Low-income Homes Research Articles

Child-headed Households: Techniques to lessen the detrimental Impacts of Poverty on Secondary School Students from Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

The purpose of this study was to examine strategies to reduce the negative effects of poverty among learners from Child-headed Households. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was employed as the theoretical framework. The study used a qualitative research design. Thirty-two participants were purposefully selected. Interviews, focus groups and document analysis were employed as data collection tools. The study established that the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), supplementary feeding schemes, and income-generating projects were the main strategies which were employed to cushion secondary school learners from child-headed households. It is recommended that school administrators prioritise funding income-generating projects to help schools satisfy the psychological requirements of learners from child-headed households. This study adds to the body of knowledge about how adolescents from child-headed households experience academic success. In several sub-sectors of the Zimbabwean education sector, it expands understanding of the lived experiences of a sample of teenage students from low-income homes in Manicaland Province that has never before been investigated. The report makes a clear call to action for the Zimbabwean government to reconsider the BEAM support model in light of the insufficient funds now provided to learners and children ofchild-headed households. Keywords: Academic Success, Child-headed Households, Poverty, Psychological Development,Vulnerable groups

Mobilizing carbon offsetting to reduce energy cost burdens: a new approach for calculating and monetizing the offset value of energy efficiency upgrades to low-income housing

Energy-inefficient buildings are a major driver of climate change. The aging, energy inefficient housing occupied by low-income households in the US and other high-income countries is a driver of notable environmental and health disparities as well. Public policies for alleviating the financial and health burdens of energy inefficient housing have existed for decades, but fallen short of reaching most households in need. This paper proposes a promising new approach to filling gaps left by public programs — one that relies on mobilizing the tools of private governance, carbon offsetting and the voluntary carbon market (VCM) to finance energy upgrades for low-income households. We develop a new and readily applicable methodology for calculating energy and carbon savings from efficiency upgrades based on readily accessible publicly available data. Tailored to the needs of estimating energy and carbon savings from efficiency upgrades to low-income units, rentals in particular, this methodology can be fruitfully deployed in monetizing the carbon savings from efficiency driven reductions in household energy use. Specifically, we propose packaging the emission reductions generated through energy savings as carbon offsets, then selling these offsets on the voluntary carbon market to generate financing for energy upgrades to low-income homes not served by public energy efficiency programs. Given the multiple economic and health co-benefits from low-income energy upgrades, we expect that carbon offsets generated through such upgrades will be attractive to many corporate and institutional offset buyers, particularly those who seek to fulfill climate commitments while also advancing economic and human development in their host communities.

Enhancing Healthcare Management: Assessing User Acceptance and Usability of the 'SmartCG' Mobile Application.

In Thailand, increasing caregiving needs for senior citizens, particularly in low-income homes, may elevate the caregiver (CG) burden. This study assesses the user acceptance and usability of the 'SmartCG' mobile application in enhancing healthcare management. The app offers health evaluations, home visits, knowledge management, screening forms, and care plans. Using the Technology Acceptance Model, 402 caregivers from Mahasarakham province evaluated the app's usability on a 5-point Likert scale. Results showed a significant increase in acceptance scores after using SmartCG (11.49 ± 1.54 to 13.19 ± 2.74, p < 0.001). Users reported high satisfaction with its ease of use (mean = 4.10 ± 0.61) and found the knowledge-based menu (mean = 4.07 ± 0.63) and visiting/map menus (mean = 4.05 ± 0.63) user-friendly. This study provides empirical evidence that the SmartCG app effectively enhances healthcare management, emphasizing the importance of user-friendly interfaces in healthcare technology.

Cristo Rey Schools and the Preferential Option for the Poor

Cristo Rey schools are a unique and distinctive form of Jesuit education. They have been very successful since the mid 1990s and are deemed to be coherent with Jesuit educational principles and the preferential option for the poor. They are only available to young people from low-income homes and are open to young people of all faiths and none. The Cristo Rey schools offer an intense and supportive environment for the students and prepare them for admission to college and university. Nevertheless, there are critiques of these schools that focus on: the financial model that means that the students must work one day a week; the nature of this work and questions about the ethical perspectives of the employers. There are further questions about cultural dissonance between the students and staff of the schools. This article explores the sociological and theological foundations of the Cristo Ray schools, evaluates their effectiveness and success and analyses the various points that are raised in the critique of these schools.

