This study explored the effects of parental false perceptions of their children's temperament on their subsequent school behavior problems. Participants were parents and teachers of 97 kindergarten children in an urban southern community. Both parents and teachers completed questionnaires on children's temperament, while teachers reported on children's school behaviors. Results indicate that both parent and teacher report of child temperament is related to school behavior problems, however, when parental ratings are more favorable than teacher ratings, this favorability is related to more internalizing and externalizing behaviors in school. In addition, parents rated their children higher on negative emotions, while parents and teachers rated similarly on effortful control. Furthermore, parent ratings of children's negative emotions were predictive of behavior problems above and beyond teacher's report. Findings highlight the relation of parental perceptions to children's school behavior problems and the utility of parent-teacher collaboration in improving children's school adjustment.

The purpose of this research study was to capture, document and examine parents’ perceptions regarding their descriptions of the statements, “best education possible” and “school choice” in regards to the traditional and the nontraditional models for public schooling. Additionally, for this research study, traditional public schools are defined as the regular public school that serves grades P-12 with no restrictions for parents’ choice in enrollment of their child/children. Nontraditional public schools are defined as any school, public and/or private, that functions outside the boundaries of the traditional public school systems’ supervision. This body of work reflects the perspectives of 30 parents who provided their perceptions toward their personal experiences as they negotiated specific outcomes for their child’s/children’s educational achievements. By providing substantive information in the form of a satisfaction survey and personal interviews, their voices are now captured within a body of work that gives meaning to their experiences as they have described them in this research study. Through the research process, this researcher brought forward a wealth of qualitative data that were supported by a limited level of quantitative data. The findings revealed that an overwhelming majority of the parents who were surveyed where satisfied with their educational outcomes. The parents who participated in this research study provided the answers for why, and/or how these perceptions were formed, materialized, achieved, and/or sustained. As a result of the findings from this research study, a grounded theory was formed. The grounded theory reads as follows: Parents who have a minimum of a high school diploma, and/or greater and who are single and/or married with an income no less than $31,000 can achieve a satisfactory outcome as well as the best education possible for their child/children in the traditional and/or nontraditional model of schooling, where he/she is actively engaged in his/her child/children educational matriculation. Because this study was overwhelmingly represented by African-American adults, a similar study should be conducted with primarily European-American adults, and/or other racial groups that may include Asian-Americans and/or Latino-American adults. Race was cited as a factor within the review of related literature with regards to educational outcomes as well as the disparaging gap for educational advancement found among the racial groups. As a result, given all other factors are the same, the grounded theory produced from this research study could be further validated across racial lines.

The childhood obesity epidemic continues to escalate, disproportionately impacting Mexican American children. It is unclear how Mexican American mothers, who are at high-risk of rearing obese children, perceive childhood obesity, prevention or their role in prevention. Three studies - a systematic literature review, a qualitative study focusing on Mexican American mothers' perceptions of childhood obesity, and a qualitative study examining Mexican American mothers' perceptions regarding childhood obesity prevention and their role in prevention - were used to address this research question. The first study is a systematic review of the literature regarding Mexican American mothers' perceptions of childhood obesity and their role in prevention. Four databases were searched for relevant articles and 22 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Social Cognitive Theory was used to sort similar findings across studies and identify scarce areas researched. Major findings included: (a) mothers felt inadequate to be role models for their children's healthy behaviors, (b) mothers did not identify short-term consequences of childhood obesity, (c) only 23% of studies explicitly used a theoretical framework to guide their study, and (d) most studies used heterogeneous groups (including all caretakers, including all Hispanics/Latinos) to discuss perceptions. The second study used naturalistic inquiry to examine mothers' perceptions regarding childhood obesity, its causes and its consequences. Using a Social Ecological Model adapted to childhood obesity, the study examined causes of childhood obesity at different levels of influence - intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community. Obesity was identified as an adult issue by the mothers. Mothers were more aware of the health risks associated with having underweight children rather than overweight children. Lastly, mothers identified overweight children as those who are suffering from consequences. The third study used a narrative inquiry approach to qualitatively investigate mothers' perceptions. Mothers suggested several ways parents could prevent childhood obesity and overweight among their children. However, fathers, grandparents and schools could unintentionally counter mothers' efforts to encourage healthful behaviors. Mothers identified a lack of ability to speak English, feelings of guilt associated with limiting food intake, and a lack of knowledge and skills as impediments in carrying out obesity preventive behaviors within the home.

