Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Media Detectives: Bridging The Relationship Among Empathy, Laugh Tracks, And Gender In Childhood, Sruti Kanthan, James A. Graham, Lynne Azarchi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Empathy in college-age students is decreasing at unprecedented rates. Understanding empathy in children can act as primary prevention in tackling the problem. This study considers laugh tracks’ capacity to bias reality, foster empathy, and investigate differences across time and gender in 181 fifth grade students. The results from this quasi-experimental study suggests that students’ perceptions of the relationship between empathy and canned laughter changed significantly from pretest to posttest survey questions. Statistically significant differences were present for gender, as well. Theoretical and practical implications of using laugh tracks to increase empathy in middle and late childhood are discussed.

Predicting Parental Mediation Behaviors: The Direct And Indirect Influence Of Parents’ Critical Thinking About Media And Attitudes About Parent-Child Interactions, Eric E. Rasmussen, Shawna R. White, Andy J. King, Steven Holiday, Rebecca L. Densley

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Many parents fail to interact with their children regularly about media content and past research has identified few predictors of parents’ engagement in parental mediation behaviors. The present study explored the relationship between parents’ critical thinking about media and parents’ provision of both active and restrictive mediation of television content. Results revealed that parents’ critical thinking about media is positively associated with both active and restrictive mediation, relationships mediated by parents’ attitudes toward parent-child interactions about media. These findings suggest that media literacy programs aimed at improving parents’ critical thinking about media may be an effective way to alter children’s …

Results From Ireland North And South's 2016 Report Card On Physical Activity For Children And Youth, Deirdre M. Harrington, Marie Murphy, Angela Carlin, Tara Coppinger, Alan Donnelly, Kieran P. Dowd, Teresa Keating, Niamh Murphy, Elaine Murtagh, Wesley O'Brien, Catherine Woods, Sarahjane Belton

Publications

Background: Physical activity (PA) is a key performance indicator for policy documents in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Building on baseline grades set in 2014, Ireland's second Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth allows for continued surveillance of indicators related to PA in children and youth. Methods: Data and information were extracted and collated for 10 indicators and graded using an international standardized grading system. Results: Overall, 7 grades stayed the same, 2 increased, and 1 decreased. Grades were assigned as follows: Overall PA, D (an increase); Sedentary Behavior (TV), C-; Physical Education, D-; …

Teaching Children Who Have Difficulty Mastering Auditory Discriminations, Sarah Lichtenberger

Dissertations

Simple and conditional visual and auditory discrimination repertoires are critical components of many skills necessary for daily functioning, including communication, academic, and daily-living skills (Green, 2001). When auditory discrimination is not under instructional stimulus control, it can result in delayed acquisition of new skills and limit academic progress. The purpose of this study was to teach auditory discrimination to children with autism who had little to no progress on classroom procedures that required auditory discrimination, such as selecting an object from an array when given the name of the object as the direction. Auditory discrimination was taught starting with teaching …

La Creación De Crianza: Un Retrato De La Niñez En Martín Centeno, Sara Dean

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the ever-shifting landscape of rural Nicaragua, how do new developments affect the ways in which children make sense of their worlds and their identities? Taking place in Martín Centeno, a cooperative community near Río Blanco in the Department of Matagalpa that was founded in the 80s for families displaced by the war, the present study borrows the theoretical framework of children’s geographies. Through observation, interviews, and visual research methods, this study paints a portrait of childhood in Martín Centeno today, as well as highlighting ways it has changed over time. The study places particular emphasis on the role of …

Grief & At-Risk Behavior: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Grief Counseling Groups For Adolescents In Public Schools, Kiana Battle

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation will explore the affects that grief has on adolescents, including at–risk behaviors, identity confusion, issues of self-worth, and many more. The presentation will illustrate the positive impact that grief counseling groups have among adolescents (with a special focus in the public school environment). Barriers that hinder the effective delivery of group counseling within the public school arena will also be addressed (such barriers are amount of time in the school day, student caseload, and administrative support). This presentation will also address the critical role that school social workers play, in effectively providing group counseling interventions to adolescents who …

You Live, You Lose: Supporting Youths On Their Journeys In The Land Of The Loss, Gary W. Mauk, M. Bruce Garris

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

As youths journey through life, they experience various personally significant losses and associated grief that can negatively impact their physical/mental health, developmental trajectory, and academic success. Framed in a broad-based perspective of loss, this presentation will acquaint participants with various loss-related constructs and events, potential associated physical, intellectual, emotional, and social effects of loss experiences, and supportive interventions and resources.

