Using data from the Leicestershire Growth Study, which was established in 1981, this thesis sets out to evaluate the growth of children in Leicestershire and to highlight any differences which may exist between those children indigenous to Great Britain and those whose families have emigrated from the subcontinent of India. The latter population can be subdivided further, i.e. peoples from the countries of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the first group primarily, having either migrated from India directly to this country or having spent an interim period in East Africa, and into adherents of the Muslim, Hindu or Sikh faiths. Seven anthropometric parameters, selected to represent skeletal and soft tissue components of the body, and whose dimensions reflect best the changing patterns of growth with age and environmental factors, were measured on 3775 children aged from 3-10 years inclusive. There are distinct anthropometric differences between the indigenous population and that from the Indian subcontinent, with the indigenous population having greater skeletal dimensions, e.g. stature, head circumference, and differences in body composition, reflected in greater weight. These ethnic differences appear to have been exacerbated by religious factors which impinge upon both genotype and phenotype by imposition of their respective individual cultures:, involving such factors as dietary intake and marriage customs, resulting in the Indian Sikh children resembling more closely the indigenous population than do the Hindus and Muslims. Other environmental factors such as length of time of residence in this country, or period of time spent in East Africa appear to have had some impact upon growth, since the Indians in Leicestershire are taller and heavier than their counterparts still resident in India. Finally, it is recommended that some of the growth charts in current use in Great Britain be modified for use with certain groups of children from the Indian subcontinent.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-130).

M.A. (Development Studies) / This report evaluates the response of the South African government to migrant unaccompanied minors at Musina and Beitbridge Limpopo province. The report begins by outlining the migration situation at the Beitbridge Border post and the reasons for UAMs‘ migration to South Africa. It also highlights the processesthey follow in migrating, services available and their vulnerability to sexual and gender based violence as they cross the border through irregular routes. The second section outlines the responsibilities of host states in as far as the needs of migrant UAMs are concerned. As this study is focusing on the South African government, the section further develops a narrative informed by international law and the South African Constitution as well as policies and legislationin force in South Africa. This section points to a well developed legal and policy framework for securing the rights of migrant children. The third section concludes by summarising the needs of UAMs and by stating some of the measures that should be implemented by the South African government in responding to the situation. The fourth section of this study presents evidence crucial for evaluation of state responses to its obligations towards UAMs. This section presents evidence gathered over a period of time in Beitbridge and Musina that enables me to evaluate the South African state‘s respond to UAMs in Musina and Beitbridge. The outcomes of this research indicate that South Africa has failed to implement international law and the Constitutional, legal and policy frameworks in as far as the rights of migrant UAMs are concerned. The majority of UAMs are from Zimbabwe and they are running away from social, economic and political instabilities in that country. In addition, these children are migrants in their own right and existing research indicates that where children migrate alone, they are particularly vulnerable to exploitative working conditions, violence and denial of basic rights.Page ix Many children migrated in order to pursue their education as well as to work in order to support themselves and families back home. However, many of the migrant‘s organisations that exist do not specifically address the rights of children or response to their needs. Migrant children‘s ability to satisfy their basic needs is extremely compromised; much of the work is currently done by a few non-governmental organisations and faith based organisations especially with regard to shelter and food provision with very minimal support from the South African government. UAMs have very limited access to government departments and services. The majority of UAMs are crowded in the streets in Musina and others in towns such as Louis Trichardt, Thohoyandou, Dzanini and on farms wherein they fend for their own living and there is no one to cater for their needs. This report concludes by making recommendations for interventions to the South African government for implementing Children‘s rights and strengthening migrant children‘s access to basic rights in South Africa.

The education of immigrant children is a persistent concern in many western countries. Taiwan has begun to face this challenge in the last decade. The immigrants in this context are mostly females from Southeast Asia and mainland China, on the basis of marriage to a Taiwanese resident. Since Taiwanese society holds a prejudice against them, the children born to foreign mothers are believed to have a negative impact on the quality of the Taiwanese population and to create particular educational problems. The study employs an interpretive approach combining components of international comparison and policy research. Within this qualitative methodology, mixed methods were used to collect data and gain multiple understandings of the phenomenon in Taiwan. These methods of document analysis, semi-structured interviews and participant observation of foreign mothers’ communities, along with a documentary review of the UK experience of educational policy for immigrant children from the 1960s onwards, provide a comparative perspective that has considerable reference value for Taiwan. It was found that the children of immigrant mothers in Taiwan do not appear to underachieve or fall behind, in contrast to the prejudice held by Taiwanese society. The study also explores the characteristics of disadvantage of children born to immigrant mothers. Through the comparative historical review of the UK and Taiwan, the study also found that when people are faced with different cultures, their attitudes appear to move through in a similar process of adjustment which interacts with and responds to policy formulation. In addition, some recommendations for educational policy for children of immigrant mothers in Taiwan are discussed. The study proposes that learning plural mother tongues is a means to improve these children’s self-identity, allowing them to develop bilingual advantages and contribute to the country’s competitiveness.