Yes / Born in Bradford (BiB) is a prospective multi-ethnic pregnancy and birth cohort study that was established to examine determinants of health and development during childhood and, subsequently, adult life in a deprived multi-ethnic population in the north of England. Between 2007 and 2010, the BiB cohort recruited 12,453 women who experienced 13,776 pregnancies and 13,858 births, along with 3353 of their partners. Forty five percent of the cohort are of Pakistani origin. Now that children are at primary school, the first full follow-up of the cohort is taking place. The aims of the follow-up are to investigate the determinants of children's pre-pubertal health and development, including through understanding parents' health and wellbeing, and to obtain data on exposures in childhood that might influence future health. Methods: We are employing a multi-method approach across three data collection arms (community-based family visits, school based physical assessment, and whole classroom cognitive, motor function and wellbeing measures) to follow-up over 9000 BiB children aged 7-11 years and their families between 2017 and 2021. We are collecting detailed parent and child questionnaires, cognitive and sensorimotor assessments, blood pressure, anthropometry and blood samples from parents and children. Dual x-ray absorptiometry body scans, accelerometry and urine samples are collected on subsamples. Informed consent is collected for continued routine data linkage to health, social care and education records. A range of engagement activities are being used to raise the profile of BiB and to disseminate findings. Discussion: Our multi-method approach to recruitment and assessment provides an efficient method of collecting rich data on all family members. Data collected will enhance BiB as a resource for the international research community to study the interplay between ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances and biology in relation to cardiometabolic health, mental health, education, cognitive and sensorimotor development and wellbeing. / BiB receives core infrastructure funding from the Wellcome Trust (WT101597MA) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for Yorkshire and Humber and Clinical Research Network (CRN) research delivery support. Further support for genome-wide and multiple ‘omics measurements is from the UK Medical Research Council (G0600705), National Institute of Health Research (NF-SI-0611-10196), US National Institute of Health (R01 DK10324), and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) / ERC grant agreement no 669545. The follow-up of BiB participants, which is the focus of this paper, is funded by a joint grant from the UK Medical Research Council and UK Economic and Social Science Research Council (MR/N024397/1) and a grant from the British Heart Foundation (CS/16/4/32482.) D.A.L. works in a unit that receives UK Medical Research Council funding (MC_UU_00011/6) and is a UK National Institute of Health Research senior investigator (NF-SI-0611-10196).

Social media use is an ever-growing phenomenon, with the majority of the world's population using at least one social media account. Despite the widespread usage, a strong link between social media use and negatively impacted body image exists, a connection that has been mainly explored in the context of women. This research aims to shed light on the aforementioned relationship concerning Swedish men (aged 18-34), considering various socio-economic status (SES) factors. To address the research question “Which background factors influence the relationship between Instagram usage and perceived body image among Swedish men (aged 18-34)?”, a quantitative study was performed by administering a combined questionnaire (N=52) consisting of validated questionnaires regarding Instagram use, body image and SES. Multiple regression and moderation analyses were conducted to explore these relationships. No significant results were found. Certain limitations should be addressed in future research on this topic. / Användning av sociala medier är ett ständigt växande fenomen, då majoriteten av världens befolkning använder minst ett socialt mediekonto. Trots den utbredda användningen finns det en stark koppling mellan användning av sociala medier och en negativ kroppsuppfattning. Tidigare forskning har dock främst fokuserat på kvinnor. Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa det tidigare nämnda förhållandet hos svenska män (18-34 år), med hänsyn till olika socioekonomiska status (SES) faktorer. Vi ville besvara frågan "Vilka bakgrundsfaktorer påverkar sambandet mellan Instagramanvändning och upplevd kroppsbild bland svenska män (18-34 år)?", och för att göra detta genomfördes en kvantitativ studie där deltagarna (N=52) vick besvara några validerade frågeformulär med avseende på användning av Instagram, kroppsbild och SES. Dessa samband undersöktes med hjälp av linjär regression. Inga signifikanta resultat hittades. Vissa begränsningar bör tas upp i framtida forskning om detta ämne.

No / BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency rickets is associated with skeletal deformities including swollen rib junctions, bowing of the legs, and the flaring and fraying of the wrist and long-bone metaphyses. There is, however, scarce information on the direct effect of rickets on skeletal growth in either present or past populations. AIM: The study investigated the effect of vitamin D deficiency rickets on long-bone growth in two post-medieval skeletal populations from East London (Broadgate and Christ Church Spitalfields). Subsequently, inter-population growth variations in relation to non-specific environmental stress (dental enamel defects), industrialization, urbanization and socio-economic status during infancy (birth to 3 years) and early childhood (3-7 years) were examined. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data on long-bone diaphyseal length dimensions and stress indicators of 234 subadults from Anglo-Saxon, late medieval and post-medieval archaeological skeletal samples were analysed using both linear and non-linear growth models. RESULTS: Rickets had no effect on the growth curves for any of the long bones studied. However, pronounced variations in growth between the four populations were noted, mainly during infancy. The diaphyseal length of long bones of Broadgate were significantly smaller-per-age than those of Spitalfields and the other samples up to the age of 4 years, and were associated with a high prevalence of enamel defects during early infancy. CONCLUSION: Socio-economic status, rather than urbanization, industrialization or rickets, was the central factor behind the observed differences in growth among the post-medieval populations. The observed inter-population growth variations were only significant during infancy.

Det finns ett kunskapsgap i mellanstadieelevers matematikprestationer mellan elever med låg socioekonomisk status och resterande elever i Sverige. Lärarens förväntningar visar sig även vara en viktig faktor när det kommer till elevers prestationer i matematik och inte minst för skolor med låg socioekonomisk status. Av den anledningen är det intressant att undersöka hur lärarens förväntningar och elevens prestation korrelerar i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur lärarens förväntningar korrelerar med elevens matematikprestationer för årskurs 6, i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden i en svensk medelstor kommun. Syftet besvaras genom frågorna: hur upplever elever lärarens förväntningar i ämnet matematik och hur ser sambandet ut mellan lärarens förväntningar, elevens motivation och elevens matematikprestationer i en svensk skolkontext? Studien använder Expectancy-Value-Theory som teoretisk utgångspunkt för att undersöka hur elevernas prestationer påverkas av lärarens förväntningar, både direkt och indirekt genom motivation. Studien använder en kvantitativ metod och data samlas in via en enkät som besvaras av 67 elever i årskurs 6. Det insamlade materialet analyseras med hjälp av korstabeller och Chi2-test. Resultatet i studien visar att majoriteten av eleverna upplever höga förväntningar, self-efficacy och uppgiftsinriktade mål, oavsett vilket betyg eleven har. Lärarens förväntningar visar inte ett direkt samband med elevernas matematikprestationer, men har ett signifikant samband med elevens self-efficacy och uppgiftsinriktade mål. / There is a knowledge gap in middle school students' mathematics performance between students with low socioeconomic status and other students in Sweden. Teachers' expectations also prove to be an important factor in students' performance in mathematics, particularly in schools with low socioeconomic status. For this reason, it is interesting to investigate how teachers' expectations and students' performance correlate in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.  The purpose of the study is to highlight how teachers' expectations correlate with students' mathematics performance in grade 6, in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. The purpose is addressed through the following questions: how do students perceive teachers' expectations in the subject of mathematics, and what is the relationship between teachers' expectations, students' motivation, and students' mathematics performance in a Swedish school context? The study uses Expectancy-Value Theory as a theoretical framework to examine how students' performance is influenced by teachers' expectations, both directly and indirectly through motivation. The study employs a quantitative method and data is collected via a questionnaire answered by 67 students in grade 6. The data is analyzed using cross-tabulations and Chi-square tests. The results of the study show that the majority of students perceive high expectations, self-efficacy, and mastery goal orientation. regardless of their grades. Teachers' expectations do not show a direct correlation with students' mathematics performance but have a significant correlation with students' self-efficacy and mastery goal orientation.