Project Energize: Intervention Development And 10 Years Of Progress In Preventing Childhood Obesity Public Health, Elaine Rush, Carolyn Cairncross, Margaret Hinepo Williams, Marilyn Tseng, Tara Coppinger, Steph Mclennan, Kasha Latimer

Publications

Prevention of childhood obesity is a global priority. The school setting offers access to large numbers of children and the ability to provide supportive environments for quality physical activity and nutrition. This article describes Project Energize, a through-school physical activity and nutrition programme that celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2015 so that it might serve as a model for similar practices, initiatives and policies elsewhere. The programme was envisaged and financed by the Waikato District Health Board of New Zealand in 2004 and delivered by Sport Waikato to 124 primary schools as a randomised controlled trial from 2005 to 2006. …

Review: Sexualized Media Messages And Our Children: Teaching Kids To Be Smart Critics And Consumers, Becky Michelson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Today’s youth are exposed to sexualized media at an alarming rate. The inundation of sexuality and gender stereotypes is further perpetuated by youth interactions with celebrity culture, the search for fame, and social media. In her book, Sexualized Media Messages and Our Children: Teaching Kids to be Smart Critics and Consumers, Jennifer Shewmaker explains the increasingly sexualized media’s effects on the self-esteem, identity formations, and sexual behavior of youth. Shewmaker offers a research-based approach to the detrimental effects of media that is supplemented by case studies, interactive media critique exercises, and discussion pointers for influential adults and educators in …

Correlates Of Children's Objectively Measured Physical Activity And Sedentary Behavior In Early Childhood Education And Care Services: A Systematic Review, Karen Tonge, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To systematically review the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. Appropriate levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior are important to promote in ECEC services. Methods: A systematic search of 8 databases identified 27 studies published between 1992 and 2015 that met the inclusion criteria. The data were collected and analyzed in 2014 and 2015, and variables were categorized using a Social Ecological Framework. Results: Sixty-six variables were identified. The domains of child characteristics (18 studies) and physical environmental factors (17 studies) were most consistently studied, and, for …

Children Talking About Writing: Investigating Metalinguistic Understanding, Honglin Chen, Debra Myhill

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Much of the literature on explicit teaching about language has suggested that equipping students with metalinguistic knowledge is as an important means of enhancing students' participation in learning. Yet in the context of international jurisdictions which are placing a renewed emphasis on knowledge about language, there is a notable lack of research into the nature of learners' metalinguistic understanding about writing, as evident in their ability to reflect on written language. Using an analytical framework shaped by Vygotsky's and Hallidayan theories of concept formation and language learning, this paper provides insights into the nature of metalinguistic understanding as manifested in …

Personality And Body-Mass-Index In School-Age Children: An Exploration Of Mediating And Moderating Variables, Mark S. Allen, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored longitudinal associations between personality and body-mass-index (BMI) in school-age children, including the potential mediating role of screen time and physical activity, and the potential moderating roles of child demographics and neighbourhood socioeconomic position. Participants were the parents (and teachers) of 3857 ten-year-old children, who completed questionnaires at baseline with a two-year follow-up. After controlling for child demographics (e.g., sex, pubertal status), we found that personality was unimportant for concurrent BMI, but was important for subsequent BMI and change in BMI over two years. Low levels of introversion and persistence at baseline, and decreases in persistence over time, …

Listening To Children And Young People And Empowering Them - Some New Techniques Using Philosophical And Spiritual Listening. An Educational Psychologist's Story, Irvine Gersch

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article outlines one area of research which I, as an educational and child psychologist, have been involved in for more than 30 years. The area is 'listening to children and young people (CYP): helping to empower them through giving them a voice'. The work has involved the development of various materials, including the Student Report and a version for students excluded from school, to the more recent spiritual listening tools, inviting children and young people to discuss their views about the big questions of life; namely, life's purpose and meaning. Fundamentally, such aspects are felt to be keys to …

