Early Years Research Articles

Cost-Utility Analysis of Bilateral Cochlear Implants for Children With Severe-to-Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Taiwan.

Cochlear implants are an option for children with sensorineural hearing loss who do not benefit from hearing aids. Although bilateral cochlear implantation (CI) has been shown to enhance hearing performance and quality of life, its cost-effectiveness remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bilateral CI compared with bimodal hearing for children with sensorineural hearing loss in Taiwan from both the perspectives of patients and Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration (TNHIA). A four-state Markov model was utilized in the study, including "use the first internal device," "use the second internal device," "use the third internal device," and "death." Health utility values were obtained from a local survey of health professionals and then adjusted by a scale to reflect both the negative impact of aging on hearing and the time needed to develop the full benefit of treatment in the earliest years of life. The cost data were derived from a caregiver survey, hospital databases, clinical experts, and the TNHIA. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated over the lifetime horizon and presented as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of simultaneous bilateral CI, sequential bilateral CI, and bimodal hearing. In addition, one-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate the impact of uncertainty and the robustness of the model. The base-case analysis showed that children with bilateral CI gained more QALYs while incurring more costs when compared with those with bimodal hearing. From the TNHIA perspective, compared with bimodal hearing, the ICER of simultaneous bilateral CI was New Taiwan Dollars 232,662 per QALY whereas from the patient perspective, the ICER was New Taiwan Dollars 1,006,965 per QALY. Moreover, simultaneous bilateral CI dominated sequential bilateral CI from both perspectives. Compared with bimodal hearing, the ICER of sequential bilateral CI did not exceed twice the gross domestic product per capita in Taiwan from either perspective. One-way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the utility gain of bilateral CI compared with bimodal hearing was the most impactful parameter from both perspectives. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the base-case analysis results. Our findings reveal that bilateral CI was cost-effective when using the threshold of one to three times the 2022 gross domestic product per capita in Taiwan from both the TNHIA and patient perspectives. Future research incorporating cost and effectiveness data from other dimensions is needed to help decision-makers assess the cost-effectiveness of bilateral CI more comprehensively.

Signal processing analysis for detection of anomalies in numerical series

It might be instinctively assumed that the occurrence of the first digit of a randomly selected number is uniformly distributed among 1 to 9. However, the Newcomb–Benford law (NBL), also known as the first-digit law or Benford’s law, reveals a completely different fact: the distributions follows a logarithm-type law. This bias in the frequency of occurrence of the leading digits of numbers is evident in everything from the lengths of rivers, the areas of countries, stock prices, and population numbers. Omnipresence of NBL emerges in mathematics (the Fibonacci sequence, the distribution of prime numbers, etc.) and also in the field of physics (i.e. the half-lives of unstable nuclei). From the earliest years, a large bibliography has been developed and applied to many fields such as fraud detection in finances, international trade and election results analysis. Usually, the diagnosis of such works is reduced to a qualitative binary assessment (conformity or non-conformity). The present paper aims to establish a supervised methodology to address existing gaps and enhance the reliability of final decisions. These gaps include uncertainty about the minimum data volume required to validate Benford’s Law, the low sensitivity of current metrics (Euclidean distance or Mean Absolute Difference) to detect minor levels of adulteration, and the need to quantify both the level and nature of adulteration. Two new procedures have been established coming from Signal Analysis and Processing theory. The first relates the deconvolution between the empirical leading digit distribution and the Benford one. The second procedure consists of obtaining the generating functions (via Hilbert and Fourier transforms) to increase the contrast between both functions: the empirical under research and Benford’s as the reference. Based on calibrated datasets, we are able to quantify the magnitude of accidental errors or malicious fraud adulteration and make the discrimination between both. Finally, as benchmark, fifteen real-world datasets were studied. This study shows that most of datasets are suspicious of Fraud. Notably, in the field of human health, several datasets demonstrate significant fraudulent deviations, defying conventional patterns of fraud and error. This phenomenon has been termed Berserker Fraud.

Maupertuis and the Reshaping of Natural History in Eighteenth-Century France

Abstract In this paper, I analyze a momentous change in eighteenth century French life sciences. Whereas in the first half of the century the conception of natural history as the systematic collection of facts had been most successful, at mid-century a new approach emerged. This approach was characterized by an accent on general philosophical themes rather than on observation and experiment. I study the grounds and features of this historical shift through the work of Maupertuis, who published papers in institutional (or Baconian) natural history in his early years, but then adopted a more speculative approach to the life sciences.

