Public health educators serve as a vital interface between medical and public health authorities and community members for the dissemination of important information related to disease prevention and health promotion. Public health educators deliver packaged educational programs, develop their own original programs, field impromptu health questions, and conduct community health assessments. This dissertation research employed a survey in January 2011 to illuminate the information-related attitudes and activities of health educators working in public health departments in Appalachia. The research questions explored how these health educators find and use information, how they perceive their information needs and their abilities to find and evaluate information related to their work, their satisfaction with the information resources available to them, and the impact of the economic and health status of their county or region on their information behavior. Key findings include that respondents are frequent information seekers with high-speed Internet access, but they need better access to information and data related to their work. Respondents use the web heavily but have concerns about evaluating online information. Information literacy training must accommodate their workflows and budgets. Library resource use is currently low but has the greatest potential for meeting their complex needs. Suggestions include multi-dimensional collaborations between health educators and information professionals and a new, more information-centric role for health educators.

När specialpedagogen använder handledning som verktyg söker hon åstadkomma förändring genom att ge pedagogerna råd. Fokus i samtalet riktas framförallt på barnet och på pedagogens arbete. Specialpedagogen kan ses som en slags expert på området barn i svårigheter och den pedagogiska praktiken. När specialpedagogen använder handledning som rum för reflektion söker hon åstadkomma förändring genom att ställa frågor för att stimulera pedagogens tänkande och stödja hennes utforskande av hur problemet kan förstås. Specialpedagogen kan då ses som en slags expert på att föra reflekterande samtal och samtalets fokus riktas huvudsakligen mot pedagogen. Specialpedagogernas repertoar innehåller därmed såväl förmåga att handleda genom att ge pedagogerna råd med utgångspunkt i det enskilda barnet som att stimulera pedagogernas reflekterande över aspekter av sitt arbete. Avhandlings syfte är att undersöka hur elva specialpedagoger beskriver och genomför handledning med pedagoger i förskola och grundskola. Intresset riktas mot samtalens innehåll och mot de påverkansprocesser som äger rum i samtalet. Handledningssamtalen studeras ur specialpedagogens perspektiv. Specialpedagogers handledningssamtal kan bidra till att vidga synen på objektet för den specialpedagogiska verksamheten såväl som befästa ett individperspektiv på området. I denna studie dominerar användningen av handledning som verktyg. Utmaningen förefaller ligga i att söka skapa villkor som även gynnar användningen av handledning som rum för reflektion.

The aim of this thesis is to examine some of the educational and sociological conditions underlying the production of teaching in friluftsliv within the Physical Education (PE) subject in Swedish compulsory school. Despite the value awarded to the Scandinavian outdoor practice friluftsliv, in both the national PE curriculum document and in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) in Sweden, it does not seem to be thoroughly implemented in compulsory school teaching. Through analyses of interviews with PE teachers and PE teacher educators, as well as of curriculum documents, using the perspectives of Basil Bernstein and Pierre Bourdieu, I explore conditions underlying the expressions of friluftsliv teaching in Swedish PE. The pedagogic discourse for friluftsliv in Swedish PE is described as a teaching that should take place in a natural setting remote from civilisation, involve risks, and require time, technical equipment, financial resources, and cooperation. This discourse for friluftsliv is shown to be similar to the values emphasised in friluftsliv education in PETE. Although proven to be difficult to implement in school, this discourse appear to form the conception of friluftsliv teaching for PE teachers in Sweden. Under the influence of the performance code, friluftsliv is transformed into outdoor activities with which the PE teachers are familiar, or is totally left out of PE teaching. A turn towards options that are seen as unthinkable in relation to the current pedagogic discourse may benefit the achievement of the aims set out in the national PE curriculum. Values such as environmental awareness, sustainable development and cultural perspectives on the landscape could strengthen the classification of friluftsliv and PE in compulsory school. Further, an increase of socially critical and constructivist perspectives during PETE could make unthinkable options in friluftsliv thinkable and contribute to a break with the reproduction of teaching practices in PE. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: In press. Paper 2: Submitted.