Increasing Physical Activity Among Young Children From Disadvantaged Communities: Study Protocol Of A Group Randomised Controlled Effectiveness Trial, Rebecca M. Stanley, Rachel A. Jones, Dylan P. Cliff, Stewart Trost, Donna Berthelsen, Jo Salmon, Marijka Batterham, Simon Eckermann, John J. Reilly, Ngiare J. Brown, Karen J. Mickle, Steven J. Howard, Trina Hinkley, Xanne Janssen, Paul A. Chandler, Penny L. Cross, Fay L. Gowers, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Participation in regular physical activity (PA) during the early years helps children achieve healthy body weight and can substantially improve motor development, bone health, psychosocial health and cognitive development. Despite common assumptions that young children are naturally active, evidence shows that they are insufficiently active for health and developmental benefits. Exploring strategies to increase physical activity in young children is a public health and research priority. Methods Jump Start is a multi-component, multi-setting PA and gross motor skill intervention for young children aged 3-5 years in disadvantaged areas of New South Wales, Australia. The intervention will be evaluated using …

Objectively Measured Sedentary Behaviour And Health And Development In Children And Adolescents: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Dylan P. Cliff, Kylie Hesketh, Stewart A. Vella, Trina Hinkley, Margarita D. Tsiros, Nicola D. Ridgers, Alison Carver, Jenny Veitch, Anne-Maree Parrish, Louise L. Hardy, Ronald Plotnikoff, Anthony D. Okely, Jo Salmon, David R. Lubans

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Sedentary behaviour has emerged as a unique determinant of health in adults. Studies in children and adolescents have been less consistent. We reviewed the evidence to determine if the total volume and patterns (i.e. breaks and bouts) of objectively measured sedentary behaviour were associated with adverse health outcomes in young people, independent of moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity. Four electronic databases (EMBASE MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, PubMed and Scopus) were searched (up to 12 November 2015) to retrieve studies among 2- to 18-year-olds, which used cross-sectional, longitudinal or experimental designs, and examined associations with health outcomes (adiposity, cardio-metabolic, fitness, respiratory, bone/musculoskeletal, …

How Schools Avoid Enrolling Children With Disabilities, Linda J. Graham, Helen Proctor, Roselyn M. Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Children with disabilities are frequently discriminated against in Australian schools. It's an issue that has been ongoing for years, with reports showing that little has improved since 2002. Exclusion practices - dubbed as "gatekeeping" - include advising parents to send their child to another school that could better support them; only allowing a child to attend a school on the days that funding is available; and asking parents to pay extra money so the school can employ support staff or purchase equipment. Although this happens across all school types, it tends to be more prominent in, and easier for, non-government …

Use Of Mobile And Cordless Phones And Cognition In Australian Primary School Children: A Prospective Cohort Study, Mary Redmayne, Catherine L. Smith, Geza Benke, Rodney J. Croft, Anna Dalecki, Christina Dimitriadis, Jordy Kaufman, Skye Macleod, Malcolm R. Sim, Rory Wolfe, Michael J. Abramson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Use of mobile (MP) and cordless phones (CP) is common among young children, but whether the resulting radiofrequency exposure affects development of cognitive skills is not known. Small changes have been found in older children. This study focused on children's exposures to MP and CP and cognitive development. The hypothesis was that children who used these phones would display differences in cognitive function compared to those who did not. Methods: We recruited 619 fourth-grade students (8-11 years) from 37 schools around Melbourne and Wollongong, Australia. Participants completed a short questionnaire, a computerised cognitive test battery, and the Stroop colour-word …

Children's Exposure To Food Advertising On Free-To-Air Television: An Asia-Pacific Perspective, Bridget Kelly, Lana Hebden, Lesley King, Yang Xiao, Yang Yu, Gengsheng He, Liangli Li, Lingxia Zeng, Hamam Hadi, Tilakavati Karupaiah, Ng See Hoe, Mohd Ismail Noor, Jihyun Yoon, Hyogyoo Kim

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is an established link between food promotions and children's food purchase and consumption. Children in developing countries may be more vulnerable to food promotions given the relative novelty of advertising in these markets. This study aimed to determine the scope of television food advertising to children across the Asia-Pacific to inform policies to restrict this marketing. Six sites were sampled, including from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. At each site, 192 h of television were recorded (4 days, 16 h/day, three channels) from May to October 2012. Advertised foods were categorized as core/healthy, non-core/unhealthy or miscellaneous, and by …

