of responses to the survey questions ranged from 22,549 to 52,227 for a 4-year period. The results indicated that boys and girls had positive attitudes when responding to 2 questions about enjoyment of their FLES classes and teachers. The girls were positively inclined, and the boys were neutral, in their desire to continue with foreign language study in the next grade. Two items about the use of foreign language outside the school venue and comprehension of foreign language teacher input revealed negative attitudes for both genders. As a follow-up to the quantitative study, qualitative data about attitudes toward foreign language speakers, foreign cultures, and their own education with respect to foreign language study were gathered through structured interviews. The participants were the same students who had completed the original surveys 10 years earlier. In corroboration of the quantitative data, a qualitative analysis revealed that, for a majority of the students, foreign language study was viewed positively, as were foreign language speakers and their cultures. [source] Fostering a Community-Based Learning Culture: A Model for Success and Institutional BarriersNORTH AMERICAN DIALOGUE (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006María (Lorena) Núñez This article offers a case study in Community-Based Learning by describing a collaborative gang-intervention effort developed for children in Los Angeles. Project GOLD (Goal Oriented Life Decisions), is an educational-intervention effort designed by representatives from Occidental College, Garvanza Elementary School, the LAPD, and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and implemented in the elementary school. Both authors are directly involved with the program and offer a first-hand description of the project. They also detail some of the obstacles and barriers to the program's sustainability. Even as Community-Based Learning (CBL) has become more acceptable and its value as a pedagogical approach is gaining attention, Project GOLD remains vulnerable because the resources are not yet there. Project GOLD and efforts like it will only truly succeed when CBL becomes institutionalized in colleges and universities, releasing professors and students into communities with the resources and support necessary for long-term success. [source] Children's Weight and Academic Performance in Elementary School: Cause for Concern?ANALYSES OF SOCIAL ISSUES & PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 1 2009David Clark In this study, the authors examined the relationship of 9,471 elementary students' grades in five subject areas (math, reading, language, science, and social studies), their conduct grades, and their scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills (TAKS) Reading, Math, Writing, and Science measures for the 2006,2007 school year as a function of their weight status in two ways: (1) Obese versus Nonobese and (2) Obese, Overweight, Healthy Weight, and Underweight. Obese children had statistically significantly lower course grades in all areas, as well as poorer conduct grades, than nonobese children. Similar results were present for the four TAKS measures. Comparisons of these measures by the four weight categories indicated the presence of trends such that as students' weight increased from one category to the next, their school grades and standardized test scores decreased. Partial correlation analyses, in which the effects of economic disadvantage and conduct grades were controlled, revealed that obesity was related with teacher-assigned grades and with TAKS scores. Interestingly, within ethnic groups, differences were present between obese and nonobese students only for White students and Hispanic students. The implications of these findings, as well as suggestions for further research, are discussed. [source] Race, Power, and Equity in a Multiethnic Urban Elementary School with a Dual-Language "Strand" ProgramANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010Deborah Palmer Dual-language education is often lauded for providing high-caliber bilingual instruction in an integrated classroom. This is complicated, however, when a dual-language program does not include all members of a school community. This article examines a "strand" dual-language program that attracts middle-class white students to a predominantly black and Latino community; yet, only some Latino students and almost no black students are included in the dual-language program. Although rarely directly discussing race, teachers and parents simultaneously commend the program for bringing diversity and enrichment to the campus, and accuse it of exacerbating inequities in the educational experiences of different children at the school. Taking a critical race perspective, and in particular using the principle of "interest convergence" and the frames of "color-blind racism" (Eduardo Bonilla-Silva 2006), this article works to uncover the forces underlying these tensions.,[two-way immersion, dual-language education, African Americans, critical race theory] [source] This Bed of Roses