Introduction. A mother’s verbal and non-verbal behaviour towards her infant is known as maternal responsiveness (MR). Positive MR is associated with better child social and emotional development (SED). A mother’s ability to accurately recognise emotions is thought to enhance MR. Method. Data from 1,122 mother-infant interactions from a longitudinal birth cohort study, was used firstly to examine whether positive MR at 12 months was associated with better child and adolescent SED, and secondly to explore whether better maternal facial and vocal expression recognition at 151 months was associated with positive MR and child SED. MR was measured using the Thorpe Interaction Measure (TIM) from observed mother-infant interactions and SED from questionnaire data adjusting for potential confounding variables. A test of facial expression recognition was used with vocal expression recognition additionally used in mothers. Results. Logistic regression revealed that positive MR was associated with positive SED outcomes in childhood but there was little effect in adolescence. Positive MR was associated with mothers having better facial and vocal expression recognition at 151 months and these recognition skills were associated with children showing less emotional problems at 158 months independent of MR. Adjustments for confounding variables had no effect on these results. Conclusion: These findings support the benefit of positive MR on a child’s SED in middle childhood. Further, the findings suggest that a mother’s facial and vocal expression recognition skills are important to both MR and a child’s SED. Limitations include subjective reporting of SED.

A growing body of literature and research emphasizes the importance of developing student mindsets and social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies (metacognitive learning skills) across the prenatal (P) to graduate school (20) (P-20) continuum to increase student motivation, engagement, achievement, and overall well-being. There is, however, an absence of research investigating the impact of braiding growth mindset, SEL, and mindfulness principles and practices together on early elementary student and teacher outcomes. The purpose of my dissertation is to measure the impact of a new PreK–3rd curriculum called Growing Early Mindsets (GEM™) (Coates, in publication) on student and teacher outcomes across the K–3rd continuum in two districts in Oregon. Data collected during the 2014–15 Mindset Works’ study of Growing Early Mindsets (GEM™) was used. Classrooms were assigned to experimental (implemented GEM™) and control groups and given pretest and posttest measures to measure the impact of GEM™ on students’ approaches to learning, social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies, and literacy skills as well as on teacher mindsets, perceptions, confidence, and motivation. Results were statistically significant for students’ approaches to learning and SEL competencies as measured by Teacher Reports and teacher’s beliefs as measured by the Teacher Mindset Survey. Results were not statistically significant for students’ approaches to learning and SEL competencies as measured by Student Surveys, nor students’ oral reading fluency as measured by district-administered oral reading fluency measures. All experimental teachers reported that GEM™ changed their perceptions of their own and others’ learning and growth, increased their confidence to integrate growth mindset and SEL practices, and increased their motivation to improve their overall teaching practices. While the results are somewhat promising, the findings raise many questions that need further exploration. / 10000-01-01

Abstract Background and aims: Growing evidence supports the existence of clinically significant problems in social-emotional/behavioral (SEB) development among infants and toddlers and the importance of early identification of these problems. There is a lack of research on the occurrence and identification of problems in the SEB domain among the Finnish general population of 1 to 2-year-old children. The present study examined these important issues. Given the dearth of earlier research knowledge, particular emphasis was focused on analyzing possible moderating effects of the assessed child’s and informant’s gender on the results. Subjects and methods: Oulu toddler (N = 208, age 18 months), Oulu infant (N = 227, age 12 months), and Oulu Province (N = 1008, age 12 months) samples were collected during 2008–2013 in collaboration with child health centers. Both mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing their child´s SEB development (e.g. the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment; Briggs-Gowan & Carter, 2006) and the family’s sociodemographic characteristics. Child healthcare nurse (CHCN) worry reports concerning the children’s development and family well-being were also gathered. Main results and conclusions: In parental ratings, girls obtained higher SEB competence scores than boys, whereas boys got higher SEB problem scores than girls, particularly among the toddler sample. Thus, boys may have an elevated risk of parent-reported problem behaviors and delays in SEB competences even before the age of 2 years. Compared to fathers, mothers were prone to rate the toddlers higher in both SEB competences and problems, especially with regard to externalizing behavior problems and problems in boys. Elevated interparental rating differences were associated with relatively elevated maternal parenting stress. Therefore, it is recommended to gather data on young children’s SEB development from both parents when possible and to focus clinical attention on the issue if the parental reports differ significantly. Parents and CHCNs seldom recognized SEB problems and delays in competency as problematical in 1-year-old infants, even in the case of infants who were screened to be in the of-concern range on the age-appropriate measure of SEB development. Thus, further efforts are needed for developing the identification of early problems in SEB development by both parents and preventive child healthcare professionals in Finland. / Tiivistelmä Tausta ja tavoitteet: Kasvava näyttö tukee käsitystä, että kliinisesti merkittäviä sosioemotionaalisen ja käyttäytymisen (SEK) kehityksen ongelmia esiintyy jo vauva- ja taaperoikäisillä ja että näiden ongelmien varhainen tunnistaminen on tärkeää. SEK-kehityksen ongelmien esiintymisestä ja tunnistamisesta 1–2-vuotaiden väestössä Suomessa puuttuu tutkimustietoa. Tämä tutkimus arvioi näitä tärkeitä aiheita. Tutkimuksessa huomioitiin erityisesti sekä tutkittavan lapsen että arvioitsijan sukupuolen mahdollinen moderoiva vaikutus tuloksiin, koska aiempaa tutkimustietoa tästä näkökulmasta on vähän. Tutkittavat ja menetelmät: Oulu taapero (N = 208, ikä 18 kk), Oulu vauva (N = 227, ikä 12 kk) ja Oulun lääni (N = 1008, ikä 12 kk) -aineistot kerättiin vuosina 2008–2013 yhteistyössä lastenneuvoloiden kanssa. Sekä äidit että isät täyttivät lomakkeet, jotka arvioivat lapsen SEK-kehitystä (mm. the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment; Briggs-Gowan & Carter, 2006) ja perheen sosiodemografisia taustatekijöitä. Myös terveydenhoitajan raportit lapsen kehitykseen ja perheen hyvinvointiin liittyvistä huolista kerättiin. Päätulokset ja johtopäätökset: Vanhempien arvioimina tytöt saivat korkeampia pistemääriä SEK-taidoissa kuin pojat, kun taas pojat saivat korkeampia pistemääriä SEK-ongelmissa kuin tytöt, etenkin taaperoaineistossa. Pojilla saattaakin olla kohonnut riski vanhempien raportoimille käytösongelmille ja SEK-kehityksen viiveille jopa ennen 2 vuoden ikää. Isiin verrattuina äidit olivat taipuvaisia antamaan korkeampia pisteitä sekä SEK-taito- että -ongelmaosioissa taaperoikäisten aineistossa, etenkin koskien ulospäin suuntautuvia käytösongelmia ja poikien ongelmia. Suurentuneet eroavaisuudet vanhempien antamissa arvioissa olivat yhteydessä suhteellisesti kohonneeseen vanhemmuuden stressiin äideillä. Onkin suositeltavaa kerätä tietoa pienen lapsen SEK-kehityksestä kummaltakin vanhemmalta, jos mahdollista, ja kiinnittää kliinistä huomiota asiaan, jos vanhempien antamat tiedot eriävät merkittävästi. Vanhemmat ja terveydenhoitajat tunnistivat SEK-ongelmia ja taitojen puutteita harvoin huolenaiheiksi 1-vuotiailla, vaikka nämä vauvat olisivat seuloutuneet huolialueelle ikätasoon soveltuvalla SEK-kehityksen mittarilla. Tarvitaankin lisätoimia, jotta vanhemmat ja terveydenhuollon ammattilaiset oppivat paremmin tunnistamaan varhaisia SEK-kehityksen ongelmia Suomessa.

