Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes special report study entitled : Architectural impact on children : an ideal place for pre-schooler. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

LD2668 .T4 1947 M36

This study explores the professional values which underpin choices made on behalf of young children (three to seven year olds) for learning a foreign language in English nursery, infant and primary schools. Since the Education Reform Act of 1988, young children in maintained early years settings have been excluded from the modern foreign languages curriculum in England. The aim of this inquiry is to expose the belief systems of individuals in institutions with the power to influence the quality of the early learning experience and notions of status and control with regard to the conceptualisation of both 'childhood' and 'foreign language education'. A value position is unavoidable: any interest on the part of the researcher has been set aside to eliminate traces of attachment and to ensure, as far as possible, an unbiased inquiry. The research questions which lead the investigation are as follows: • Why are modern foreign languages omitted from Government policies for nursery settings and from the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1? • To what extent, if at all, have local education authorities in England already established foreign language initiatives for young learners? • What are the challenges facing schools in the current context for the implementation of a national policy? • What is the underpinning structure that supports the policy making framework for this area of the early years curriculum? For the purpose of this study, the term 'policy maker' is used to encompass headteachers (micro level), local education authority advisers (meso level) and national authorities (macro level). Research methods include case study, postal questionnaire and indepth interviews. Outcomes are presented as an analysis of innovation in one English county, perceptions of early language learning in local education authorities and discussions with policy makers at the national level. A research study which links education policy making, constructions of childhood and theories about modern foreign language acquisition has not yet been conducted in England. It is anticipated that this investigation will contribute to the debate on curriculum and values at the turn of the millennium based on new paradigms for the sociology of childhood and the perceived needs of young children in an increasingly multicultural, multilingual society. The notion of 'bilingualism' will be deconstructed and reconstructed within an inclusive spectrum: the bilingual continuum. The outcomes of the study are likely to have implications for future education policy and practice.

Products that children get in contact with every day, such as toys, paints, electronics and detergents have recently been discovered that they contain harmful chemicals. Children are more susceptible than adults because of their thin skin and yet not fully developed bodies. The purpose of this work is to identify the risks from chemicals that children in the indoor nursery get in contact with, and how these products affect the health of children, and to describe how these chemicals affect children's health and the environment. The aim is also to find out how great the level of the staff's knowledge is about the harmful chemicals, as well as the preventive measures taken.  This is done through a survey among the staff at nurseries in Båstad municipality. The report consists of three parts, two practical parts in the form of an on-site investigation at nine kindergartens in Båstad municipality and a survey among the staff who worked there. The third theoretical part was in the form of literature.  The results of this study show that the indoor environment in nurseries has important significance for children's health. The inventory of nursery in Båstad municipality showed that today there are goods and products with harmful chemicals among kids at nurseries. The products that have been found in nurseries in Båstad municipality where most contain harmful chemicals such as phthalates, flame retardants, perfluorinated substances and bisphenol A. It was above all the electronic toys such as cell phones, keyboards, computers, and even in the older toys or soft and semi-soft toys.  To reduce the amounts of chemicals found in nurseries one should start to throw away old toys, old electronic toys, avoid toys with batteries or electronics that do not have their batteries covered, stop using cleaning products containing chemicals and also increase the number of times that the nurseries are cleaned thoroughly. The questionnaire study showed that most nurseries were not sufficiently aware of the dangerous chemicals in toys and detergents used. There was a certain part of the staff that was aware of what "green flag" means.  To achieve this is the best way, the municipality, and politicians should help the nurseries. Improvements by the municipality, and politicians should provide important training for both nurseries staff and for the various pictures within the community that directly or indirectly impact. In order to improve knowledge in this area it is needed to train nurseries staff, cleaning staff, parents and others in the business. To get a non-toxic nursery, it is important that the municipality, the nurseries staff, cleaning staff and parents all gain knowledge about chemicals in materials and products.

