No description available.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL) intervention method to improve consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) reading in four students receiving Tier 3 services. The SEEL intervention method was also combined with the use of digital books on an iPad to investigate the effects of using technology in reading intervention sessions. Previous research indicates effectiveness for the foundational principles of SEEL, which include instruction in engaging, meaningful contexts that provide frequent and intense opportunities to practice. This research involved 4 kindergarten students who qualified for Tier 3 services based on their performance on an index of difficulty in early literacy skills. The study contrasted trained with untrained literacy targets of comparable difficulty and was conducted as a single-subject multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design. Intervention was delivered three times a week for 15-20 minutes, depending on the engagement of the participants. An analysis of the results showed improvement in three out of four participants in their reading ability of the target CVC words. It gave mixed results as to the effects of using technology in combination with the reading intervention. The analysis also looked at student engagement during both the hands-on manipulation of the materials and the reading and writing tasks performed on the iPad. It found that the engagement between these two parts of each session was similar; if a student had poor engagement for the SEEL intervention, he or she also had poor engagement for the iPad portion, and vice versa. This study provides further insight into the efficacy of SEEL and the use of technology; it also provides suggestions for future research in the area of reading intervention.

L'absentéisme au travail découlant des problèmes de santé psychologique est une problématique préoccupante pour les organisations d'aujourd'hui. Les facteurs organisationnels sont reconnus pour leur contribution au développement de ces problèmes de santé psychologique et pourtant, très peu d'interventions de type organisationnel prennent place dans les milieux de travail. La présente étude s'est intéressée à une intervention visant l'étape de la réinsertion professionnelle suite à un problème de santé psychologique.L'intervention avait comme but d'accompagner l'employé dans son processus de retour au travail en lui donnant l'opportunité de collaborer avec son supérieur immédiat dans la planification de son retour au travail. Le principal objectif était d'évaluer l'impact d'une stratégie d'accompagnement lors du retour au travail en comparant les perceptions de deux sous-groupes; l'un ayant bénéficié de la stratégie et l'autre non. Il semble que les employés du groupe cible ont vécu positivement leur expérience d'accompagnement et qu'ils évaluent plus favorablement que les autres les chances du succès à long terme de leur réinsertion professionnelle. Par ailleurs, il apparaît que les organisations auraient avantage à humaniser leurs pratiques en ce qui a trait au traitement des absences et des retours au travail. Collaborer avec l'employé dans le processus de planification et considérer son expérience et son vécu émotif apparaissent être des solutions gagnantes pour favoriser le succès de la réinsertion professionnelle de celui-ci.

