Children Of Secondary School Age Research Articles

Place-based education and pre-service teachers: a case study from India

Case studies of successful place-based education that involve international partnerships are rare. This article reports on an inclusive educational collaboration between pre-service teachers at an Australian university and primary and secondary school-aged children in a slum area of Delhi, India. Encouraged to undertake teaching that affirmed and extended the children's existing linguistic and cultural knowledge, the six teacher candidates collaboratively planned and implemented exemplary programmes geared to the children's interests and needs. This highly inclusive teaching and learning took various forms: a photographic project in the community, the collection of family portraits and stories, a dance and drama performance, and rich conversations on topics ranging from popular culture to politics. Using data drawn from observations of teaching, teacher candidate interviews and written reflections, and artefacts of student learning, this article analyses the processes and outcomes of this highly successful teaching. Essential to the success of this initiative was focused preparation that stressed cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity, a rejection of deficit notions about children and families living in slums, knowledge of Indian socio-political complexities, and a commitment to the building of equitable and ethical relationships with the Indian children and NGO staff. It is anticipated that this analysis will inform further attempts at place-based collaboration in the service of quality education.

Improving comprehension in adolescents with severe receptive language impairments: a randomized control trial of intervention for coordinating conjunctions

Little evidence exists for the effectiveness of therapy for children with receptive language difficulties, particularly those whose difficulties are severe and persistent. To establish the effectiveness of explicit speech and language therapy with visual support for secondary school-aged children with language impairments focusing on comprehension of coordinating conjunctions in a randomized control trial with an assessor blind to group status. Fourteen participants (aged 11;3-16;1) with severe RELI (mean standard scores: CELF4 ELS = 48, CELF4 RLS = 53 and TROG-2 = 57), but higher non-verbal (Matrices = 83) and visual perceptual skills (Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (TVPS) = 86) were randomly assigned to two groups: therapy versus waiting controls. In Phase 1, the therapy group received eight 30-min individual sessions of explicit teaching with visual support (Shape Coding) with their usual SLT. In Phase 2, the waiting controls received the same therapy. The participants' comprehension was tested pre-, post-Phase 1 and post-Phase 2 therapy on (1) a specific test of the targeted conjunctions, (2) the TROG-2 and (3) a test of passives. After Phase 1, the therapy group showed significantly more progress than the waiting controls on the targeted conjunctions (d = 1.6) and overall TROG-2 standard score (d = 1.4). The two groups did not differ on the passives test. After Phase 2, the waiting controls made similar progress to those in the original therapy group, who maintained their previous progress. Neither group showed progress on passives. When the two groups were combined, significant progress was found on the specific conjunctions (d = 1.3) and TROG-2 raw (d = 1.1) and standard scores (d = 0.9). Correlations showed no measures taken (including Matrices and TVPS) correlated significantly with progress on the targeted conjunctions or the TROG-2. Four hours of Shape Coding therapy led to significant gains on comprehension of coordinating conjunctions which were maintained after 4 months. Given the significant progress at a group level and the lack of reliable predictors of progress, this approach could be offered to other children with similar difficulties to the participants. However, the intervention was delivered one-to-one by speech and language therapists, thus the effectiveness of this therapy method with other methods of delivery remains to be evaluated.

Effectiveness of parent-centred interventions for the prevention and treatment of childhood overweight and obesity in community settings: a systematic review

Review Question/ Objective The objective of this review is to identify the effectiveness of parent-centred interventions implemented in the community setting, in modifying eating and physical activity behaviours or weight-related outcomes of children. Criteria for inclusion Types of Participants This review will consider studies that include children of pre-school, primary and secondary school age and/or their parents aged >18 years. Types of interventions Interventions of interest are implemented in a community setting including, but not limited to; pre-schools (outside of curriculum), schools (non-curricular, before- and after-school), home based community centres and community camps, with an aim of improving eating and physical activity behaviours and/ or overweight/obesity outcome measures. Interventions conducted at pre-schools and schools must be conducted outside of those school curriculums and must be resourced separately. Types of Outcomes This review will consider studies that include the following outcome measures for children and / or their parents: i) Overweight/obesity related outcomes: weight (kg), % body weight lost, BMI, waist circumference (cm) ii) Eating behaviour outcomes: fruit and vegetable intake, macronutrient composition (eg fat intake per day), core food groups, diet quality iii) Physical activity behaviour outcomes: steps per day, time spent in activity, energy expenditure iv) Sedentary behaviour outcomes and constructs: Time spent in non-educational, small screen recreation (eg TV, computer, hand held electronic games.)

