Thesis (M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / This qualitative study was conducted to explore the challenges experienced by teenage mothers in Hlanganani South Circuit Secondary Schools in the Vhembe District in Limpopo, South Africa. Hlanganani South circuit is made up of seven secondary schools and out of these seven three were sampled because of their vicinity and the high number of teenage mothers in them. A purposive sample was conducted wherein twelve teenage mothers aged between twelve to eighteen years, three educators and three School Management Team members from these secondary schools were sampled to explore the challenges that teenage mothers come across in these schools. Data were collected using two methods, namely: semi structured interview and documents analysis. Semi structured interviews were used to gather information from both teenage mothers and educators while documents such as period registers, attendance registers, morning study registers, permission register, winter enrichment programme registers, afternoon study register, quarterly schedules and continuous assessment tasks were used to explore the challenges faced by teenage mothers in secondary schools. Data from semi structured interview with teenage mothers were analysed and the following themes and categories emerged: difficulty in balancing schooling and motherhood, negative attitude by educators towards teenage mothers, negative attitude of peers, lack of extra lessons/catch up programmes for teenage mothers, lack of optional tasks/tests for teenage mothers, lack of counselling and support for teenage mothers, and lack of structures for teenage mothers. On analysing data from educators, the following categories emerged: lack of cooperation from teenage mothers, lack of commitment by teenage mothers on academic matters, poor school attendance, lack of time for extra lessons, and lack of time for optional tasks/tests. The analysis of data from documents indicated habitual absenteeism, dodging of lessons (morning and afternoon), missing tasks and poor performance by teenage mothers. The key findings of the transcribed interviews indicated that teenage mothers had difficulty in balancing schooling and taking care of their children, because they lacked support from their educators, peers, parents and the community at large. In order for teenage mothers to succeed with their schooling, maximum support is needed from all stake holders, that is peers, parents, educators and the whole community structures.

Attitudes of husband and wife regarding the use of the bank credit card were compared and related to the couple's marital happiness rating. The sample consisted of 40 young married couples residing in campus married student housing at Utah State University during Fall Quarter 1970. Subjects had at least one child and we r e U. S. born citizens between the ages of 20 and 35. The instruments used we r e: (1) a background questionnaire, (2) a marital happiness rating scale, and (3) a series of eight case study situations . The statistical tests us ed were the paired-comparison t-test and the Pearson r. No significant difference was found between attitudes of husband and wife regarding the use of the bank credit card. There was no significant relationship between attitudes of husband and wife regarding the use of the bank credit card and couples expressing a "Very Happy" marital happiness rating or couples expressing other than a "Very Happy" marital happiness rating.

Educating for democracy has long been established as a central purpose for schooling in America and continues to be included in the ongoing discourses on educational policy and programs. While educating for democracy has been defined in many ways, it is commonly agreed that it is the knowledge, skills, and experiences that members of a democracy should possess in order to be contributing citizens of a global society. Nested within the context of democratic education, inclusion as advocated by Iris Marion Young provided the framework for this study. Young suggested that inclusive democracy enables the participation and voice for all those affected by problems and their proposed solutions. Within the context of education, democratic inclusive education is established for the purpose of creating learning environments in which multiple perspectives are included in the community building and decision-making efforts of the classroom. This study explored the perceptions and experiences of three elementary teachers that incorporated aspects of democratic inclusion into their teaching practice.

The purpose of this study was to measure the academic performance of children with mild hearing loss (20-45 dB) by comparing them with a normal control group. Twenty-four pairs of children in the first through fourth grades were compared. The achievement scores of the second and fourth grade student pairs were compared for the current academic year and for the previous academic year. A two-way analysis of Variance was used to compare the achievement scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills of the two groups. The results indicated statistical significance on some subtests of the first and fourth grade student's scores. The standard mean scores of the hearing impaired group was almost always poorer than the normal control group in every grade. The interaction between the two groups in the second and fourth grade showed no significance statistically. The improvement in scores between the two years for the two groups was relatively parallel, however, the hearing impaired group's improvement was usually poorer in most of the subtests. The discussion includes the implications of these results indicating a negative effect of mild hearing loss particularly as the hearing impaired child gets older. It also includes interesting points related to hearing aid management and special services.

Young gifted students experience school in a variety of ways. They become bored in classrooms where they are not challenged. They can develop disruptive behaviors or underachieve in order to feel accepted by their classmates or teachers. Three gifted first graders in the teacher-researcher's classroom participated in this case study. A variety of assessment tools were used to identify the student participants. Data were collected through teacher observations, videotaped classroom activities, videotaped interviews with students, audiotaped interviews with parents, and portfolios. Data are reported and discussed within the frame of five themes that emerged: high parent involvement, social relationships, characteristics of the learning environment, student-centered learning, and asynchronous development. The classroom context is richly described as it is critical to understanding the data and transferability.

