Thesis (M.S.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Open access. Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-52).

Thesis (M.P.H.)--Georgia State University, 2007. / Title from file title page. Russ Toal, committee chair; Michael Eriksen, Valerie Hepburn, committee members. Electronic text (102 p. : ill. (some col.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Mar. 26, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-73).

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Ernest Boyer's The Basic School: A Community for Learning (1995) aligns with other important research and programs that encourage parent involvement to maximize each child's educational potential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and to document the first steps undertaken by one school as it began to address Boyer's school as community priority by reaching out to an uninvolved parent population. Meaning was constructed from the perspective of the researcher who was an active participant in the process. Research questions included: 1) What happened when one school began to address the needs of its at-risk population by intentionally reaching out to involve the parents of these students in the life of the school? 2) How was this accomplished within the context of a school beginning to address the priorities of a "Basic School?" 3) What structures were created to facilitate the process and guide its progress? Teachers in the School as Community Family at Kizer Elementary School were the initial focus of this study. Additional groups with related purposes became part of the inquiry as the process unfolded. Transcripts, field notes, and related documents were collected from all relevant group meetings and outreach activities from June of 1997 through January of 1998. The process of data analysis yielded descriptive conceptual models and an interpretive narrative case study that follows a modified chronology of the communicative action steps undertaken by a group of educators readying themselves for outreach to an alienated parent population. This study produced practical implications for schools wishing to begin the steps toward increasing the level of family and community engagement with student learning. A case was made for self-reflective action to create opportunities for authentic conversation that can empower families to take greater initiative in the public education of their children. If schools can learn to build, support and sustain relationships with parents, particularly their at-risk populations, they might expect a greater level of success in educating their children. / Ed. D.

Individual differences in temperament can be a risk or a protective factor for a child, especially for children at-risk who possess single or multiple risk factors that may interfere with their educational success and affect their healthy development and their life-long outcomes. This research study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between temperament, school adjustment, and academic achievement in children at-risk. Seventy-seven children, ages five to 11 years, were reassessed two years after an initial study. Their teachers completed the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (TABC), the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), and reported on the children's academic achievement. The results for the concurrent relationships showed significant relationships between the children's temperament and their school adjustment; negative emotionality significantly correlated with and predicted school adjustment. Children's temperament was also found to have a significant relationship with academic achievement; persistence and activity level had significant correlations with academic achievement. Persistence, however, was the only predictor of academic achievement. In contrast, the longitudinal relationship between the children's temperament and their educational outcomes in terms of both school adjustment and academic achievement showed no significance. The concurrent relationships were found to be consistent with previous research; whereas the longitudinal relationships were found to vary from previous research. Implications for practice and considerations for future research directions are discussed.

This dissertation assesses the factors that lead to the emergence of infectious diseases in children, particularly the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and diarrheal pathogens in vulnerable pediatric populations. It includes three manuscripts. The initial study is a systematic review that summarized the role of antibiotic exposure on the acquisition of MDROs in children. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria and a positive association between prior antibiotic use and subsequent colonization or infection with an MDRO was identified in most studies. There were wide variations among study sites, populations, and definitions of antibiotic use and MDROs. Therefore, limited inferences could be made on which components of antibiotic exposure have the greatest impact on MDRO development. The second analysis examines the relationship between prior stay at a pediatric long-term care (LTC) facility and infection with an MDRO among hospitalized children. This study included 2,945 infections in 258,664 pediatric admissions from 2006 through 2016. At least 1 MDRO was identified in 10% of infections. Of the 1,198 children who had previously resided in a pediatric LTC facility, only 1 child (0.08%) had an MDRO infection. However, prior receipt of pediatric LTC was associated with an increased likelihood of infection (OR 2.4, CI95 1.66 – 3.43), C. difficile infection (OR 2.57, CI95 1.26 – 5.25), days of antibiotic use (OR 1.01, CI95 1.01 – 1.02), length of stay (OR 1.01, CI95 1.01 – 1.01), and death (OR 4.38, CI95 2.93 – 6.55). The concluding study evaluates the association between animals living in or near the home and diarrheal disease in children. This research is a secondary analysis of the Global Enteric Multicenter Study case control study, which investigated the epidemiology of diarrheal illness in children <5 in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Of 9,439 cases and 13,128 controls, 87% had ≥1 animal in their home. In a multivariable analysis adjusting for exclusive breastfeeding, water source, sanitation facility, number of children <5 years in the household, and wealth index, any animal on a child’s compound decreased the odds of diarrhea by 33% (aOR 0.66, CI95 0.59 – 0.74). However, children with diarrhea who had an animal present were not more likely to have a positive stool culture. Overall, the three studies provide a thorough analysis of several factors associated with the infectious disease emergence in children, particularly as related to MDROs and diarrheal disease. Environmental characteristics, including antibiotic use and interaction with animals, were shown to be important factors for emergent infectious disease across diverse settings. The development of pediatric infection prevention interventions should take into consideration environmental risk factors in order to effectively mitigate the risks posed infectious disease emergence.

