Life Of Schoolchildren Research Articles

Weaving the threads of meaning: a characteristic of children's spirituality and its implications for religious education

Although well documented from a British perspective, empirical research exploring the spiritual lives of primary school children in the Australian context is a field in which scholarship is beginning to emerge. This article reports on one particular finding which emerged from an Australian study seeking to identify some characteristics of children's spirituality in Catholic primary schools. The characteristic has been termed weaving the threads of meaning. It describes the way in which the children who participated in this study appeared to use their sense of wonder as a means of expressing their spirituality by piecing together a worldview based around their attempts at meaning making. This article argues that the existence of this characteristic presents a challenge for religious education, in particular for those programmes which operate within faith schools where the Christian narrative forms a source of the authoritative wisdom to be handed on to its students.

Children's use of brand symbolism

PurposeThe paper seeks to offer a critique of the Piagetian developmental cognitive psychology model which dominates research into children and brand symbolism, and to propose consumer culture theory as an alternative approach. The paper also aims to present the design and interpretation of an empirical study into the roles brands play in the everyday lives of junior school children, which demonstrates the richness of this alternative framework.Design/methodology/approachThe key literature on children and brand symbolism is reviewed and the main concepts from consumer culture theory are introduced. A two‐stage qualitative study involving 148 children aged 7‐11 is designed using group discussions and a novel cork‐board sorting exercise. Findings from group discussions with 56 children in stage 2 of the study are analysed from a consumer culture theory perspective.FindingsThe analysis focuses on two aspects of the ways in which children use brand symbols in their everyday lives: their fluid interpretations of “cool” in relation to brand symbols, and the constitution of gender in children's talk about iconic brands, notably on “torturing Barbie”.Research limitations/implicationsA key aim of this paper is to critique an existing framework and introduce an alternative perspective, so the analysis offered is necessarily partial at this stage. Future research could also use a consumer culture approach to investigate the role of brands in the everyday lives of children with differential access to financial resources, children from different ethnic groups, and children from different parts of the world.Originality/valueThe introduction of a new framework for researching children and brands offers a host of possibilities for academics and practitioners to understand the effects of brand symbols on the lives of today's children, including a more informed approach to socially responsible marketing. This is also the first study to apply consumer culture theory to children's consumption behaviour. Studying consumption practice from the child's viewpoint offers exciting new angles for the development of this theoretical perspective.

Exploring the Anti-bullying Role of a Befriending Peer Support Programme: A Case Study within the Primary School Setting in Northern Ireland

Bullying remains a significant issue in the lives of many primary school children in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Children are now experiencing direct and indirect bullying as well as cyberbullying, all of which can have significant negative consequences for health and well-being that may persist in the long term into adulthood. Many children do not tell of their bullying experience or seek help and support. While bullying has achieved a higher profile on the policy and practice agenda over the past few years, prevalence and incidence rates have improved little. Peer support programmes have increasingly been identified as an important element of whole school approaches to tackling and preventing bullying. It has been suggested that these programmes contribute by building resilience, promoting friendship and challenging negative peer group roles in bullying behaviour. This paper presents a case study that describes the process by which a befriending peer support intervention was developed in a primary school setting in Northern Ireland. The factors contributing to its role in promoting friendship and countering bullying at the school are presented.

A Case Study on the Changes of an Autistic Child's School Life in an Inclusion Education Context

A Case Study on the Changes of an Autistic Child's School Life in an Inclusion Education Context

Body mass index and health related quality of life in elementary school children: a pilot study

