Graduation date: 2004

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Includes survey instruments. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 108-126)

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 106 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-61).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-184).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Judith Niemeyer; submitted to the Dept. of Specialized Education Services. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jun. 7, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 202-213).

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-51).

M.Ed. (Adult Education) / To address the need for early childhood education in a small rural settlement in Gauteng, South Africa, a crèche was established by external development agents with corporate donor funding. Three untrained mothers from the community volunteered as lay practitioners at the crèche. An organic process of training of these teachers and of developing a curriculum ensued. From the challenges presented by and the tensions arising from this initial process the following research questions emerged: What is the process of developing an (organic) ECD curriculum with practitioner training in a rural community? and; What are the emerging tensions in such a process and how are they managed in Participatory Action Research (PAR) mode? A review of literature included aspects of early childhood education in South Africa and elsewhere and explored issues of community development, ECD and teacher development as well. Several examples of early childhood curriculum approaches from abroad and from Africa were compared and investigated for their possible relevance to the context of rural South Africa. The study was designed as a case and, because the situation at the site involved several stakeholders such as parents, development practitioners and the community committee, involved in a rural community development project, it predisposed the investigation to PAR as research design. Participation and collaboration between the researcher and all stakeholders through recurring cycles of planning, action and reflection distinguish the process of data collection of this inquiry. The perceptions and voices of the members of the community and the teachers form an integral part of this process. In-depth interviews with teachers, parents and the community leader; participant observation by the co-researcher, and documents and artefact collection were used as data collecting strategies. An inductive process of content analysis was employed during which the different data sets were first coded separately where after provisional categories were induced from the codes. The categories for the different data sets were then integrated and refined to themes. From these themes a pattern was identified from which the main findings of the inquiry were drawn. During the actual data collection process the researcher collaborated with a co-researcher who was also the teacher trainer. This collaboration served to address possible obstacles such as a language barrier and the challenges presented by the researcher‟s position as development practitioner. The participatory nature of this inquiry is further reiterated by the data sources that were selected. These include perceptions of different role players in the intervention, such as the teachers, parents, teacher-trainer, the development practitioners and community leader were elicited by means of some existing and some purposefully designed data sources. Because it was one of the main units of analysis for this study, the experiences of the teachers were explored in-depth over time and by means of data from several different data sources. Data from different sources were also integrated and the articulation of these different sources contributed to the validity of the study.

This study evaluated a novel perinatal health education program, entitled Preparing for Caring, teaching infant touch and handling skills for those who care for babies. Sensitive, attuned, and responsive interactions between caregivers and infants are crucial for the healthy development of foundational brain architecture. Research has confirmed that evidence-based perinatal health programs have the potential to increase the caregiver’s satisfaction and self-efficacy, to reduce anxiety about caring for a newborn, to increase the caregiver’s capacity to form an attachment bond with the infant, and to promote the infant’s health and development. The present study built upon evidence that nurturing touch is positively associated with brain development which positively impacts behavior, cognition, and the health trajectories of children from low-income urban and minority families who are more likely to experience disparities in lifespan health, including increased infant and maternal mortality. Caring and stimulus-rich environments, especially those promoted in intergenerational programs such as Early Head Start, offer “the most compelling evidence” for producing positive changes in both parents and children. The current study, providing perinatal parenting education within an urban Early Head Start (EHS) setting, was hypothesized to effect changes in parents that will positively influence their parenting skills during a critical period of neural and emotional growth and thereby positively influence their children’s development. Mixed-methods data were collected from EHS early childcare educators, parents and community caregivers, administrators, and the program developers. Analyses evaluated program fidelity, specifically in its translation to a new population and setting; identified barriers to and facilitators of implementation of the program; identified which program components were most likely to be accepted and incorporated into daily use by participants; and conducted and shared the results of a pilot study on what an impact evaluation of what participating in this program might look like for key outcomes (including caregiver self-efficacy and maternal self-esteem).

The infant feeding practices and associated environment of 49 infants (6-23 months) of migrant farm laborers in Northern Colorado were investigated during the summer of 1987. Information was collected on 1) breastfeeding practices, 2) introduction of foods and liquids, 3) nutrition and health practices and inadequacies, 4) home living environment, 5) health history, and 6) demographics. Data on the sources of food and nutrition information was collected regarding the 1) utilization of community food and nutrition programs and 2) input of relatives. A review of data results indicates that a number of nutrition education needs exist among migrant farm laborers concerning the feeding of their infants. Recommendations are made to help meet the nutrition education needs of migrant parents in Northern Colorado. / Master of Science

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