Baksidestext Barnmisshandel är ett omfattande folkhälsoproblem med långsiktiga negativa konsekvenser för den enskilda individen och för samhället i stort. Förebyggande insatser kan vara livsavgörande för de utsatta barnen. Denna avhandlings övergripande syfte var att öka kunskapen om barn som riskerar att fara illa i sin hemmiljö samt att identifiera utmaningar i ett förebyggande perspektiv. Två områden har studerats: (1) Våld mot barn med långvarig sjukdom/funktionsnedsättning (2) Förskolan som upptäckande och stödjande arena Gemensamt för inriktningarna är att barn med långvarig sjukdom/funktionsnedsättning och barn i förskoleåldern utgör särskilt sårbara grupper, som löper ökad risk att fara illa i sin hemmiljö. De har också unik kontakt med professionella med möjlighet att upptäcka och agera vid oro. Avhandlingen bygger på fyra delstudier; en nationell kartläggning riktad till skolelever, en intervjustudie med föräldrar samt två förskolestudier. Resultaten från studierna diskuteras utifrån identifierade utmaningar i ett förebyggande perspektiv. Utmaningarna inkluderar emotionella hinder samt behov av ett mer nyanserat och proaktivt förhållningssätt för att kunna utveckla tidiga insatser till barn och föräldrar. / The aim with this thesis was to increase the knowledge about children at risk of maltreatment and to identify challenges in a preventive perspective. Two areas have been studied; Physical abuse of children with chronic conditions/disabilities and Detection and support within the pre-school environment.  Four data sets were used: a national survey of school children (I), an in-depth interview study with parents (II) and two pre-school studies (III, IV). I-II: Chronic conditions in children increase the risk for physical abuse, but vary with socio-economic circumstances. The highest risk for physical abuse was found among children with chronic conditions born outside Sweden. The subsequent study revealed direct risk factors related to parent and child (emotional demands in precarious situations), and indirect risk factors related to parent and professional (gradual shift in responsibility and emotionally closed environment) and social norms (taboo on talking about abuse). III-IV: Preschool staff suspected child maltreatment for two percent of the preschool children. In less than half of the cases, the parents were informed and a report to social services was made in a third of the cases. The most common reason for not making a report was that the staff believed that the pre-school had sufficient resources to help the child. In the subsequent study, preschool teachers’ concerns about the child’s home environment were explored in a broader perspective over a one year period. The study showed that concern for the children’s home situation related to increased concern for several aspects of children’s health and development, increased need of special support in preschool, insufficient contact with parents, and lower parental socioeconomic status. The results are discussed according to identified challenges in a preventive perspective. These include emotional obstacles for prevention and a need for a more nuanced and proactive professional approach to enable early support to children at risk of maltreatment and their parents.

