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Ernest Boyer's The Basic School: A Community for Learning (1995) aligns with other important research and programs that encourage parent involvement to maximize each child's educational potential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and to document the first steps undertaken by one school as it began to address Boyer's school as community priority by reaching out to an uninvolved parent population. Meaning was constructed from the perspective of the researcher who was an active participant in the process. Research questions included: 1) What happened when one school began to address the needs of its at-risk population by intentionally reaching out to involve the parents of these students in the life of the school? 2) How was this accomplished within the context of a school beginning to address the priorities of a "Basic School?" 3) What structures were created to facilitate the process and guide its progress? Teachers in the School as Community Family at Kizer Elementary School were the initial focus of this study. Additional groups with related purposes became part of the inquiry as the process unfolded. Transcripts, field notes, and related documents were collected from all relevant group meetings and outreach activities from June of 1997 through January of 1998. The process of data analysis yielded descriptive conceptual models and an interpretive narrative case study that follows a modified chronology of the communicative action steps undertaken by a group of educators readying themselves for outreach to an alienated parent population. This study produced practical implications for schools wishing to begin the steps toward increasing the level of family and community engagement with student learning. A case was made for self-reflective action to create opportunities for authentic conversation that can empower families to take greater initiative in the public education of their children. If schools can learn to build, support and sustain relationships with parents, particularly their at-risk populations, they might expect a greater level of success in educating their children. / Ed. D.

Individual differences in temperament can be a risk or a protective factor for a child, especially for children at-risk who possess single or multiple risk factors that may interfere with their educational success and affect their healthy development and their life-long outcomes. This research study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between temperament, school adjustment, and academic achievement in children at-risk. Seventy-seven children, ages five to 11 years, were reassessed two years after an initial study. Their teachers completed the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (TABC), the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), and reported on the children's academic achievement. The results for the concurrent relationships showed significant relationships between the children's temperament and their school adjustment; negative emotionality significantly correlated with and predicted school adjustment. Children's temperament was also found to have a significant relationship with academic achievement; persistence and activity level had significant correlations with academic achievement. Persistence, however, was the only predictor of academic achievement. In contrast, the longitudinal relationship between the children's temperament and their educational outcomes in terms of both school adjustment and academic achievement showed no significance. The concurrent relationships were found to be consistent with previous research; whereas the longitudinal relationships were found to vary from previous research. Implications for practice and considerations for future research directions are discussed.

Šalies statistika rodo, kad ne visos šeimos užtikrina vaikų gerovę ir tinkamai atlieka vaikų ugdymo ir socializacijos funkciją. Vaikai, augantys rizikos grupei priklausančiose šeimose, dažnai stokoja socialinių gebėjimų, kurie jiems leistų užmegzti ir palaikyti draugiškus santykius su bendraamžiais, konfliktus spręsti socialiai priimtinais būdais, dalyvauti įvairioje, socialiai prasmingoje veikloje. Neturėdami tinkamai išugdytų socialinių gebėjimų rizikos grupės vaikai dažnai linkę save nuvertinti, jie dažniau nei kiti vaikai patiria mokymosi, adaptacijos sunkumus, linkę užsiimti nusikalstama veikla. Šiame magistriniame darbe bandoma atskleisti rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymo ypatumus įgyvendinat „Savęs pažinimo“ programą. Tai svarbu vertinant šios grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų plėtotę juos įtraukus į socialines pratybas. Tyrimo tikslas: išnagrinėti ugdymo programos „Savęs pažinimas“ taikymo ypatumus rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymui. Rizikos grupės vaikų socialinių gebėjimų ugdymo ypatumams išnagrinėti buvo pasirinktas ugdymo projektas, kuriame dalyvavo septyni 9-12 metų vaikai, lankantys prevencinių programų studiją „Rafaelis“. Vieną mėnesį iki ugdymo projekto pradžios vaikai buvo stebimi įvairioje veikloje. Stebint buvo renkami duomenys apie vaiko psichosocialinius ypatumus. Remiantis surinkta informacija, vaikai suskirstyti į keturias grupes: 1 grupė - „tyleniai“ - tylūs, savimi nepasitikintys, nedrąsūs, neryžtingi vaikai; 2 grupė –... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The statistics of the country indicates that not every family guarantees the welfare of their children and carries out the function of children education and socialization in a proper way. The children being brought in families at risk very often lack social skills allowing them to establish and maintain friendly relations with their peers, to solve the arising conflicts in socially acceptable ways, to take part in various socially meaningful activities. Lacking properly educated social skills, the children at risk very often tend to devalue themselves, more often than other children they face learning difficulties or adaptation difficulties; tend to be involved in criminal acts. This final Master’s thesis tries to reveal the peculiarities of the education of social skills of the children at risk in the implementation of the programme “Self-cognition”. This is very important for the evaluation of the development of social abilities of these particular children after their involvement into social trainings. The aim of the research is to analyze the peculiarities of the application of the programme “Self-cognition” for the development of social skills of the children at risk. To analyze the peculiarities of the education of social skills of the children at risk an educational project was chosen which involved seven children aged between 9-12 and attending the club of preventive programmes “Rafaelis”. One month prior to the beginning of the educational project the children... [to full text]