Latinx parent engagement and school readiness.

Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latinx children from low-income homes in the United States have focused on fostering parent engagement in children’s education. Measurement of parent engagement in early childhood however, has been critiqued for having too narrow a focus on school-based involvement and missing other aspects of Latinx parent engagement. Using a recently developed culturally sensitive assessment of Latinx parent engagement, we test for associations between dimensions of Latinx parent engagement in learning and indicators of school readiness in a diverse sample of Latinx families ( n = 114). We find significant associations between multiple dimensions of Latinx parent engagement and indicators of child school readiness. In addition to promoting parent-teacher connections, efforts to support Latinx school readiness equitably are encouraged to attend to various culturally relevant aspects of Latinx parent engagement in early childhood. In particular, investing in programing that supports parents’ well-being and capacity for home-based engagement in learning may be a promising way to support the school readiness of Latinx children living in historically disinvested neighborhoods.

Tiered vocabulary and raciolinguistic discourses of deficit: from academic scholarship to education policy

Tiered vocabulary is a pervasive concept in academic scholarship, education policy, and schools. It involves placing individual words into hierarchically arranged tiers, based on their apparent simplicity, sophistication, utility, and complexity, with these categorisations used to determine which words carry value in the classroom. In this article I conduct a genealogy of tiered vocabulary and argue that it is a raciolinguistic ideology which frames the language practices of racialised and working-class children as deficient and requiring modification. I trace the ideological roots of tiered vocabulary to European colonial representations of the purportedly limited vocabulary of Black African communities. I then examine how tiered vocabulary emerged as a concept in 1980s US academic knowledge production, based on experiments led by white academics on predominantly Black children from low-income homes. I show how tiered vocabulary is descendant from deficit, anti-Black thinking which characterised mainstream educational linguistics in the 1960s. I then focus on how it has become normalised in England’s education policy in the 2020s, as part of a flawed theory of change which deems that the acquisition of academic language is a tool for enabling social justice. Ultimately, I show how tiered vocabulary is a flawed theory of language which ties together race and class in producing discourses of linguistic deficiency, and legitimises language policing which undermines the education of marginalised children.

Social and Techno-economic Impact of Rural Electrification in Isolated Places with Photovoltaic Systems: Evidence Gulf of Guayaquil

The lack of electrification in isolated places is considered the main impediment to the economic development of the inhabitants, the use of new technologies such as solar photovoltaic is considered a viable solution to the problems of electrification however technical, economic and social factors limit the use of form, the work reviews the drivers of rural electrification with new types of renewable energy technologies in Latin America. especially in the Gulf of Guayaquil in Ecuador. For part of the research is taken as a case study an island that is populated by 17 homes where the economic technical study is carried out for the photovoltaic system of 405 Wp, the cost of the implementation is 1663.05 dollars, the cost of energy is 0.258 USD / kWh being a limitation for overcrowding in low-income homes even when they have no possibility of accessing a financial credits the inhabitants of communes. The electrified houses have a saving of USD$25 per month for fuel required for the operation of the generator used for 3 hours a day plus the purchase of candles for lighting at night and early morning. The survey conducted in the community reveals that the best benefit for the inhabitants is that children can receive virtual classes post-pandemic with the energy of the system can feed the antenna of the internet provider.

Research And Developing Mathematics Knowledge Child Development Perspectives, 2022

Proficiency in mathematics is critical to success academically, economically, and in life. Greater success in math is related to entering and completing college, earning more in adulthood, and making more optimal decisions concerning health. Knowledge of math begins to develop at a young age, and this early knowledge matters: Knowledge of math at or before school entry predicts outcomes in math and reading across primary and secondary school. More than one children struggle to learn math. For example, only 60% of fourth-grade and 55% of eighth-grade students in the United States performed at or above proficiency in math on the 2020 National Assessment of Educational Progress, and proficiency rates were even lower for African-American and Hispanic children and for children from low-income homes. More than one students do not master challenging math content. Developing strong knowledge about mathematics is important for success academically, economically, and in life, but more than one children fail to become proficient in math. Research on the developmental relations between conceptual and procedural knowledge of math provides insights into the development of knowledge about math. First, competency in math requires children to develop conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and procedural flexibility. Second, conceptual and procedural knowledge often develop in a bidirectional, iterative fashion, with improvements in one type of knowledge supporting improvements in the other, as well as procedural flexibility. Third, learning techniques such as comparing, explaining, and exploring promote more than one type of knowledge about math, indicating that each is an important learning process. Researchers need to develop and validate measurement tools, devise more comprehensive theories of math development, and bridge more between research and educational practice.