Cette étude dévoile que les intervenants sociaux québécois ne sont pas familiers avec le terme autonégligence mais qu'ils sont néanmoins capables de parler du phénomène à partir de leurs expériences pratiques. Ils conçoivent le phénomène comme un manque de volonté ou une incapacité à prendre soin de soi-même, ce qui fait référence à une notion d'intention que nous avons retenue afin de proposer une définition qui s'appuie sur nos données empiriques. De plus, les participants à cette étude associent un potentiel de risque à la santé ou à la sécurité de l'aîné qui s'autonéglige ou encore à son environnement. Bien que la conception du phénomène par les participants ne fasse pas consensus, il ressort que l'autonégligence est nécessairement influencée socialement et culturellement. Le cadre théorique de Berger et Luckmann (1986) a été utilisé afin de reconstruire le sens donné par les participants au phénomène de l'autonégligence. Les principaux défis soulevés par les participants de notre étude sont : la gestion du risque, la collaboration de l'aîné, les pressions de l'environnement exercées sur l'intervenant social et l'intensité et la fréquence des services accordés à l'aîné et à son environnement. Pour relever ces quatre défis, en nous appuyant sur le cadre de référence de la compétence proposé par Le Boterf (2000), cette étude présente plusieurs ressources (savoirs) mobilisées dans l'intervention auprès des aînés qui s'autonégligent. Ces ressources ne sont pas toutes spécifiques à l'intervention dans ces situations mais elles traduisent la complexité du phénomène et de la pratique du travail social. Ensuite, nous inspirant des travaux de l'Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes familiaux et conjugaux du Québec (OPTSTCFQ), nous avons regroupé en quatre grandes familles les activités professionnelles mises de l'avant par nos participants dans ces situations: l'évaluation psychosociale, la planification de l'intervention, la réalisation de l'intervention puis l'établissement de la collaboration professionnelle et le travail d'équipe. À la lumière des résultats de cette étude, notre réflexion sur les liens possibles entre l'autonégligence et la maltraitance nous amène à affirmer qu'il s'agit de deux phénomènes sensibles et complexes qui présentent plusieurs liens de parenté. La discussion sur l'autonégligence en est encore à ses débuts au Québec et la pensée des intervenants n'est pas à son plein développement considérant que la plupart n'avait jamais entendu ce terme avant la présentation de notre étude. Néanmoins, nous voyons certainement l'occasion d'améliorer les conditions de vie des aînés en conjuguant les efforts de prévention, dépistage et intervention sur ces deux phénomènes, d'autant plus que la frontière est mince entre l'autonégligence et la maltraitance, une même situation pouvant basculer vers l'un ou l'autre. Finalement, nous proposons quelques pistes de réflexion et d'action pour des pratiques plus efficaces ou prometteuses. Il s'agit de l'évaluation des risques, de l'évaluation biopsychosociale, de l'approche de réduction des méfaits, de l'éthique et des valeurs, du soutien organisationnel et enfin de la possession de connaissances à jour sur la maltraitance et l'autonégligence

Relatively little is known about the reading acquisition process in a non-dominant language in multilingual children. This study examined reading difficulties in a nondominant language, English, among 91 Grade three children whose dominant spoken language was Kannada, a South Indian language. Three sets of research questions were addressed: a) the associations between single word reading in the non-dominant language and decoding skills, phonological skills, language proficiency levels and working memory, b) the associations of phonological processing across language systems (the non-dominant reading language and the dominant spoken language) and with single word reading, and c) the relative effectiveness of a fifteen hour phonological skills intervention when compared with a language exposure intervention on reading outcomes. The results extended the findings from the monolingual literature of close links between single word reading, decoding and phonological skills. The role of language proficiency was especially evident at higher levels of reading attainment, replicating models of reading developed on anglo-centric samples. Lower single word reading skills were also found to be associated with lower working memory again extending associations found in the early stages of reading development of monolingual children. The literacy culture in India and its impact on specific reading comprehension strategies and the labelling of reading difficulty are discussed. It is in the study of the mixed phonological domain that limitations of monolingual frameworks begin to show. The mixed language phonological domain was found to be characterised by close associations across language systems and sharing of underlying phonological abilities. Factor analysis of six phoneme level tasks found a two-factor phonological structure which have been labelled as explicit, whole word manipulation ability and implicit, partial manipulation ability. The implications of these findings for a model of the mixed language phonological domain, and for interventions and early screening are discussed. In the intervention study, positive training effects were found with the Phonological Intervention on the skills triad of single word reading, phonological skills and decoding skill. The unique role of the dominant language phonology on phonological, decoding strategies and implications for planning phonological interventions in a non-dominant language are discussed. The Language Exposure condition failed to show any intervention specific impact on the outcome variables. The possibility of the language exposure intervention being most suitable after decoding skills are firmly in place is discussed.