Digital Storytelling: Capturing Children's Participation In Preschool Activities, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Children should be active participants in the environments in which they engage. However in the prior to school setting, it is not necessarily clear to educators how children understand their role and place within that community. Lave and Wenger's (2005) situated learning theory provides a useful frame to consider this developing sense of membership and the connections children make between home and their prior to school centre. In the spirit of belonging, being and becoming (COAG, 2009), a cohort of 27 children (aged 4-5 years) transitioning to the first year of formal schooling were invited to create a digital story …

Australia And Other Nations Are Failing To Meet Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines For Children: Implications And A Way Forward, Leon Straker, Erin Kaye Howie, Dylan Paul Cliff, Melanie T. Davern, Lina Engelen, Sjaan R. Gomersall, Jenny Ziviani, Natasha K. Schranz, Tim Olds, Grant Ryan Tomkinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Australia has joined a growing number of nations that have evaluated the physical activity and sedentary behavior status of their children. Australia received a "D minus" in the first Active Healthy Kids Australia Physical Activity Report Card. Methods: An expert subgroup of the Australian Report Card Research Working Group iteratively reviewed available evidence to answer 3 questions: (a) What are the main sedentary behaviors of children? (b) What are the potential mechanisms for sedentary behavior to impact child health and development? and (c) What are the effects of different types of sedentary behaviors on child health and development? Results: …

How Well Are Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Doing Academically At School? An Overview Of The Literature, Deb Keen, Amanda Webster, Greta Ridley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The academic achievement of individuals with autism spectrum disorder has received little attention from researchers despite the importance placed on this by schools, families and students with autism spectrum disorder. Investigating factors that lead to increased academic achievement thus would appear to be very important. A review of the literature was conducted to identify factors related to the academic achievement of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. A total of 19 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria for the review. Results indicated that many individuals demonstrate specific areas of strength and weakness and there is a great …

Efficacy Of Gross Motor Skill Interventions In Young Children: An Updated Systematic Review, Sanne Veldman, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective The objective of this study was to provide an update of the evidence on the efficacy of gross motor development interventions in young children (0-5 years) from 2007 to 2015. Methods Searches were conducted of six electronic databases: PUBMED, Medline (Ovid), ERIC (Ebsco), Embase, SCOPUS and Psychinfo. Studies included any childcare-based, preschool-based, home-based, or community-based intervention targeting the development of gross motor skills including statistical analysis of gross motor skill competence. Data were extracted on design, participants, intervention components, methodological quality and efficacy. Results Seven articles were included and all were delivered in early childhood settings. Four studies had …

Energy Cost Of Physical Activities And Sedentary Behaviors In Young Children, Anja Grobek, Christiana Van Loo, Gregory E. Peoples, Markus Hagenbuchner, Rachel A. Jones, Dylan P. Cliff

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: This study reports energy expenditure (EE) data for lifestyle and ambulatory activities in young children. Methods: Eleven children aged 3 to 6 years (mean age = 4.8 ± 0.9; 55% boys) completed 12 semistructured activities including sedentary behaviors (SB), light (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA) over 2 laboratory visits while wearing a portable metabolic system to measure EE. Results: Mean EE values for SB (TV, reading, tablet and toy play) were between 0.9 to 1.1 kcal/min. Standing art had an energy cost that was 1.5 times that of SB (mean = 1.4 kcal/min), whereas bike riding (mean = …

Augmenting Instructional Animations With A Body Analogy To Help Children Learn About Physical Systems, Wim T. J. L Pouw, Tamara Van Gog, Rolf A. Zwaan, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We investigated whether augmenting instructional animations with a body analogy (BA) would improve 10- to 13-year-old children's learning about class-1 levers. Children with a lower level of general math skill who learned with an instructional animation that provided a BA of the physical system, showed higher accuracy on a lever problemsolving reaction time task than children studying the instructional animation without this BA. Additionally, learning with a BA led to a higher speed-accuracy trade-off during the transfer task for children with a lower math skill, which provided additional evidence that especially this group is likely to be affected by learning …

