ABSTRACT This abstract provides a brief summary of the research study (Nieswiadomy, 2002). The South African report on confidential enquiries into maternal deaths identified delayed and/or infrequent antenatal care as a significant avoidable factor contributing to maternal mortality in South Africa (SA) (Department of Health (DOH), 2001). There are still women in South Africa whose first antenatal care contact with the midwives obstetrical unit (MOU) is in the third trimester of their pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the health seeking practices amongst primigravidae at a level 1 MOU, based in a peri-urban area in Gauteng province, SA. The health seeking practice of concern was antenatal clinic attendance. The research design was qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual. The research method implemented was unstructured individual in-depth interviews. The population consisted of primigravidae who were attending antenatal clinic at a level 1 MOU. The sample consisted of primigravidae who booked at the level 1 MOU’s antenatal clinic in the third trimester of their pregnancy. Maximum variety purposive sampling, with inclusion and exclusion criteria, was used and sampling continued until data were saturated. The sample size consisted of 10 participants whereby 2 of them were the pilot study and eight were the interviews that followed the pilot study. Data were collected by means of individual in-depth interviews. One question was asked: ‘What experiences influenced you to go for your first antenatal visit when you did?’ Interviews were audio taped, transcribed and analyzed by using Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis (Creswell, 1994). Lincoln and Guba’s four strategies for trustworthiness were applied and ethical considerations were implemented. The results were discussed under two themes. Those themes were: needs, and delayed booking. The recommendations were made regarding the recommendations that arose from the study, recommendations for research, nursing practice and nursing education.

This research qualitatively explores persistent non-attendance (PN) in a southwest local authority area. Part 1 explores professionals’ conceptualisations of PN, language use and approaches to support. Part 2 explores the lived experience of non-attendance for children and families; how they make sense of the issue, the support they received and the characteristics of support that they found effective. Part 1 findings suggested no one explanation was used to make sense of PN, instead an individualistic approach was used to make sense of cases, using an ecological/systemic framework. This approach therefore influenced the support that was provided by schools. There was consistency in the language used by professionals, influenced by governmental policy and recommendations, with ‘persistent absence’ being the most prevalent term used. Part 2 findings exploration of the lived experiences of families found that PN had had an impacted on all families, in a variety of ways. In line with part 1, no one explanation was put forward for why the PN had occurred, however themes of anxiety and ASD were prevalent. Part 1’s recommendations for practice focus the use of individualised approaches to understanding and support, using an ecological/systemic model. Part 2’s recommendations related to the importance of communication between school and home, and responding to the families individual needs.

As students enter kindergarten, some students are more academically prepared than others. This study looked at the relationships among preschool attendance, preschool type (i.e., public, private, Head Start, and home-based technology providers) and preschool quality and early mathematical literacy skills for diverse students. The study sought to answer three research questions: What is the relationship between preschool attendance and early mathematical literacy? What is the relationship between preschool type and early mathematical literacy? What is the relationship between preschool quality and early mathematical literacy? Within each research question, there was also an investigation to see if there were differing effects for diverse student demographics. Data was obtained from the USBE in relation to preschool enrollment records and kindergarten entry scores on the state mandated Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP) assessment for all kindergarten students enrolled in the 2017-18 school year. The researcher conducted a 2x2 Factor ANOVA, independent group means t-tests, and multiple regression analysis to determine relationships among preschool attendance, type, and quality and early mathematical literacy. In general, the independent variables of attending preschool and the quality of the preschool did not seem to have the positive influence expected on early mathematical literacy as a whole, but when looking more specifically at the demographic covariates, there were some positive influences. Students who participated in online preschool programming on average experienced the highest early mathematical literacy scores. Overall, the results suggested that students from diverse backgrounds experience improved early mathematical literacy when they attended preschool. Therefore, with the limited funding available for preschool, policymakers should consider which students might most benefit from preschool experience and target limited resources to such populations.