Has Thorns: Cultural Assumptions and Community in an Elementary SchoolANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2001Mary Bushnell Educational reformers and social observers call for increasing community in our schools and neighborhoods. In that discourse, community appears as a catch phrase that has become meaningless in its ubiquity. Through an ethnographic study of a small elementary school in which community is regularly invoked, the author identifies community's negative as well as beneficial aspects and discusses the implications for schools. [source] Did a Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) Program in a Kansas School District Affect Students' Academic Achievement in English?FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 3 2005Bernard G. Schuster Abstract: What happens to English academic achievement when valued class time is devoted to a foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES) program? Is there a reduction in achievement as suggested by a time-on-task hypothesis, or is there some form of compensation, as suggested by additive bilingualism? The school district in this study started a FLES program with Grade 2 students in five schools in 1995,96, and the students continued FLES through Grades 3, 4, and 5. Students in the other eight district schools received no FLES. The FLES and no-FLES students were compared based on the Grade 6 Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), using Grade 2 ITBS Survey Battery to control for initial variation in test scores. No significant statistical difference was found. [source] The FLES Attitudinal InventoryFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 3 2000Teresa J. Kennedy The primary purpose of this study was to compare attitudinal differences between elementary students (K-5) involved in a regular Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program with their peers who were not provided with additive foreign language curriculum. Results from the study showed that students participating in FLES programs had positive attitudes relating to school, perceived difficulty in language acquisition, perceived desirability of foreign language study, cultural views, and student self-esteem and confidence levels in relation to their academic achievement in comparison with their non-FLES peers. The conclusions of this study suggest that FLES programs provide students with improved motivation to participate, to persist, and to succeed in second language study. [source] Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Elementary Schools: Analysis of Contextual ConditionsJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2010Thomas L. McKenzie PHD BACKGROUND: Little is known about children's leisure-time physical activity (PA) at school and how it is associated with contextual variables. The purpose of this study was to objectively assess children's voluntary PA during 3 daily periods and examine modifiable contextual factors. METHODS: We conducted SOPLAY (System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth) observations before school, during recess, and at lunchtime in 137 targeted activity areas in 13 elementary schools over 18 months. During observations, each child was coded as Sedentary, Walking, or Vigorous, and simultaneous entries were made for area characteristics (accessibility, usability, presence of supervision, loose equipment, and organized activities). Logistic regression analysis was used to test associations between PA and area characteristics. RESULTS: Assessors made 2349 area visits and observed 36,995 children. Boys had more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 66.2 vs 60.0%, p < .001) and more vigorous PA (29.8 vs 24.6%; p < .001) than girls. Areas were typically accessible and usable, but provided organized activities infrequently (16.5%). Odds of engaging in MVPA were greater during lunch and recess than before school and in areas with play equipment (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Children accrued a substantial amount of voluntary PA during leisure time at school. Their PA would likely be increased if school playground equipment was more readily available and if supervisors were taught to provide active games and promote PA rather than suppress it. [source] A Ten-Year Chronicle of Student Attitudes Toward Foreign Language in the Elementary SchoolMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2007AUDREY L. HEINING, BOYNTON This article reports the results of 2 studies conducted over a 10-year period that researched student attitudes toward early foreign language learning. These studies are unique because of the long time frame in which the students were followed, and the large data sets collected at the elementary school level. Surveys of students in the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) programs examined the attitudes of all children in 2 school systems in North Carolina: one suburban and one urban. The students studied either French or Spanish. The number of responses to the survey questions ranged from 22,549 to 52,227 for