A growing number of indjviduals in this country, who share a common background, are gaining academic success, accessing work-related training, further and higher education, and entering rewarding occupations. Their common background is home-schooling. They have received all or part of their 'compulsory' years of education at home. This is a study of a small number of such individuals aged sixteen and over. I include case studies of their family's home-schooling experiences and focus on the legacy that this 'alternative' education has provided for their transition into 'institutionalised' learning - at school, college, university or workplace. I explore political, historical and philosophical perspectives of the 'movement', which has escalated rapidly in the USA over the past twenty years and is gaining impetus in the UK. Views expressed by Education Authority officers, teachers and employers also help me to frame my inquiry into whether this educational provision presents an appropriate rather than (as I initially viewed it ) a radical alternative to school. As well as revealing the development of my understanding of this multifaceted, alternative form of 'child-centred' education, this study also examines the methodological complexities of the inquiry.

När det är dags för ett barn att överflyttas från en barnintensivvårdsavdelning (BIVA) till en vanlig vårdavdelning lämnas en känd miljö med känd personal och noggrann monitorering för att påbörja en ny fas på ett okänt ställe. Denna nya fas kan för föräldrarna representera förbättring av barnets hälsa och ett steg närmare hem, men är också initialt en period av oro, stress och rädsla. Studiens syfte var att beskriva föräldrars upplevelser av överflyttning av sitt barn från BIVA till vårdavdelning. En kvalitativ metod användes med intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod där fem föräldrar intervjuades. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys valdes som analysmetod. Resultatet visar att information om vårdavdelningen, möjligheter för smärtlindring till barnet och innehåll i det som överrapporteras var viktigast för att känna kontroll och trygghet. Det sågs stora skillnader mellan BIVA och avdelningen men överflyttningen upplevdes även som ett positivt steg för förbättring och hemgång. Föräldrarna hade överlag en positiv upplevelse av överflyttningen. Kontroll och trygghet är viktigt vårdtiden igenom och så också under överflyttningen. Den minskade vårdnivån innebar att föräldrar fick ta ett större egenansvar.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that represents a serious health issue that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Although FDA-approved vaccines for the prevention against the majority of strains responsible for cervical cancer and genital warts have been available for many years, immunization rates remain low. This study will consider cervical cancer as the main consequence of HPV and thus will investigate parents of daughters. This is of particular relevance to Arizona, given the large Hispanic population and the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the incidence, mortality and survival of cervical cancer when compared to the national average. Administration of the three-dose series is recommended for girls and boys beginning at 12 years of age. The target population of this study was parents as the HPV vaccine necessitates parental consent and immunization rates remain low. This study specifically aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Hispanic parents in Maricopa County toward the HPV vaccine in efforts to identify barriers to immunization and create future implications for practice. Findings were consistent with previous literature: Hispanic parents exhibited suboptimal knowledge regarding HPV and HPV vaccination. Specific opportunities for education include the etiology, transmission and health consequences of HPV. Despite many areas for education, the majority of Hispanic parents indicated they would follow their health providers' recommendation on vaccination.

No description available.

This thesis reports on a study which investigated the impact of the decisionmaking process under the remit of the Education Act 1996 s. 19, on local education authority (LEA) arrangements for educating children out of school by reason of illness in order to contribute to policy development in the area of parental involvement. A multiple site case study of the administration of exceptional provision in English LEAs was conducted. Fifteen contrasting LEAs were contacted. Seven LEAs volunteered (two shire counties; one metropolitan district; one unitary and three London). Twenty one LEA professionals who were responsible for hospital and home tuition services, and 35 parents of 35 children (24 children residing in case study LEAs; 11 children residing in non case study LEAs) volunteered to participate in the study. In-depth qualitative data were collected between March 1998 and March 1999 by means of semi-structured interviews and document collation. Overall, the dataf rom parentss uggestedth at diversity existedi n the type and quality of provision, but less diversity existed in the quantity of provision that pupils received.C onsistencye xistedi n the pragmaticn ature of factors related to the outcomes described by parents, and the data from LEA documentsa ndp rofessionals'p erceptionsE. nabling legislation and inconsistentl evels of accountabilitya llowed LEA professionalss ubstantial discretion in decisions about the type of provision that pupils received and the quality of the arrangementsT. he diversity of family provision contributed to the diversity of the outcomes for pupils also. The dataf rom LEA professionalss uggestedth at the main effectso f professionald ecision-makingin the administrationo f provision were rationing and displacement of responsibility to the school and parents. Given the pragmatic nature of factors responsible for the diversity in the type and quality of LEA provision that pupils received, together with evidenceo f rationing the quantity of resourcesa llocated,t he study concluded that the determining factor influencing professional decisionmaking was inadequater esourcesto fund LEA provision. The dataf rom LEA documents,p rofessionalsa ndp arentss uggestedth at the main effects of the informal involvement of parents in professional decision making was parental influence on the type and quality of provision, but not the quantity of LEA provision. Given the limiting factor of inadequate resources and the lack of influence of parents on the quantity of LEA resources allocated, it was likely that financial pressure within the LEA caused the displacement of responsibility for provision to schools. The discourse of participants suggested that professionals were in control of the decision-making process and parents accepted responsibility to liaise between stakeholders. The diversity of parents' needs was related to the effectiveness of the parent to influence decisions or situations that impinged on the type of provision and quality of the arrangements that pupils received. The implicationso f the findings for decision-makersa nd possiblea reasf or policy development are discussed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.