Assessment of solar chimney potential for passive ventilation and thermal comfort in the northeast of Colombia

This study explores the performance of a solar chimney for enhancing passive ventilation and thermal comfort in the northeast of Colombia. A theoretical model and a quasi-steady computational fluid dynamics model were employed to analyse the airflow generated by the solar chimney and optimize its design. Then, the computational fluid dynamics model was used to investigate thermal comfort in the test section. The numerical model results were validated against a scaled experimental test bench. Results evidenced that solar chimneys could improve the indoor environment in the northeast of Colombia. A chimney with a length of 4 m and an angle of inclination of 55°, connected to a single room of 27 cubic meters in Bucaramanga, could improve natural ventilation and provide thermal comfort during January, March, April, August, November, and December as per the guidelines set in ASHRAE Standard 55. During the other months, it could provide partial comfort during specific hours, with being September the most critical month. This study provides valuable insights for future research dealing with the development of sustainable low-income homes in this Colombian region.

Home language environment and bilingual acquisition in preschoolers from low-income homes: differential impact of language and literacy related factors

ABSTRACT This paper explores home language environment and bilingual language acquisition of 3- to 4-year-old children who come from low-income homes, based on the results of a questionnaire and a battery of bilingual language tests taken by 32 Chinese and Malay preschoolers in Singapore. Assessments included receptive vocabulary, depth of vocabulary, phonological awareness and print concept in both English and Mother Tongue (Chinese or Malay). The results were different for language and literacy factors. Home language use had no impact on test scores. However, literacy-related factors showed significant impact on nearly all the test results in both languages of the bilingual child. Reasons for lack of impact of home language use could be the quality of language used at home, inaccuracies in parent reports and the long hours that parents spend working outside the home. The authors conclude with emphasising the need for early reading intervention in order to improve bilingual language acquisition.

Analysis of inequalities in personal exposure to PM2.5: A modelling study for the Greater London school-aged population

Exposure to air pollution can lead to negative health impacts, with children highly susceptible due to their immature immune and lung systems. Childhood exposure may vary by socio-economic status (SES) due to differences in both outdoor and indoor air pollution levels, the latter of which depends on, for example, building quality, overcrowding and occupant behaviours; however, exposure estimates typically rely on the outdoor component only. Quantifying population exposure across SES requires accounting for variations in time-activity patterns, outdoor air pollution concentrations, and concentrations in indoor microenvironments that account for pollution-generating occupant behaviours and building characteristics. Here, we present a model that estimates personal exposure to PM2.5 for ~1.3 million children aged 4–16 years old in the Greater London region from different income groups. The model combines 1) A national time-activity database, which gives the percentage of each group in different residential and non-residential microenvironments throughout a typical day; 2) Distributions of modelled outdoor PM2.5 concentrations; 3) Detailed estimates of domestic indoor concentrations for different housing and occupant typologies from the building physics model, EnergyPlus, and; 4) Non-domestic concentrations derived from a mass-balance approach. The results show differences in personal exposure across socio-economic groups for children, where the median daily exposure across all scenarios (winter/summer and weekends/weekdays) is 17.2 μg/m3 (95%CIs: 12.1 μg/m3–41.2 μg/m3) for children from households in the lowest income quintile versus 14.5 μg/m3 (95%CIs: 11.5 μg/m3 – 27.9 μg/m3) for those in the highest income quintile. Though those from lower-income homes generally fare worse, approximately 57 % of London's school-aged population across all income groups, equivalent to 761,976 children, have a median daily exposure which exceeds guideline 24-h limits set by the World Health Organisation. The findings suggest residential indoor sources of PM2.5 are a large contributor to personal exposure for school children in London. Interventions to reduce indoor exposure in the home (for example, via the maintenance of kitchen extract ventilation and transition to cleaner cooking fuels) should therefore be prioritised along with the continued mitigation of outdoor sources in Greater London.