Šalies statistika rodo, kad ne visos šeimos užtikrina vaikų gerovę ir tinkamai atlieka vaikų ugdymo ir socializacijos funkciją. Vaikai, augantys rizikos grupei priklausančiose šeimose, dažnai stokoja socialinių gebėjimų, kurie jiems leistų užmegzti ir palaikyti draugiškus santykius su bendraamžiais, konfliktus spręsti socialiai priimtinais būdais, dalyvauti įvairioje, socialiai prasmingoje veikloje. Neturėdami tinkamai išugdytų socialinių gebėjimų rizikos grupės vaikai dažnai linkę save nuvertinti, jie dažniau nei kiti vaikai patiria mokymosi, adaptacijos sunkumus, linkę užsiimti nusikalstama veikla. Šiame magistriniame darbe bandoma atskleisti rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymo ypatumus įgyvendinat „Savęs pažinimo“ programą. Tai svarbu vertinant šios grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų plėtotę juos įtraukus į socialines pratybas. Tyrimo tikslas: išnagrinėti ugdymo programos „Savęs pažinimas“ taikymo ypatumus rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymui. Rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymo ypatumams išnagrinėti buvo pasirinktas ugdymo projektas, kuriame dalyvavo septyni 9-12 metų vaikai, lankantys prevencinių programų studiją „Rafaelis“. Vieną mėnesį iki ugdymo projekto pradžios vaikai buvo stebimi įvairioje veikloje. Stebint buvo renkami duomenys apie vaiko psichosocialinius ypatumus. Remiantis surinkta informacija, vaikai suskirstyti į keturias grupes: 1 grupė - „tyleniai“ - tylūs, savimi nepasitikintys, nedrąsūs, neryžtingi vaikai; 2 grupė –... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The statistics of the country indicates that not every family guarantees the welfare of their children and carries out the function of children education and socialization in a proper way. The children being brought in families at risk very often lack social skills allowing them to establish and maintain friendly relations with their peers, to solve the arising conflicts in socially acceptable ways, to take part in various socially meaningful activities. Lacking properly educated social skills, the children at risk very often tend to devalue themselves, more often than other children they face learning difficulties or adaptation difficulties; tend to be involved in criminal acts. This final Master’s thesis tries to reveal the peculiarities of the education of social skills of the children at risk in the implementation of the programme “Self-cognition”. This is very important for the evaluation of the development of social abilities of these particular children after their involvement into social trainings. The aim of the research is to analyze the peculiarities of the application of the programme “Self-cognition” for the development of social skills of the children at risk. To analyze the peculiarities of the education of social skills of the children at risk an educational project was chosen which involved seven children aged between 9-12 and attending the club of preventive programmes “Rafaelis”. One month prior to the beginning of the educational project the children... [to full text]

Non attendance of school is a worldwide problem. It existed for ages. However it got to be comprehensive when we began to realize the policy (the law of education of Lithuania claims that all children and teenagers under 16 must attend school) of compulsory education. Many teachers and parents encounter unwillingness of children to learn and attend school and face the problem of nonattendance. While taking care of nonattendance of pupils, it is important to characterize them. These pupils usually have no wish to attend or attend not properly, commit crimes or stay in the street. At school they irritate teachers, prevent from giving lessons, have problems in learning. Such children feel repudiated by their friends, avoid showing their feelings and joking, they are unable to concentrate and are impulsive. Very often such children are either super responsible or having no responsibility at all. They are very difficult to communicate, don’t think about possible consequences, difficult to achieve aims. Not full and discordant families, use of drugs and alcohol in families, constant rows and conflicts between parents, lack of emotional relationship between parents and children, various mistakes of upbringing and other possible factors negatively influence child’s personality and forming of his interests. Organizing the activity of children we have to stimulate their interests, excite their curiosity and purposefully direct this activity. Intending to change the attitude of risk... [to full text]

This final work of postgraduate studies of educology is commited to the analysis of learning difficulties between children in the at-risk group both in the city and country schools in Lithuania. The goals of this work are to analyse scientific literature (pedagogical, psychological and sociological) about children at-risk and their learning difficulties, to complete practical research of these difficulties – to carry out practical survey (inquiry) about learning difficulties both in schools which are in the city and in the country, to analyse empirical data of survey (inquiry), to give conclusions and recommendations. The main scientifc methods which were used to complete this work were analysis of scientific literature and other documents (legal documents which describe status of children in the at-risk group). Also an empirical method - inquiry of children and their teachers – was used. Answers to the questions of this inquiry were processed with the help of computer programmes SPSS_10 and MS Excel. It is necessary to mention that the main results of this work are that it gives broad description of children in the at-risk group, describe their individual qualities, measure not attending of school as one of the most important pedagogical and psychological problems of children in the at-risk group, according to the statistical data describes a degree of this problem and also gives recommendations how to solve this problem. The work also gives analysis of influence of the... [to full text]