a 4-year period. The results indicated that boys and girls had positive attitudes when responding to 2 questions about enjoyment of their FLES classes and teachers. The girls were positively inclined, and the boys were neutral, in their desire to continue with foreign language study in the next grade. Two items about the use of foreign language outside the school venue and comprehension of foreign language teacher input revealed negative attitudes for both genders. As a follow-up to the quantitative study, qualitative data about attitudes toward foreign language speakers, foreign cultures, and their own education with respect to foreign language study were gathered through structured interviews. The participants were the same students who had completed the original surveys 10 years earlier. In corroboration of the quantitative data, a qualitative analysis revealed that, for a majority of the students, foreign language study was viewed positively, as were foreign language speakers and their cultures. [source] Mediator mentors: Improving school climate, nurturing student dispositionCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2003Pamela S. Lane-Garon Mediator Mentors, a collaborative research and service project, was begun by California State University-Fresno faculty and the staff of an elementary school (K,8) in the Central San Joaquin Valley. The purpose of the research was to assess conflict resolution program effects on students (N = 300) and school climate. Cross-age mentoring is an important component of this collaborative project. University students preparing for roles in helping professions served as mentors to elementary students. Impacts on student cognitive and affective perspective taking were assessed and student perceptions of school safety were explored. [source] Exploring New Frontiers: What Do Computers Contribute to Teaching Foreign Languages in Elementary School?FOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 3 2002Joyce W. Nutta ABSTRACT: Two growing trends in foreign language education, the study of foreign languages in the elementary school (FLES) and the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), have been well researched independently but rarely in concert. This study compares the use of a print and multimedia program to teach Spanish to second through fifth graders from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The experimental portion of the study showed that the achievement and proficiency of students using print or multimedia materials did not differ at posttest. However, a small but statistically significant difference in achievement emerged at the delayed test point in favor of the students who used the multimedia materials, although this finding is limited by participant attrition over the 13-month study. The qualitative portion of the study detected differences in language behavior, with the students who used multimedia spending more time to stop, check, and revise their language production, leading to greater precision in pronunciation and the use of larger chunks of language when repeating phrases. [source] Observing Purchase-Related Parent,Child Communication in Retail Environments: A Developmental and Socialization PerspectiveHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 1 2008Moniek Buijzen In a quantitative observation study, we unobtrusively examined purchase-related communication between 0- to 12-year-old children and their parents (N= 269 dyads) during supermarket and toy store visits. The aims of the study were to determine (a) the development of purchase-related parent,child communication (i.e., children's purchase influence attempts, their coercive behavior, parent-initiated communication) and (b) the relative influence of different socialization variables (e.g., television viewing, family communication patterns) on these communication variables. Our inverted-U hypothesis for the effect of developmental level on purchase influence attempts received support: Children's purchase influence attempts increased until early elementary school and started to decline in late elementary school. Our inverted-U hypothesis for the effect of developmental level on coercive behavior was also supported: Children's coercive behavior was highest among preschoolers. With increasing age, children were more likely to be involved in the purchase decision-making process, and parent,child communication more often resulted in a product purchase. Finally, children's television viewing was the most important (positive) predictor of their purchase influence attempts. Résumé L'observation dans des environnements commerciaux de la communication parent-enfant liée à l,achat: Une perspective du développement et de la socialisation Dans une étude quantitative par observation, nous avons discrètement examiné la communication liée à l'achat entre des enfants de 0 à 12 ans et leurs parents (N= 269 dyades) au cours de visites dans des supermarchés et des boutiques de jouets. Les objectifs de l'étude étaient de déterminer a) le développement de la communication parent-enfant liée à l,achat (c.