Digital Commons Network^™

Predictors Of Parent Engagement Based On Child Care Providers’ Perspectives, Aileen Garcia, Dipti A. Dev, Virginia C. Stage

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: Determine the predictors of child care providers’ parent engagement regarding child nutrition in child care centers (CCCs) and family child care homes (FCCHs).

Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Child care centers and FCCHs. Participants: Child care center directors (n = 337) and FCCH providers (n = 1,153) completed a self-administered survey.

Main outcome measures: Fifteen variables were examined as predictors for parent engagement: providers’ perceived barriers to communication, participation in Go Nutrition and Physical Self-Assessment in Child Care, National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation, participation in Quality Ratings and Improvement Systems, feeding practices, and professional …

Assessment Of Nutrition Knowledge Of Childcare Providers Regarding The Implementation Of The 2017 Cacfp Meal Pattern Update, Zainab Rida, Christy Burger, Dipti A. Dev, Jasmin Smith, Saima Hasmin

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: With the release of 2017 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern, states need to determine knowledge gaps in order to develop targeted training materials and resources to aid childcare providers in achieving new regulations. Purpose: To assess the nutrition knowledge of childcare providers in regards to the implementation of the 2017 CACFP meal pattern. Methods: Convenience sampling, where CACFP participants (n = 398) completed a self-reported survey at the annual mandatory trainings across the state of Nebraska, was employed in this study. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, means, standard deviations, independent sample t tests, and chi-square tests …

Understanding Parental Ethnotheories And Practices About Healthy Eating: Exploring The Developmental Niche Of Preschoolers, Deepa Srivastava, Julia C. Torquati, Maria Rosario De Guzman, Dipti A. Dev

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoolers’ healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework.

Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology.

Setting: Home.

Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time.

Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected …

How Do Differing Stakeholders Perceive Instances Of Literacy Instruction?, Rachel E. Schachter, Ann Matthews, Shayne B. Piasta

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In this study, we investigated how early childhood teachers’ perspectives on their enacted literacy instruction aligned with the perspectives of observers of that same instruction. Two master teachers and two researchers, all with early childhood expertise, observed and reported their perspectives of 45 instances of literacy instruction. These were examined for alignment across each other and with teachers’ descriptions of their thinking during the instruction. Participants’ perceptions of instruction tended to align, yet there were notable differences in perceptions about context and goals. Although we often found common ground among participants regarding the purpose of instruction, there were interesting variations …

Examining The Effects Of A Service-Trained Facility Dog On Stress In Children Undergoing Forensic Interview For Allegations Of Child Sexual Abuse, Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Michele Thames, Colleen M. Ray, John Kolassa

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Disclosure of child sexual abuse can be a stressful experience for the child. Gaining a better understanding of how best to serve the child, while preserving the quality of their disclosure, is an ever-evolving process. The data to answer this question come from 51 children aged 4–16 (M = 9.1, SD = 3.5), who were referred to a child advocacy center in Virginia for a forensic interview (FI) following allegations of sexual abuse. A repeated measures design was conducted to examine how the presence of a service-trained facility dog (e.g. animal-assisted intervention (AAI) may serve as a mode of lowering …

Understanding The Link Between Victimization And Alcohol Use Among Homeless Youth Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Kimberly A. Tyler, Kristen M. Olson, Colleen M. Ray

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Most prior research on victimization and alcohol use among homeless youth is retrospective and thus does not allow researchers to determine the sequencing of these events. We address this gap using ecological momentary assessment via short message service surveying with homeless youth during 30 days. Multilevel binary logistic regression results revealed that experiencing physical or sexual victimization on a specific day was positively associated with youth’s drinking alcohol later that day. Because ecological momentary assessment via short message service allows for such specificity, we can link a specific victimization experience with a current drinking episode. Thus, the time ordering of …

Sped 415/415a Reading And Writing Disabilities: A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Judith Wilson

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio explores four aspects of the lecture and practicum that comprise the coursework for students learning to tutor children with reading and writing disabilities. The first aspect is the alignment of the course objectives, teaching methods, assessments and scores. The second aspect is innovation in curricula for tutoring, explored through student response to surveys at the end of the tutoring session. The third aspect is student experience of participating in the course at mid-point and suggestions for improvement of course delivery, gathered by a mid-semester survey. The fourth aspect is topics and content students would like to see added …

Cyaf374: Purposeful Planning—Reflection And Practice In Enriching Students’ Lesson Design, Kelley Buchheister