The purpose of this thesis is to gain insight into educators’ views and work with circle time in preschool. To find out, I have referred to the following questions: How is your circle time performed in preschool? What objectives have teachers with the circle time? What impact has your circle time for the children in preschool? I have chosen to carry out qualitative interviews with three preschool teachers. After the interviews, I compared the educators’ response to previous research. The survey shows that the circle time is one of the day´s highlights for preschool children. It also shows that the most important thing with circle time is to create community, security in the group, and a fun time together. The educators also believe that circle time is an important part in the children's learning process, especially when it comes to social learning. In my study, I can see that the content in the circle time has not changed much during the preschool development; the circle time consists mostly of roll call, rhyme, rhymes and songs. Keywords: preschool, circle time, educator, children, circle

The quality of early childhood education and care programs greatly impacts children’s development and well being. The classroom environment, program content and approach and early childhood educators’ characteristics are some of the elements that influence quality and thus have effects on young children’s development. Past research has indicated that early childhood education and care programs in Quebec have received on average low/minimal or mediocre ratings of quality and were also found to lack developmentally appropriate play materials (Drouin, Bigras, Fournier, Desrosiers, & Bernard, 2004; Goelman et al., 2006; Japel, Tremblay, & Cote, 2005). The present study set out to explore elements that may influence the quality of child care classrooms in the province of Quebec. Early childhood educators’ knowledge and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) were examined to determine the relationship between these elements. Early childhood educators’ knowledge of developmental milestones (KDM) and knowledge of appropriate play materials (KPM) were found to be weak but educators reported strong developmentally appropriate beliefs (BDAP) and practices (PDAP). Results demonstrated positive correlations between early childhood educators’ declarative knowledge of developmental milestones (KDM), knowledge of appropriate play materials (KPM) and their beliefs and practices of developmentally appropriate practice (BDAP and PDAP). Educators’ levels of declarative KDM were positively correlated with their level of declarative KPM. In addition, educators’ BDAP was positively correlated with their level of declarative KPM, but their reported DAP was not linked to their level of KDM. Implications for the field of ECEC as well as early childhood education programs in CEGEPs and Universities in Quebec and across Canada are discussed in light of the study’s findings and limitations.

The rise of unhealthy beverage consumption, such as soft drinks, in children and youth for the last 25 years has increased the risk of low bone mass density by replacing milk (a major source of calcium intake), compromised dental health, and possibly contributed obesity. A school-based nutrition education intervention was developed to promote a change in this behavior. This study examined the effectiveness of this nutrition education program, called FUEL (Fluids Used Effectively in Living), in promoting healthy beverage consumption among high school students. The FUEL nutrition education manual consisted of six classroom sessions; it was delivered in four classes of grade nine students using different approaches, either multiple or single strategies. The nutrition intervention used multiple teaching methods which included six lessons delivered as visual, group interaction, tactile, individual, and auditory teaching styles. The multiple strategies approach was delivered through peer educators (led by a dietitian) in one class and dietitian-only in another class. In the single strategy approach, also called self-taught, two classes received only the handouts in the FUEL manual. This latter approach was considered the control to the nutrition intervention. The two classes that received either peer education or self-taught approach were in two high schools in Saskatoon. The two classes with either dietitian-taught or self-taught approaches were in a high school in Prince Albert. The beverage intake, knowledge, and attitude of students were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire before the intervention, a week after the intervention, and three months after the intervention. In Saskatoon only, a one year follow-up beverage intake assessment was performed. None of the schools in the FUEL study provided healthy beverage choices for the students. Generally, students in our study consumed an adequate amount of milk, but they drank sugary beverages daily. There was a tendency to replace milk and 100% fruit juices with sugary drinks. After the intervention, students in multiple teaching strategies decreased their sugary beverage intake significantly. The findings indicated that a school-based nutrition education with multiple teaching strategies may lead to positive knowledge, attitude and behavioural change which will have beneficial effect on long-term health.

The quality of early childhood education and care programs greatly impacts children’s development and well being. The classroom environment, program content and approach and early childhood educators’ characteristics are some of the elements that influence quality and thus have effects on young children’s development. Past research has indicated that early childhood education and care programs in Quebec have received on average low/minimal or mediocre ratings of quality and were also found to lack developmentally appropriate play materials (Drouin, Bigras, Fournier, Desrosiers, & Bernard, 2004; Goelman et al., 2006; Japel, Tremblay, & Cote, 2005). The present study set out to explore elements that may influence the quality of child care classrooms in the province of Quebec. Early childhood educators’ knowledge and developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) were examined to determine the relationship between these elements. Early childhood educators’ knowledge of developmental milestones (KDM) and knowledge of appropriate play materials (KPM) were found to be weak but educators reported strong developmentally appropriate beliefs (BDAP) and practices (PDAP). Results demonstrated positive correlations between early childhood educators’ declarative knowledge of developmental milestones (KDM), knowledge of appropriate play materials (KPM) and their beliefs and practices of developmentally appropriate practice (BDAP and PDAP). Educators’ levels of declarative KDM were positively correlated with their level of declarative KPM. In addition, educators’ BDAP was positively correlated with their level of declarative KPM, but their reported DAP was not linked to their level of KDM. Implications for the field of ECEC as well as early childhood education programs in CEGEPs and Universities in Quebec and across Canada are discussed in light of the study’s findings and limitations.