American consumer culture is often depicted as competitive and based on the acquisition of capital and status through goods or experiences. To date, researchers commonly exclude children from this conversation and therefore fail to wholly assess the impact consumer culture has on one’s choices or behavior. This study adds to a growing body of literature exploring the experiences and agency of children within the broader consumer culture by examining how marginalized children from a lower socioeconomic background use food as a resource for belonging among peers. Observation and interview data collected during designated lunch and snack times at a summer program in Tampa, FL reveal that children co(construct) a reality all their own which allows peers a chance to belong and simultaneously acquire capital. This project contributes to the understanding of the role race, class, and emotions play for children within the American consumer culture, especially regarding food consumption.

O treinamento de respostas posturais reativas por perturbações posturais é um paradigma inovador para prevenir quedas. Entretanto, há carência de informação sobre como organizar a prática para obter os maiores benefícios. O objetivo deste experimento foi comparar os efeitos de sequências de perturbações posturais com baixa (BIC) versus alta (AIC) interferência contextual na aquisição de estabilidade de movimentos compensatórios de braços e pernas em indivíduos jovens saudáveis. Trinta e oito participantes foram distribuídos de forma pseudoaleatória em 3 grupos: AIC, BIC, e controle (CON). A tarefa consistiu em recuperar o equilíbrio corporal após perturbações imprevisíveis da base de apoio no sentido mediolateral, para ambos os lados em diferentes velocidades (20, 30 e 40 cm/s [o/s]). Os grupos experimentais realizaram sessão única com 24 tentativas de prática para cada uma das seguintes modalidades de perturbação postural: rotação, translação e combinação translação-rotação. O grupo CON permitiu a avaliação das primeiras respostas às perturbações posturais e foi usado como linha de base das respostas posturais sem treinamento para comparação com os grupos experimentais. Os participantes foram avaliados em pós-teste, retenção e transferência para os seguintes contextos: (1) tarefa dual de contagem regressiva durante perturbações, e (2) velocidade mais alta do que aquelas treinadas (50 cm/s [o/s]). Os movimentos compensatórios de braços e pernas foram avaliados utilizando a escala CALM e cinemática. Os resultados mostraram o seguinte: (a) o treinamento levou a escores de estabilidade mais altos; (b) os ganhos por treinamento perturbatório foram evidentes em perturbações mais desafiadoras à manutenção da postura ereta; (c) perturbações repetitivas induziram efeitos imediatos, porém não persistentes e generalizáveis; e (d) perturbações aleatorizadas induziram ganhos persistentes e generalizáveis de estabilidade de movimentos compensatórios. Como conclusão, o treinamento perturbatório do equilíbrio corporal com alta em comparação com baixa interferência contextual se mostrou mais efetivo em promover ganhos mais persistentes e transferíveis de estabilidade de movimentos compensatórios / Perturbation-based training of reactive postural responses is an innovative paradigm for preventing falls. However, there is scarce information on how to organize the practice to obtain the greatest benefits. The objective of this experiment was to compare different schedules of postural perturbations, with low (BIC) versus high (AIC) contextual interference, on the acquisition of stability of arm and leg compensatory movements in healthy young individuals. Thirty-eight participants were distributed pseudorandomly in three groups: AIC, BIC, and control (CON). The task consisted in recovering body balance after unpredictable perturbations through support base displacements in mediolateral direction, for both sides in different speeds (20, 30 e 40 cm/s [o/s]). The experimental groups performed a single session with 24 practice trials for each of the following modalities of postural perturbation: rotation, translation and combination translation-rotation. The CON group allowed the evaluation of the first responses to postural perturbations was used as a baseline of postural responses without training for comparison with the experimental groups. Participants were evaluated in post-test, retention and transfer to the following contexts: (1) dual task, of counting down during perturbations; and (2) speed higher than those trained (50 cm/s [o/s]). The compensatory arm and leg movements were evaluated using the CALM scale and kinematics. Results showed the following: (a) training led to higher stability scores; (b) gains from perturbation training were evident in the most challenging perturbations to stance; (c) repetitive perturbations induced immediate but not persistent and generalizable effects; and (d) random perturbations induced persistent and generalizable gains in stability of compensatory movements. In conclusion, perturbation-based balance training with high as compared to low contextual interference was shown to be more effective in promoting more persistent and transferable compensatory movement stability gains