-à-d. les tentatives des enfants d'influencer l,achat, leur comportement coercitif ainsi que la communication initiée par le parent) et b) l'influence relative de différentes variables de socialisation (par exemple l'écoute de la télévision ou les schémas de communication familiaux) sur ces variables communicationnelles. Notre hypothèse en U inversé concernant l,effet du niveau de développement sur les tentatives d'influence d,achat fut appuyée : les tentatives des enfants d'influencer les achats ont augmenté jusqu,au début de l'école élémentaire et ont commencéà décliner à la fin de l'école élémentaire. Notre hypothèse en U inversé supposant des effets du niveau de développement sur le comportement coercitif fut aussi appuyée : le comportement coercitif fut le plus élevé chez les enfants d'âge préscolaire. Plus l'âge augmentait et plus les enfants étaient susceptibles d'être impliqués dans le processus décisionnel d'achat, et la communication parent-enfant résultait plus souvent en l,achat d'un produit. Finalement, l'écoute télévisuelle des enfants était la variable explicative (positive) la plus importante de leurs tentatives d,influence des achats. Abstract Beobachtung von kaufbezogener Elternteil-Kind-Kommunikation in Einzelhandelsumgebungen: Eine Entwicklungs- und Sozialisationsperspektive In einer quantitativen Beobachtungsstudie untersuchten wir verdeckt die kaufbezogene Kommunikation zwischen Kindern (0-12 Jahre) und einem Elternteil (N=269 Dyaden) während ihres Besuchs im Supermarkt oder Spielzeugladen. Ziele der Studie waren: a) die Entwicklung von kaufbezogener Kommunikation zwischen Elternteil und Kind und b) den relativen Einfluss verschiedener Sozialisationsvariablen (z.B. Fernsehnutzung, Familienkommunikationsmuster) auf diese Variablen zu untersuchen. Unsere umgekehrte U-Hypothese bezüglich des Einflusses des Entwicklungsstadiums auf den Grad der Einflussnahmeversuche auf den Kauf wurde gestützt: Die Einflussnahmeversuche nahmen bis zur frühen Grundschulzeit zu und gingen in der späten Grundschulzeit zurück. Unsere umgekehrte U-Hypothese bezüglich des Einflusses des Entwicklungsstadiums auf erzwingendes Verhalten wurde auch bestätigt: erzwingendes Verhalten von Kindern war am stärksten im Vorschulalter. Mit zunehmendem Alter wurden Kinder mehr in Kaufentscheidungsprozesse einbezogenen und die Eltern-Kind-Kommunikation resultierte häufiger im Kauf des Produkts. Letztendlich zeigte sich, dass das Fernsehnutzungsverhalten der Kinder der wichtigste (positive) Prädiktor für Kaufeinflussversuche war. Resumen Observando la Comunicación entre Padres y Niños durante las Compras en los Ambientes de Venta al por Menor: Una Perspectiva de Desarrollo y Socialización En un estudio de observación cuantitativa, examinamos de manera discreta la comunicación relacionada con la compra entre niños de 0- a 12-anos de edad y sus padres (N= 269 dúos) durante sus visitas al supermercado y las tiendas de juguetes. Los propósitos de este estudio fueron determinar (a) el desarrollo de la comunicación entre padres e hijos durante las compras (a saber, los intentos de los niños de influir en la compra, el comportamiento coercitivo, la comunicación iniciada por los padres), y (b) la influencia relativa de las diferentes variables de socialización (a saber, exposición a la televisión, pautas de comunicación familiar) sobre estas variables de comunicación. Nuestra hipótesis U invertida para los efectos del nivel de desarrollo sobre los intentos de influencia de compra recibieron apoyo: Los intentos de los niños de influir en la compra incrementaron hasta antes de la escuela primaria y comenzó a declinar más tarde en la escuela primaria. Nuestra hipótesis U invertida para los efectos del nivel de desarrollo sobre el comportamiento coercitivo recibieron apoyo: El comportamiento coercitivo fue mayor durante la etapa pre-escolar. Con el aumento de la edad, los niños se involucraron más probablemente en el proceso de decisión de compra, y la comunicación padre-hijo resultó más a menudo en la compra de un producto. Finalmente, la exposición de los niños a la televisión fue el vaticinador más importante (positivo) de sus intentos de influencia de compra. ZhaiYao Yo yak [source] Children with behaviour problems: the influence of social competence and social relations on problem stability, school achievement and peer acceptance across the first six years of schoolINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006Lisbeth Henricsson Abstract The aims of the present study were to investigate the role for problematic children of the child's social competence, teacher relations and behaviour with peers for later problem persistence, school performance and peer acceptance, in terms of moderating (protective and exacerbating) and independent effects. Groups of children with externalizing (n=26) and internalizing (n=25) problems and a non-problematic group (n=44) were followed from grade 1,6. Teachers rated behaviour problems and social competence in the first, third and sixth grades, the teacher,child relationship in third grade, and school achievement in sixth grade. Behaviour with peers was assessed in observations in later elementary school. Peer acceptance was assessed through peer nominations in sixth grade. Both problem groups had lower social competence, school achievement and peer acceptance in sixth grade than the non-problematic group. There were moderating and independent effects of social competence, teacher and peer relations on outcomes, but these applied mainly to children with internalizing problems. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Perceptions of parent-child attachment, social self-efficacy, and peer relationships in middle childhoodINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2003Priscilla K. Coleman Abstract Relationships among attachment to each parent, children's social self-efficacy, and the quality of peer relations (attachment to peers and perceptions of victimization) were explored with 67 fifth and sixth graders (31 female) attending a rural elementary school. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed main effects for gender and attachment to mother relative to the attachment to peers variable, with girls and more securely attached children reporting higher quality attachment to peers. Main effects were also detected for gender and attachment to father relative to social self-efficacy, with girls and more securely attached children exhibiting higher self-efficacy. No main effects were observed relative to the peer victimization variable. None of the interaction effects involving gender and attachment to each parent relative to attachment to peers, peer victimization, and social self-efficacy were significant. Finally, evidence for mediation of attachment to father on attachment to peers by children's social self-efficacy was revealed. Implications of the results are discussed and ideas for future research are provided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Early Head Start: Investigations, insights, and promiseINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1-2 2002JoAnn L. Robinson The authors review the significance of the research summarized in this special issue, including activities that contribute to successful university,community partnerships. The promise of Early Head Start (EHS) will be realized if investigators focus on moderators and mediators of program effects, program quality, and linkages between Early Head Start and community resources. Key factors that must be taken into account in the analysis of EHS program outcomes include assessing children's transitions to preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school; changes in family personal and social resources; the role of fathers in early child development; and the impact of family bilingualism. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Relationship between the curriculum system and the understanding of nutritional terms in elementary school childrenINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 4 2002Yoko Suzuki Abstract To clarify the relation between the curriculum system and the understanding of nutrition terms, 944 students aged 8,12 years living in Japan, the USA and the UK, were asked about the recognition, medium for recognition, and understanding of nutrition terms. The effect of nutrition education from an early stage in elementary schools in the UK and the USA was confirmed. These results suggest the possibility of beginning nutrition education earlier in the elementary school in Japan. American students had paid attention to food labels. These results showed that a learning and teaching strategy founded on comprehensively based subjects in the USA had influenced good behaviour for dietary life. On the other hand, there was not a relationship between an understanding of nutrition terms and a developmental stage. Many students in three countries were influenced by television commercials to buy candy or soda. We think that it is important to develop a curriculum that includes practical learning and ensures hours of teaching for the purpose of acquirement of nutritional knowledge. It is also necessary to encourage critical thinking skills to evaluate television commercial messages through school lessons. [source] Vasectomy within the public health services in Campinas, São Paulo, BrazilINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 2 2010N.M. Marchi rn MARCHI N.M., DE ALVARENGA A.T., OSIS M.J.D., DE AGUIAR GODOY H.M., SIMÕES E SILVA DOMENI M.F. & BAHAMONDES L. (2010) Vasectomy within the public health services in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. International Nursing Review57, 254,259 Objective:, To describe some of the characteristics of men who underwent a vasectomy in the public health network of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods:, A descriptive study including 202 men randomly selected from a list of all the men vasectomized between 1998 and 2004 in the public health network. Results:, Most of the men were 30 years of age or older when vasectomized, had completed elementary school and had two or more children of both sexes. Most of the men came from