This qualitative study was designed to ascertain the perceptions of students, parents, music teachers, school administrators, and school board members regarding a correlation between music participation and academic success. While all the interviewees were from different schools, they represented one school district. Each interview was audio-recorded for the perceptions of the six research synopses I provided the interviewees to read. The problem I investigated was to determine if research findings affect the attitude of individuals who are closely associated with school music. Do music teachers, school administrators, school board members, and music students and their parents believe these studies? The purpose of my dissertation was to ascertain what fourteen individuals believed in regarding the research studies presented to them. What they believed and comprehended from reading six research synopsis reports pertaining to a relationship between music participation and academic achievement. The research studies were chosen by me because of the relationship between music education and academic success. I explored the understanding and meaning that individuals associated with school music education assigned to these selected research findings in music education. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, a qualitative descriptive design was employed to examine the understanding and beliefs of selected individuals involved with school music education concerning selected research on music participation and academic success. Specific questions I investigated were: 1) To what extent do participants believe and understand the selected research supporting a connection between music and academic achievement? 2) What is the nature of understanding the selected research supporting a connection between music and academic achievement for participants? 3) What meanings do participants assign to selected research supporting a connection between music and academic achievement? 4) For participants, is there a connection between their musical biographies and perception and interpretation of selected research supporting a connection between music and academic achievement? 5) To what extent do these selected research findings influence participants? All interviewees reflected on the functionality of music participation to further academic success. In addition, interviewees mentioned missing variables of the findings of the researchers. While many of the interviewees did not believe music participation to be the contributing factor for academic success, they did believe parental involvement was a key factor for student’s academic success.

In this alternative session, we invite the audience to participate in readings of three performative texts that explore the conflicts, contradictions, and tensions found in the everyday practices of: literacy assessment, special education meetings, and academic progress monitoring. As an alternative format for disseminating research, performance ethnography creates a space for stories to be told and retold, while providing readers and audiences a chance to participate in the retelling.

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The problem was to define the present status of the Social Research Studies and Information Center libraries in Saudi Arabia and to suggest ways in which they could be improved. The purposes of the study were two-fold: (1) to analyze and evaluate the current status of these libraries and to develop and improve the role and functions of these libraries; and (2) to consider the possibility of cooperation between these libraries.

The diploma thesis deals with the motivation of university students to study the teaching of biology. The aim of this thesis was to find which factors influenced the students when deciding the field of their studies. Student motivation was examined using a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews. The research group consisted of 11 university students of the master's degree program of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Education at Charles University in the teaching fields combined with biology. The research results show that the primary interest in biology was evident in respondents already during their early childhood or later at an elementary school. In relation to biology, the respondents were influenced by the family and the teachers at either primary or secondary schools. The thesis presents extrinsic and intrinsic motives for the study of biology. The choice of teaching was affected the most by the interest in working with children and the expectation of creative work in the future, even though the respondents were aware of the low financial valuation, the time and psychological demands of the profession. The biology teachers also opted for the possibility of further subject developing and supporting interest in biology interest among pupils. The thesis also contains a...

Children are at greater risk of malnutrition in Afghanistan than they are in many other countries. Malnutrition impairs the mental and physical growth of more than 50% of children in Afghanistan. It also exacerbates the risks of mortality by 45% in infants and children in Afghanistan. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding complementary feeding and malnutrition in children in Afghanistan. The precaution adoption process model served as a theoretical framework in this quantitative cross-sectional research study. Data analyzed were collected from 306 mothers and children at 6 randomly selected hospitals in Kabul Province. The results of logistic regression models indicated that mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding complementary feeding were statistically significant predictors of stunting in children, Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 45.33, p < .001; Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 26.71, p < .01; and Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 56.97, p < .001 respectively. The strongest predictor was mothers' practicing responsive feeding, where mothers who did not practice responsive feeding were 7.1 times more likely to have stunted children than mothers who practiced responsive feeding. Moreover, the results indicated that mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of complementary feeding were statistically significant predictors of underweight in children, Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 37.49, p < .001; Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 41.15, p < .001; and Ï?2 (9, N = 306) = 44.64, p < .001. The implications for positive social change include reviewing nutrition policies, investing in nutrition programs, and operationalizing nutrition education and behavior change interventions for promoting appropriate complementary infant feeding practices in Afghanistan.