Orientador: Rômulo Araújo Fernandes / Resumo: Objetivo: Analisar a associação entre a manutenção da prática esportiva e os parâmetros inflamatório, metabólicos e cardiovasculares entre adolescentes. Métodos: Estudo de 12 meses de seguimento, dados provenientes do estudo intitulado “Analysis of Behaviors of Children During Growth” (ABCD Growth Study) conduzido em Presidente Prudente, SP. Por meio de amostragem por conveniência foram selecionadas instituições de ensino e clubes esportivos da cidade de Presidente Prudente e região. Destas instituições, após a aprovação dos diretores e técnicos, foram convidados para participar do ABCD Growth Study todos os adolescentes com idade entre 11 e 18 anos. Na primeira fase do estudo, 285 adolescentes aceitaram participar, destes 259 (esportistas n=168; não esportistas n= 91) completaram as avaliações iniciais. Após 12 meses, 189 adolescentes permaneceram no estudo (124 esportistas e 65 não esportistas). Prática esportiva foi autorrelatada. Proteína C reativa (PCR) foi dosada por meio do método de imunoensaio de ponto fixo química seca. Espessura médio-intimal das artérias carótida e femoral e variáveis dopplerfluxométricas foram avaliadas por meio de um aparelho de ultrassonografia. Adiposidade corporal foi estimada pela densitometria óssea. Colesterol total (CT), lipoproteínas de alta (HDL-c), baixa (LDL-c) densidade, triacilglicerol (TG) e glicose foram mensuradas pelo método de inibição seletiva, química seca. A insulina foi analisada pelo método de quimioluminescencia e a resis... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Objective: To analyze the association between the maintenance of sport participation and inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular parameters in adolescents. Methods: Study of 12 months of follow up, in which dataset is part of an ongoing study intitled “Analysis of Behaviors of Children During Growth” (ABCD Growth Study) developed in Presidente Prudente, SP. Through convenience sampling was selected educational institutions and sport clubs of Presidente Prudente and region (gymnastics, track and field, karate, judo, kung fu, baseball, basketball, swimming and tennis). From these facilities, after principals and coaches approved the study, our staff invited all adolescents aged 11 to 18 years. In the first phase of the study, 285 adolescents accepted to participe, however 259 (sports n=168; non-sport= 91) completed all measurements. After 12 months of follow-up 189 adolescents was examined (124 engaged in sports and 65 non-sport group). Engagement in sport was self reported. C reactive protein (CRP) was determined by the immunoassay method using a specific kit. Carotid and femoral intima-media thickness and blood flow markers were assessed using an ultrasound equipment. Body fatness was estimated through densitometer scanner. Total cholesterol (TC), high (HDL-c), low (LDL-c) density lipoprotein, triacylglycerol (TG) and glucose were measured by the colorimetric method of dry chemistry. Insulin levels was analyzed by chemiluminescence method using a microparticle immunoassay ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

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This study explored the classroom learning environment in science among kindergarten students. In particular, I investigated both students' and their parents' perceptions of both preferred and actual learning environments. Additionally, I explored associations between student outcomes (achievement and attitudes toward science) and the nature of the classroom learning environment (as perceived by students and by their parents). The study involved the construction and validation of a learning environment questionnaire that was used by both parents and kindergarten students. Although the questionnaire was validated for use with five- and six-year-old kindergarten students, the same format was used for both parents and students. Prior learning environment studies (Fraser, 1998a) typically have involved the use of questionnaires neither by parents (with a notable exception being the recent study by Allen and Fraser, 2002) or by such young students. There is little doubt that, in just two decades, the field of classroom learning environment has progressed enormously (Fraser, 1998a) and that research involving qualitative methods and research involving quantitative methods each have made outstanding contributions to this overall progress (Tobin & Fraser, 1998). A historical look at the field of learning environments over the past few decades shows that a striking feature is the availability of a variety of economical, valid and widely applicable questionnaires for assessing student perceptions of classroom environments (Fraser, 1998b). This learning environment study is significant not only because it involves very young students (kindergarten) and their parents, but also a classroom learning environment questionnaire was developed and validated in Spanish, for both students and parents. / The design of the study involved a sample of 172 kindergarteners from six classes and 78 parents of the same students from the same six classes. The ethnic make-up for this group of 172 students was 11.8% White, 49% Black, 33.6% Hispanic, and 5.6% of other nationalities. The gender breakdown was 40.4% boys and 59.6% girls. Approximately 45% of the kindergarten student population was made up of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students. The instruments used included modified versions in English and Spanish of the What Is Happening In This Class (WIHIC)? questionnaire and of the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA). A major finding of the study was that the modified version of the What Is Happening In This Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire in the English and Spanish languages displayed satisfactory factorial validity and internal consistency reliability when used with kindergarten students and their parents. Secondly, parents perceived a more favorable actual classroom environment than did kindergarten students, but students preferred a much more favorable classroom environment than did their parents. The magnitudes of differences between students and parents are greater for the preferred form than the actual form. Finally, statistically significant associations were found between kindergarten students' perceptions of the. classroom environment and the outcomes of achievement and attitudes to science.