Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research indicates that human touch plays an integral role in an infant’s ability to thrive and grow, with a correlation existing between tactile stimulation and optimal physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. The aim of this study was to explore the level of knowledge of first time mothers attending Mowbray Maternity Hospital (MMH) regarding the importance of tactile stimulation during infancy and early childhood. A descriptive, non-experimental, research design was employed, using a pilot tested structured questionnaire for data collection during face-to-face interviews conducted by the Principal Investigator. Questions were divided into four domains: knowledge about the impact of tactile stimulation on the bonding domain, the emotional domain, physical domain and the social domain of infants and children. The inclusion of one open-ended question allowed participants to suggest recommendations for improved knowledge and care. A sample of 41 participants, constituting 40% of the study population (N=101) was randomly selected from MMH. Prior ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University, and operational approval from the Western Cape Department of Health, and the Research Committee and Senior Management of MMH. Written informed consent was obtained from the study participants. The quantitative data was analysed using Statistica (Version 10) with the assistance of a statistician. The qualitative data yielded from the one open-ended question was analysed thematically and then quantified. The findings show that 90% (n=37) of the participants were knowledgeable about tactile stimulation strategies, 81% (n=33) knew about the impact of tactile stimulation on the bonding domain, 75% (n=31) on the emotional domain, 52% (n=21) on the physical domain and 43% (n=18) on the social domain. Although all participants had reported for out-patient antenatal care on four and more occasions, 73% (n=30) indicated that they had improved their knowledge regarding pregnancy, labour, birth, and parenting by reading magazines, 20% (n=8) reported that a health care worker had spoken to them about the benefits of tactile stimulation, and 15% (n=6) had received literature on the benefits of tactile stimulation. The open-ended question generated several findings which included suggestions to enhance healthcare by providing information and training about tactile stimulation and perinatal matters when attending antenatal clinic; by offering assistance with infant feeding during the postnatal period; and by improving the attitude and professional stance of health care workers. The study findings suggest that first time mothers at MMH are not adequately knowledgeable about the importance of tactile stimulation during infancy and early childhood. Grounded in the empirical findings and based on the suggestions offered by the participants, several recommendations, including improved information and training, were identified toward strengthening tactile stimulation knowledge and practice at both the parental and health care provider levels. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Studies toon dat menslike aanraking ‘n belangrike rol in ‘n baba se algemene vermoëns om te groei speel, terwyl ‘n positiewe korrelasie tussen koestering en optimale fisiese, emosionele, kognitiewe en sosiale ontwikkeling bestaan. Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of moeders, wat vir die eerste keer geboorte geskenk het, en geskeduleer was om by Mowbray Kraamhospitaal geboorte te skenk, ingelig was aangaande die belangrikheid van streling tydens babaskap en die vroeë kinderjare. ‘n Beskrywende, nie-eksperimentele navorsingstudie is uitgevoer, deur van ‘n gestruktureerde, onderhoudsvraelys vir die insameling van data gebruik te maak. Vrae was opverdeeld in die volgende seksies: kennis rakende die impak van babastreling op die band tussen moeder en baba, kennis rakende die impak op die emosienele dimensie, en kennis rakende die impak van babastreling op die fisiese en sosiale dimensies van babas en kinders. Die ewekansige gekose studie-groep van een-enveertig deelneemers het 40% van die studie-populasie uitgemaak. Voorafgaande etiese en operationele toestemming is vanaf die Menslike Etiese Kommittee van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Gesondheid en vanaf die Navorsings kommittee en Bestuur van Mowbray Kraamhospitaal verkry. Geskrewe toestemming is voor aanvang van die een-tot-een onderhoude vanaf die deelneners verkry. Die kwantitiewe data is met die hulp van ‘n statistikus deur die gebruik van die sagteware, Statistica (Weergawe10) geanaliseer. Die kwalitiewe data wat na aanleiding van die oop-eindigende vraag verkry is, is tematies geanaliseer en gekwantifiseer. Die resultate het getoon dat meeste 90% (n=37) van die deelnemers met die algemene praktyke van babastrelingstrategië gedurende babaskap bekend was. Die persentasie vir deelnemers se kennis rakende die impak van babastreling op die band tussen moeder en baba was 81% (n=33), en vir kennis omtrent die emosienele dimensie 75% (n=31), die impak van babastreling op die fisiese 52% (n=21) en die sosiale 43% (n=18) dimensies van babas en kinders. Alhoewel alle deelneemers vir voorgeboorte kliniek gerapporteer het, het 73% (n=30), terugvoer dat hulle hulle kennis omtrent swangerskap, geboorte en ouerskap verbreed het deur tydskrifte te lees, 20% (n=8) van die deelnemers gerapporteer het dat ‘n gesondheidswerker met hulle omtrent die voordele van babastreling gepraat het, terwyl 15% (n=6) leesmaterial rakende die voordele van babstreling ontvang het. Die oop-eindigende vraag het verskeie bevindings opgelewer met voorstelle met betrekking tot die verbetering van gesondheidsorg en opleiding, opleiding aangaande die voorgeboortelike sorg wat hulle ontvang het en aangaande perinatale aangeleenthede en stimulasie van babas deur streling. Deelneemers het ook voorgestel dat verpleegsters hulp aan moeders behoort te verleen met die voeding van hul babas in die periode na geboorte en dat gesondheidsorgwerkers hulle professionaliteit en gesindhede jeens pasiënte behoort te verbeter. Ten slotte het die uitkomste van hierdie studie aangedui dat, moeders wat vir die eerste keer geboorte geskenk het by Mowbray Kraamhospitaal, onvoldoende kennis dra oor die belangrikheid van stimulasie van hulle babas en jong kinders deur streling. Gegrond in die empiriese bevindings en gebaseer op die voorstelle van deelnemers, is verskeie aanbevelings geïdentifiseer vir die moontlike verbetering van kennis rakende streling op die ouer- en gesondheidswerkervlakke.