Formation of language competence of a child in many preschool and early school years

Artykuł określa podstawowe koncepcje rozwoju mowy dziecka. Analiza poszczególnych jego etapów połączona jest z przedstawieniem sposobów stymulowania poprzez działania rodziców, opiekunów, a następnie nauczycieli edukacji przedszkolnej i wczesnoszkolnej. Opanowanie przez dziecko elementów języka stanowi o jego kompetencjach komunikacyjnych, a tym samym o skuteczności porozumiewania się w sposób adekwatny do zastałych warunków czy określonej sytuacji. Nieodłącznym elementem nabywania kompetencji językowych przez dziecko jest więc nie tylko bierne słuchanie i powtarzanie zasłyszanych słów czy zwrotów, ale także umiejętne włączanie dziecka w tworzenie własnego języka, budowanie słownika poprzez poprawianie i wzmacnianie wypowiedzi. W artykule zwrócono również uwagę na konieczność stymulowania potrzeby mówienia dziecka, zwłaszcza w początkowej fazie kształcenia. Sposób i jakość przekazu informacji, kontaktu werbalnego z dzieckiem już od okresu prenatalnego ma dla jego rozwoju istotne znaczenie i może dać wymierne efekty w późniejszym czasie. Istotą artykułu jest przekazanie najważniejszych informacji związanych z kształtowaniem mowy u dzieci. Publikacja stanowi formę pomocy naukowej dla studentów pedagogiki oraz nauczycieli z zakresu edukacji przedszkolnej i wczesnoszkolnej. Zawarte w niej treści służą także edukowaniu przyszłych rodziców, których wiedza dotycząca tak zaawansowanego i złożonego procesu, jakim jest rozwój mowy, powinna odgrywać znaczącą rolę w procesie wychowania i kształcenia nowego pokolenia.

A Century of Progress: U.S. Government Accountability Office Procedures, Reports, and Performance Measures

SYNOPSIS In 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) celebrated its 100th anniversary, and its mission has never been more critical. This study documents the 100-year history of GAO, examining how Congressional law changes and leadership influences of the Comptroller General of the United States have shaped GAO’s role, services, and products. GAO has transformed from focusing on providing oversight through its audits of federal government expenditures during its early years (e.g., to assess legality) to emerging as a leader in providing insights to Congress through program evaluation audits and, more recently, to providing Congress the foresight necessary to confront the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Dzieje instytucji diecezjalnych w Częstochowie (c.d.)

The article presents the history of the parish of the Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and St Sigismund's parish in Częstochowa as well as the early years in the history of Częstochowa itself.

Early foreign language education: play as a site for child agency

ABSTRACT Understanding the role of play in early childhood education is crucial. Current research suggests that play is increasingly seen as a vehicle for achieving pre-established curricular aims that prioritise school readiness, often reducing opportunities for stimulating child agency. This paper reports on a study conducted within the context of foreign language education in the early years (English as a foreign language in the Catalan context), which aimed to address the following questions: To what extent do pre-primary EFL teachers (1) recognise child agency and take it into account in foreign language education; (2) recognise the affordances play scenarios offer for children to enact their agency? A small-scale qualitative study was designed which included self-reporting questionnaires, an elicitation technique in the form of a Play Scenario Evaluation Activity, and online interviews with teachers to reflect on the Evaluation Activity and their own practice. Findings raise concerns about the ever-widening gap between understandings and implementations of play in general early childhood education and the foreign language classroom. Prevailing assumptions regarding best practice in early years ELT (teacher-centred practice, target language only policies, emphasis on fun) limit children’s opportunities for enacting agency and taking an active role in their own development.

A conceptual study on investigating the effect of innovation, transformational leadership and work stressor on employee performance of SMEs in Pakistan

The understanding of elements contributing to employee performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan is still deficient. As the SMEs of Pakistan have had difficulty surviving in their early years, their initial failure rate is 90% -95%. Initially, this is a concept paper to provide useful insights into the relationship between organizational innovation, transformational leadership, and work stressor on employee performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan's manufacturing sector. The relationship between organizational innovation, transformational leadership, and work stressor and their effect on overall employee performance is established through a review of the literature. The mediating role of creativity was also an attempt to explore. In order to reach the optimum level of employee performance to increase the outcome of SMEs in Pakistan, it is mandatory to provide an open and supportive environment to employees so they can cultivate their creative ideas. This study mainly focused on the factors that directly influence employee creativity to ensure progress in employee performance. This study emerged from the fact that a very limited study is being carried out on this issue, and further research should be carried out in this field, especially in Pakistan. A model is proposed, and hypotheses will be developing and discussed based on theoretical considerations. The findings of this study can contribute to business practice by informing employee performance, improvement strategies. Business leaders could gain additional insights into strategies to engage and motivate employees to improve performance.