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents my process of embracing, modeling, and implementing reflective teaching practices to enhance the lesson designs of my prospective early childhood professionals in CYAF374: Curriculum Planning in Early Childhood. Throughout this project I attended to and applied five critical components emphasized in the peer review of teaching project and integrated these ideas within the foundational elements of Japanese lesson study in order to implement instructional practices that would benefit my students. These five elements are extensively discussed throughout the portfolio on multiple levels: (a) understanding the role of reflective practice, (b) identifying goals through backward design, (c) outlining …

Bullying At School And On The Street: Risk Factors And Outcomes Among Homeless Youth, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Though rates of bullying among general population youth are high, there is elevated prevalence among certain subgroups, in particular sexual minority homeless youth. Enduring bullying can have devastating consequences, including poor mental health, revictimization, and substance abuse. The current study compares risk factors (i.e., sexual orientation, gender, and child abuse) for being bullied both at school and on the street among homeless youth. We also examine the associations of both contexts of bullying (i.e., at school and on the street) with physical and sexual victimization while on the street, with illicit drug use. From July 2014 to October 2015, we …

Child Abuse, Mental Health And Sleeping Arrangements Among Homeless Youth: Links To Physical And Sexual Street Victimization, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Physical safety is a primary concern among homeless youth because they struggle to secure basic necessities and a permanent place to live. Despite this, studies have not fully examined the numerous linkages that might explain risk for victimization within the context of material insecurity. In this study, we examine multiple levels of both proximal and distal risk factors at the individual (e.g. mental health), family (e.g. child abuse), and environmental levels (e.g. finding necessities) and their associations with physical and sexual street victimization among 150 Midwestern homeless youth. Results from path analyses show that child physical abuse is positively associated …

Parental Autonomy Granting And School Functioning Among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Role Of Adolescents’ Cultural Values, Cixin Wang, Kieu Anh Do, Leiping Bao, Yan Ruth Xia, Chaorong Wu

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

School adjustment and achievement are important indicators of adolescents’ wellbeing; however, few studies have examined the risk and protective factors predicting students’ school adjustment and achievement at the individual, familial, and cultural level. The present study examined the influences of individual and familial factors and cultural values on Chinese adolescents’ school functioning (e.g., school adjustment and grades). It also tested whether cultural values moderated the relationship between parenting and adolescents’ school functioning. Self-report data were collected from a stratified random sample of 2,864 adolescents (51.5% female, mean age = 15.52 years, grade 6th–12th) from 55 classrooms, in 13 schools in …

Spirituality Among Black Americans: A Hierarchical Classification Of The Family Strengths Model, Genese Clark

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is a need for disaggregate data pertaining to the perceived strengths of Black American families. This study identified which traits are salient and dominant among African-American families according to the Family Strengths Model. Utilizing this model, a mixed methods study was conducted among Black Americans living in Connecticut who identify with belonging to a family (N=59) to investigate the importance of six family strength domains. Results found the hierarchical rank (from most important to least important) to be commitment, spirituality/ spiritual wellbeing, appreciation and affection, positive communication, time together, and the ability to manage stress and crisis effectively. Additionally, …

How Discordant Hsv Status Impacts Dyadic Relationships: A Grounded Theory Study, Haley Ann Hermes

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2008 that there were an estimated 110 million sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among men and women with an estimated 19.7 million new cases every year in the United States (CDC, 2015). Having an STD is associated with negative individual and relational consequences (Beckerman, 2002; Brentjens, Yeung-Yue, Lee, & Tyring, 2003; Drob, Loemer & Lifshultz, 1986; Mark, Gilbert & Nanda, 2009). The combination of the high prevalence of STDs and the associated relational distress makes it likely that working with couples affected by STDs is a common experience for individual and …

Nebline, September 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Early Childhood Educators Benefit from Mindfulness Reflection

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Office Of Scholarly Communications, Annual Report Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017), Paul Royster, Sue Ann Gardner, Margaret Mering, Linnea Fredrickson

Institutional Repository Information

This report covers the Scholarly Communications team, and activities involving the institutional repository (IR), library publishing operations, outreach and advocacy, and copyright consulting.

Highlights include services, size, usage metrics, recognition (Ranking Web of World Repositories), Zea Books, journals, and appendices. (32 pages)

Depressive Symptoms In Mexican-Origin Adolescents: Interrelations Between School And Family Contexts, Prerna G. Arora, Lorey Wheeler

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

This study, as guided by cultural-ecological frameworks, examined multiple contextual stressors, including subjective economic hardship, acculturation, discrimination, and negative perceptions of school safety, as simultaneously linked to adolescents’ depressive symptoms, as well as the role of gender, familism values, family cohesion, and school connectedness on these associations. Data come from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (Portes and Rumbaut 2012) that included second-generation 8th- and 9th-grade children of foreign-born parents from the Mexican-origin subsample (n = 755; 52% male; time 1 M age = 14.20 years). Adolescents were either born in (60%) or immigrated prior to age 5 to …