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The practice of partnership to the benefit of education is as old as education itself: Partners of education were involved in the most primitive societies. Partners are still of indispensable importance in postmodern societies. This study points out that the conventional partners to education (parent, church and state) have been of importance through the centuries and that partnership involvement should be of increasing importance in times to come. Concurrently, it has become necessary to involve new up-to-date supplementary education partners to address the numerous challenges in the field of education. The parent comes to light as the first and foremost partner in education and is therefore worthy of the connotation primary education partner. History illustrates how certain communities, due to specific perspectives on wond and life, ideologies and educational institutions, tried to scale down the functions of this partner. Nowhere, however, could it be achieved successfully, without serious harmful consequences for the child who is to be educated. The safety and security that the child experiences in the parental home and within the family structure is of the utmost importance for the young child. The proliferation in the number of parentiess children as a result of an increase in the divorce rate, family murders and especially the pandemic MI virus is alarming in this respect. Additional partners will have to be found to address the child's need of security. The anchor provided by participation in religious activities is likewise for the developing child of importance. In addition, the church, in the widest sense of its meaning, emphasizes certain norms and moral values. It provides programmes, which ensure to prevent the youths from derailment along dangerous and destructive routes. The church needs to be admitted and invited to be an essential partner. The state is justly being viewed as a chief partner to education and training, on account of its functions such as the funding of formal education, the provision of a general curriculum and the making of legislation governing education. This important position in the education partnership does not mean that the state should play the dominant role. It does not qualify the state to prescribe to the other partners how they should perform their roles. Partnership presupposes c0- operation and stringent prescriptions by the state would be unacceptable and counter-productive to the respective partners. The conventional partners will have to realise that each has a meaningful contribution to make, which cannot be substituted. by anyone of the others, A comparative study of partnership in Kenya, Cuba and Germany serves as a background study. In an ever-fast changing wortd in which extremely heavy demands are made to education and its partners, it is clear that new education partners have to be found to assist the school. The conventional partners are just not able to fulfit the task by themselves. This study identifies a number of supplementary partners that could, on account of the particular challenges facing· education in South Africa, make a valuable contribution. Partners deserve their position as partners due to the functional role that they could play at a specific stage in the ongoing process of education development. As times change, and new needs come into existence, other partners will have to be identified to support the existing, conventional partners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van vennote wat vir die opvoeding van waarde kan wees, is so oud soos die opvoeding self. Opvoedingsvennote het in die mees primitiewe samelewings voorgekom en is in die postmoderne samelewings steeds van onmisbare belang. Hierdie studie dui aan dat die konvensionele opvoedingsvennote (ouer, kerk, staat) deur die eeue van belang was en dat hul vennootskaplike deelname in die toekoms verhoog behoort te word. Terselfdertyd het dit nodig geword om nuwerwetse, supplementêre opvoedingsvennote te betrek om die talle uitdagings op onderwysgebied die hoof te bied. Die ouer tree na vore as die eerste en vernaamste opvoedingsvennoot en is as sodanig die benaming primêre opvoedingsvennoot waardig. Die geskiedenis toon