This thesis seeks to contribute to the understanding of conflict intervention in protracted violent conflicts by studying the activities of civil society actors in regard to the conflicts in what was Yugoslavia until 1991. A very broad understanding of ‘intervention’ is used for this purpose that includes all kinds of activities that relate to the conflicts. Based on a survey of activities in the period between 1990 and 2002, a framework for categorising and describing these interventions is applied according to basic functions in four ‘grand strategies’ of ‘peace-making’, ‘peace-keeping’, ‘peacebuilding’, and ‘information, support, protest and advocacy’, with a total list of about 230 instruments of conflict intervention identified. The study concludes that civil society actors played three different basic roles: They complemented the work of state actors, they were the avant-garde for approaches, strategies and methods that later became ‘mainstream’ in conflict intervention, and in some cases, they were able to control or correct actions by governments through advocacy or direct action. The development of instruments of civil conflict transformation received a massive boost through this engagement in the 1990s. The study supports the position taken recently by some researchers making comparative studies of cases of conflict intervention regarding the limited role played by dialogue and reconciliation work in regard to dealing with the overall conflicts: In spite of ‘reconciliation’ and inter-ethnic cooperation being at the core of the vast majority of all projects and programmes undertaken in the area, indicators of real impact regarding an overall positive change in society and prevention of future violence seem to be rather weak. The study further observes that there was a social movement developed relating to former Yugoslavia in many Western countries that in a hitherto unknown way combined traditional methods of protest and advocacy with concrete work in the field.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning / Brent Chamberlain / Growing urban populations and the increasing prevalence of the millennial generation are profoundly changing personal travel behaviors and patterns. As a result, cities, planners, and developers must understand and act upon the shifting preferences and expectations of these public transit users in order to align costly public transit services with user needs in efficient ways. While public transit systems are becoming an increasingly vital part of urban life, few jurisdictions have considered the need to tailor these systems to millennials – those most likely to incorporate public transit into their daily lives. This paper examines the travel behaviors of University Students engaged in a forced travel intervention caused by a sudden relocation of their work site. The change in work location encouraged the use of a free public transit system as means of commuting. Longitudinal survey results, taken pre and post-intervention, indicate statistical differences between transit preferences and actual habits related to transit use and other modes of travel. Survey findings suggest that there is a statistically significant difference between the stated willingness and actual travel behaviors of public transit users and of drivers, and that modal shifts can assist in overcoming the attitude/behavior split related to personal travel among millennials.

ADHD-diagnosed children generally display multiple difficulties with academic functioning (DuPaul, 2007; Loe & Feldman, 2007; Raggi & Chronis, 2006; Rogers, Wiener, Marton, & Tannock, 2009) and tend to show more frequent and intense homework problems than their peers (Power, Karustis, & Habboushe, 2001). Traditionally, treatments for ADHD have included medication and/or behavioral interventions (DuPaul & Weyandt, 2006; Loe & Feldman, 2007); however, interventions targeting the homework problems of children with ADHD have been limited. One such intervention for the treatment of children with ADHD and homework problems, the Homework Success Program (HSP), has yet to be empirically evaluated with individual families. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of the HSP, a seven-session family-school intervention that incorporates parent training and emphasizes collaborative parent-teacher consultation (Power et al., 2001). Participants included four children diagnosed with ADHD enrolled in grades 2 through 4, along with their parents and teachers. This study used a non-concurrent multiple-baseline design to assess treatment effects. Results from this study suggest that the HSP is a promising treatment for improving the homework-related problems of ADHD-diagnosed children. Participant satisfaction with and acceptability of the HSP were noted. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Infants and toddlers who live in poverty are more likely to experience developmental delays or disabilities and less likely to access early intervention (EI) services. The federal initiative Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) was designed to increase access to high quality early learning programs for children at risk for developmental delays due to poverty or disability. Although IDEA, Part C programs were not specifically targeted by this initiative, policies associated with RTT-ELC may have an indirect impact on state EI programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of RTT-ELC on Part C programs by comparing states that received federal grants to states that did not. This study used a social justice framework to identify variables that inform equitable access to high quality Part C programs. Data were extracted from Part C state profiles and compared across states. Awarded states were more likely to increase enrollment of infants and toddlers in Part C Programs and were more likely to use broad eligibility criteria. These findings indicated that although differences were small they could become more pronounced over time. The need for policy change in Part C programs and federal early learning initiatives to directly target infants, toddlers and families in poverty are highlighted through the results of this study.

No description available.