the lowest income segment of the population: 47.6% in 1998,1999 and 61.3% in 2003,2004. Although the men knew various contraceptive methods, 51.2% reported that their partners were using combined oral contraceptives at the time of surgery. Most men initially sought information on vasectomy at health-care clinics where care was provided by a multidisciplinary team; most received counselling, however, 47.9% of the men waited more than 4 months for the vasectomy. Conclusions:, The profile of the vasectomized men in this study appears to indicate that the low-income population from Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil has access to vasectomy; however, the waiting time for vasectomy reveals that difficulties exist in obtaining this contraceptive method in the public health service. [source] Association between level of education and oral health status in 35-, 50-, 65- and 75-year-oldsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 8 2003J. Paulander Abstract Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between educational level and dental disease, treatment needs and oral hygiene habits. Material and methods: Randomized samples of 35-, 50-, 65- and 75-year-olds, classified according to the educational level: [low (LE): elementary school or higher (HE)], were identified. In 1091 subjects, a number of characteristics such as (i) number of teeth, (ii) periodontal attachment levels (PAL), (iii) caries and (iv) occlusal function were recorded. Educational level, oral hygiene and dietary habits were self-reported. Non-parametric variables were analyzed by ,2, Mann,Whitney U,Wilcoxon's rank sum tests, and parametric variables by Student's t -test (level of significance 95%). A two-way anova was performed on decayed, missing and filled surfaces to investigate the interaction between age and educational level. All statistical procedures were performed in the SPSS© statistical package. Results: The number of remaining teeth was similar for LE and HE in the 35-year olds (25.8 versus 26.6), but in the older age groups LE had significantly a larger number of missing teeth. The LE groups (except in 65-year olds) exhibited significantly more PAL loss. LE had significantly fewer healthy gingival units in all but the 75-year age group. In all age groups, LE had fewer intact tooth surfaces and a significantly poorer occlusal function. The frequency of tooth cleaning measures and dietary habits did not differ between LE and HE. Conclusion: Educational level was shown to influence the oral conditions and should be considered in assessing risk, and in planning appropriate preventive measures. Zusammenfassung Ziel: Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war die Evaluation der Verbindung zwischen Bildungsniveau und Erkrankungen der Zähne, Behandlungsnotwendigkeit und oralen Hygienegewohnheiten. Material und Methoden: Randomisierte Gruppen von 35-, 50-, 65- und 75-Jährigen, die entsprechend ihres Bildungsniveau: niedriges Niveau (LE): Grundschule oder höheres Niveau (HE) klassifiziert wurden, wurden gebildet. Bei 1091 Personen wurden eine Anzahl von Charakteristika aufgezeichnet: (i) Anzahl der Zähne, (ii) parodontales Stützgewebeniveau (PAL), (iii) Karies, (iv) okklusale Funktion. Bildungsniveau, orale Hygiene und Eßgewohnheiten wurden selbst erfasst. Parameterfreie Variable wurden mit dem Chi-Quadrat test, dem Mann,Whitney U,Wilcoxon Rangsummentest und die parametergebundenen Variablen mit dem Student t -test (Signifikanz-Niveau 95 %) analysiert. Die Zwei-Wege ANOVA wurde auf dem DMF-s durchgeführt, um die Beziehung zwischen Alter und Bildungsniveau zu untersuchen. Alle statistischen Berechnungen wurden mit dem SPSS Statistik Programm vorgenommen. Ergebnisse: Die Anzahl der verbliebenen Zähne war zwischen LE und HE ähnlich bei den 35-Jährigen (25.8 vs. 26.6), aber in den älteren LE-Gruppen waren signifikant höhere Zahlen für fehlende Zähne. Die LE-Gruppen (ohne die 65-Jährigen) zeigten signifikant größeren PAL Verlust. LE hatten signifikant weniger gingivale Gesundheit bei den 75-Jährigen. In allen Altersgruppen hatten die LE weniger intakte Zahnoberflächen und signifikant geringere okklusale Funktion. Die Häufigkeit der Zahnreinigung und die Eßgewohnheiten unterschieden sich zwischen LE und HE nicht. Schlussfolgerung: Das Bildungsniveau hat einen Einfluss auf die oralen Bedingungen und sollte bei der Erfassung des Risikos und bei der Planung geeigneter Präventionsmaßnahmen beachtet werden. Résumé But: Le but de cette étude était d'évaluer l'association entre niveau d'éducation et maladie dentaire, besoins de traitement et habitudes d'hygiène orale. Matériel et méthodes: Des échantillons randomisés de sujets âgés de 35-, 50-, 65- et 75 ans, classés selon leur niveau d'éducation: [Bas (LE): école élémentaire, ou élevé (HE)] furent identifiés. Chez 1091 sujets, on a enregistré les caractéristiques suivantes: (i) nombre de dents, (ii) niveau d'attache parodontal (PAL), (iii) caries et (iv) fonction occlusale. Le niveau d'éducation, l'hygiène orale, et les habitudes alimentaires étaient rapportés par les patients eux-même. Les variables non paramétriques furent analysées par les tests chi carré, Mann,Whitney U,Wilcoxon rank sum, et les variables paramétriques par le test t de Student (niveau de signification 95%). 