BackgroundWe investigated the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) indicated by baseline health status in elementary school children.MethodsData were obtained via parents whose children enrolled in an elementary school, kindergarten to fourth grade, in southern Mississippi in spring 2004. Parents completed the SF-10 for Children™, a brief 10-item questionnaire designed to measure children's HRQOL on a voluntary basis.ResultsA total of 279 parents completed the questionnaires for their children. On average, physical and psychosocial summary scores, major indicators for HRQOL, were significantly higher among the elementary school children in our study relative to those from U.S. children overall (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0007, respectively). Males tended to have better physical functioning than their female classmates, whereas females had better psychosocial health. Overall, except for third graders, the physical summary scores increased as grade level increased. The means for psychosocial score fluctuated without a clear pattern over the five grade levels. High level of BMI was significantly associated with children's physical summary scores below 50, a norm used for U.S. children (p = 0.003). Gender and grade were not significant predictors of children's physical and psychosocial scores.DiscussionThis study can be used as baseline information to track changes over time, in BMI and health status among the elementary school children. In addition, this study can be used to investigate relationships between BMI, health status, intellectual ability, and performance in school.ConclusionThe findings suggest that programs designed to encourage children to lose weight in a healthy manner, thus reducing their BMI, could improve the physical and psychosocial health, and subsequently increase HRQOL.

Relations of Power in Different Spaces: An Exploration of the Schooling Experiences of Children in an HIV/AIDS Context

In this article we explore how the concept of relations of power in different spaces plays out in the lives of school children living in an HIV/AIDS context, and how processes of inclusion and exclusion are associated with particular spaces. The article uses Foucault's (2000) identification of four distinct relations of power to argue that within different school spaces we find economic, political, judicial and epistemological relations of power that are embedded in the way children experience reality. The study was conducted in five primary schools, three secondary schools, one early Childhood Education (ECD) centre, a special school and their communities in the province of KwaZulu Natal. Participants were teachers, learners, out of school youth, and members of community organisations working in the district. Data collection methods included individual and focus group interviews. Within the focus group interviews various participatory research techniques were used, including ranking exercises, projective activities, transect walk, body mapping, photo voice. The findings in the study revealed three complex and contradictory schooling spaces: policy space, curriculum space, and safe spaces in which learners' schooling lives are played out. The study showed that space is fundamental in the exercise of power as revealed in the exclusionary and inclusionary ways in which children experienced their schooling lives.

Socioeconomic Differences in Anthropometric Measurements among School Children Living in Karachi

Children form different socioeconomic status (SES) is likely to have different measurements. Paucity of local data hinders development of standard size of garments and presence of differences due to income level may further aggravate the problem. This study was conducted among a representative sample of 1498 7-14 year old schoolchildren of Karachi to explore socioeconomic differences in measurements needed for apparel construction.

IMPACT OF OVER WEIGHT ON QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PREPARATORY SCHOOL CHILDREN تأثير زيادة الوزن على نوعية الحياة لدي الأطفال في المرحلة الإعدادية

The study aims to assess the impact of over weight on quality of life in preparatory school children. A survey study was conducted in El-Nahda and Eaasmat Afefy Preparatory schools in Assiut City during academic year2005\2006. The systematic random sample was used for this study on every fourth class. The total sample was 440 students girls. Every class contains about 55 girls. Three tools were designed specifically to collect data; first tool: Questionnaire sheet to assess demographic data; second tool: to assess weight and height of students and BMI and third tools : Quality Of Life (QOL) questionnaire sheet. The original scale was constructed by Lehman (1986) to assess (QOL) of students. Study showed that mean age of studied students was 13 years mean weight was 51.6 Kg, and mean height was 154 cm. The majority of students were normal weight 72.3% but 16.8% of students were at risk for overweight, only 3.6% of them were overweight and 2.5%obese, 4.8% of sample were under weight. Statistically significant differences were observed between the three categories of overweight in levels of QOL; while the majority of students had low Quality Of Life (83.8%) compared to only 16.2% moderate level (QOL) and no high (QOL) in the three categories. The school is an ideal setting for promotion of new health behaviors school health nurse and specialists in pediatric nursing should work in collaboration with teachers and other educator in the community to achieve positive outcome related to childhood overweight and obese.