Gendering innocence: An empirical inquiry into the lived experience of gender incongruence in childhood

AbstractGender diversity in childhood has become an issue of significant public debate in Britain. Growing concerns have amassed around the exposure of children and adolescents to new forms of gendered knowledge and expression, arousing discourses of childhood ‘vulnerability’ and ‘innocence’. These ideas draw on a specific framework for understanding ‘childhood’, in which children are depicted as passive, dependent and in need of protection, as they follow a universal, predetermined developmental pathway. Among other effects, this has resulted in a dearth of empirical research that has explored gender diversity as a developmental experience in childhood. This article draws on evidence from interviews with 40 gender and sex variant young people and 30 caregivers of transgender children. Participants' accounts illustrate the deep psychic investment in embodied gender incongruence that young people may manifest from the earliest years of childhood. They highlight the profound distress sometimes experienced by children denied external recognition of their internal (gendered) selves and required to conform to extraneous expectations informed by essentialist understandings of biological sex. Far from ‘innocent’ of gender (difference), children can be deeply and actively involved in creating and adopting gendered subject positions, sometimes generating unanticipated forms of diversity.

Loneliness and solitude in gifted writers: the legacies of childhood

In this study, we attempt to provide insight into the complex interplay between loneliness/solitude and the writing gift from the early years of life. Theories and research on giftedness, loneliness/solitude, and on the links between them suggest that creative literary production and loneliness/solitude are associated. To further illustrate these associations, we briefly discuss loneliness and solitude in the childhood, adult life and work of four gifted writers: Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and Beatrix Helen Potter. The theoretical framework of this study is twofold: various psychoanalytic formulations and Bruner’s social constructivist and intersubjective conceptualisation of the narrative gift. The main conclusion of this study is that gifted writers have, paradoxically, an intense experience of both painful and beneficial aloneness, which is the inevitable outcome of the writing gift but also becomes the inspiration and motive force for ars poetica.

Transgression, Struggle, and Scandal

Abstract This article analyzes the lives of a handful of women, who, after years of involvement in various military conflicts (from World War I to World War II), were sentenced to long prison sentences. Particularly, it explores the lives of Anna Neuman, Irena Tomalakwa, Elżbieta Zawacka, and Emilia Malessa from the perspective of the concept “postawa” which most of them acquired in the early years of their life while soldiering (postawa as a concept related to discipline). They understood it as a stand that they would take throughout their entire life. Hence, postawa was more than a social role. It was an attitude, something that they had to achieve throughout their lives, finally also something that guaranteed continuity in their lives. Their imprisonment fit the definition of postawa well and provided them with a chance to define their actions not as heroic acts of Polish patriots, but rather as an attitude to which they were socialized. Through the biographic history of these women, the Polish history of gender can be seen as dynamic (as dynamic as their postawa allowed them to be). In that sense, postawa may be treated almost as a quintessential transgression, which, depending on the situation, can be seen as a phenomenon that helps them cross many boundaries or adapt to circumstances. Paradoxically, it helps them define their space outside of narrowly defined terms of patriotism, heroism, or martyrology, but ultimately giving them a voice as Polish patriots.

The Move2Smile Online Hub for Parents to Support Aspects of Preschoolers’ Physical Literacy at Home: A Feasibility Study

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a web-based platform for parents to support preschoolers’ development of physical literacy. Specifically, this intervention focused on children’s motor and social-emotional skill development. Twenty parents (Mage = 35.7, SD = 4.2) of preschool-aged children (Mage = 4.1, SD = 0.6) were assigned three intervention modules and completed weekly usage and feedback questionnaires (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Parents (n = 15) also completed a follow-up interview. Parents indicated the modules were useable (4.5/5), useful (4.5/5), feasible (4.4/5), enjoyable (4.5/5), and acceptable (4.5/5). Five themes underlying parental engagement were generated: (a) activity organization and planning, (b) (de)motivators, (c) parent knowledge and skills, (d) experience with the platform, and (e) application to everyday routines. The online modules under investigation were deemed both acceptable and feasible by parents. However, factors such as time and knowledge may impact parental engagement at home. Future research is needed to better understand the antecedents to parent physical literacy support behaviors in the early years.

