This study examined the efficacy of the Decision Model (Umbreit, Ferro, Liaupsin, & Lane, 2007) for the development of function-based interventions for young children receiving special education services in inclusive preschool settings. Findings suggested interventions using the Decision Model were effective at decreasing the disruptive behavior of 3 young boys within inclusive early childhood classrooms. On-task behavior increased for each child following intervention implementation. Largest increases were noted with a 4.9 year-old with Autism and a 4 year-old with Down Syndrome. Data also suggested that the level of on-task behavior coincided with levels of intervention implementation. On-task behavior of a 3.9 year-old with language delay, demonstrated substantial increases when the intervention was implemented properly, but not when intervention elements were left out. Implications for future research were discussed.

This paper presents a method for assessing the personal construct systems of young children (ages 4 to 6) regarding the notion of 'nature,' conducted at a Montessori Casa in Toronto, Ontario. Images from the participants' drawings of 'nature' were used in a card sorting exercise and as elements in a modified repertory grid test. Member checking was conducted through recorded conversations with the children throughout the process to minimize the influence of my own construct system. I conducted content analyses of the initial drawings, and made structural measurements and statistical analyses of the card sort and repertory grid data. The limited results indicate that this modified form of repertory grid test is reliable and useful for assessing the structure of young children's construct systems regarding 'nature.' Using Personal Construct Theory may facilitate the development of more participatory, engaging, and effective Environmental Education programs.

Background: The effectiveness of paraprofessional home-visitations on improving the circumstances of disadvantaged families is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the effectiveness of paraprofessional home-visiting programs on developmental and health outcomes of young children from disadvantaged families. Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases (e.g., CINAHL PLUS, Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE) from1990 through May 2012 was supplemented by reference lists to search for relevant studies. Through the use of reliable tools, studies were assessed in duplicate. English language studies of paraprofessional home-visiting programs assessing specific outcomes for children (0-6 years) from disadvantaged families were eligible for inclusion in the review. Data extraction included the characteristics of the participants, intervention, outcomes and quality of the studies. <p>Results: Studies that scored 13 or greater out of a total of 15 on the validity tool (n = 21) are the focus of this review. All studies are randomized controlled trials and most were conducted in the United States. Significant improvements to the development and health of young children as a result of a home-visiting program are noted for particular groups. These include: (a) prevention of child abuse in some cases, particularly when the intervention is initiated prenatally; (b) developmental benefits in relation to cognition and problem behaviours, and less consistently with language skills; and (c) reduced incidence of low birth weights and health problems in older children, and increased incidence of appropriate weight gain in early childhood. However, overall home-visiting programs are limited in improving the lives of socially high-risk children who live in disadvantaged families.</p> <p>Conclusions: Home visitation by paraprofessionals is an intervention that holds promise for socially high-risk families with young children. Initiating the intervention prenatally and increasing the number of visits improves development and health outcomes for particular groups of children. Future studies should consider what dose of the intervention is most beneficial and address retention issues.</p> / http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/17

Vårt syfte med denna undersökning har varit att bidra till kunskap om de yngre barnens matematik. Det har skett genom kartläggning och analyser om tre och fyra åringar i förskolan ordnar och sorterar olika föremål i två planerade aktiviteter. Undersökningens övergripande forskningsfrågor var: hur ordnar och sorterar barn föremål individuellt? Vad säger barnen om sina strategier för att ordna och sortera olika föremål? Undersökningen har utgått ifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv som betonar språkets och kommunikationens betydelse för barns lärande. Undersökningen har genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats med observation och intervju som metod. Videodokumentationer har genomförts parallellt med intervjuerna med barnen. Totalt har åtta barn från två olika förskolor deltagit i studien. Tidigare forskning inom detta område utgår vanligtvis ifrån fenomonografiskt perspektiv samt variationsteorin. Resultatet av denna undersökning visar på att barn använder sig av olika strategier då de ordnar och sorterar olika föremål. Framförallt utgick de flesta barnen efter föremålens färg och modell. Det synliggjordes också att flera barn istället för att använda det verbala språket använde sig av kroppsspråket med hjälp av tecken och peka med fingrarna. I resultatet belystes även att det var flera barn som gjorde på liknande vis då de sorterade och ordnade vissa föremål som utgjordes av helikoptrar och flygplansom användes i båda aktionerna. Det var större variation i barnens strategier då de ordnade och sorterade legoföremål.