Vulnerable consumers: the social impact of branding on children

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on a relatively unexplored area of branding literature, which is a study of the social impact of branding upon “tweens,” pre‐adolescent children aged between seven and eleven. Brands promote a desire in consumers that allows a premium price to be commanded. What is the impact upon children from lower socio‐economic groups who may not be able to afford these premium brands?Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory qualitative study involving focus groups with primary school teachers in the UK and Kenya and open‐ended projective questionnaires with primary school children in both countries formed the primary data collection. The data were then analysed using thematic analysis. The research objectives were as follows: to assess the importance of brands in the lives of primary school children and whether the exposure to brands has a positive or negative impact on children; to investigate the social impact of branding on children from low income families from the viewpoint of children and teachers; and to assess the cross‐cultural impact of brands by carrying out a comparative study on children/teachers from Kenya as well as the UK.FindingsBrands can be the cause of social division amongst children resulting in the formation of “in” groups and “out” groups. Those who do not own the right brands may be discriminated against and experience social impacts which include being teased, bullied, having low self esteem and being socially excluded. Their parents also felt the effects through pester power, the guilt of not being able to buy their children the latest brands or by financially struggling to provide these brands for their children. However, positive impacts of branding also emerged from the study.Research limitations/implicationsA brand‐oriented culture impacts upon school life in both developed and developing nations. This is an exploratory study and therefore small sample.Originality/valueA contribution to address the paucity of research on the negative impact of branding to primary school children.

Thyroid Volume and Echostructure in Schoolchildren Living in an Iodine-Replete Area: Relation to Age, Pubertal Stage, and Body Mass Index

Thyroid volume (TV) varies between geographical regions. Thus, population-specific references for TV in regions with long-standing iodine sufficiency may be more accurate than a single international reference. The aim of the study was to determine TV and assess the prevalence of goiter and thyroid nodules in schoolchildren aged 5-18 years living in an iodine-replete area. Ultrasonography was used to assess TV and structure in 440 schoolchildren (200 boys and 240 girls) living in the Athens area. Urinary iodine excretion was also measured. Age, body surface area (BSA), body mass index (BMI), and Tanner stage were recorded. TV was significantly correlated with age in boys (r = 0.779, p < 0.0005) and girls (r = 0.669, p < 0.0005), and with BSA in boys (r = 0.730, p < 0.0005) and girls (r = 0.623, p < 0.0005). TV increased with the progress of puberty in boys (Tanner stage I: 3.42 mL; Tanner stage II-V: 7.35 mL; p < 0.0005) and girls (Tanner stage I: 3.74 mL; Tanner stage II-V: 5.99 mL; p < 0.0005). We used the 97th percentile value as the upper limit and calculated the prevalence of goiter to be 3.2%. There was a weak correlation between TV and BMI standard deviation score only in boys (r = 0.166, p = 0.023). Boys in Tanner stage II-V had larger TV than girls had in the same pubertal stage (7.35 mL vs. 5.99 mL, p = 0.001); such a difference was not observed in Tanner stage I. The median urinary iodine was 307.83 microg I/g creatinine, indicating iodine sufficiency. There was a significant inverse correlation between TV and urinary iodine. In 5.1% of the studied subjects one or more nodules were observed, whereas in 4.1% of cases the nodules were accompanied by hypoechogenicity. In healthy Greek children living in an iodine-replete area, the main determinants of TV in both boys and girls were age, BSA, and pubertal stage. The prevalence of goiter was 3.2% and that of altered echostructure was 9.2%.

Relationships that Foster Intrinsic Motivation for Information Seeking

Basedon a study conducted in the fall of 2008, this article highlights relational aspects of the experiences of upper elementary (age 10) children identified asintrinsically motivated for information seeking. Research for the study was conducted using an inductive naturalistic approach in order to address the following question, "What are the experiences in the lives of upper elementary school children that foster an intrinsic motivation to seek information?" The Self-determination Theory provided the basis forthe theoretical framework. Participants were selected from a pool of fifth graders from three diverse schools within a single communityin the USA. Initially, the children were chosen based on the results of a survey especially developed for the study. Interviews and a drawing activity were used to collect the data that served as the foundationfor analysis. Findings featured in this article arethe students' affinity for play, point-of-passion experiences, "anchor" relationships, and indication by students that working in a group was a component of their favorite information seeking episodes. Importance of relationships to students of particular cultures is also discussed.