The Effect Of A Youth Cooking Intervention On Nutrition Knowledge And Healthy Eating Behaviors Among 4th & 5th Graders Attending Title I Schools, Ashley B. Walther

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Childhood obesity rates have dramatically increased since the 1980’s. This has become major public health concern because children who are overweight or obese are more likely to have obesity-related health issues and are more likely to be overweight or obese as adults. Obesity is also associated with poor dietary habits. Currently, children have dietary patterns that are low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In addition, many Americans lack the knowledge on how to prepare healthful meals and because of this there is a lack of a meal preparation knowledge being transferred to children. To help address these issues it …

Providers Perspectives On Self-Regulation Impact Their Use Of Responsive Feeding Practices In Child Care, Dipti A. Dev, Katherine E. Speirs, Natalie A. Williams, Samantha Ramsay, Brent A. Mcbride, Holly Hatton-Bowers

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Supporting children's self-regulation in eating through caregivers' practice of responsive feeding is paramount to obesity prevention, and while much attention has been given to supporting children's selfregulation in eating through parents' responsive feeding practices in the home setting, little attention has been given to this issue in childcare settings. This qualitative study examines childcare providers' perspectives on using responsive feeding practices with young children (2–5 years). Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with providers until saturation was reached. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The final sample included 18 providers who were employed full-time in Head Start or state-licensed center-based childcare …

Cultural Self-Identification Among Extension Educators' And Cultural Competence In Cooperative Extension, Ruddy Y. Benavides

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As immigration and globalization are increasing, the number of people in our country who speak more than one language is also increasing (Center for Public Education, 2012). These trends are creating needs for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students and families in schools, specifically, the need for culturally responsive pedagogy and culturally competent teachers. In addition to formal educational contexts, non-formal educational contexts such as Cooperative Extension need to adapt to cultural changes as well. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal beliefs and professional experiences of present Extension Educators (EEs), and the techniques they practice in …

An Evaluation And Revision Of The Children’S Behavior Questionnaire Effortful Control Scales, Scott R. Frohn

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001) is a popular parent report measure of children’s temperament. Effortful control, which refers to processes involved in regulating reactivity to internal and external stimuli, is one factor of temperament measured by the CBQ using five scales tapping multiple dimensions. Numerous studies examining the psychometric properties of the CBQ have shown some problems with the scales, including inconsistent factor structures and measurement noninvariance. Furthermore, the way effortful control is typically defined in the literature, and even according to the CBQ’s authors, is inconsistent with how it is actually measured with …

We Cook: Fun With Food And Fitness: Impact Of A Youth Cooking Program On The Home Environment, Courtney Warday

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

BACKGROUND

US food preparation habits have decreased since 1965 (Smith, et al, 2013). Children are rarely involved in food preparation in the home (Fulkerson, et al, 2008). Cooking frequency has been positively associated with healthy eating (Raber, et al, 2016). Food consumption behaviors have changed in the US in the last few decades possibly contributing to the obesity epidemic (Understanding Childhood Obesity, 2010).

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to examine how We Cook: Fun with Food and Fitness, an elementary youth cooking program impacts the home environment.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were adult family members of youth involved in the …

Understanding The Roles Of Connection To Nature, Mindfulness, And Distress On Psychological Well-Being, Tuyen N. Huynh

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A plethora of research has documented the negative effects of distress on physical and psychological well-being. However, past research showed that connection to nature and mindfulness reduce distress and improve psychological well-being. Unfortunately, the processes through which mindfulness is associated to connection to nature during the recovery from distress is unknown. Understanding the aspects of how connection to nature and mindfulness independently and jointly relate to well-being increases our existing knowledge of the health benefits associated with these constructs. Therefore, the current study had three foci: (1) the relationships between connection to nature (CN), mindfulness, and distress to psychological well-being …

Parent-Teacher Relationships And Communication In Early Childhood: A Comparative, Mixed Methods Study Of White And Ethnic-Racial Minority Parents, Kimberly A. Blitch

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study compared parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding (a) parent-teacher relationships and (b) parent-teacher communication according to parents’ ethnicities and races. Non-matched, quantitative data about parent-teacher relationships were collected from parents (White and ethnic-racial minority) and teachers (those reporting on their relationships with either White or ethnic-racial minority parents) at two early childhood programs (N = 72). Twenty-four participants were observed during morning and afternoon transitions (child drop-off and pick-up). Thirteen participants were then interviewed, as well as each early childhood program director. Analyses of co/variance were used to analyze the quantitative data. …

An Educational Approach Abroad: A Case Study Of Anubhūti City School In Jalgaon, India, J. Joshua Byrd, Sarah Erwin, Kara Cruickshank, Jessica Fetrow

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Anubhuti English Medium School is located in Jalgaon, Mahrashtra, India. The school’s mission is to: create a learning environment conducive to nurturing learners and the educators to be creative, capable, compassionate and equanimous citizens of character with global outlook. • Ethno-theory is an approach that seeks to understand how cultural beliefs affect practice.

