The purpose of this study was to explore the process and product of African American First Graders as they participated in digital storytelling. Of interest was the role digital tools played in the creation process. Eight participants participated in 18 study sessions during which they composed, recorded, and then shared their digital texts with their peers and at home. Data sources included classroom observations, parent and teacher questionnaires, participant pre and post interviews, field notes, video and audio tapes of sessions, and story screenshot captures and print outs. Study questions focused on the nature of the texts the student produced, the role of the digital in the creation process, and the meanings and purposes the participants had for the texts they produced. This study’s findings challenge teachers to offer students authentic experiences with writing so that children can construct their own ideas and interests, their own writing personalities. Digital texts were a particularly engaging medium for these young children and allowed them to produce texts that reflected their identities as well as their attitudes toward using digital tools. The nature of the texts varied depending on the child, his or her attitude toward using the digital tools, and likely their previous experiences with composition. One unique type of text was identified as a hybrid text that seemed to capitalize on both the ability of the child storyteller and the affordances of the digital. Due to the study’s emphasis on sharing these texts with peers and at home, the first graders were introduced to a sophisticated view of audience. This transactional role of the audience made them aware of audience as a living, breathing entity that gains ownership of the texts’ meanings once they are shared. / text

Darbo tikslas: nustatyti pirmų klasių mokinių fizinio aktyvumo ir mitybos sąsajas su šeimų socialine ir ekonomine padėtimi Kauno miesto mokyklose. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių fizinį aktyvumą; 2. Įvertinti Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių mitybos ypatumus; 3. Išanalizuoti Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių šeimų sociolinius-ekonominius veiksnius; 4. Nustatyti sąsajas tarp Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių fizinio aktyvumo, mitybos bei šeimos socialinės-ekonominės padėties. Tyrimo metodika: COSI tyrimo pagrindu, apklausos anketoje tėvams/globėjams buvo pateikti 48 klausimai. Anketą Kauno mieste užpildė 407 tėvai. Duomenų statistinė analizė atlikta naudojant SPSS 19.0 for Windows programą. Rezultatai: Pusė Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių yra fiziškai aktyvūs – 53,4% berniukų ir 55,3% mergaičių. Švieži vaisiai pirmų klasių moksleivių racione vartojami dažniau nei šviežios daržovės (p<0,05), Bulvių traškučiai, pica yra valgomi retai – kelis kartus per mėnesį, o sausainiai ir saldainiai pirmų klasių mokinių valgomi 1-3 kartus per savaitę. Didžioji dalis 82,2% berniukų ir 77,9% mergaičių gyvena pilnoje šeimoje (p>0,05), namuose su visais patogumais. Daugumos tėvų išsialvinimas yra vidutinis, mamų – dažniausiai yra aukštasis. Išvados: Dauguma Kauno miesto pirmokų yra fiziškai aktyvūs. Nustatyta, kad dauguma pirmokų pusryčiauja kiekvieną rytą. Švieži vaisiai pradinių klasių moksleivių racione vartojami dažniau nei šviežios daržovės. Pirmų klasių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the study: set the first grade students of physical activity and dietary links to families' social and economic situation in Kaunas city schools. The objectives of the study: 1. Rate Kaunas city first-grade students of physical activity; 2. Rate Kaunas city first-grade students nutrition features; 3. Analyze Kaunas city first-grade students of families of social and economic situation; 4. Identify links between Kaunas city first grade students of physical activity, nutrition and social and economic situation. Research Methods: COSI research-based questionnaire survey to parents / guardians were present 48 questions. The form is filled out in Kaunas 407 parents. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0 for Windows program. Results: Half of the city of Kaunas first grade students are physically active – 53,4% of boys and 55,3% girls. Fresh fruits in the diet of first-grade students used more often than fresh vegetables (p<0.05), potato chips, pizza is eaten rarely – a few times a month, and cookies and candy in the first grade eaten 1-3 times a week. The majority of the 82.2% of boys and 77.9% girls living in nuclear family (p>0.05), at home with all the amenities. The majority of parents are išsialvinimas average, mothers – are usually higher. Conclusions: Most of the the city of Kaunas and first graders are physically active. It was found that the majority of first graders have breakfast every morning. Fresh fruits in the diet of the children were... [to full text]

The purpose of this study was to examine first-graders' construction of knowledge of graphophonemic and orthographic relationships. Three levels of treatment were assigned randomly to three groups of first-graders in their first semester of first grade. Treatment varied in student engagement with reading and writing texts based on student interests and in the amount of interaction students had with one another and the researcher as they read, wrote, and examined words, word patterns, and graphophonemic relationships. The study was based on a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design (Campbell & Stanley, 1963) with an added within-subjects factor of 12 weekly test occasions. These weekly tests involved students writing a researcher-dictated continuous text selected by students in the full-treatment group from the larger portion of text read each week. Additional elements of qualitative research were included in the design and analyses. Quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant results. Qualitative data analyses confirmed that students who interacted daily with each other and the researcher in reading and writing activities constructed more knowledge about graphophonemic and orthographic relationships than peers from the partial-treatment group and the control group. Results led to conclusions and implications involving a reexamination of current and traditional methods of spelling instruction and assessment for young children.