2-way ANOVA fut réalisé sur le DMFS pour rechercher l'interaction entre l'âge et le niveau d'éducation. Toutes les opérations statistiques furent menées par utilisation de SPSS©. Résultats: le nombre de dents restantesétait semblable pour LE et HE chez les sujets de 35 ans (25.8 vs. 26.6), mais dans les groupes plus âgés, LE présentait un nombre significativement plus important de dents absentes. Le groupe LE (sauf chez les patients de 65 ans) présentait plus de perte de PAL. LE présentait moins d'unités gingivales saines sauf dans le groupe de patients âgés de 75 ans. Dans tous les groupes d'âge, LE avait moins de surfaces dentaires intactes et une fonction occlusale significativement plus faible. La fréquence des mesures de nettoyage dentaire et les habitudes alimentaires n'étaient pas différentes entre les groupes LE et HE. Conclusion: Il est montré que le niveau d'éducation influence les conditions orales et cela doit être pris en considération lors de la mise en évidence du risque et dans la planification de mesures de prévention appropriées. [source] Neighborhood social processes and academic achievement in elementary schoolJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Ronya Emory To examine how neighborhood characteristics influence academic achievement, data were drawn from a community survey of low-income neighborhoods and linked with data on performance on standardized testing for third-grade students attending elementary schools in those communities. Results of multilevel logistic regressions indicated that probability of passing the reading portion of the test was associated with high neighborhood expectations for educational attainment and high collective socialization. Contrary to expectations, higher probability of passing reading was associated with higher fear of victimization and retaliation. Passing rates for the mathematics portion of the test were greater in neighborhoods with high levels of collective efficacy. Neighborhood economic impoverishment was not a significant predictor of passing after adjusting for neighborhood social characteristics. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Impact of neighborhood disadvantage on overt behavior problems during early childhoodAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 3 2007Emily B. Winslow Abstract Researchers have yet to examine the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on early child behavior problems (BPs) longitudinally. We examined the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on overt BPs in a low-income, urban sample of 281 African American and European American boys followed longitudinally from toddlerhood to school entry. Measures included census data and maternal report of BPs, sociocultural factors, parental criminality, and maternal depressive symptomatology. After controlling for age 2 overt BPs, family selection variables, and residential instability, neighborhood effects on boys' behavior emerged, but only at age 6 and only at the extreme of neighborhood disadvantage (i.e., underclass). Findings suggest boys in underclass neighborhoods are at risk for overt BPs as they make the transition to elementary school. Aggr. Behav. 33:1,13, 2007.© 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The modality effect tested in children in a user-paced multimedia environmentJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 2 2010M.J. Witteman Abstract The modality learning effect proposes that learning is enhanced when information is presented in both the visual and the auditory domains (e.g. pictures and spoken information) compared with presenting information solely in the visual channel (e.g. pictures and written text). Most of the evidence for this effect comes from adults in a laboratory setting. Therefore, we tested the modality effect with 80 children in the highest grade of elementary school in a naturalistic setting. In a between-subjects design, the children either saw representational pictures with speech or representational pictures with text. Retention and transfer knowledge was tested at three moments: immediately after the intervention, one day after and after one week. The present study did not find any evidence for a modality effect in children when the lesson was learner-paced. Instead, we found a reversed modality effect directly after the intervention for retention. A reversed modality effect was also found for the transfer questions one day later. This effect was robust, even when controlling for individual differences. [source] Work Choices of Mothers in Families with Children with DisabilitiesJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2002Shirley L. Porterfield This study used a sample of single and married mothers with children under the age of 20 drawn from the 1992 and 1993 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine one facet of the economic implications a child with