School-age children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) possess valuable knowledge about themselves. They have experience and ability to offer insight about living with CF. Previous studies, exploring the perceptions of CF children, give little attention to eliciting and listening to their voices. Also, traditional data collection methods limit children from participating in research. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how school-age children with CF see themselves in the world they live. The study utilized qualitative description methodology. Symbolic Interactionism served as the researcher’s philosophical lens. It is a perspective that seeks to understand the social world of others, as they perceive it. Photo elicitation was used as the primary data collection method. Each participant was asked to take photographs about “What it is like to be you”. Photographs were then used to stimulate and guide an audio-recorded interview and make a photo book for the child to keep. Data were analyzed using Boyatzis method of inductive thematic content analysis. Sixteen children with CF between the ages of 8 to 11 were purposively recruited from the Southeastern United States. Data saturation was achieved after 13 interviews. Rigor was maintained by a variety of ways including bracketing, peer evaluation, and member checking. Five themes emerged from the data Me Being Me, My Medicine and Treatments, My Family, My Friends and Other Key Relationships, and My World. Findings revealed that life does not revolve around CF, but instead centers on “me being me” and living a normal life. Additionally, photo elicitation empowered participants to be authors of their own stories, and promoted communication between them and the researcher. In knowing the reality of children, nurses and other multidisciplinary CF team members are better equipped to design and plan interventions that are meaningful, beneficial, and satisfying to the child and his or her parent. The results of this study demonstrate children can be active participants in research and provides opportunities to transform nursing care by developing and evaluating strategies for the delivery of care to children with CF. Recommendations for future research include expanding this study to other CF centers and including the perceptions of parents, nurses, and other CF health care providers. Additionally, because perceptions a person holds about them selves and the world change overtime, a follow-up study when participants reach adolescence and adulthood is suggested.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Rand Graduate School, 2002. / Title from title frame of PDF file ; viewed 17 Apr. 2005. Series numbering from publisher website. Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-147).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-246).

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of Iowa, 1916. / Bibliography: p. 38.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Malnutrition is the outcome of many complex and interrelated factors such as lack of food security, lack of health services, sanitation, knowledge, education and care. It is considered to be a major problem worldwide as well as in South Africa, and the pre-school child is especially vulnerable to developing nutritional deficiencies and diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the capacity of caregivers to provide nutrition-related care to pre-school-age children (3 to 5 years) in a resource-poor peri-urban community (Olievenhoutbosch) situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The study followed a cross-sectional research design, using a quantitative research approach with qualitative aspects to attempt to answer the research question. The questionnaire used for data collection covered aspects such as the resources for care that caregivers had, their nutrition knowledge and caring activities used as part of caring capacity. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of caregivers (50 mothers and two crèche caregivers) of pre-school-age children as key informants for this study. The study revealed that the caregivers’ caring capacities in this community highly depended on the availability and use of certain resources such as human resources (education, time and social support in terms of the availability of alternative caregivers), economic resources (having a job or any source of income) and organizational resources (e.g. child care facilities such as crèches). The mothers had limited resources such as human, economic and organizational resources that would help in childcare practices. Time was a serious constraint that could compromise the level of care provided by the two crèche caregivers. The caregivers had basic nutrition knowledge, but did not have detailed nutrition knowledge. They could mention healthy food types for the child’s optimal growth and development, but could not defend their choices by giving nutritionally sound reasons. Some misconceptions regarding the consumption of certain foods were prevalent. Caring activities in this study involved more than just the provision of food (i.e. food choices, food preparation and feeding practices), but involved other important aspects such as allowing the child time to sleep and play (and sometimes play with the child), ensuring the child’s hygiene (i.e. bathing the child, dressing the child, washing the child’s clothes, cleaning the place where the child stays, plays, eats and sleeps) and performing educational activities with the child. There is a serious need for proper nutrition education which will impart knowledge of appropriate food choices; components of a nutritious diet (healthy types of foods, drinks and snacks); functions of foods in the child’s body; hygienic food handling, preparation, and storage methods that would be translated into good care practices and contribute to the child’s optimal growth and development. / Dissertation (MConsSci)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to examine and cross-validate how well a dynamic assessment of language can accurately identify a large sample of school-age students with a representative ratio of language disorder. The participants included 362 school-age children with and without language disorder from kindergarten to sixth grade in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Each participant received a battery of assessments including a dynamic assessment of narrative language. The dynamic assessment investigated in this study demonstrated good to excellent levels of sensitivity and specificity. The results of this study also determined that, in concurrence with previous dynamic assessment research, posttest and modifiability scores were most predictive of language ability. The results of this study indicate that the DYMOND may be a valid and accurate tool when identifying language disorders in school-age populations.

The purpose of this study was to examine and cross-validate how well a dynamic assessment of language can accurately identify a large sample of school-age students with a representative ratio of language disorder. The participants included 362 school-age children with and without language disorder from kindergarten to sixth grade in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Each participant received a battery of assessments including a dynamic assessment of narrative language. The dynamic assessment investigated in this study demonstrated good to excellent levels of sensitivity and specificity. The results of this study also determined that, in concurrence with previous dynamic assessment research, posttest and modifiability scores were most predictive of language ability. The results of this study indicate that the DYMOND may be a valid and accurate tool when identifying language disorders in school-age populations.

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