The impact of self awareness during sexual activity has been widely discussed. However, research has been largely focused on the effects of performance anxiety in male erectile functioning. Based on research linking sexual difficulties to lower levels of body image, it has been suggested that physical appearance concerns may have a similar influence on sexual functioning in women as does men's self-awareness about erectile functioning. On the other hand, research has also shown that in some cases self awareness can improve sexual functioning among women. The role that physical appearance or awareness of one's body specifically may play in female sexual response has received little empirical attention. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of body image on sexual arousal response to erotica among 48 women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD). Women were randomized to one of two Body Image conditions: Positive Body Image or Negative Body Image. Each woman participated in two sessions: Experimental and Control. In the experimental sessions, participants were asked to adopt and attend to their positive or negative body parts, and a full-length mirror was placed in front of them. Self-reported mental arousal, perceptions of physical arousal, body awareness, body image, anxiety, and cognitive distraction were assessed. Results showed that in the negative and positive experimental sessions, women experienced increased mental and perceptions of physical sexual arousal compared to the control session. Findings were mainly accounted for by levels of body image and body awareness. There were no differences in anxiety or cognitive distraction. Findings suggest that body image and body awareness, whether positive or negative, can result in increased subjective sexual arousal response. / text

Phonological awareness is a set of language manipulation skills such as blending, rhyme, alliteration production and detection. There are disagreements among researchers how phonological awareness is connected to literacy learning and also how and if children with Down syndrome acquire phonological awareness. The specific phenotype of Down syndrome shows deficits in both short term memory and language development. It is therefore of great concern to investigate how children with Down syndrome acquire phonological awareness and later on literacy. The PhonicStick is a joystick that generates speech sounds. In this study, the PhonicStick was used in phonological awareness intervention in children with Down syndrome. It was compared to intervention with Praxis cards – an already existing picture material in Swedish speech and language therapy. The aim of the study was to investigate if children with Down syndrome can improve phonological awareness during a six week period, and if this was the case, was there a difference in effectiveness between the materials. Six children with Down syndrome participated in this cross-over study. The results indicated that some children can acquire phonological awareness during a six week period. However, it was not possible to address the effectiveness to a certain material. The preference among the children to play with PhonicStick, showed that this is a material that motivates the children to participate in intervention. If the PhonicStick is adapted to this population of children with Down syndrome, this material can be used for phonological awareness intervention in children with Down syndrome.

Phonemic awareness is the ability to attend to the formal, phonetic or phonemic, aspects of spoken language. Skill in analysis of speech sounds and synthesis of phonetic segments into real words has often been found to correlate with success in reading acquisition. The nature of this relationship was investigated by postulating a causal model for the effect of phonemic awareness in kindergarten on reading and spelling skill in the first school years. The quantitative implications of this model were estimated with path-analysis in a kindergarten - grade 3 passive observational study. In order to experimentally test the effect of phonemic awareness a 8 week training program in kindergarten was evaluated using a quasi- experimental design in field settings. The effects of this program were evaluated in kindergarten, in grade 1 and in grade 2. Methodological problems in evaluation research were discussed. The results from the quasi- experimental study was further elucidated applying structural equation modeling with latent variables (LISREL). Clear effects of the training program were found on phonemic awareness tasks in grade 1 and on spelling in grade 2. More subtle effects were found on reading and spelling of simple words in grade 1. No effect was found on rapid silent word decoding. The LISREL analysis was interpreted in favour of a model with phonemic awareness effecting phonological processing which in turn is essential for the early reading development. The results were interpreted as supporting an interactive-compensatory limited capacity model of reading. Phonemic awareness helps the child to understand the alphabetical principle and ensures the development of an effective system for representing written language. Trained children find it easier to learn spelling-sound relations. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., härtill 5 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu

Remediation of skills deficient in students with dyslexia typically occurs via withdrawal interventions focusing on phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge. While one-on-one interventions are widely used, little attention has been paid to the alternative teaching approach of integrating multiple linguistic component interventions within the classroom. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of using word study within the classroom on the spelling skills of students with dyslexia. The study was divided into two parts: 1) examining the efficacy of incorporating a small group multiple linguistic intervention within the classroom on the spelling skills of 9-year-old students with dyslexia, and if there were similar effects for reading abilities; and 2) analysing the effects of word study instruction at the whole group level on student spelling. Two case study students (both 9-years of age) with dyslexia underwent small group multiple linguistic intervention, and were monitored for 8 weeks (3 days/week; 20 minutes/session) using baseline, intervention and post-intervention probes. Whole group word study instruction was enacted in a Year 4/5 classroom for 8 weeks (1 day/week; 1 hour/session), and the spelling performance of the 9-year-old students (i.e., n = 7) were compared to same age students from a control classroom (i.e., n = 7) in pre-post assessments. Both small group intervention case study students demonstrated significant improvements in spelling, yet minimal improvement was seen for reading. Whole group comparisons indicated no significant improvement. The findings for this study have implications for: a) research on effective interventions for older children with dyslexia, and b) the practical use of spelling interventions that are designed to co-exist within classroom instruction.