aan hoedat sekere gemeenskappe op grond van bepaalde partikuliere wêreld- en lewensbeskouings, ideologieë en opvoedingsdoelstellings die rol van hierdie vennoot wou afskaal, maar dat dit nêrens sonder nadelige gevolge vir die opvoedeling gedoen kon word nie. Die veiligheid, sekuriteit en geborgenheid wat die kind in die ouerhuis en binne die gesinstruktuur beleef, is veral vir die jong kind van allergrootse belang. Die groter wordende getalouerlose kinders as gevolg van 'n toename in egskeidings, gesinsmoorde en veral die pandemiese MI-virus, is in hierdie verband kommerwekkend. Supptementêre vennote sal daarom gevind moet word om die kind se behoefte aan geborgenheid aan te spreek. Die verankerdheid wat deelname aan religieuse aktiwiteite bied, is eweneens vir die ontwikkelende kind van belang. Daarbenewens beklemtoon die kerk, in die wydste sin gedefinieer, sekere norme en morele waardes en voorsien hy programme wat verseker dat die jeug se vryetydsbesteding en drang na plesier nie op gevaarlike, afbrekende roetes ontspoor nie. Die kerk sal steeds as noodsaaklike opvoedingsvennoot toegelaat en uitgenooi moet word. Die staat word vanweë funksies soos die befondsing van formele onderwys, die daarstelling van 'n algemene kurrikulum en die neerlê van onderwyswetgewing met reg as hoofvennoot van die opvoeding, onderwys en opleiding beskou. Hierdie posisie in die vennootskap beteken nie dat die staat die oorheersende rol speel en aan ander vennote kan voorskryf hoedanig hul rolle sal wees nie. Vennootskap veronderstel samewerking en streng voorskriftelikhede sal vir medevennote onaanvaarbaar wees. Die konvensionele vennote sal moet besef dat elkeen se bydrae tot die opvoeding belangrik is en nie deur ander vennote vervang kan word nie. 'n Vergelykende studie van vennootskaplikheid in Kenia, Kuba en Duitsland dien as agtergrond tot die studie. In 'n wêreld wat vinnig en voortdurend verander en waar hoë eise aan die opvoeding en sy vennote gestel word, is dit duidelik dat nuwe opvoedingsvennote gevind sal moet word om bystand te ver1een. Die konvensionele vennote is gewoon nie in staat om die mas alleen op te kom nie. Hierdie studie identifiseer 'n aantal supplementêre vennote wat, op grond van die eiesoortige probleme wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse opvoeding ondervind word, van waarde sal kan wees. Soos tye verander en nuwe behoeftes ontstaan, sal ander vennote geïdentifiseer moet word om die konvensienete opvoedingsvennote te ondersteun.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Parents are often criticized for the types of roles they play in their children’s education. Rather than assuming parents do not contribute to their children’s learning, this study identified the various ways Hispanic parents support mathematics learning in the home. Using a funds of knowledge lens, the history, practices, and experiences of families that contributed to their children’s mathematics understanding was explored. The purpose of this study was to identify the unique funds of knowledge among three Hispanic families living in the same city, specifically, how parents supported their children’s mathematics learning through funds of knowledge. Five Hispanic parents from three households participated in a series of three home interviews. The semi--‐structured interviews addressed family, school, and educational history of the parents, routines of the household, and perceived roles parents played in their children’s mathematics learning. Participants contributed to their children’s mathematics learning through various funds of knowledge including time management, music, sports, construction, shopping, and cooking. Participating parents shared knowledge with their children through questioning and discussion, providing experiences, and promoting practice. In this study, participants valued education and supported their children’s mathematics learning at home and school activities. This study contributes to the existing funds of knowledge research by expanding the work on how Hispanic parents support mathematics learning.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between the creative thinking ability of one hundred selected Negro fourth grade pupils and their parents' attitudes about rearing children.