Young children have becoming an important target by marketers. Marketers have used many strategies to influence their food choices including advertising and free gifts. According to literature, young children, are cognitively vulnerable and may make unhealthy decisions about their food choices that could lead to serious problems associated with being overweight and obese. This thesis examines whether price and health claim information can shift young childrens' choices towards healthier foods. Most of the previous published research literature has focused on adults. Those findings, using surveys and experiments, suggest that adults' food preferences and choices can be influenced by setting price and by providing health information. These findings suggest that these strategies may have a potential effect in young children decision making. The literature on Children Socialization and Information Processing Theory in consumer behaviour suggests that most young children under 8 are not cognitively skilled to use price and health claim information for their decision making. Nonetheless, most 5 to 8 year olds are making purchases of food at their school canteen several times a week. In order to test for the effects of price and nutrition information, several experiments that used discrete choice modelling were conducted to determine their choices, the reliability of their choices and the between their experimental choice behaviour and their choice in the market place. More than one hundred young children, aged from five to eight years old, completed the discrete choice experiments conducted in two primary schools in the suburbs of Perth. The choice experiments on subjects that had previous experience with the food items, but did not know their relative nutritional value, showed a strong positive effect of price. In other words, higher priced options were often in more demand. Although this may appear a poor response to price by an observer, children have little knowledge of food costs, so they may use price as a surrogate for quality. Price level was also a main effect in reducing the share of unhealthy choices. The results of the analyses also show that young children can provide reliable choice decisions within 5 months of experiment. However, their experimental choices were not associated with their later choices in the canteen. These findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of price and health claim information in changing young childrens' preference toward healthy choices, and the potential usefulness of using discrete choice techniques to shift children to more healthy food options.

Essa investigação busca evidenciar as ações e os interesses de aprendizagem das crianças bem pequenas, articulando-os à possibilidade de promover a participação infantil no planejamento e organização do cotidiano escolar. O suporte teórico que fundamenta esse trabalho é o conceito de aprendizagem pela vida cotidiana (BROUGÈRE; ULMANN, 2012) e as discussões sobre participação infantil pautadas nas interlocuções dos Estudos da Criança, especialmente no campo da Sociologia da Infância (FERNANDES, 2009). As estratégias metodológicas foram construídas principalmente a partir do referencial sobre investigações qualitativas (BOGDAN; BIKLEN, 1994) e sobre pesquisa com crianças (GRAUE; WALSH, 2003). Participaram da pesquisa treze crianças entre 17 e 27 meses de uma escola pública de Educação Infantil de Porto Alegre e sete adultos. As crianças são consideradas protagonistas desse estudo, porém as professoras e o estagiário responsáveis pela turma, através de suas práticas, constituíram-se como importantes interlocutores ao longo da pesquisa. Os interesses de aprendizagem das crianças foram organizados em três categorias de análise que sustentam a ideia de aprender na vida em comum, aprender pela vida cotidiana e, por fim, aprender fora da “sala de aula”. Esses grupos de interesse indicam que a participação infantil na organização do cotidiano da escola está atravessada pela concepção das ações das crianças, em busca de compreender, estar junto e fazer parte do mundo, como aprendizagens fundamentais na primeira infância. / This investigation aims to put in evidence the activities and learning interests of young childrenarticulating them to the possibility of promoting child participation in the planning and organization of the school daily life. The theoretical support on which this work is based is the concept of learning through daily life (BROUGÈRE e ULMANN, 2012) and the discussions about child participation based on the interlocutions of Child Studies, especially in the field of sociology of children (FERNANDES, 2009). The methodological strategies were developed mainly from the reference of qualitative investigation (BOGDAN e BIKLEN, 1994) and child research (GRAUE E WALSH, 2003). Thirteen children aged 17 to 27 months from a public day care in Porto Alegre and seven adults participated in this research. The children are considered protagonist of this study, but the teachers and trainee in charge of the group became important interlocutors along the research due to their work. The learning interests of children were divided into three categories of analysis that support the idea of learning in the shared childhood, daily life and,finally, “outside” the classroom. These groups of interests indicate that the child participation in the school life organization is related to the children’s activities seeking to understand, get together and be part of the world, which constituteessential learning in the early childhood.