International studies of reading achievement demonstrate that significant inequalities in reading outcomes continue to exist among some of the world’s wealthiest countries, despite strong investment in initiatives directed towards raising literacy achievement for all children (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation—UNESCO, 2009; United Nations Children’s Fund—UNICEF, 2010). One approach towards the elevation of reading achievement is to investigate how key predictors of reading success are incorporated into everyday classroom literacy practices. Phonological awareness (PA) is widely recognised as a powerful predictor and underlying precursor to early reading success for both typically developing and at-risk readers (Al Otaiba, Kosanovich, & Torgesen, 2012; Blachman, Ball, Black, & Tangel, 2000; Goswami, 2001; Pressley, 2006). A majority of research demonstrating the benefits of PA to literacy growth has been conducted under controlled research settings outside of the classroom environment (Ehri, Nunes, Willows, Schuster, Yaghoub-Zadeh, & Shanahan, 2001; Gillon, 2000a, 2005; Gillon & McNeill, 2009), and thus less is known about whether such benefits hold true when integrated into the heterogeneous classroom setting. For this reason, four experiments reported in this thesis investigated whether PA can be efficiently and effectively integrated into the classroom literacy programme with the overarching aim of raising reading achievement and equalising reading outcomes for the majority of children in the first year of formal education. In the first experiment (reported in Chapter 3), time-efficiency and congruency of scores between a computer-based PA screening and monitoring tool (described in Chapter 2) and a paper-based equivalent were examined. Thirty-three children aged between four years 10 months and five years zero months participated in the study, 12 of whom presented with moderate-severe speech delay (MSD). Participants were randomly allocated to either Group A or Group B experimental assessment conditions. A crossover research design was employed where Group A received the paper-based version of the PA assessment followed two weeks later by the equivalent computer-based assessment (CBA). Group B received the same assessments but in the reverse order of delivery. That is, the computer-based PA assessment first followed two weeks later by the paper-based counterpart. Results demonstrated that: 1) the CBA generated comparable scores to the paper-based equivalent for both children with typical development and children with MSD, and 2) CBA took 31 per cent less time than paper-based administration. These results demonstrate that CBA can provide educators with a time-efficient approach to the screening and monitoring of PA development in the classroom while maintaining equivalency of scores with paper-based testing. Having established the time-efficiency of CBA, the next step was to investigate the use of the computer-based PA screening and monitoring tool as part of the beginning classroom reading programme. In the second experiment (reported in Chapter 4), the influence of a short and intensive period of teacher-implemented classroom PA instruction on reading outcomes in the first year of education was investigated. One-hundred and twenty-nine children aged five-years participated in the study. Using a quasi-experimental design, thirty-four children in two classrooms received 10 weeks of PA instruction from their teachers, as an adjunct to the ‘usual’ reading programme. Ninety-five children from 10 classrooms continued with the ‘usual’ reading programme, which included phonics instruction but did not target PA. Results demonstrated that children exposed to classroom PA instruction performed significantly higher on reading and spelling measures compared to children who received the ‘usual’ reading programme only. Of importance, the number of children experiencing word decoding difficulties after one year of schooling reduced from 26 per cent among children who followed the ‘usual’ reading programme to 6 per cent among children who received classroom PA instruction. These results provide evidence that a short and intensive period of classroom-wide PA instruction in the first year of schooling can have a positive influence on raising reading achievement. In the third experiment (reported in Chapter 5), the effect of classroom PA instruction on raising reading achievement and reducing inequality in literacy outcomes for children with spoken language impairment (SLI) was examined. The data from 129 five-year-old children who participated in the second experiment were extracted and analysed. End-of-year reading outcomes between children with SLI who received classroom PA instruction (n = 7) was compared to: 1) children with typical language development (TD) who received classroom PA instruction (n = 27), 2) children with SLI who followed the ‘usual’ reading programme (n = 21), and 3) children with TD who followed the ‘usual’ reading programme (n = 74). Children with SLI who received classroom PA instruction showed significant improvements in PA, reading and spelling acquisition immediately and up to six months following PA instruction. However, this cohort, in comparison to children with TD, appeared less able to transfer their enhanced PA knowledge to reading and writing tasks. Of importance, children with SLI who received PA instruction performed significantly higher than children with SLI who followed the ‘usual’ reading curriculum; and on par with children with TD who followed the ‘usual’ reading programme. Children with TD who received classroom PA instruction significantly outperformed all other cohorts in this experiment on end-of year reading measures. These results indicate that both children with TD and children with risk for reading difficulties can benefit from classroom-wide teacher-directed PA instruction. These findings have positive implications for elevating reading achievement and reducing inequality between good and poor readers. In the fourth experiment (reported in Chapter 6), the validity and reliability of the computer-based PA screening and monitoring tool was investigated and established. Using a longitudinal research design, the responses of 95 children to test items in the CBA at the start, middle and end of the first year at school were collated and analysed to provide evidence of content, construct and criterion validity, in addition to test-retest and internal consistency reliability. A number of statistical analyses were employed including Rasch Model analysis, exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results demonstrated that the majority of test items were appropriate for five-year-old children in the first year of school and sampled a spectrum of ability levels that would be present in a typical classroom environment. Rhyme oddity, initial phoneme identity and letter-knowledge tasks were most appropriate at school-entry while tasks of final phoneme identity, phoneme blending and phoneme segmentation became more suitable by the middle and end stages of the first year at school. Importantly, performance on the CBA predicted end-of-year reading status with 94 per cent accuracy, and in conjunction with language abilities accounted for 68.9 per cent of the variance in end-of-year reading performance. These findings indicate that the computer-based PA screening and monitoring tool developed and applied in this thesis has sufficient validity and reliability to be used confidently as a time-efficient assessment tool in the classroom. The results from the experiments reported in this thesis provide evidence that PA can be efficiently and effectively integrated into the beginning classroom reading programme from two complementary perspectives: 1) through use of computer-based screening and monitoring of PA skills, and 2) through implementation of a short and intensive period of teacher-directed classroom-wide PA instruction. The results reported in this thesis demonstrate that the evidenced-based integration of key predictors of literacy success, such as PA, into existing classroom programmes can support national and international initiatives that seek to raise reading achievement and reduce inequalities in literacy outcomes for all children.