Classification of the children physical activity types of the secondary school age children

Аннотация В данной статье представлены результаты исследования структуры физической активности детей среднего школьного возраста (на примере девочек 5 класса). В настоящее время выделяют типы физической активности с позиции их целевого назначения. Такая классификация очень огра-ничивает ее понятие. Определение мотивации к целенаправленной двигательной деятельности, уровня развития и степени подготовленности, как составных компонентов, позволило структури-ровать физическую активность. На основании разработанного способа оценивания были выделены типы физической активности с обозначением проблемных сторон ее структуры для дальнейшей индивидуализации построения тренировочного процесса. Ключевые слова

2767 – Creating an educational intervention to raise mental health awareness and tackle stigma in adolescents in the UK: ‘headucate’

Introduction Against a backdrop of poor mental health education in UK schools a group of students from Norwich Medical School have formed a student society called ‘Headucate’ in order to create, deliver and evaluate an educational intervention for adolescents, initially to be delivered in Norfolk schools. Objectives To create an educational intervention that: • Is the length of a standard lesson • Is age appropriate and acceptable • Contains appropriate signposting • Contains content that challenges common myths and replaces them with knowledge • Contains content that encourages empathy and understanding towards those with mental illnesses • Is easily delivered in the same way each time so that its effectiveness can be evaluated Aim To create an intervention effective at tackling stigma and empowering adolescents to recognise signs of poor mental health and access services appropriately. Methods Lesson plan created after consultation with psychiatrists, a psychologist, a GP, a university outreach professional, a teacher and secondary school age children, then trialled and revised. Results Interactive workshop produced with 5 sections. 1) Myth vs Fact activity that dispels prevalent myths 2) Scenario based activity to demonstrate that mental health is a spectrum 3) An interactive presentation covering the most common mental illnesses and their symptoms 4) An activity focusing on talking to those with mental illnesses, furthering the scenario from the previous activity 5) A question and answer session. Every student leaves with a leaflet containing appropriate signposting. Conclusion We have created an educational intervention ready to be delivered and evaluated.

Teacher led school-based surveillance can allow accurate tracking of emerging infectious diseases - evidence from serial cross-sectional surveys of febrile respiratory illness during the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic in Singapore

BackgroundSchools are important foci of influenza transmission and potential targets for surveillance and interventions. We compared several school-based influenza monitoring systems with clinic-based influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance, and assessed the variation in illness rates between and within schools.MethodsDuring the initial wave of pandemic H1N1 (pdmH1N1) infections from June to Sept 2009 in Singapore, we collected data on nation-wide laboratory confirmed cases (Sch-LCC) and daily temperature monitoring (Sch-DTM), and teacher-led febrile respiratory illness reporting in 6 sentinel schools (Sch-FRI). Comparisons were made against age-stratified clinic-based influenza-like illness (ILI) data from 23 primary care clinics (GP-ILI) and proportions of ILI testing positive for pdmH1N1 (Lab-ILI) by computing the fraction of cumulative incidence occurring by epidemiological week 30 (when GP-ILI incidence peaked); and cumulative incidence rates between school-based indicators and sero-epidemiological pdmH1N1 incidence (estimated from changes in prevalence of A/California/7/2009 H1N1 hemagglutination inhibition titers ≥ 40 between pre-epidemic and post-epidemic sera). Variation in Sch-FRI rates in the 6 schools was also investigated through a Bayesian hierarchical model.ResultsBy week 30, for primary and secondary school children respectively, 63% and 79% of incidence for Sch-LCC had occurred, compared with 50% and 52% for GP-ILI data, and 48% and 53% for Sch-FRI. There were 1,187 notified cases and 7,588 episodes in the Sch-LCC and Sch-DTM systems; given school enrollment of 485,723 children, this represented 0.24 cases and 1.6 episodes per 100 children respectively. Mean Sch-FRI rate was 28.8 per 100 children (95% CI: 27.7 to 29.9) in the 6 schools. We estimate from serology that 41.8% (95% CI: 30.2% to 55.9%) of primary and 43.2% (95% CI: 28.2% to 60.8%) of secondary school-aged children were infected. Sch-FRI rates were similar across the 6 schools (23 to 34 episodes per 100 children), but there was widespread variation by classrooms; in the hierarchical model, omitting age and school effects was inconsequential but neglecting classroom level effects led to highly significant reductions in goodness of fit.ConclusionsEpidemic curves from Sch-FRI were comparable to GP-ILI data, and Sch-FRI detected substantially more infections than Sch-LCC and Sch-DTM. Variability in classroom attack rates suggests localized class-room transmission.