The research described here was inspired by a national review which concluded that too many children come into our primary schools with unmet speech and language needs (Bercow, 2008). Teachers are in a position to identify language difficulties but many have expressed uncertainty regarding their role in this process. I believed that the LAMP (Linguistic Assessment for Mapped Provision) screen for language and communication which I had developed would help teachers to identify language concerns and would also increase their professional confidence in this complex area. I had developed the LAMP screening instrument and piloted it over a 2 year period prior to this study. It is employed here as a universal screen that is used in a whole school approach in order to enable teachers to identify language need. The use of the LAMP as a universal screen applied to all the children in a school lessened the likelihood of preconceived notions impacting upon teacher’s perceptions of need in the classroom. The LAMP data allowed schools to track the progress of individual children within a class and whole school context. Teachers need to be aware of any pre-conceptions they may have in relation to the performance of children from different socio economic circumstances. The hypothesis that poverty continues to provide the weightiest detrimental effects upon children’s language development was examined and within the parameters of this study was found to be contestable. Study design: A systematic survey was conducted over 4 Primary schools using the LAMP. Rich picture data was accessed from teacher questionnaires and focus groups involving participants from the schools in the study. The repeated measures design provided information on what teachers had learned in the period of reflection between the screenings. The use of a mixed methods repeated measures design helped me to understand what was difficult for teachers and what the teachers felt would help them. The 4 schools in the study were chosen to reflect varied social contexts in order to explore any impacts of SES on the results. Analysis of data: In a repeated measures design, a LAMP screen was completed for every child across the 4 schools by their teachers in February and then June in one school year. Results of screening were analysed and compared on a range of variables using SPSS. Questionnaires were used to collect teacher perceptions before and after using the LAMP screen. Focus groups were held in the schools at the end of the study to add more information on how helpful teachers felt the process had been in raising their awareness, confidence, and skills in the identification of SLCN. Findings: The main trend observed was a decrease in levels of teacher concern related to children’s speech and language needs from the first to second screening survey. Differences were found at a statistically significant level on a range of variables. The expected differences between high and low socio-economic status (SES) schools were not found. Teachers reported increases in their awareness, confidence, and skill in identifying children’s speech language and communication concerns by the end of the study. Some changes to classroom practice were reported. Conclusions: I propose that use of the LAMP screen increased teacher awareness of the nature of language difficulty and that this heightened awareness was a key variable in the observed changes to language concern scores. The LAMP screening process was seen by schools’ staff to have had a positive effect on teacher’s skills and to be relatively easily assimilated into the school system. However some participants identified a number of challenges relating to time constraints and maintaining the use of LAMP as high profile in the context of competing time demands in their schools. It is suggested that EP services would be in a position to support schools to implement and embed the LAMP screening model as part of their Service provision. It is also proposed that economic deprivation or disadvantage did not appear to be the only important factor to consider when making funding decisions intended to support children’s linguistic competency in schools.

Humans, like all animal species, are subject to Bergmann's (1847) and Allen's (1877) environmental rules which summarize physical adaptations to the natural environment. However, humans are in addition cultural animals and other bio-cultural factors such as social, economic and political status, general health, and nutrition, have a noticeable influence on stature and body proportions. Importantly, socio-economic status has a powerful influence on stature, which has been used to elucidate status differences in past societies (Bogin and Loucky, 1997; Floud et al., 1990; Schutkowski, 2000a). Furthermore, bio-cultural factors influence all dimensions of the human body, including weight, relative limb length, and relative length of the different limb segments. Given minimal migration and shared natural environments, all populations in this study, coming as they do from the last 2000 years of English history, should demonstrate similar morphology (c. f Ruff, 1994) if climatic variables were the only influence on stature and body proportions. In order to assess such bio-cultural factors in individuals from archaeological populations, skeletal populations from sites such as known leprosaria and medieval hospitals, rural and urban parish cemeteries, victims from the battle of Towton in A. D. 1461, and individuals from monastic cemeteries were analysed. The osteometric data from these populations were assessedfo r within and between population variability and indicate effects of bio-cultural factors on attained body proportions and stature. The results indicate a strong relationship between bio-cultural factors and body proportions, body mass index, prevalence of pathologies, sexual dimorphism, secular trend, and general stature from Roman times to the post-medieval period. The usefulness of stature, weight, and physical indices as markers of the bio-cultural environment is demonstrated. The main findings include: a greater sensitivity to external stressors in the males rather than the females of the analysed populations, rendering male statures more susceptible to varying bio-cultural conditions; a potential for very tall stature has existed in the analysed populations but was only realised. in very high status individuals in medieval times, and from the beginning 20'h century with better socio-economic conditions for the population at large; a less stratified socio-political environment, as in the late Anglo-Saxon period resulted in taller average male statures that a more stratified one, such as the medieval Nation-States; and medieval monastic institutions could have high status, e.g., the Gilbertines, or lower status, such as the mendicant orders, while leprosaria had the lowest status of all.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect that socio-economic status has upon the intelligence and achievement of 120 fourth-grade pupils. Ninety of the fourth-grade pupils were enrolled in the Denison Elementary Schools, Denison, Texas, and thirty of the fourth-grade pupils were enrolled in an independent school, one mile outside the Denison city limits.

The problem of this study was to determine the interrelationship of intelligence, socio-economic status, and ten subtest measures of achievement in a selected population of high-school seniors. In addition to the general problem, the specific problems were as follows: 1. To determine the relative independence of dependence of each of the variables in relation to their influence on each of the other variables. 2. To determine the degree of predictive validity with which behavioral regression equations can be used in terms of intelligence, achievement, and socio-economic status.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.