Quality of Life of Schoolchildren May Be Affected by Poor Alignment of their Teeth

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Malocclusion: Esthetic Impact and Quality of Life among Brazilian Schoolchildren Marques LS, Ramos-Jorge ML, et al. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2006;129(3):424-7 Level of Evidence 2c Purpose/Question To assess the impact of malocclusion on the daily lives of Brazilian school children and evaluate if an association existed between esthetic impact and psychosocial variables. Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Cohort Study: Cross-Sectional Study; 2c Outcomes Research

Sport Psychology: A Primer for Educators

systems in North America. Sports in schools can be justified on educational grounds with respect to educational philosophy and educational outcomes. Most educational leaders believe students who participate in school sports benefit developmentally in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. Developmental benefits include: developing individual and team goals, meeting deadlines, working as a team, learning to perform under pressure, dealing with adversity, handling success and failure, developing self-confidence, developing decision making strategies, learning communication skills, valuing physical fitness, and numerous others. These positive benefits for student-athletes, however, require proper leadership. In the absence of strong educational leadership from administrators, teachers, and coaches, student-athletes may encounter experiences that limit their development. For instance they may experience increased stress and anxiety, ridicule, and develop a negative attitude about the importance of fitness and exercise in their lives. The emerging field of sport psychology has much to offer schools, particularly in providing the necessary expertise to enhance the possibility that sport and exercise will be a positive experience in the lives of school children.

Health‐related quality of life in Icelandic school children

This study evaluated generic health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among 10 to 12-year-old Icelandic school age children who were either with or without chronic health condition. The children and their parents answered self-report questionnaires. For the 480 children who participated, girls were found to perceive their HRQOL significantly higher than the boys, children who visited the school nurse over a one-week period and children who indicated they were bullied by other children, perceived their HRQOL to be significantly lower than children who did not visit the school nurse over this time period or children who did not indicate they were bullied by other children in school. From the stepwise regression analysis, perception of health, school connectedness, health promotion, bullying victimization, visits to the school nurse and age, significantly predicted 43.8% of the variance of the girls' perception of their HRQOL. However, perception of health, school connectedness, and chronic health condition/illnesses, bullying victimization and after school activities predicted 48.1% of the boys' perception of their HRQOL. Children with chronic health condition or illnesses, reported their HRQOL to be significantly lower than children without chronic health condition. Assessing HRQOL among 10 to 12-year-old children might be helpful to take preventive action early on in children's life and development.

小学生の食生活・生活習慣に及ぼす調理担当者の意識

A questionnaire survey was conducted on those persons responsible for cooking to identify their awareness of the importance of the dietary life and lifestyle of elementary school children. The 247 subjects were all guardians of children attending elementary schools in a town in Hiroshima Prefecture, and 190 of these subjects were selected for a multiple regression analysis as being responsible for cooking the children's meals.The greater the dietary awareness of those responsible for cooking, the higher was the intake frequency of seaweed, small fish, root crops, and potatoes by the elementary school children. A more positive attitude toward food education in those cooking meals resulted in a more frequent intake of seaweed, small fish, soy beans, and soy bean products by the elementary school children, with no problems presented for such dietary constituents. Greater health consciousness in those cooking meals resulted in less desire for carbonated drinks, juice and snacks, and fewer problems with the elementary school children in waking up in the morning. These results demonstrate that the dietary awareness of those persons responsible for cooking influenced the dietary life and lifestyle of the elementary school children, and implies the need to improve the level of dietary awareness of those cooking meals.

Effects of Nursing Instruction on Asthma Knowledge and Quality of Life in Schoolchildren With Asthma

The issue of whether nursing instruction efforts could improve asthma knowledge and quality of life among schoolchildren was investigated using a quasi-experimental design. The key instruments were the Asthmatic Knowledge Questionnaire and the Childhood Asthma Questionnaire-Form B. Asthmatic knowledge increased among children who received instruction from nurses (Meanpre/post=22.20/31.87, p<.05). These children also experienced significant improvements in their active quality of life (Meanpre/post=27.53/30.20, p<.05), and decreased distress (Meanpre/post=24.04/10.86, p<.05) and asthma severity (Meanpre/post=13.27/8.3, p<.05). This study finds nursing instruction helpful in improving asthma knowledge. However, in terms of quality of life, elevated knowledge has a marked (negative) correlation only with levels of distress and severity. It shows no detectable relationship with active or passive life quality. Therefore, though nursing instruction can improve schoolchildren's knowledge about asthma, the improvement in knowledge only relates to reducing distress and severity and thus improving quality of life. This result can provide guidance for nursing personnel in developing nursing instruction to improve active quality of life in child patients.