This thesis is located in the emerging field of early childhood education for sustainability and has particular focus on Malta. It sought to gather insights into young children’s perceptions of environmental sustainability, and the influences that shaped these perceptions, particularly in the context of the family and the school. Twelve Maltese children, aged between 3 and 7 years, ten parents, five teachers and a head teacher participated in this study, which was conducted in two Maltese State schools and one household. Designed within interpretive methodology, this study adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach. It was guided by cognitive theory, socio-cultural theory, bio-ecological theory of human development, the “new sociology of childhood” and related policy initiatives like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and theories of inter-generational influence. Data were generated through observations; conversational interviews with children; their interpretations of photographs; and their drawings and interpretation of them. Semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers and head teacher, a researcher’s journal and document analysis were used to triangulate the data. Manual data analysis produced a plethora of rich and in-depth data. The main findings reveal three themes which reveal children’s perceptions of the environment; their perceptions of environmental sustainability; and the contextual influences upon these perceptions. Children’s perceptions of environmental sustainability started at an early age; were influenced by context; and were socially and culturally constructed. Children were able to discuss issues related to environmental sustainability at a basic level by drawing on personal experience. Overall, the study indicates that young children possess some knowledge of environmental sustainability and can talk about it. This thesis concludes by considering the implications of the study for educators, researchers, curriculum and policy-makers; and by outlining several avenues for future research.

Essa investigação busca evidenciar as ações e os interesses de aprendizagem das crianças bem pequenas, articulando-os à possibilidade de promover a participação infantil no planejamento e organização do cotidiano escolar. O suporte teórico que fundamenta esse trabalho é o conceito de aprendizagem pela vida cotidiana (BROUGÈRE; ULMANN, 2012) e as discussões sobre participação infantil pautadas nas interlocuções dos Estudos da Criança, especialmente no campo da Sociologia da Infância (FERNANDES, 2009). As estratégias metodológicas foram construídas principalmente a partir do referencial sobre investigações qualitativas (BOGDAN; BIKLEN, 1994) e sobre pesquisa com crianças (GRAUE; WALSH, 2003). Participaram da pesquisa treze crianças entre 17 e 27 meses de uma escola pública de Educação Infantil de Porto Alegre e sete adultos. As crianças são consideradas protagonistas desse estudo, porém as professoras e o estagiário responsáveis pela turma, através de suas práticas, constituíram-se como importantes interlocutores ao longo da pesquisa. Os interesses de aprendizagem das crianças foram organizados em três categorias de análise que sustentam a ideia de aprender na vida em comum, aprender pela vida cotidiana e, por fim, aprender fora da “sala de aula”. Esses grupos de interesse indicam que a participação infantil na organização do cotidiano da escola está atravessada pela concepção das ações das crianças, em busca de compreender, estar junto e fazer parte do mundo, como aprendizagens fundamentais na primeira infância. / This investigation aims to put in evidence the activities and learning interests of young childrenarticulating them to the possibility of promoting child participation in the planning and organization of the school daily life. The theoretical support on which this work is based is the concept of learning through daily life (BROUGÈRE e ULMANN, 2012) and the discussions about child participation based on the interlocutions of Child Studies, especially in the field of sociology of children (FERNANDES, 2009). The methodological strategies were developed mainly from the reference of qualitative investigation (BOGDAN e BIKLEN, 1994) and child research (GRAUE E WALSH, 2003). Thirteen children aged 17 to 27 months from a public day care in Porto Alegre and seven adults participated in this research. The children are considered protagonist of this study, but the teachers and trainee in charge of the group became important interlocutors along the research due to their work. The learning interests of children were divided into three categories of analysis that support the idea of learning in the shared childhood, daily life and,finally, “outside” the classroom. These groups of interests indicate that the child participation in the school life organization is related to the children’s activities seeking to understand, get together and be part of the world, which constituteessential learning in the early childhood.