Correlates of Fundamental Motor Skills in the Early Years (0–4 Years): A Systematic Review

Aim: This systematic review aims to summarize evidence on correlates of fundamental motor skills in typically developing children aged 0–4 years. Methods: A literature search (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus) was performed from 2000 till 23 May 2022. Inclusion criteria was cross-sectional and prospective studies examining associations between a potential correlate and fundamental motor skills in typically developing, apparently healthy children aged 0–4 years. Two independent reviewers performed screening and methodological quality assessment. Results: Eighty-three studies met eligibility criteria and were included. Thirteen studies were of high methodological quality. In children aged <1 year, we found no evidence for family income, breastfeeding-related, sleep-related, home environment, and socioeconomic variables. In children aged 1–2 years, we found no evidence for sex, growth-related variables, singleton birth, and family income. In children aged 2–4 years, we found no evidence for screen behavior, toxicity, parental education, family income, socioeconomic variables, and maternal depression/anxiety and moderate evidence for a positive association with early childhood education and care setting type. For other examined correlates, we found insufficient evidence (inconsistent findings or only one study available). Conclusions: We found insufficient evidence for over half of examined potential correlates of fundamental motor skills. We recommend investing in better research methodologies and improved reporting.

Investigating statistical predictions with first graders in Greece

This paper argues that engaging students in informal statistical reasoning from early school years is essential for the development of statistical understanding. We investigated if and how children aged six-seven years old identified variation in a table of data and made predictions through the design of a teaching experiment. The classroom teaching experiment was comprised of four 45 minutes lessons addressing the understanding and interpretation of data sets. In order to describe students’ informal predictive reasoning, we used the framework of “data lenses”. More specifically, we analyzed the different types of answers the students produced as they engaged in predictive reasoning during an interview given before and after the teaching experiment. The participation of students in (classroom) and out-of-school (family) communities of practice was also taken into consideration. Our results demonstrate that the students benefited from their learning experience and developed data understanding.

Novice Teachers and Student Attendance in Early Elementary School

Student absenteeism in the earliest years of elementary school has been linked to a range of negative outcomes. Though the literature has examined numerous factors that are associated with children missing school, the role of teachers—especially at the early elementary level—has not been well understood. Given that students spend the majority of their time in elementary school with one teacher in a single classroom, a large component of early elementary school is underexplored, and our understanding of absenteeism remains incomplete. In this vein, we looked into whether having novice versus more experienced teachers was linked to the frequency of student absenteeism in the earliest years of school. Using a national dataset including repeated observations of students in grades K-2, we found that novice teachers have students with fewer absences and a lower probability of being chronically absent. There were no differences in the outcomes of novice teachers as a function of child nor classroom characteristics. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Evaluating the association between duration of breastfeeding and fine motor development among children aged 20 to 24 months in Butajira, Ethiopia: a case-control study

BackgroundA Suitable environment and proper child nutrition are paramount to a child’s physical and mental development. Different environmental factors contribute to proper child development. Breast milk is an important source of nutrition during the early years of life and contains essential nutrients that are the building blocks for growth and development.ObjectiveTo assess the association between the duration of breastfeeding and fine motor development among children aged 20 to 24 months living in Butajira, southern Ethiopia.MethodCommunity-based case-control study design was employed among mother-child dyads of children aged 20 to 24 months in Butajira Southern Ethiopia. Children were screened for fine motor delay using the Denver II developmental screening and identified as cases and controls. A repeated visit was done to gather the rest of the information and 332 samples, 83 cases, and 249 controls were available and assessed. Epi-data version 4.4.2.1 software was used to prepare a data entry template, which was later exported to and analyzed using STATA version 14 statistical software. Finally, a Multivariable logistic regression model was used to adjust for confounders and estimate the independent effect of breastfeeding duration on fine motor development.ResultWe didn’t find a significant association between the duration of breastfeeding from 21 to 24 months and fine motor delay compared to children who were breastfed less than 18 months[AOR: 0.86, 95% CI: (0.36, 2.05)]. Children who have mothers > 35 years of age were 78% less likely than children who had mothers younger than 25 years, Children who had mothers in secondary school and above were 77% less likely than mothers who didn’t have formal education, Females were 1.86 times more likely than males, and Children who scored 20–29 on the Home score were 51% less likely than Children who scored < 20 to have fine motor delay.ConclusionDuration of breastfeeding was not significantly associated with fine motor delay for children aged 20 to 24 months old. The age of the mother, the educational status of the mother, being female, and Home score were identified to have a significant association with fine motor delay. Improving the educational status and empowerment of women is essential. Further work should be done on avoiding gender differences starting from a young age and creating a conducive environment for child development is crucial.