The period between 1966 and 1996 was a period of great change for society in Australia. Two particular aspects of that change have been highlighted in this study. It will examine the changing patterns of attendance at religious services and religious affiliation over this time period. In particular it examines the connection of attendance and belief patterns, which have changed during this period, with particular reference to Christian religious groups. ¶ By examining data from each of the Censuses in the period between 1966 and 1996 it was possible to note three fundamental changes in the patterns of religious affiliation. The first was the movement away from patterns of Christian affiliation to no religious affiliation. The second was the shift of migration patterns which drew substantially from Europe in the period prior to 1971 to a pattern with higher levels of migration from Asia and Oceania. The third saw a decline in Christian affiliation among the 15-24 age group. ¶ After analysing this affiliation data a weekly average religious attendance measure was composed to compare data from each of the social science surveys. This made it possible to examine generational trends by age and sex which resulted from changing patterns of affiliation, immigration, stability of residence and marital status Also a case study of the Canberra parishes in the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn was undertaken to examine the particular impact that these changes had on a particular religious grouping. ¶ In studying these indicators it is believed that the change in patterns of Australian religious attendance and affiliation while influenced by life course events has also been substantially affected by issues of generational change. These changes not only produce lower levels of religious attendance but also have significant impact on aspects of society which have sustained communal life.

Thesis (M.S.)--Dept. of Sociology/Criminal Justice and Criminology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A thesis in criminal justice and criminology." Typescript. Advisor: Kristi Holsinger. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Dec. 18, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-97). Online version of the print edition.

Commercialization of sport has been growing since 80s and club owners tend to pay more and more attention not just to cups and titles but to commercial success as well. Nevertheless, fans are still the key source of revenues. Besides direct spending while attending games popular clubs and crowded stadiums grab attention of generous advertisers. That is why the problem of sports attendance becomes more and more important though ice hockey attendance is still not the most popular topic among sports marketing researchers. The majority of them cover Canada and the United States while European leagues suffer from the lack of studies as much bigger attention is paid to sport number one – soccer. In the same time, Sweden is one of the few countries in the world where ice hockey might be as popular as soccer. Swedish ice hockey league is one of the strongest in the world but still many clubs fail to sell out their arenas at every game. So the main purpose of this research is to identify factors that influence attendance of ice hockey games in Sweden and reveal their impact on attendance. The analysis is conducted using quantitative methods, where econometrical and statistical approaches are primary tools. In order to test factors influencing attendance a multiple regression model was set up. The dataset was compiled using secondary data and consisted of 1317 regular season ice hockey matches played during 4 seasons (from 2008/2009 to 2011/2012) of the top Swedish ice hockey league called Elitserien. The main sources for compiling the dataset were game reports provided by Swedish Ice Hockey Association and Elitserien. The present study has shown that several factors have strongly positive effect on attendance. Scheduling (games on Friday, Saturday and during Christmas holidays) and rivalry are the most important factors that bring crowds to arenas. Moreover, it can be concluded that higher prices do not affect attendance negatively and clubs can slightly increase ticket prices to improve match day revenues. Finally, on-ice violence attracts Swedish fans while opposite trend exists in North America.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 38 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 29-31).

Thesis (M.A.)--Briercrest Biblical Seminary, 2000. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Truancy, an unexcused absence from school, is a common, but worrisome reality for many of America’s school children. Truancy results in missed academic instruction for the student and missed state funding for schools based on average daily attendance figures. More importantly, chronic truancy can serve as one of the first indicators that a student is need of support, whether it is academic, economic, family, or personal (such as mental or physical health), before the onset of more serious delinquency. However, this early warning flag is often ignored or mismanaged, such as when truancy is criminalized and truant students and their parents receive tickets for the offense, including a large fee and early involvement with the juvenile justice system. Responses like this can further burden students and their families and cannot effectively address truancy, unless the root causes of truancy are addressed. States and school districts across the nation continue to implement programs and policies in an attempt to successfully prevent, reduce and manage truancy. Yet, information and consensus regarding the components of successful programs or policies are lacking. Without this information, jurisdictions are utilizing or attempting to implement a broad range of interventions and responses with very little attention being paid to evaluations to understand what to implement or to determine what works for youth and why. As a result, many truancy responses are just best guesses about what might work for youth, and some are even counterproductive. Failing to effectively address truancy fails youth in the short and long-term as future prospects are reduced. More information is known about what works and what does not with regard to truancy than many jurisdictions may realize. This report seeks to increase understanding of truancy and its causes, highlight the success (or lack thereof) of programs and policies, and demonstrate the wide variety of programs currently being implemented. Equipped with better information, jurisdictions can make better decisions to improve outcomes for students and their communities. / text