A cluster randomised intervention trial of asthma clubs to improve quality of life in primary school children: the School Care and Asthma Management Project (SCAMP)

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a programme of asthma clubs in improving quality of life in primary school children with asthma. Methods: A cluster randomised intervention trial was undertaken...

Lifestyles and health-related quality of life in Japanese school children: a cross-sectional study

Background Lifestyles are associated with physical and mental health status, as well as health-related quality of life (QOL) in adults. There is little information about relation between lifestyles and QOL in children. This study aims to examine the correlation among Japanese children. Methods Subjects were from the Toyama Birth Cohort Study, a prospective, longitudinal survey of children born between 1989 and 1990 in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. When children were 12–13 years in 2002, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was administered. The questionnaire designed to measure lifestyles included questions on eating, physical activity, sleep, and other factors. For QOL measurement, a validated Japanese version of the COOP Charts was used. Data from 7,887 children were available and logistic regression analyses were used. Results Children with undesirable lifestyles, such as skipping breakfast, less participation in physical activity, longer television viewing, and later bedtime, were more likely to have poor QOL in domains of physical fitness, feelings, overall health, and quality of life. These correlations were independent of sex, BMI, social background, and somatic symptoms. Conclusions Undesirable lifestyles are positively associated with impaired QOL among children. Further understanding of these relationships will facilitate the development of interventions to help children with poor QOL.

Quality of Life in Young Urban Children: Does Asthma Make a Difference?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether asthma status and severity have an impact on the quality of life of urban elementary school children. Participants were 1292 caregiver‐child dyads from six schools serving low‐income, ethnic minority, urban families; 53% of the children were female. Caregivers provided data on the children's asthma diagnosis and frequency in the last 12 months of asthma symptoms, use of medication for asthma, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Using the KINDL, a generic quality of life instrument, children reported on their health‐related quality of life (HRQL). Results revealed a high prevalence of current asthma (18%). No differences were found in HRQL based on having current asthma or the severity of asthma as assessed by proxy measures of health care utilization and limited functioning. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that HRQL is influenced by several factors other than asthma status and severity. The implications of these results for intervention are discussed.

The prevalence and severity of oral impacts on daily performances in Thai primary school children

BackgroundTraditional methods of measuring oral health mainly use clinical dental indices and have been complemented by oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) measures. Most OHRQoL studies have been on adults and elderly populations. There are no systematic OHRQoL studies of a population-based sample of children. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics and severity of oral impacts in primary school children.MethodsCross-sectional study of all 1126 children aged 11–12 years in a municipal area of Suphanburi province, Thailand. An OHRQoL measure, Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances index (Child-OIDP) was used to assess oral impacts. Children were also clinically examined and completed a self-administered questionnaire about demographic information and oral behaviours.Results89.8% of children had one or more oral impacts. The median impact score was 7.6 and mean score was 8.8. Nearly half (47.0%) of the children with impacts had impacts at very little or little levels of intensity. Most (84.8%) of those with impacts had 1–4 daily performances affected (out of 8 performances). Eating was the most common performance affected (72.9%). The severity of impacts was high for eating and smiling and low for study and social contact performances. The main clinical causes of impacts were sensitive tooth (27.9%), oral ulcers (25.8%), toothache (25.1%) and an exfoliating primary tooth (23.4%).ConclusionsThe study reveals that oral health impacts on quality of life in Thai primary school children. Oral impacts were prevalent, but not severe. The impacts mainly related to difficulty eating and smiling. Toothache, oral ulcers and natural processes contributed largely to the incidence of oral impacts.