Mathematics and Language: A One-to-One Correspondence in Bilingual Environments

Previous research has shown that language is an essential part of the development of mathematical skills and, specifically, in solving verbal problems. We know that using a different language from one’s mother tongue is highly beneficial for students, and that language plurality and bilingualism is more and more habitual and present in current educational environments. However, what is still not clear is how it influences certain tasks, especially the most naturalistic ones, such as the formation of the concept of numbers and in tasks with a greater verbal component, such as solving problems in the early ages. The present research examined the problem-solving performance of first- and second-grade elementary education students in bilingual environments, comparing the problem solving of students whose language of instruction (LI) is the same as their mother tongue (MT) and those whose MT differs from the LI. Through an analysis of variance, the results showed that there exist differences in change and combination problems. Discrepancies in performance were also found, depending on the evolutionary moment. These results suggest that it is necessary to study how the LI can shape mathematical skills in the early years.

Selected microfinance crises: past, present, and future

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic is the most recent—and most severe—crisis to face the microfinance/financial inclusion sector, but it was far from the first. From its earliest years, crises have appeared throughout the modern history of microfinance, and the responses they engendered have included some of the most significant reforms and innovations in the sector. In this paper, we describe selected historical crises—Peru in the 1980s, Grameen in the 1990s, and Andhra Pradesh and others in the 2007–2010 period—through their legacy and impact on the sector’s activities and priorities. We then examine some of the pressures on institutions during the pandemic, through interview data with MFI leaders from the Sentinel Project conducted during 2021–22. We argue that the resilience of the sector to the unprecedented pressures of the pandemic can be traced to many of these historical post-crisis reforms—and consider what this means for future crisis responses.

Gendered pathways to socioemotional competencies in very young children

Parent–child and teacher–child relationship closeness have been shown to be crucial for children’s development of socioemotional competencies from preschool to school-age stages. However, less is known about the importance of developing close relationships with young infants and toddlers attending childcare group settings for their early socioemotional development. The current study aimed to address this gap and to explore how child gender may influence the associations. Participants included 378 Hong Kong Chinese children (196 girls; Mage = 22.05 months, SD = 9.81 months) enrolled in childcare centres, along with their parents and teachers. Parents reported on children’s socioemotional competencies as well as their relationship closeness with children; teachers reported on their relationship closeness with children. Multiple group structural equation modelling was used to analyse the results. The findings showed that both parent–child and teacher–child closeness were positively associated with children’s social competence, while teacher–child closeness was negatively associated with children’s anxiety behaviour. Parents of girls reported greater parent–child closeness, higher levels of social competence, and higher levels of anxiety behaviours compared to parents of boys. Furthermore, teacher–child closeness was significantly associated with social competence exclusively among girls, while parent–child closeness was significantly associated with anxiety behaviours solely among boys. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of child gender in influencing the associations between parent–child closeness, teacher–child closeness, and children’s socioemotional competencies in the earliest years.

Doktor Abdülhak Adnan Adıvar’ın Tıp Eğitimi Dönemi [1899-1910] ve II. Meşrutiyet Dönemi’ndeki Hekimlik Faaliyetleri [1909-1919

Dr. Adnan Bey, hekimlik mesleğini pozitif bilimlere duyduğu ilgi nedeniyle tercih etmiştir. Bu maksatla seçtiği Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Mülkiye’de aldığı eğitimi yetersiz bulduğu için lisans (1899-1905) ve ihtisas (1905-1909) dönemlerine tekabül eden yıllarda Berlin’e kaçmış, Berlin Tıp Fakültesi Dahiliye Kliniği profesörlerinden Friedrich Krauss ile çalışmıştır. Pozitivist Alman kültüründen önemli oranda etkilendiği bu süreçte, eğitim sürecinin zarar görmesinden endişe ederek, sempati duyduğu kaçak Jön Türklerle arasına mesafe koyduğu görülmektedir. Dr. Adnan Bey, II. Meşrutiyet’in ilanından (23 Temmuz 1908) sonra ihtisas eğitimine ara vererek İstanbul’a dönmüştür. Mesleki yaşamı Jön Türklerin inisiyatif kazandığı II. Meşrûtiyet’in ilk yıllarından I. Dünya Savaşı’nın (1914-1918) sonuna kadar sürmüştür. Bu dönemde, Jön Türklere yakınlığı nedeniyle idârî görevler üstlenmiş, bilimsel kazanımlarını eğitim sürecine aktarmıştır. Sözü edilen süreçte Trablusgarp Savaşı’nda (1911-1912) fiilen vazife yaptığı gibi, bazı resmi ve özel sağlık kurumlarında da çalışmıştır.