This study investigates possible reasons why parent's perceive that their kindergarten child complains about school. Using data in the parent questionnaires from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study ' Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, this research looks at a nationally representative sample of boys and girls and specifically targets those children whose parents indicated that they complained more than one time per week during the first two months of school. Looking at factors both from home, including socioeconomic status, maternal education levels and family structure, and from school, including length of the kindergarten day, transition practices received by the child and prior pre-school experience, Chi square tests were employed to examine the relationship between these factors and the amount of complaining. Basic findings support the premise that when good transition practices are employed by schools, parents perceive that their children complain less about going to kindergarten. The small effect sizes suggest, however, that the statistically significant relationships may be an artifact of sample size. Good transition practices, however, are key to effective transitions and if implementing these practices will help make this important transition smoother, educators should utilize this relatively easy strategy to help new students.. When there were good transitioning practices done by the kindergarten program, the child experienced greater success and complained significantly less about school regardless of all other factors.

In a search to discover effective means of reversing the marginalization in the field of physical education (PE), researchers have been studying exceptional PE programs that have not only broken down the growth-impeding barriers formed by changes in education, but have also successfully and consistently prevented new program barriers from developing. One such PE program, located in the southwestern United States, has been identified in former studies as having achieved and sustained Systemic Success in Physical Education (SSPE) for over four decades. Embedded in the SSPE model that this district uses to maintain dynamic growth and program sustainability are advocacy practices required of the PE practitioners for the purpose of obtaining and upholding the necessary support needed for program stability. The purpose of this qualitative follow-up study was to examine three things: (a) parent perceptions of this district-wide elementary PE program, (b) the advocacy strategies used by the physical education practitioners and (c) which factors parents believe most shape their perception of the program. Twenty parents from five different school that bridge the demographic make-up of the district were interviewed along with four teachers in the district, the PE district coordinator, and a Physical Education Teaching Education (PETE) professor from the partnering university for the purpose of triangulation to avoid researcher bias. The Inductive Content Analysis was used to create themes and subthemes until saturation. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the benefits of regular program advocacy and strategies which may be most beneficial in acquiring the support needed to construct and retain a fruitful and resilient program. The following six themes emerged from the data that represent the top factors that parents reported influence their perceptions of the PE program: (a) student enjoyment, (b) teacher passion, (c) teacher involvement and presence outside of the PE class, (d) teacher-to-parent communication, (e) program transparency, (f) and a well-structured and organized program. Researchers found the following key implications as the most important and beneficial take-aways from this study. Building strong relationships with parents helps parents better appreciate the intentions of the teacher and her goals for their children. The process of building effective relationships includes developing ample open channels of communication. Through these channels, teachers will strengthen parent connections by providing plenty of information regarding their children. This information should not only include what their child will be learning and when, and what information is needed to help their child be best prepared for what is to come; it should also include feedback about the progress of their child, particularly positive feedback. This pleasant form of communication is always welcomed and appreciated by parents, but is most beneficial early on because it opens the ears and hearts of parents straightaway. However, in order to win someone's heart, trust must be present, and one of the best ways to gain the trust of others is through transparency. When it is evident to parents that teachers believe enough in their program to make it open and available to the parents at all times, and proud enough of their curriculum to invite them to come see what it contains, parents trust that the teachers have nothing to hide and assume good things are happening. Taken even a step further, when teachers invite parents to be a part of the lessons, events, and activities, parents tend to acquire a sense of ownership; and it is very difficult to feel a part of something great and not provide loyalty and support in some way. Since such relationships, communication, and powerful programs that merit transparency take plenty of effort, passion, and time to develop, many PE teachers may question how one can manage such a feat and still accomplish all of the additional tasks most physical educators must endure as they attempt to break down common barriers that continually hinder their progress. They don't—at least not in this district. Many of these overwhelming responsibilities are nonexistent in the SSPE model due to the existence of a proficient and effective full-time district PE coordinator. Besides relieving the PE teachers of common overwhelming loads and program barriers, the district PE coordinator also heightens teacher effectiveness and motivation by holding them accountable and providing them with the ongoing professional development and support needed to win the hearts of the community through regular program advocacy practices. This alleviation provided by the district PE coordinator allows teachers to focus on what should be their top priorities: teaching and advocacy. Apparently, the existence of this crucial role makes an enormous difference in the program's success and sustainability.

