Redan i små barns vardag, kan en traditionell genussyn observeras i exempelvis leksaks- och klädaffärernas kategorisering av ”flick- och pojkprodukter”. En kategori-sering som jag anser kan styra in barnen i den konstruerade bilden av hur man är, och därmed ska ”göra”, sitt kön. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka tre förskole-avdelningars barnlitteratur, som barn i åldrarna ett till tre år har tillgång till, ur ett genusperspektiv. Studien syftade även till att ta reda på hur förskollärare från respektive avdelning ser på och uppfattar den barnlitteratur som de använder sig av i sitt arbete med barn.Studien utgick från en i huvudsak kvalitativ metod där tre olika datainsamlingsverktyg användes för att samla in underlag till studien: fotografering av barnlitteratur, en översiktlig litteraturanalys av barnlitteratur samt kvalitativa intervjuer med förskol-lärare.Resultatet visade att de undersökta förskoleavdelningarnas bokutbud har dubbelt så många böcker om manliga karaktärer än om kvinnliga karaktärer. Dessa karaktärer skildras utifrån ett könstraditionellt perspektiv vilket på olika sätt förstärker den manliga dominansen. När det gäller förskollärarnas uppfattningar om barnlitteraturens betydelse och innebörd visade det sig att deras utsagor kännetecknas av ett dubbelt budskap där deras verbala medvetenhet inte praktiseras i deras handlingar, vare sig när det gäller val av barnlitteratur eller användning av barnlitteratur. / Already in the everyday of children, a traditional view of gender can be identified. For example how toys and clothing stores’ categorize products for girls respective boys. A categorization that I consider may direct children into the constructed picture of how one is, and therefore “does”, its gender. This essay aimed to investigate the selection of children’s literature at three pre-schools, that children between the ages of one and three, from a gender perspective. The purpose with this essay was also to find out how pre-school teachers, from each pre-school, comprehend the children’s literature that they use in their line of work.The essay is based mainly on a qualitative study that used three different types of methods to collect data as the study’s foundation: photography of children’s literature, a general literature analysis of children’s literature and qualitative interviews with pre-school teachers.The result showed that the book selections of the investigated pre-schools had double the amount of books about male characters than about female characters. These characters are portrayed from a stereotypical gender perspective that, in different ways, reinforces the male dominance. The result that pertains the pre-school teachers’ comprehensions of the importance and significance of children’s literature in pre-schools showed that their statements are characterized by a double message. A message where their verbal awareness does not show in their actions, not in the way they select children’s literature nor in the way they use children’s literature.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in Masters in Health Sciences in Nursing, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Introduction Malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem, especially in children under 5 years of age. Nutritional status is one of the indicators of overall well-being and human resources development of a nation. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to explore and describe experiences of Community Care Givers regarding the assessment of malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in eThekwini District Health Sub-district North area six. Methodology A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study was used to conduct the study. Semi-structured individual face to face interviews were conducted with 13 participants. The study was guided by Pender’s Model of Health Promotion. Results The findings of the study revealed that participants were dissatisfied with mid upper arm circumference training. They reported lack of support and supervision in their performance such that mid upper arm circumference was non-prioritized. They were dissatisfied with remuneration and they worked under unsafe conditions. Conclusion In order to combat malnutrition in children under 5 years in the community, Community Care Givers need to be vigorously educated on the rationale of malnutrition assessment of children under 5 years in the communities so that they can have insight into what they are doing. Community Care Givers have multiple roles and may need to prioritize their work; this is not easy and requires specific guidance and training from skilled health professionals. / M

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Based on the survey results of 150 South Korea toddler caregivers about training needs, I developed a relationship-based approach for a toddler caregiver training program. The training program was modified using suggestions provided by 6 South Korean professors, who were asked to review the program. Survey findings revealed that: (a) All participants (toddler caregivers) perceived that it is necessary for caregivers to attend training. However, most (72.2%) found that it was difficult to attend training programs more than 1 time per year because it was hard to find a substitute teacher (64%). Participants desired to attend training programs on toddler care because of the lack of in-service education (26%), curriculum (24%), and training programs (15.3%); (b) Caregivers who had the third-degree caregiver certification preferred to learn parent education more than child development. However, caregivers who had a higher degree of caregiver certification preferred to learn child development more than parent education; and (c) Caregivers who had more than 5 years of teaching experience preferred to learn about the teacher's role more than caregivers who had fewer than 4 years of teaching experience. Future studies need to evaluate the effect of this relationship-based training program for toddler caregivers in relation to improvement in the quality of child care and interaction between caregivers and toddlers. A large-scale study would increase the generalizability of research findings. A larger sample size from different cities in South Korea and random sampling would generate more reliable findings.

As more toddlers are being diagnosed with autism there is an increased need for very early intervention. Preliminary research on interventions suggests toddlers can make important developmental progress and that parents can be part of the intervention process. The purpose of this study was to systematically replicate a parent training program reported by Alai-Rosales et al. (2009). Specifically, the present study taught parents a set of teaching strategies that included arranging the environment, setting up learning opportunities, and using positive reinforcement. Baseline-intervention conditions were replicated across four parent-toddler dyads in order to assess the effects of training on parent and child behaviors. Results indicated increases in parent teaching behaviors, the child targeted behavior (facial orientation), as well as a non-targeted skill, joint attention. Findings are discussed in relation to the challenges of intervention and considerations for future research.

Social deficits are one of the defining symptoms of autism spectrum disorder and affect a child’s ability to build relationships with others. These deficits put children with autism at a disadvantage when most of their world is focused on building connections with others – family, friendships, and community ties. Sunny Starts, a service-learning project, was created to specifically meet the needs of families with young toddlers with autism. The primary focus of Sunny Starts is to enhance the quality of the parent-child relationship by teaching parents a basic teaching interaction and to arrange the child’s environment in ways that are mutually reinforcing. The purpose of this experiment is to study the effects of the Sunny Starts DANCE training package, a responsive parent training program, on three levels of parent and child behaviors: 1) teaching episodes, 2) turn taking, social attending, vocal requests, and 3) synchronous engagement. Participants included two parent-child dyads. Parent training included 5-minute video assessments, video review, descriptions, rationales, modeling, practice, and feedback. The effects of the parent training were evaluated using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants. Results indicate parent teaching episodes and child behaviors (turn taking, social attending, and verbal requests) increased during the intervention phase. The duration of parent-child synchronous engagement maintained at high levels and slightly increased.

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This study aims to explore the attitudes and practices of Swedish parents regarding the use of digital tablets for their toddlers' English language acquisition. The study focuses on the perceptions of parents regarding the role of tablets in supporting or hindering the development of English language skills in English language learners during early childhood. A qualitative research design was adopted, employing a thematic analysis approach to analyze the data collected from semi-structured interviews with six participating parents. The interviews aimed to investigate the ways in which parents perceive the impact of tablet usage on their children's English language learning. The study revealed that parents generally viewed the use of digital tablets as a positive tool for supporting their children's English language learning. The tablets facilitated early exposure to a foreign language and sparked their child's interest in language learning. However, concerns about potential drawbacks such as excessive screen time were also expressed. Parents reported various strategies and techniques to support their children's language learning, including parental controls, child-friendly language learning apps, and active participation in tablet-based activities. Overall, this study contributes to the growing body of research on technology use in early childhood education and provides valuable insights into the experiences and perceptions of Swedish parents regarding their toddlers' English language learning through digital tablets.