xiv, 111 p. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Sleep studies have rarely explored individual differences in sleep disruption and associated outcomes at early ages. In two studies, this dissertation addresses both of these limitations using actigraphy, an activity-derived assessment of sleep, to increase understanding of negative impacts of sleep on early development. Study 1 investigated sleep disruption in foster children and sleep-related treatment outcomes of the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (MTFC-P) intervention program. Study 2 explored individual differences in the associations among sleep, children's behavior, and neurohormonal activity. Four groups of participants ages 3- to 7-years-old were included in both studies: (1) Regular foster care (RFC; n=15); (2) MTFC-P intervention (TFC; n= 17); (3) Low-income community (LIC; n= 18); and 4. Middle-income community (MIC; n=29). Results of Study 1 indicated greater sleep disruption in foster groups, as evidenced by longer sleep latencies and increased variability of sleep duration, in the TFC group than in community groups. There was also indication of a treatment effect as the TFC group slept longer than RFC and LIC groups and had earlier bedtimes, fell asleep earlier, and spent more time in bed than either community group. LIC children had marginally more active sleep than MIC children, indicating a possible role for socioeconomic status in sleep quality. In Study 2, correlational and causal modeling approaches were used to investigate associations among sleep disruption, problem behaviors, and diurnal cortisol. Influences of foster care placement, gender, and age were also examined as potential individual difference factors. Results of mixed linear autoregressive models indicated that children were more likely to display inattentive/hyperactive behaviors after shortened sleep durations. Furthermore, at lower sleep durations, differences among care groups and genders emerged as children in foster care and males were at heightened risk for inattentive/hyperactive behavior problems. No associations between sleep and disruptive problem behaviors were found and there were few associations with morning and evening cortisol values. Results of these studies are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of the MTFC-P program for addressing sleep problems in foster children. Additionally, clinical implications of the heightened likelihood of inattentive/hyperactive behavior problems after disrupted sleep in some children are discussed. / Adviser: Phil Fisher

Background: Studies have reported that preschool children may not be sufficiently active according to guidelines. This is worrying because early childhood is a critical period for the establishment of sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) habits, which have immediate and long term influences on health. The majority of evidence on levels, determinants, and health consequences of SB and PA in young children is, however, based on subjective measures in predominately White children aged three years or older. Aims: To 1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of using three different accelerometers in South Asian and White British 2-3 year olds and their parents; 2) calibrate and validate the accelerometers to measure SB and PA in 2-3 year olds; 3) investigate the influence of 5-, 10-, and 15-second epochs on time spent in SB, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in 2-3 year olds; and 4) assess the feasibility of measuring the habitual SB and PA with the ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer in South Asian and White British 2-3 year olds and their parents. Methods: Focus groups were performed with 17 South Asian and White British mothers and the audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed with thematic analysis (Aim 1). To calibrate the three accelerometers against direct observation (Aim 2), semi-structured activity sessions were run with 18 South Asian and White British 2-3 year olds. Mixed-effects regression and receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis were used to generate prediction equations and 5- and 10-second cut-points to assess children s SB and PA. Validity of the generated cut-points against direct observation (Aim 2) was assessed in a separate sample of 20 White British and Black African 2-3 year olds during free-play, using Cohen s kappa, ROC curve analysis, Bland-Altman plots, and Lin s concordance coefficient. Differences in estimated time spent in SB, light PA and MVPA from 5-, 10- and 15-second epochs were tested with repeated-measures ANOVA and paired t-tests in the calibration sample (Aim 3). A pilot study was conducted with 120 South Asian and White British families from a birth cohort study to address aim 4. Study intake and compliance with an 8-day measurement protocol were calculated, and differences between ethnicities were assessed with the Chi-square test. Results: The ActiGraph GT3X+ was the most widely accepted accelerometer, with the least amount of issues raised by mothers. Practical and software issues with the Actiheart and activPAL3 during the calibration phase resulted in insufficient good quality data collected, which made it unfeasible to calibrate both monitors. The overall 5-second Axis1 cut-points for the ActiGraph GT3X+ provided a valid tool to measure the SB and total PA of 2-3 year olds in free-living conditions. Using 10- and 15-second epochs overestimated children s light PA and underestimated time spent in SB and MVPA. Less South Asian than White British families were recruited into the study, and less South Asian than White British children complied with the 8-day measurement protocol. There were no ethnic differences in the number of children and parents providing enough accelerometry data (i.e. ≥ 3 valid days), or the number of parents complying with the measurement protocol. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that it is feasible to use the ActiGraph GT3X+ to assess the habitual SB and PA of a bi-ethnic sample of 2-3 year old children and their parents. The accurate assessment of SB and PA in 2-3 year olds using the overall 5-second Axis1 cut-points developed and validated in this thesis will enable researchers to investigate the levels, determinants, and health consequences of SB and PA. Such research will inform public health policies and interventions to improve children s health.