The intensification of Ontario’s communities through recent policies such as the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan (GGH) will reduce the amount of local natural spaces for residents. Presently many of Ontario’s youth experience the natural world primarily by visiting environmental education centres. This study used sequential exploratory mixed methods to discover the perceptions of environmental educators concerning the realities of their daily practice. The first phase of the study utilized a grounded theory approach to construct an understanding of environmental education in Ontario. The interrelated themes of increasing environmental consciousness, evaluation of programs and centres, influence of visiting adults on program effectiveness, and programming were revealed. The second phase utilized the themes derived to construct an online survey in order to measure the actual practice of environmental educators compared to their perceived best methods. The results indicate that the scarcity of effective program and institutional evaluation, ineffective communication between supervising adults, and the conflict over pedagogical aims lead to some centres potentially only achieving mediocre increases in the environmental consciousness of the participants. The need for explicit, accessible areas where youth can engage in repetitive unstructured activities in the natural world is highlighted as an area for community stakeholders to focus their efforts on if pro-environmental behaviour is a desired trait in residents.

Beginning teachers committed to social justice and emancipatory education often experience isolation and discouragement and need communities for intellectual, social, and emotional support as they learn to teach, and sustain their commitments to transformative pedagogy. This qualitative inquiry followed recent graduates who demonstrated personal commitments to a more just world through their lives and their studies and who began their first year as teachers in a variety of settings. Framed within a theory of transformational learning, third space, and Adler’s concepts of social interest and encouragement, the participants and the participant researcher co-created a virtual community to reflect upon and problematize this complex stage of their careers. Guiding this inquiry were the following questions: (a) What are the individual experiences, tensions, and perceptions expressed by social justice educators during their first year of teaching? (b) How does an online community created to develop a support network influence the experiences of these beginning educators during their initial year in the field? Data collection for this individual and multiple case study included autobiographical information, postings, interviews, and extant data from the teachers’ preservice training and the beginning of their first year. Data were inductively and iteratively analyzed. Trustworthiness was established through attention to credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Exploration of the life histories of these women indicated that justice and equity have been their ontological way of being in the world, and that commitment extended through their preservice training and into their first year of teaching. These women approached curriculum in critical ways, problematized simplistic explanations of student apathy, deconstructed the one right answer myth, and worked to democratize education, liberating both their students and themselves. The co-constructed community provided multiple venues for reflection, discussion, collaboration, and support which were used by the participants to meet their unique goals and needs. Participants resolved to continue and expand the community beyond the data collection period so as to remain inspired and focused on issues of justice. Implications for teacher education programs, school districts, and beginning social justice educators themselves were discussed. Possible questions for future research were also explored.

In the absence of a Georgia Educator Certificate in instructional technology, and of state-wide staffing requirements for instructional technology specialists, media specialists may be playing an increasingly larger role in instructional technology support and focusing less on other vital media specialist responsibilities. A deeper understanding of the role of media specialists with respect to instructional technology may provide insight into determining a need for instructional technology certification and support in Georgia schools. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine the role of media specialists with respect to instructional technology in an urban school district in Georgia. Practicing media specialists’ perceived use, and perceived ideal use, of instructional technology specialist and media specialist job competencies were examined. The data revealed an overall difference among the four dependent variables (a) perceived current use of media specialist competencies, (b) perceived ideal use of media specialist competencies, (c) perceived current use of instructional technology specialist competencies, and (d) perceived ideal use of instructional technology specialist competencies. Within-subjects contrasts revealed significant pairwise differences among all the variables except the comparison of the use of media specialist competencies and the use of instructional technology specialist competencies. These findings suggest that in the absence of consistently staffed, certified instructional technology specialists, media specialists are playing an increasingly larger role in instructional technology support and focusing less on other essential media specialist roles and responsibilities.