Little is known about the early literacy development of girls later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism traits. In this study, parents of 21 girls later diagnosed with ASD or as having significant ASD traits were each interviewed about their daughter's early literacy development. In general, findings indicated that parents reported their daughters' early success with word level reading. Initially, parents conflated that one area of reading success to also indicate an overall accomplishment in broad reading skills. Findings also indicated that parents simultaneously acknowledged successful word level reading, yet over time noted specific challenges in early literacy domains such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading comprehension. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

This study explores parents' views on the importance of free play when it pertains to what their children do after school. By studying this information, teachers, childcare providers, and administrators can use these perceptions in an attempt to discover why children are no longer engaging in unstructured play as frequently as they once were. Through the responses of 59 parents who participate in a large afterschool program, this study revealed that although 81% of parents ranked free play as valued in their own childhoods, free play ranked low in terms of parents' acknowledgement of play in after school programs of their own children. Future research might focus on how best to inform parents of the benefits of unstructured play and how to effectively incorporate unstructured or free play into the daily schedule of after school programs.

As part of a cluster randomized controlled trial of a parent-mediated approach to treating overweight and obese children ages 5-11 years in Southern Appalachia, feedback on use of the NIH We Can! curriculum for parent group visit sessions in primary care was obtained from parents and providers in two intervention clinics. Parents/caregivers of 28 children in two primary care clinics were randomized to the intervention group to participate in four on-site 1.5 hour group sessions held every other week during an 8-10 week period. Five primary care providers (PCPs) in the two clinics were trained to lead the group sessions using the NIH We Can! online training and an additional 1-hour face-to-face training conducted by the project team. The Project Coordinator and one project team clinician (Pediatrician, Pediatric Psychologist, or Registered Dietician (RD)) was present during each group visit to answer any questions about the study protocol, behavior (Pediatric Psychologist) or nutrition/eating (RD). The Project Coordinator or RD called each parent during the week following each group visit to discuss the family’s progress and answer questions. Written feedback surveys were completed by parents and focus groups were conducted with providers following the last group session. Provider focus groups were recorded and later transcribed and coded to indentify themes. Among 22 (79%) parents/caregivers who completed group sessions and a feedback survey, 91% agreed/strongly agreed that “this program was very useful to me as a parent.” In addition, 95% said that they would “recommend We Can! to a friend” citing benefiting from information received from healthcare providers and parents as well as the opportunity for “fellowship” with other parents. All five PCPs led at least 1 or 2 group sessions and participated in focus groups. Most PCPs agreed that the We Can! leader’s guide and training prepared them to lead the group sessions. All providers reported that preparation time to lead a session (15-90 minutes) was reasonable. On average, providers perceived the group sessions to be moderately effective in promoting healthier eating, physical activity, and reducing screen time in their patients. Some providers were interested in continuing to offer a monthly group session for long-term support. These findings suggest parent and healthcare provider acceptability of using NIH We Can! parent group sessions to treat child overweight in primary care.

Lack of parental involvement is an issue in the educational system because parents and teachers do not understand each other's views. Research has shown that when parents and teachers provide students with support, student achievement increases. The problem of teachers' and parents' lack of common understanding of parental involvement was addressed in this study. Epstein's model of parental involvement and the theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework of this qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological study to explore the perceptions of 5 teachers and 10 parents who were purposefully sampled. The research questions were focused on parents' and teachers' perceptions on parental involvement in supporting students' achievement. Data were analyzed using of Moustakas's steps for phenomenological model. Trustworthiness was ensured through peer review, member checking, and descriptive research notes. Findings from the data collected from face-to-face interviews identified 3 themes: parenting and learning at home, volunteering and decision making, and communicating and collaborating with the community. The 3 themes overlapped with components of Epstein's model of parental involvement and were evident in the participants' answers to the interview questions. The resulting project was a white paper designed to educate the community about problems with parental involvement, provide solutions to the issue, and help parents and teachers to work collaboratively to improve student achievement. The project contributes to social change through formative feedback for the major stakeholders regarding ways to promote efficient and effective practices for both parents and teachers to promote student learning.

Current research indicates that parents of children with developmental disabilities experience more parental stress than parents of typically developing children, yet most are able to successfully cope with the additional care giving demands. There has been little research however, on the role of the communication ability of children with developmental disabilities on parental stress. This study examined the effects of a parent-implemented language intervention on parental stress and its relation to parental perceptions of communication development in young toddlers (N = 59) and their parents. Results indicate that parent stress did not decrease significantly following language intervention. Parents’ perceptions about the severity of their child’s communication deficits partially mediated the relationship between expressive language at baseline and parent stress at post-intervention. In addition, exploratory results begin to support the idea that parents who are initially high in parent stress are able to decrease their overall parent stress following language intervention.