Patterns of early transmission of pandemic influenza in London – link with deprivation

Please cite this paper as: Balasegaram et al. (2012) Patterns of early transmission of pandemic influenza in London – link with deprivation. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(3), e35–e41. Background During the early containment phase in England from April to June 2009, the national strategy for H1N1 pandemic influenza involved case investigation and treatment, and tracing and prophylaxis of contacts. Objective To describe the relationship between early transmission of H1N1 pandemic influenza in London and age and socio‐economic status. Methods Epidemiological data on cases of pandemic flu in London reported to the London Flu Response Centre were analysed to determine patterns of transmission. Results There were 3487 reported cases (2202 confirmed, 1272 presumed and 14 probable) from 20 April to 28 June 2009, during the ‘containment’ period. The highest report rate of 206 per 100 000 (95% CI 195–218) was seen in primary school–age children (5−11 years) followed by 129 (95% CI 119–139) in secondary school–age children (12–18 years). Reports of cases were initially concentrated in affluent areas but overall showed a clear trend with deprivation and risk ratio of 2·32 (95% CI 1·94–2·78) between the most deprived and the least deprived. Conclusion Early transmissions were highest amongst school‐aged children but linked with socio‐economic deprivation across all age groups.

Happiness and Well-Being of Young Carers: Extent, Nature and Correlates of Caring Among 10 and 11 Year Old School Children

Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. For many of these children and young people, caring has been shown to have a detrimental effect on their lives. For example, caring at a young age appears to be associated with poor health and well-being, bullying and poorer educational outcomes. However, previous research has tended to be retrospective, carried out using small surveys of secondary school-aged children or to use qualitative methods with young people associated with caring projects. In contrast, little is known about the extent and nature of caring undertaken by younger children. This paper reports findings from a random sample survey of 10 and 11 year old children in the final year of their primary school education. 4,192 children completed the Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) online survey in 2011. Twelve percent of respondents to KLT said they helped look after someone in their household who was sick, elderly or disabled. Supporting previous qualitative research, this survey showed that children who were carers had poorer health and well-being, reported less happiness with their lives, were more likely to be bullied at school and had poorer educational aspirations and outcomes than their peers who were not carers. These findings suggest that teachers need to discuss the issue of caring with children in the classroom in a general and supportive way so that young carers feel able to confide in them and seek support if they need it.

What Determines Religious School Choice? Theory and Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

This paper looks at the determinants of school selection in rural Bangladesh, focusing on the choice between registered Islamic and non-religious schools. We consider a two period framework where children are a source of old age transfers. The amount of old age transfers made by children as adults is influenced both by their schooling and by parental religiosity. Parents also derive utility from educating a proportion of their children in madrasahs in a way that reflects their own religious values. We investigate how household income, religious preferences, schooling costs, and school quality affect the proportion of children sent to each school type. Using a unique dataset on secondary school age children from rural Bangladesh, we find that madrasah enrolment falls as household income increases. At the same time, more religious households, and those that live further away from a non-religious school are more likely to send their children to madrasahs. However, in contrast to the theory, we find that Islamic school demand does not respond to the average quality of schools in the locality.