This final work of postgraduate studies of educology is commited to the analysis of learning difficulties between children in the at-risk group both in the city and country schools in Lithuania. The goals of this work are to analyse scientific literature (pedagogical, psychological and sociological) about children at-risk and their learning difficulties, to complete practical research of these difficulties – to carry out practical survey (inquiry) about learning difficulties both in schools which are in the city and in the country, to analyse empirical data of survey (inquiry), to give conclusions and recommendations. The main scientifc methods which were used to complete this work were analysis of scientific literature and other documents (legal documents which describe status of children in the at-risk group). Also an empirical method - inquiry of children and their teachers – was used. Answers to the questions of this inquiry were processed with the help of computer programmes SPSS_10 and MS Excel. It is necessary to mention that the main results of this work are that it gives broad description of children in the at-risk group, describe their individual qualities, measure not attending of school as one of the most important pedagogical and psychological problems of children in the at-risk group, according to the statistical data describes a degree of this problem and also gives recommendations how to solve this problem. The work also gives analysis of influence of the... [to full text]

The aim of this dissertation is to examine approaches to social work dealing with children at risk and their families. Of particular interest to this examination are the processes of social work practice, support of vulnerable children, family's effect upon child's endangered situation as well as the role of family in the process of social work practice with the child. Further subjects of investigation are specific methods and instruments of social work practice with children in need, competence and role of social workers along with legal standards in this field of social work. The first part of the work describes general and theoretical structure of social work practice with socially endangered children. Following part consists of social work methods applied in Mezipatro Children's Centre. The research part includes an analysis of semi- structured interviews conducted with social workers from Mezipatro Children's Centre and is focused on efficiency and risks of social work tools used in Mezipatro Children's Centre.

Tyrimo objektas: Rizikos grupės vaikų požiūris į olimpinį judėjimą ir kilnų elgesį sporte olimpinio ugdymo kontekste; Tyrimo tikslas – išsiaiškinti rizikos grupės vaikų požiūrį į olimpinį judėjimą ir kilnų elgesį sporte olimpinio ugdymo kontekste. Siekinat atsakyti į tyrimo tikslą, buvo keliami šie uždaviniai: išnagrinėti olimpizmo idėjų sklaidą mokykloje olimpinio ugdymo kontekste; įvertinti rizikos grupės vaikų žinias apie olimpines žaidynes olimpinio ugdymo kontekste; nustatyti mokykloje vykdomos olimpinio ugdymo programos poveikį rizikos grupės vaikų požiūriui į olimpinį judėjimą ir kilnų elgesį sporte olimpinio ugdymo kontekste; Tyrimu tikrinama hipotezė, kad mokyklos, kurios vaikai dalyvauja olimpinio ugdymo projekte požiūris į olimpinį judėjimą ir kilnų elgesį sporte pozityvesnis nei mokyklos, kurios vaikai minėtame projekte nedalyvauja. Tyrimo metu, taikant netikimybinę tikslinę atranką bei apklausos raštu metodą buvo apklausta 120 rizikos grupei priklausančių vaikų (60 vaikų iš mokyklos, kuri dalyvauja olimpinio ugdymo programoje bei 60 vaikų iš mokyklos, nedalyvaujančios minėtoje programoje). Taikyta dalis Olimpinio klausimyno (Olympic Questionnaire, Telama et al., 2002). Apklausa parodė, kad mokyklos, kurios vaikai dalyvauja olimpinio ugdymo projekte požiūris į olimpinį judėjimą ir kilnų elgesį sporte pozityvesnis nei mokyklos, kurios vaikai minėtame projekte nedalyvauja. Nustatyta, kad žinių apie olimpines žaidynes rizikos grupės vaikai pirmiausia gauna... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Research object: Children‘s at risk attitude about Olympic Movement and noble behavior in sports in the context of Olympic education; Goal of research – to find out children‘s at risk attitude about Olympic Movement and noble behavior in sports in the context of Olympic education. On purpose to reach the goal of research, the following objectives have been raised: to analyze the dispersion of Olympism ideas in school in the context of Olympic education; to evaluate children‘s at risk knowledge about Olympics in the context of Olympic education; to determine the influence of Olympic education program in school for children‘s at risk attitude about Olympic Movement and noble behavior in sports in the context of Olympic education. The hypothesis, evaluating by research is, that the attitude about Olympic Movement and noble behavior in sports in school, in which children participate in the Olympic education project is more positive than in school, in which children don‘t participate in the earlier mentioned project. During the research, using non-stochastic objective selection and the method of written survey, 120 children from at-risk group (60 children from school, which participates in Olympic education program and 60 children from school, which is not participating in mentioned program) were interviewed. There was a part of Olympic Questionnaire used (Olympic Questionnaire, Telama et al., 2002). A survey showed, that the attitude about Olympic Movement and noble behavior in... [to full text]