The purpose of the report was to do an inventory of nursery gardens in the surroundings of Umeå and to find which one of the nursery gardens that had the greatest risk of being polluted by pesticides and to examine which pesticides that had been used in the nursery gardens in the past. Five nursery gardens were selected and examined through interviews, visits and protocols from the municipality of Umeå and from that information an assessment by the methods for inventory of polluted soil (MIFO), which the Swedish form of EPA has designed, has been done. The historical use of pesticides on each site was examined through interviews, visits and protocols from municipality of Umeå. The result showed that two of the nursery gardens had a great risk of being polluted and the total historical use of pesticides resulted in total 107 different products. In conclusion the two of the nursery gardens that had a great risk of being polluted will eventually have to take sample of the soil for further analysis.

This thesis examines the protein content of nursery school lunches and "second" servings when a multi-purpose food is used as a substitute or as a supplement.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Parent education has existed for as long as one parent has attempted to help another, and for as long as we have record s . To what extent it has served its purpose has not been fully established . Only the future will fully tell how successful parent education programs have been among those who participated in them, because the final measure of success of a parent education program is the degree to which it contributes to effective family relationships and to favorable growth and development of children in the home .

My research in coastal Ecuador and the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) elucidated differences in value of shallow estuarine habitats for fishes and invertebrates. I focused on mangrove and tidal river habitats in Ecuador, and oyster reef, vegetated marsh edge, and nonvegetated bottom habitats in the GOM. Coastal Ecuador has lost 20-30% of mangrove wetlands over the past 30 years. Such habitat loss can impair the ecological functions of wetlands. In this study I identified the fish community of the remaining mangrove wetland in Rio Palmar, Ecuador. For comparison, an adjacent tidal river without mangroves, Rio Javita, was also sampled. I found that although Rios Palmar and Javita are characterized by relatively low fish-species richness compared to other tropical estuarine systems, they appear to provide important habitat for several economically- and ecologically-valued species. In the GOM, I examined the fish and invertebrate communities of adjacent oyster reef (oyster), vegetated marsh edge (VME), and nonvegetated bottom (NVB) habitats. Three main relationships emerged: 1) Oyster and VME provide habitat for significantly more species (as a measure of richness) relative to NVB; 2) Oyster and VME provide habitat for uncommon and rare species; and 3) Many of the species collected in multiple habitats occurred at higher abundances in oyster or VME habitat. Contrary to the current low value ranking of oyster habitat relative to other estuarine and salt marsh habitats, oyster provides high quality habitat for many species. Understanding how key species utilize estuarine habitats is critical for future conservation and management efforts. My research indicated that VME habitat may provide better foraging options for juvenile pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), and together with corroborating evidence from other studies, suggest that VME provides a critical nursery function for juvenile pinfish, especially in estuaries where seagrass habitat is sparse or nonexistent. Additionally, I documented that juvenile white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) select for oyster habitat because of higher food availability and not because of refuge needs from predation by blue crabs. Oyster habitat appears to provide a nursery function for juvenile white shrimp. Overall, my research demonstrated that structurally complex habitats, such as mangroves, VME, and oyster provide essential habitat at the community, population, and individual levels.

The first children’s video game called Mixed up Mother Goose was created by Roberta Williams in 1987. This game was created for a desktop. Today, many children’s games exist on a range of digital platforms. While these platforms offer different types of interactions for engagement and learning, many of these interactions are limited to tapping, dragging and clicking. Current studies have shown that physical interaction is important for young children’s development. Traditionally, nursery rhymes have been this source of physical interaction to engage children in the process of learning. This study looks at the physical engagement of children with nursery rhymes in oral, print and digital mediums. Engagement in oral medium consists of learning nursery rhymes through the movement of the body such as action rhymes and finger plays. Engagement in print medium consists of learning nursery rhymes through interactive books that include movable books, puppet books and sound books. Digital medium, including platforms such as touchscreen devices and laptops, continue to evolve from tap and click games to increased physical engagement of children. Although digital medium is a new phenomenon, it is following a similar evolution as print and oral mediums. Digital medium is increasingly engaging children with interactive play. As part of a larger project, this research collects information and provides a matrix that identifies the attributes of physical engagement employed by these three mediums.