The current study addressed several questions about the use of language intermingling in child-directed speech and its influence on children's English and Spanish language acquisition on children's language code-switching, Participants were 65 children (Mean age=30.93 months, SD=0.44, 28 boys and 37 girls) who had been exposed to English and Spanish from birth and for whom at least one parent was a native Spanish speaker.... Measures of the children's lexical, grammatical, receptive, and productive language development in English and in Spanish were collected concurrently.... Consistent with sociolinguistic theories that propose that language separation is necessary for heritage language maintenance, children who were exposed to more language intermingling were more English-dominant. Both sensitivity to the language context and children's language dominance were related to children's production of mixed utterances. Children code-switched more when speaking in their less proficient language and when in the context of minority language use. / by Silvia Place. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

This dissertation examines issues of social class and musical parenting within the context of an early childhood jazz education program. Using administrative and survey data from 469 self-selected families from six cities in the U.S. where this program is offered, I aimed to identify what factors play a role in parental decisions for enrolling in the program and whether those factors were associated with their social class. Considering this early childhood jazz program as an organized activity supports the analysis of music classes as a form of investment in cultural capital fostered by parents. I used current economic models of the family and theories of social and cultural class reproduction to understand families’ participation in the program and their musical engagement. Principal component analysis revealed four components representing possible reasons that drove parents to enroll in the program: Cultural and Educational Enrichment for the Future; Appreciation of Jazz; Socialization and Bonding; and Social Networks. Simple linear regression analysis showed significant associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and two principal components (Cultural and Educational Enrichment for the Future and Social Networks). Overall, parents showed high scores of both general and musical engagement, and those variables were highly correlated. Additionally, there were no statistically significant associations between parents’ previous formal musical experiences and their musical engagement when controlling for musical materials at home and their average value of music education. Parents’ engagement with the program activities was positively associated with their music making at home and that association stayed stable and strong after taking into account sociodemographic factors, parents’ values of music education and access to musical materials. Families from lower SES backgrounds used activities and materials from the jazz class at home with more frequency than families from other SES groups. This finding could suggest that when lower SES families are given access, they incorporate new musical tools and ideas from the jazz program as affordances to increase their parenting skills; therefore, the impact of the program might be stronger for those parents than for the other more advantaged groups. Jazz music in this context seems to be working as an equalizer of opportunities by reducing inequalities.

In order to explain the development of English and Spanish skills in children from Spanish-speaking homes in the United States, it is necessary to identify their sources of language exposure. Most research to date has focused on home language use. The aim of this study is to identify sources of English and Spanish exposure outside the home that bilingual children experience between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The present study focuses on 3 potential sources: grandparents, extracurricular activities, and early childcare and education settings. We ask how much English and Spanish exposure children receive, how that changes from 2.5 to 5 years, and whether family variables influence those changes. Participants were 149 children from Spanish-speaking homes in southeastern Florida, with at least one parent an immigrant from a Spanish-speaking country. Measured out-of-home sources of input included hours per of week of English and Spanish from a Grandparent, during Extracurricular Activities, and during Preschool at 30, 36, 42, 48, and 60 months. Parents’ Native Language Background groups were either both native Spanish-speaking or one native, Spanish-speaking and one native, English-speaking. Maternal Education was treated as a dichotomous variable: mothers whose highest level of education in English is less than a four-year college degree and mothers whose highest level of education in English is equivalent to or greater than a four-year college degree. Child Birth Order was also treated as a dichotomous variable: only children and first-born children or later born children. Results revealed that for these children from Spanish-speaking homes, Grandparents are primarily a source of heritage-language (Spanish) input and Extracurricular Activities and Preschool are primarily a source of societal-language (English) input. Findings suggest English exposure from out-of-home sources increases over time possibly at the expense of Spanish exposure. Parents’ Native Language Backgrounds and Maternal Education influenced children’s exposure to both languages from these outside sources of input; Child Birth Order did not. Implications for future research and practical application are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The present study sought to identify variables that predicted parental decision-making regarding their child's participation in a national gifted and talented identification program for middle school students and subsequent participation in recommended educational options. One hundred sixty-nine parents of students who qualified for either the 2001-2002 or 2002-2003 Duke Talent Identification Program participated in the study. The students were drawn from two large public school districts and six small private schools in a large metropolitan area in the southwestern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify the variables predictive of parental decision-making regarding talent search participation. Each parent completed a questionnaire consisting of both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Selected parents participated in structured follow-up interviews. The results of the study indicated that parental perception of the helpfulness of school personnel in explaining the purpose and process of the talent search was most predictive of participation in the talent search. The educational level of the father, parent's prior awareness of the purpose and process of talent search, and the number of enrichment activities in which the child had previously participated were also predictive of talent search participation. Qualitative data indicated that parents of both participants and nonparticipants had a limited understanding of the purpose, diagnostic power, and potential benefits of the talent search. Very few parents chose to seek extracurricular or curricular/instructional options following the talent search testing. Qualitative data indicated that parents did not choose these options due to cost, logistical concerns regarding the special programs, and reservations about the developmental appropriateness of such options for middle school students. Although talent searches are sponsored and administered by organizations outside the local school, this study suggests that parents mostly rely on their local school for notification of their child's nomination, information on the purpose and benefits of talent search, interpretation of test scores, and guidance in selecting appropriate curricular or extracurricular follow-up.

侯志瑾. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2002. / 參考文獻 (p. 135-147). / 中英文摘要. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Hou Zhijin. / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao. / Lun wen (zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang zhong wen da xue, 2002. / Can kao wen xian (p. 135-147).