The diploma work processes the present issues if it is important or even necessary keeping the institutional care for the children under 3 years of age or if it can be replaced by short term foster care. The research was done by quantitative strategy and with the method of forms. The forms were addressed to fosters [short term and long term fosters] and to the child care institutions for children under 3 years of age under the direction of Ministry of Health. The data from ÚZIS also served the research these data confirm that about 85% of children return to their own or substitute families. The return to biological families did not go under 50% between 2011 and 2015. The inquiry also revealed the different view on the issue of short term foster care where fosters [long and short time] prefer the short time foster care method, while the child care institutions for children under 3 years of age under the direction of Ministry of Health mention the risks connected with the foster [short term] deficiency. The work also shows the problem that short time foster care is not convenient for disabled children and children from different ethnic groups, the institutions see a big problem in this too. The ways how the children are distributed into substitute family care are also connected with above mention. The children come to short time foster care generally from social issues and to institutional care mostly from health-social issues. The fosters themselves mention the situations when they would fear doing the care. These situations mostly correspond with the cases of children placed to the institutions with special care. Finally it is obvious the short time foster care and the institutional care play their own irreplaceable role in the substitute family care system. Together they make the necessary balanced system for children at risk and they complement each other. Well, not every child is suitable for institutional care and otherwise. For example the children hardly disabled or children from repetitively non-functional families would be in high risk of failing again in the foster care. That is the reason, why the planned closing down of the special facilities should be discussed and reconsider again.

The 2011 Indian Census indicates that children under the age of 18 constitute more than 400 million, and most of them are Children at Risk (CAR). This study suggests that the care and protection of children at risk is not a twentieth- or twenty-first-century secular enterprise but has precedents in Protestant missions in India from the late eighteenth century. In the first section, the study focuses on evaluating contemporary Protestant mission contexts in India and a brief historical survey of Protestant missions to CAR in India through case studies. The evaluation concentrates on the implications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) for the predominant Protestant models of mission in contemporary India - which may be summarised as child evangelism, child compassion and child advocacy. The thesis argues that child care and protection is increasingly becoming secularised and professionalised. Moreover, with the emergence of new laws and with increasing, vigilance from international and national agencies, and from Hindu fundamentalists, Christian mission to CAR is itself at risk. Under these circumstances, the study also investigates whether there is a transition from ideas of 'saving' CAR to ideas of protecting the human rights of CAR. In the second section, this hypothesis is further substantiated by case studies of select Protestant churches and Christian NGOs engaging with CAR in the cities of Bangalore and Chennai. Using empirical data, it then claims that the predominant Protestant approaches of evangelism, compassion, and advocacy are still underdeveloped and inadequate primarily because the majority of caregivers working with children still perceive CAR as objects of their mission - an assumption that may be contrary to UNCRC (Articles 14 and 30). Further, it argues that the churches and agencies most active among CAR are from a 'conservative' background, who are often exclusively 'spiritual' and otherworldly in their concerns. The final and most constructive section, based on the evaluations of the empirical data, seeks to recommend a preliminary theology of mission in and through the idea of 'childness' based on Matthew 18: 2-5, an idea developed by Adrian Thatcher in the context of a theology of child participation. Based on these foundations, it suggests that UNCRC can be integrated as a set of principles for contemporary Christian missions with CAR in South India through a missiological process called 'dialogue,' emerging from a pluralistic Indian context. It further proposes that adults and children are to be perceived not as either independent (liberational) or dependent (paternalistic) agencies, but as interdependent agencies working together in God's mission. This thesis finally proposes basic principles for Christian mission to/for/with CAR - a multi-dimensional approach integrating CAR as subjects of God's mission and not just as objects.

This thesis focuses on the skills necessary to detect children being at risk from the adults in their surroundings based on the signals that the children manifest. The specific signs are described in the theoretical part, for example, different child expressions (on psychological, physical or behavioural level etc.) which can accompany risk exposure. The thesis also focuses on analysis of different environments in which these signals can be detected (family, school, medical examination etc.). Risk factors of children being exposed to danger in their own families are also analysed. Knowledge of these factors can facilitate the detection by surrounding people. The empirical part examines the signals most frequently used for the detection of children at risk by the adults in their proximity, as well as signs which don't get much attention (the adults are unable to perceive those signals, or they don't consider them as important). This analysis uses the data from "Children Crisis Center" (Dětské krizové centrum). Quantitative content analysis was used for the data survey. The quantity of signals registered by the family carers was compared to the quantity of signals only discovered by psychological examination. The conclusion reached by this analysis suggests, that family carers are not yet very...