Sedentary Time, Physical Activity And Compliance With Iom Recommendations In Young Children At Childcare, Yvonne Ellis, Dylan P. Cliff, Xanne Janssen, Rachel A. Jones, John J. Reilly, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this study was to report patterns of sitting, standing and physical activity (PA) and compliance with Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for sedentary behavior (SB) and PA among children aged 1 to 5 years at childcare, and examine sociodemographic variations. Sitting, standing and PA time was assessed using an activPAL inclinometer over a period of 1 to 5 days in 301 children (49% boys; mean age = 3.7 ± 1.0 years) across 11 childcare services in Illawarra, NSW, Australia. Breaks and bouts of sitting and standing were calculated and categorized. Height and weight were assessed and parents …

Transition Of Children With Disabilities Into Early Childhood Education And Care Centres, Jane D. Warren, Wilma Vialle, Roselyn M. Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on findings from research which sought to understand, in the New South Wales (NSW) context, the factors impacting on the transition into early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres for children with disabilities from the perspective of both parents of children with disabilities and educators in ECEC centres. The study aimed to identify successes and barriers, and consider potential interventions and procedures that might increase the participation of children with disabilities in ECEC centres. This paper will discuss findings from the educator perspective only, including 37 completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from 10 teacher participants. Thematic analysis …

Faroosh And Elina, Faroosh, Elina, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Faroosh was a cameraman for a private television program in Afghanistan working on a documentary about the Taliban. When he and his crew were discovered, the Taliban attacked them and he and his wife fled to Turkey, walking 12 hours to get there. Upon arrival the police arrested and harassed them. Turkey was not a safe place. After several suicide bombings in the area, they decided to move on to Greece, where they are in a refugee camp without any progress in their situation. They have no money to move forward and no ability to work and the economic situation …

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines For Children And Youth: An Integration Of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, And Sleep, Mark S. Tremblay, Valerie Carson, Jean-Phillipe Chaput, Sarah Connor Gorber, Thy Dinh, Mary Duggan, Guy Faulkner, Casey E. Gray, Reut Gruber, Katherine Janson, Ian Janssen, Peter Katzmarzyk, Michelle E. Kho, Amy E. Latimer-Cheung, Claire Leblanc, Anthony D. Okely, Timothy Olds, Russell R. Pate, Andrea Phillips, Veronica Poitras, Sophie Rodenburg, Margaret Sampson, Travis J. Saunders, James A. Stone, Gareth Stratton, Shelly K. Weiss, Lori Zehr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Leaders from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology convened representatives of national organizations, content experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users who followed rigorous and transparent guideline development procedures to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These novel guidelines for children and youth aged 5-17 years respect the natural and intuitive integration of movement behaviours across the whole day (24-h period). The development process was guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument and systematic reviews of evidence informing the guidelines were assessed using the …

Correlates Of Gross Motor Competence In Children And Adolescents: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Lisa M. Barnett, Samuel Lai, Sanne Veldman, Louise L. Hardy, Dylan P. Cliff, Philip J. Morgan, Avigdor Zask, David R. Lubans, Sarah Shultz, Nicola D. Ridgers, Elaine Rush, Helen Brown, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Gross motor competence confers health benefits, but levels in children and adolescents are low. While interventions can improve gross motor competence, it remains unclear which correlates should be targeted to ensure interventions are most effective, and for whom targeted and tailored interventions should be developed. Objective The aim of this systematic review was to identify the potential correlates of gross motor competence in typically developing children and adolescents (aged 3–18 years) using an ecological approach. Methods Motor competence was defined as gross motor skill competency, encompassing fundamental movement skills and motor coordination, but excluding motor fitness. Studies needed to …

Nutrition Education Resources In North Carolina–Based Head Start Preschool Programs: Administrator And Teacher Perceptions Of Availability And Use, Sarah Lisson, L. Suzanne Goodell, Dipti A. Dev, Kristi Wilkerson,, Archana V. Hegde, Virginia C. Stage

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

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide new insight into common barriers to the availability and use of nutrition education (NE) resources in Head Start preschool programs based on administrator and teacher perceptions.

Methods: In-depth, semistructured phone interviews (n = 63) were conducted with administrators (n = 31) and teachers (n = 32) from North Carolina–based Head Start programs. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis to identify common themes.

Results: Five emergent themes were identified within the areas of NE resource availability and use and barriers to NE resource availability and …