Determinants of Indonesian rural secondary school enrolment: gender, neighbourhood and school characteristics

In recent years the school enrolment rates of children aged 13–15 and 16–18 years have increased sharply in Indonesia, not only in urban but also in rural areas. Using various data sets spanning the years from 1993 to 2007, this paper investigates changes in factors associated with the enrolment of secondary school aged children in rural areas. It sheds light on the roles of gender and of neighbourhood and school characteristics, which have rarely been examined in the Indonesian context. The study finds that the disappearance of a gender gap in secondary enrolments between 1993 and 2007 contributed significantly to the rise in the overall enrolment rate. The findings also show that children living in wealthier communities and communities with a high proportion of enrolled children are more likely to attend school. Finally, various school characteristics are shown not to be strongly or consistently correlated with school enrolment.

School Attendance, Child Labour, and Remittances from International Migration in El Salvador

International migrant remittances can increase household budget and reduce liquidity constraint problems, generating consumption and investment opportunities for recipient households. In particular, remittances can enable investing in children's human capital and reduce child labour, key outcomes from the perspective of growth in a developing country. Using data for El Salvador, this article shows: a) a null or insignificant overall impact of remittances on schooling; b) a strong reduction of child wage labour in remittance-recipient households; and c) an increase in unpaid family work activities for children in those households. Moreover, the evidence shows important differences by gender and age of the child in consideration. While girls seem to indeed increase school attendance upon remittance receipts by reducing labour activities, boys do not benefit on average from higher schooling but some time substitution takes place favouring family work activities over paid jobs. And among secondary school-aged children, the impact of remittance may even be negative for educational prospects. These results suggest the presence of differences in the allocation of resources within the household.

Adversity, Emotional Arousal, and Problem Behaviour in Adolescence: The Role of Non-Verbal Cognitive Ability as a Resilience Promoting Factor.

To test whether emotional arousal mediates the moderator effect of non-verbal cognitive ability on the association between cumulative contextual risk (number of proximal and distal adverse life events) and adolescent problem behaviour. Data from a UK community sample of secondary school aged children were used. The study sample comprised 207 children with a mean age of 13.44 years (SD = 1.45). Problem behaviour was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, non-verbal cognitive ability was assessed with Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Plus, and emotional arousal was measured with the Acting Out Emotions Scale of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire. Adjustment was made for gender, age, family structure, and socio-economic disadvantage. Non-verbal cognitive ability moderated the effect of cumulative contextual risk on overall problem behaviour, and emotional arousal mediated this moderator effect. That is, risk predicted emotional arousal, which predicted overall problem behaviour, but emotional arousal was more strongly related to overall problem behaviour among children of low non-verbal cognitive ability than among children of high non-verbal cognitive ability. These findings are important for both theory development and intervention design. They advance theory because they suggest that non-verbal cognitive ability buffers the effect of risk on overall problem behaviour by strengthening control over emotions. They have implications for intervention design because they suggest that interventions carried out to enhance children's emotion regulation skills in the presence of multiple adversity might be more effective if they target children who score low on non-verbal cognitive ability.

Associations between Sleep Architecture, Dietary Intake and Physical Activity in Children: A Systematic Review.

Review Objective The primary objective of this review is to investigate whether sleep insufficiency and / or sleep inefficiency is associated with poor dietary intake and behaviours in children and therefore increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. The second objective of this review is to investigate whether sleep insufficiency and / or sleep inefficiency is related to sub-optimal physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns in children and therefore increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. Criteria for Inclusion Population This review will consider studies which include otherwise healthy children of pre-school, primary school and secondary school age. For purposes of the review, this will be defined as being 3-18year old. Studies will be excluded if the population has known co-morbidities. Phenomenon of interest The phenomenon of interest is the association between sleep architecture and dietary patterns. For the purposes of this review, sleep architecture is defined as the quantitative portions of the sleep cycle, including non-rapid eye movement / rapid eye movement (NREM/REM) sleep. Sleep insufficiency is defined as the amount of sleep that is less than the normal expected amount for a person of a given age. Sleep inefficiency refers to the quality of the sleep. It can refer to the ratio of time spent asleep to the time available for sleep; the level of disturbance during sleep e.g. arousal index, respiratory disturbance index or number of nocturnal awakenings; or the ability of sleep to support daytime wakefulness, alertness and normal functioning. Dietary patterns are defined as the type and portion of foods consumed as part of a whole diet, as well as the behaviours and environment surrounding the food consumption. This includes the selection and preparation of foods, the timing of food consumption, and the setting and context in which the food is consumed. Outcome Measures Studies eligible for consideration in this review will includes those with the following outcome measures of interest: I. Sleep quantity / quality measure outcomes: sleep duration (minutes / hours); sleep efficiency(%); nocturnal awakenings. TRUNCATED AT 350 WORDS