disabilities brings to a family. Specifically, the choice of women with children to work full time, part time, or not at all was estimated as a function of individual and family characteristics, including the number and ages of children with disabilities. The presence of young children, with or without disabilities, has a significant negative influence on the work choice of both single and married mothers. However, once children enter elementary school, single mothers with disabled or nondisabled children and married mothers with nondisabled children are significantly more likely to enter the labor market or increase their labor market hours than are married mothers of school-age children with disabilities. [source] The impact of a collaborative family/school reading programme on student reading rateJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 1 2002Lisa Kelly-Vance Student reading skills are below grade level in many schools and professionals are constantly searching for new ideas to enhance reading curricula. To address this problem in one elementary school, a parent/school reading programme was implemented. Parents were encouraged to increase the amount of time spent reading with their children at home and the school provided easily accessible reading materials, suggestions for encouraging reading at home, prizes and special activities. Programme participants demonstrated a higher increase in reading rate and accuracy than the matched peers. Prior to implementation and at the end of the reading programme, parents and students who chose to participate in the programme reported positive attitudes toward reading together. Implications of these results are discussed and an emphasis is placed on expanding research in the area. [source] System thinking skills at the elementary school levelJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2010Orit Ben-Zvi Assaraf Abstract This study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the elementary school level. It addresses the question of whether elementary school students can deal with complex systems. The sample included 40 4th grade students from one school in a small town in Israel. The students studied an inquiry-based earth systems curriculum that focuses on the hydro-cycle. The program involved lab simulations and experiments, direct interaction with components and processes of the water cycle in the outdoor learning environment and knowledge integration activities. Despite the students' minimal initial system thinking abilities, most of them made significant progress with their ability to analyze the hydrological earth system to its components and processes. As a result, they recognized interconnections between components of a system. Some of the students reached higher system thinking abilities, such as identifying interrelationships among several earth systems and identifying hidden parts of the hydrological system. The direct contact with real phenomena and processes in small scale scenarios enabled these students to create a concrete local water cycle, which could later be expanded into large scale abstract global cycles. The incorporation of outdoor inquiry-based learning with lab inquiry-based activities and knowledge integration assignments contributed to the 4th grade students' capacity to develop basic system thinking abilities at their young age. This suggests that although system thinking is regarded as a high order thinking skill, it can be developed to a certain extent in elementary school. With a proper long-term curriculum, these abilities can serve as the basis for the development of higher stages of system thinking at the junior,high/middle school level. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 540,563, 2010 [source] Early elementary students' development of astronomy concepts in the planetariumJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 2 2009Julia D. Plummer Abstract The National Science Education Standards [National Research Council (1996) National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press] recommend that students understand the apparent patterns of motion of the sun, moon and stars by the end of early elementary school. However, little information exists on students' ability to learn these concepts. This study examines the change in students' understanding of apparent celestial motion after attending a planetarium program using kinesthetic learning techniques. Pre- and post-interviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first and second grade students (N,=,63). Students showed significant improvement in knowledge of all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program. This suggests that students in early elementary school are capable of learning the accurate description of apparent celestial motion. The results also demonstrate the value of both kinesthetic learning techniques and the rich visual environment of the planetarium for improved understanding of celestial motion. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 192,209, 2009 [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||