Der Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten Umfrage zum Thema Internet-Awareness – Risikokompetenz und Risikowahrnehmung im Umgang mit neuen Technologien – vor. Im Versuch der Einordnung werden drei Cluster identifiziert: der Mischtyp Sorglos- & Benefit-Nutzer (Typ C), der eher Kontrollgläubige-Nutzer (Typ B) und der Awareness-Nutzer (Typ A). Der große Teil der befragten Web-2.0-Nutzer, mehr als 82 %, scheint sich der mit dem Internet verbundenen Risiken bewusst und gibt an, sich dementsprechend verantwortungsvoll zu verhalten (Mensch 3.0). Jedoch stellt sich die Frage: Handeln wir tatsächlich so verantwortungsbewusst? Muss Internet-Awareness verstärkt auf den Lehrplan?

Att utveckla och bibehålla situation awareness (SA) är en av de mest kritiska utmaningar i en stab i dagens konflikter. Det får avgörande betydelse för utgången av en konflikt. Om SA hanteras eller förstås felaktigt kan det leda till ökat mänskligt lidande i konfliktområden och förluster av människoliv. Det ökande internationella samarbetet gör att planeringsofficeren förutsätts kunna hantera flera olika processer. Syftet med uppsatsen var att jämföra och belysa skillnader hur SA skapas inom olika planeringsprocesser, samt vad försvårar utväxlingen av SA mellan processerna. Detta återspeglas i form av likheter och skillnader mellan planeringsmodellerna SPL, MCPP och COPD. Resultatet visar att det fanns stor likhet mellan processerna men det fanns också avgörande skillnader. I SA nivå 1 fanns en diskrepans mellan begreppen Centre of Gravity, caveats och gender. I SA nivå 2 skiljer bearbetningsprocesserna mellan planeringsmodellerna. I SA nivå 3 fanns den största och mest avgörande skillnaden där det kan konstateras att planeringsprocesserna inte utgår från samma byggstenar när det gäller att bygga planen. Medvetenhet och insikt för de olika planeringsprocessernas särart minskar risken för missförstånd.

Neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) represent the physiological processes related to consciousness and awareness. Consciousness is theorized as a recurrent process of integration between separate but specialized brain areas. Previous research has used electroencephalography (EEG) to locate NCCs of sensory awareness in vision through event-related potentials (ERPs). Two ERP components thought to represent visual awareness are the visual awareness negativity (VAN) and late positivity (LP). VAN and LP have been extensively studied, yet little research has been conducted in other sensory modalities. In this study, the presence of an auditory awareness negativity (AAN) and associated LP is investigated in 23 subjects using EEG. To avoid false positives in data analysis, two research hypotheses were preregistered. The results indicate that auditory LP does occur, but that AAN does not, in hypothesized intervals. However, the data suggest that AAN may occur at a later interval. Possible attributes of the later interval are discussed. In sum, the data provide results consistent with recurrent theories of sensory awareness.

The focus of this research study is on establishing emotional awareness in the child in her middle childhood that finds herself in a children's home. Emphasis is placed on the effect that structured Gestalt group therapy has on the development of emotional awareness in the child in a children's home and how it can be utilized to positively support the process of emotional awareness. The main aim of the study is to investigate, evaluate and describe the impact of structured gestalt group therapy on the emotional awareness of the child in a children's home, for play therapists to use within this context. / SOCIAL WORK / MDIAC (PLAY THERAPY)

The role played by Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre (SEEC) in the development of environmental awareness to its neighbouring schools has been established, described and explored. Schoemansdal's role was evaluated in relation to what other environmental education centers around the world are doing as strategies of developing environmental awareness to their neighbouring schools and communities. Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre acted as a case study and its findings are supplemented by valuable data from seventeen schools, which were selected in the Zoutpansberg West Circuit by the researcher. The sole aim was to enhance information gathered at Schoemansdal EEC with regard to its role of making the neighbouring schools aware of environmental issues. Although the research question has been adequately explored, the study does not claim to be exhaustive and without limitations. The recommendations made by the study, based on the findings will be of value to environmental officers, environmental educationists, teachers and education policy makers involved with EE implementation in formal education. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Environmental Education)