Associations between Sleep Architecture, Dietary Intake and Physical Activity in Children: A Systematic Review.

Review Objective The primary objective of this review is to investigate whether sleep insufficiency and / or sleep inefficiency is associated with poor dietary intake and behaviours in children and therefore increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. The second objective of this review is to investigate whether sleep insufficiency and / or sleep inefficiency is related to sub-optimal physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns in children and therefore increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. Criteria for Inclusion Population This review will consider studies which include otherwise healthy children of pre-school, primary school and secondary school age. For purposes of the review, this will be defined as being 3-18year old. Studies will be excluded if the population has known co-morbidities. Phenomenon of interest The phenomenon of interest is the association between sleep architecture and dietary patterns. For the purposes of this review, sleep architecture is defined as the quantitative portions of the sleep cycle, including non-rapid eye movement / rapid eye movement (NREM/REM) sleep. Sleep insufficiency is defined as the amount of sleep that is less than the normal expected amount for a person of a given age. Sleep inefficiency refers to the quality of the sleep. It can refer to the ratio of time spent asleep to the time available for sleep; the level of disturbance during sleep e.g. arousal index, respiratory disturbance index or number of nocturnal awakenings; or the ability of sleep to support daytime wakefulness, alertness and normal functioning. Dietary patterns are defined as the type and portion of foods consumed as part of a whole diet, as well as the behaviours and environment surrounding the food consumption. This includes the selection and preparation of foods, the timing of food consumption, and the setting and context in which the food is consumed. Outcome Measures Studies eligible for consideration in this review will includes those with the following outcome measures of interest: I. Sleep quantity / quality measure outcomes: sleep duration (minutes / hours); sleep efficiency(%); nocturnal awakenings. TRUNCATED AT 350 WORDS

Sociodemographic and home environment predictors of screen viewing among Spanish school children.

Higher screen-viewing levels increase the risk of obesity. Understanding the correlates of screen viewing is an important first step in designing interventions but there is lack of information on the correlates among Spanish children. This study examined associations among environmental, sociocultural, age variables and screen viewing among Spanish children. Children completed a questionnaire about time spent in screen viewing. BMI was assessed and children were classified into obesity groups using International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. Parents completed a questionnaire about sociodemographic, environmental and sociocultural variables. Participants were 247 primary and 256 secondary school-aged children and their parents. Time spent in screen viewing increased with age. Males spent more time than females in screen viewing. Greater access to bedroom media sources was associated with higher screen viewing. Younger children from single-parent households and older children having a younger parent, siblings and a father who was not working were higher screen-viewers on weekends and weekdays, respectively. For older children parental TV viewing time appeared to be a significant correlate, while parental rules was a determinant predictor for younger children on weekdays. Environmental and sociocultural factors influence the time children spend in screen viewing. Parents play a central role in child's screen viewing; therefore, interventions that target environmental and family TV viewing practices are likely to be effective.