This study examined correlations between four dimensions of maternal scaffolding, maternal beliefs and values, children’s temperament, and children’s performance and use of self‑regulation strategies on problem‑solving tasks. There are two foci of this study: examining factors that predict the quality of maternal scaffolding, and assessing the relationship between quality of maternal scaffolding and children’s problem solving. Participants consisted of 10 mother‑child dyads in the experimental group and 10 children in the control group. Using a pre- and post‑test design, children were given near and far transfer independent problem‑solving tasks. The experimental group also worked with their mothers on one task during a scaffolded interaction. Maternal beliefs predicted quality of maternal scaffolding, and quality of maternal scaffolding predicted children’s monitoring during the post‑test. Mothers’ scaffolding techniques appear to be related to their beliefs about parenting and educating children, and children appear to learn certain self‑regulation strategies during optimal scaffolded interactions.

Tikslas: Nustatyti Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokinių fizinio aktyvumo ir mitybos ypatumus bei jų sąsajas su tėvų sveikatos būkle. Uždaviniai: Įvertinti pirmokų fizinį aktyvumą; Išanalizuoti pirmokų mitybos ypatumus; Įvertinti subjektyvią tėvų sveikatos būklę; Nustatyti vaikų mitybos ir fizinio aktyvumo ypatumų sąsajas su suaugusių šeimos narių sveikatos būkle. Tyrimo metodika: šis magistro darbas parengtas atlikus Lietuvos vaikų augimo stebėsenos tyrimą, kuris buvo vykdomas vadovaujantis PSO Europos vaikų nutukimo stebėsenos iniciatyvos (angl. WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative – COSI) protokolo. Magistro darbe buvo atliktas mitybos įpročių, fizinio aktyvumo ir tėvų subjektyvios sveikatos vertinimas. Magistrinio darbo tikslinė grupė – Kauno miesto pirmų klasių mokiniai ir jų tėvai. Tiriamąjį kontingentą sudarė 6–8 metų vaikai (n=407; 51,1 proc. berniukų ir 48,9 proc. mergaičių) ir jų tėvai (n=407). Rezultatai: nustatyta, kad beveik du trečdaliai berniukų ir mergaičių (atitinkamai 60,1 proc. ir 61,8 proc.) lanko sporto ir /ar šokių būrelius. Du penktadaliai berniukų ir mergaičių (40 proc.) būrelius lanko 2 dienas per savaitę. Nustatyta, kad savaitgaliais ilgai (>2 val.) televizorių žiūri beveik visi pirmokai (93,6 proc.). Vertinant mokinių mitybą nustatyta, kad du trečdaliai (67 proc.) pirmokų pusryčiauja kasdien. Dažniausiai pirmų klasių mokiniai varotoja šviežių vaisių (62,4 proc.), virtų daržovių (58,7 proc.). Tėčių ir mamų turinčių antsvorio ar... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The goal of the thesis: to identify the relations between pecularities of first-graders‘ nutrition and physical activity and health status of their parents in Kaunas city. Objectives:To evaluate the first-graders’ physical activity; To analyse the peculiarities of first-graders’ nutrition; To evaluate the health status of parents of first-graders; To find relations between pecularities of first-graders‘ nutrition and physical activity and health status of their parents. Methods: This master thesis is based on Lithuanian children's growth monitoring study, which was carried out in accordance with the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative - COSI protocol. Master thesis analyses habits of nutrition, physical activity and subjetive evaluation of parents‘ health. Target group of the research is first grade students and their parents in Kaunas city. Generally, the research study consists of 6-8 year old children and their parents. A total number of participants of the survey is 407 first-graders (51.1 percent boys and 48.9 per cent girls) and 407 parents. Results: The survey shows that almost two thirds of boys and girls (60.1 per cent and 61.8 percent) attend sports and/or dance clubs. The largest proportion (two fifths) of boys and girls attends clubs two times a week. The research shows that almost all of first-graders (93,6 per cent) spend a lot time (more than two hours) watching television on weekends. The nutrition survey shows that 67 per cent of children... [to full text]