This work is focused on the point of the secondary school youth attitude on the issue of the rational nutrition. Using the questionnaire investigation that is divided into several research areas I am trying to prove or disconfirm the existence of the mutual relationship between the branch of study and the preferences of healthy nutrition and healthy lifestyle for youth. My thesis deals with the question of a provable relationship in knowledge achieved in the field of healthy nutrition and healthy lifestyle and the branch of study. The main findings revealed the unsatisfactory knowledge in matters of healthy nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. The family does not pay sufficient attention to rational nutrition and youth isn't very careful about a regular diet. Students very often don't have breakfast and they replace lunch mostly by cold snack of inadequate composition that is mostly bought in school canteens. Fruit, vegetables and dairy products are consumed by secondary school students in small amounts and irregularly. Only quite exceptionally they attend school dining-room to get warm and energetically efficient and biologically balanced lunch. Drinking regime is mostly insufficient and is made up of the inappropriate drinks, most often the sweet lemonade, coffee and energy drinks. Secondary school...

The year 2002 saw the amendment of section 5(4) of the South African Schools Act no 84 of 1996. The amended Act now allows children of five years or younger to enter school. The entry of five year olds and younger into the school system left the researcher with the question: when is a child emotionally ready for school? The test and mediums currently used to determine school readiness do not place emphasis on the emotional aspects, although this plays an integral part in the child’s scholastic success. This scientific investigation was to determine the emotional development of children between the ages of four and seven years. The aim of this study was to determine which emotional aspects a child should have to be emotionally ready for school. These findings were discussed and information gathered through semi-structured interviews with grade 1 teachers. The teachers were a good source of practical and personal experience and observations on children who enter school. The information gathered from the literature study and interviews formed the basis for developing an emotional school readiness checklist and related programme that can be used to determine the emotional school readiness of a child entering grade 1. The emotional school readiness checklist and related programme that was designed was not in question, rather the aspects deemed necessary for a child to be emotionally ready for school and how therapy could be developed based on these aspects. Thus the inventory was not tested on a child, but was implemented in a case study to illustrate a therapeutic plan that could be designed based on the emotional school readiness checklist. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

Štinglová Kristýna Pupil at a primary school as a member of a pupils'parlament ABSTRACT The diploma thesis is focused on a primary school pupil in the pupil's parliament. The aim of the work is to find examples of inspiring practice for involving students from the 1st grade in the student parliament. In the theoretical part, at the beginning I deal with the basic concepts that accompany the whole thesis. Then I discuss the topic of democracy in schools, its basic principles and conditions that the school must meet. I mention CEDU, which helps primary schools build democracy. The work is further focused on the developmental character of the 1st grade pupil (it is early school age and middle school age) in terms of social and emotional development. The work also slightly affects the rights of the child at school. Finally, I analyze in detail the parliamentary parliament in Czech schools and abroad, more specifically in Germany, Great Britain and Denmark. The practical part is divided according to research methods into three parts. There is a semi- structured interview with the coordinator of the student parliament, indirect observation of the student parliament meeting in the distance form of study and has my own experience with the student parliament at the time when I was studying at primary school. At the...