Closing the Gender Gap: Six Decades of Reform in Mexican Education

Gender parity in education is a goal for national governments and international organizations (UN General Assembly 2000). Achieving gender equality in educational opportunities by 2015 is one of the six key educational goals for 164 governments and various international organizations under the “Education for All” initiative (UNESCO 2007a). However, by 2005, according to a recent report to monitor global progress toward the goals of Education for All, only one-third of 181 countries with available data had achieved gender parity in both primary and secondary gross enrollment ratios, leading UNESCO (2007b, 79) to the conclusion that “the gender parity goal has been missed and gender equality remains elusive.” Despite the considerable progress toward gender parity at a global level, regional gender disparities in access to education, especially secondary and higher education, persist in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia (Knodel and Jones 1996; UNESCO 2007b). The case of Mexico, along with some of its neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, is particularly interesting given its current gender parity in terms of entrance into primary school (gross intake rate) and female advantage in enrollment in secondary school (gross enrollment ratio; UNESCO 2008). In fact, the gender gap in Latin America has been narrow to nonexistent for decades (Knodel and Jones 1996). By 1998, almost all children at primary school ages were enrolled in primary schools regardless of gender (UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2001). Although only slightly more than half of children of secondary school age were enrolled in secondary schools, there was no gender difference in school enrollment at the secondary level (UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2001). Gender differences in postsecondary enrollment were also negligible (UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2001). In 2004, the percentage of Mexican women who had at least upper-secondary education was 11 percent for the older group of ages 55–64 but 27 percent for the younger

Individual and social predictors of screen-viewing among Spanish school children

Many children exceed suggested screen-viewing guidelines and this is likely to be a risk factor for obesity. Understanding the predictors of screen-viewing may be the first step in designing interventions that target these behaviours, but there is lack of information on predictors among Spanish children. This study examined associations between individual, friend and family based social variables and screen-viewing behaviours, and how these associations differ by age and gender in a sample of Spanish children. Participants were 247 primary school-aged and 256 secondary school-aged children and their parents. Children reported time spent in screen-viewing and information about individual and friend and family based social variables. Body mass index was assessed and children were classified using International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. Parents reported sociodemographic characteristics and family co-viewing practices. Lower self-efficacy for reducing screen-viewing (console playing p < 0.05; overall p < 0.01), stronger sedentary group-norms (TV p < 0.001; console playing p < 0.05; overall p < 0.05) and stronger social reasons (console playing p < 0.05) were associated with higher screen-viewing. For younger children, parental screen-viewing rules appeared to be significant predictors while family co-viewing practices were significant predictors for older children. Older children (TV p < 0.001; console playing p < 0.01; overall p < 0.001) and males (TV p < 0.01; console playing p < 0.001; overall p < 0.01) were likely to spend more time screen-viewing. Individual and social factors influence children's screen-viewing and operate differently during childhood. Increasing self-efficacy may be important for screen-viewing based behaviour changes. Friends and parents play a central role, therefore understanding the dynamics of friends and targeting family influences may be critical to the success of interventions to reduce screen-viewing.

Accounting for Remittance and Migration Effects on Children’s Schooling

Summary We examine the impact of remittances on children’s school attendance in the Dominican Republic. To isolate the effect of remittances from the effect of sometimes concurrent household out-migration, we focus on children in households without members currently residing in the United States. While girls’ school attendance rises with the receipt of remittances, secondary school-age children and younger siblings are the ones who most decidedly gain from remittances. Additionally, we find that migration negatively impacts the school attendance of children as it eliminates the positive effect of remittances when we expand the sample to include children in households with members residing abroad.

Impact of School Quality on Child Labor and School Attendance: The Case of CONAFE Compensatory Education Program in Mexico

This paper focuses on the impact that two different types of policy interventions, namely enhancing school quality and contingent cash transfers, have on child labor and school attendance in Mexico. While there are many studies on the impact of oportunidades on schooling outcomes, little evidence is available on whether school quality programs such as National Council of Education Promotion (CONAFE) also reduce child labor and help keep children in school. To carry out the analysis, it merge the oportunidades panel dataset for the years 1997 to 2000 to the CONAFE dataset containing detailed information on the school quality program components. The econometric strategy involves a bivariate probit model for child labor and schooling, both for primary school aged children and adolescents. In this way, the authors are able to control whether the impact of the program on schooling differs according to the age of the targeted child. The report findings suggest that school quality programs are not only effective in increasing school attendance, but also act as deterrents to child labor, especially for children of secondary school age.

An audit of emergency medicine responses to children injured in violence

AimTo audit emergency department (ED) responses to violence in which children are injured in violence in a European capital city.MethodsA prospective survey of children (aged <16 years) was conducted in...