Purpose: Explore the interactions between teachers and administration with students at Anubhūti English Medium School, in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India. • Document perception of methodology, effectiveness, student-teacher relationships, and classroom climate. • Understand educational practice through the eyes of the participants. • Provide new information pertaining to the …

Teachers’ Experiences With A State-Mandated Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, Rachel E. Schachter, Tara M. Strang, Shayne B. Piasta

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study used an embedded mixed method design to examine teachers’ experiences with a state-mandated kindergarten readiness assessment during its inaugural year. Participants were 143 kindergarten teachers from one county in a Midwestern state. In general, teachers did not perceive the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment as useful for one of its intended purposes of guiding instruction. Our findings did not indicate an adversity to assessment in general. Rather, perceptions that the new KRA was less useful for practice seemed to stem from administration issues, problems with the content assessed by the KRA, and participants’ misunderstandings regarding the purpose of the KRA. …

Tier 1 Procedure: School-Wide Behavior Screening, Natalie Hoff, Reece L. Peterson, Jenna Strawhun, Scott Fluke

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Identifying at-risk students for Tier 2 & 3 interventions.

Summary and Conclusion

Several conclusions can be drawn regarding behavioral screening:

• • Behavior screening is an important and feasible task.
• • Several empirically supported tools have been developed for behavior screening.
• • Many of these tools have good reliability and validity but differ in terms of costs and time required for implementation. These are all considerations when choosing a screener.
• • Behavior screening can be done at efficiently at relatively low cost in both dollars and staff time.
• • By implementing screening procedures, schools can prevent further/future behavior problems from growing …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Pedagogical Reasoning About How Children Learn During Language And Literacy Instruction, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The knowledge that teachers hold about children’s learning is important to teachers’ practice. Few studies have examined how early childhood teachers use such knowledge during moment-to-moment instruction for language and literacy learning. This study employed a phenomenological approach to understand the knowledge that eight early childhood teachers used to inform their pedagogical reasoning during language and literacy activities. Stimulated recall interviews about practice were conducted with the prekindergarten teachers. Results indicated that the teachers used multiple sources of knowledge to inform their pedagogical reasoning that included: conceptions about how children learn; knowledge about specific children and the learning goals for …

Research And Creative Activity, July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017: Major Sponsored Programs And Faculty Awards For Research And Creative Activity, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Office Of Research And Economic Development, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

Introduction by Steve Goddard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln:

This booklet highlights successes in research, scholarship and creative activity of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty during the fiscal year July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017.

It lists investigators, project titles and funding sources on major grants and sponsored program awards received during the year; fellowships and other recognitions and honors bestowed on our faculty; books published by faculty; performances, exhibitions and other creative activity by our faculty; and intellectual property licenses and patents issued for the products of Nebraska research.

This booklet is an impressive …

Preschool Children’S Biophilia And Attitudes Toward Nature: The Effect Of Personal Experiences, Ruddy E. Yanez, Bronwyn S. Fees, Julia C. Torquati

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Regular engagement outside may promote healthy physical and psychological development as well as a respect and appreciation for nature. This exploratory study compared biophilia and attitudes toward nature between young children living in an urban area to those in a rural area. Urban and rural areas may offer different opportunities for exposure and engagement with elements such as water, plants, and animals. A comparison between young children in these settings may determine if experience in these different environments affects their attitudes and biophilia. Thirty-six children (urban n = 27; rural n = 9) participated in one-on-one structured interviews about their …

Mother-Child Interactions And Externalizing Behavior Problems In Preschoolers Over Time: Inhibitory Control As A Mediator, Rianne Van Dijk, Maja Deković, Tessa L. Bunte, Kim Schoemaker, Mariëlle Zondervan-Zwijnenburg, Kimberly A. Espy, Walter Matthys

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown links between parenting and externalizing behavior problems in young children over time. Associations between inhibitory control, one of the executive functions, and externalizing behavior problems are widely established as well. Yet, the role of inhibitory control in the maintenance and change of externalizing behavior problems over time remains unclear. We examined whether inhibitory control could explain the link between mother-child interactions measured on a moment-to-moment timescale and preschoolers’ externalizing behavior problems as reported by teachers. With a sample of 173 predominantly clinically referred preschoolers (76.9% boys) we tested a longitudinal model proposing that affective dyadic flexibility …