The infiltration of wildfire smoke and its potential dose on pregnant women: Lessons learned from Indonesia wildfires in 2019

The occurrence of wildfires in Indonesia is prevalent during drought seasons. Multiple toxic pollutants emitted from wildfires have deleterious effects on pregnant women. However, the evidence for these on pregnant women was underreported. The study conducted 24-h monitoring of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations indoors and outdoors in 9 low-income homes in Palangka Raya during the 2019 wildfire season and 6 low-income homes during the 2019 non-wildfire season. A hundred and seventy pregnant women had their PM exposure assessed between July and October 2019 using personal monitors. It was observed that outdoor air pollutant levels were greater than those found indoors without indoor sources. The findings indicate that indoor PM2.5 concentrations were modestly increased by 1.2 times higher than outdoor, suggesting that buildings only partially protected people from exposure during wildfires. The concentrations of PM2.5 were found to be comparatively higher indoors in residential buildings with wood material than in brick houses. The study findings indicate that 8 out of 12 brick houses exhibited a notable RI/O24 h of less than 1 during the wildfires, whereas all I/O24 h ratios during the non-wildfire season were >1, suggesting the influence of indoor sources. Based on the estimation of daily PM2.5 dose, pregnant women received around 21% of their total daily dose during sedentary activity involving cooking. The present research offers empirical support for the view that indoor air quality in low-income households is affected by a complex combination of factors, including wildfire smoke, air tightness, and occupant behaviour. Also, this situation is more likely a potential risk to pregnant women being exposed to wildfire smoke.

Cascading benefits of low-income weatherization upon health and household well-being

This paper presents research that shows how home environmental conditions are part of a larger household-centric system that contains nodes related to household finances, occupants’ general health, life satisfaction, and serious health-related life events. Data were collected to assess the non-energy impacts of a utility-driven low-income energy efficiency (i.e., weatherization) program implemented in the Southeastern United States. A household survey was administered by phone to a treatment group just prior to weatherization and one year after weatherization and to a control group during the same timeframes. The survey posed questions that were used to create five aggregate variables that compose the household system: 1) home conditions; 2) household financial problems; 3) general health and well-being; 4) life satisfaction; and 5) major health-related life events. The results show that all five aggregate variables are highly correlated with each other with the expected signs both pre- and post-weatherization. A five-equation simultaneous equation model was estimated using three-stage least squares, where the endogenous variables were the post-weatherization values for the aggregate variables. A weatherization treatment dummy variable was added to each equation. The results indicate that home conditions and general health were the most statistically significant endogenous variables. The treatment dummy was statistically significant in three of five equations, including home conditions. Age and income were the most influential demographic variables. Overall, the results suggest energy efficiency improvements in low-income homes can have a cascading positive influence on financial issues, general health, life satisfaction, and major life events.

Executive function skills account for a bilingual advantage in English novel word learning among low-income preschoolers

The current study compared economically disadvantaged bilingual and monolingual preschoolers’ performance on an English novel word learning task and examined whether children’s executive function (EF) skills account for differences in novel word learning performance across groups. In total, 39 English monolinguals and 35 Spanish–English bilingual preschoolers from low-income homes completed a battery of EF measures and the Quick Interactive Language Screener to gauge English novel word learning ability. Within a poverty context, bilingual preschoolers performed significantly better on measures of English novel word learning as compared with their monolingual peers. This bilingual advantage in novel word learning ability was mediated by short-term memory, but not inhibition or attention shifting, which indicates that gains in short-term memory may facilitate word learning in English for bilingual preschoolers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These findings have important practical implications for interventions designed to promote English vocabulary growth for low-income bilingual children.

“I Got it from my Mama:” The influence of working-class parents on young people’s cultural capital for success in school and work

In discussing what young people need in order to thrive in school and work environments, the existing education and workforce literature largely credits the types of social and cultural capital that are gained from middle-class upbringings, and rarely are working-class and low-income counterparts valued or considered conducive to achievement. In this research paper, we discuss how minoritized students from low-income homes described their first experiences in summer internships and their earliest memories related to work. Our student participants, 25 Bronx high school seniors, largely credited their guardians’ and family members’ work ethic (cultural capital) in working-class jobs as critical in their own motivational development. Our findings indicate that the experiences underrepresented youth have at home, through lessons and examples, lead to positive benefits and the development of certain forms of cultural capital, which can lead to academic success and occupational identity formation.

Establishing an Effective Peer Support Program for Reading Remediation

A study was conducted on the second grade non-readers in Toledo City's division. Eight pupils comprised up the cases. Three of them were Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) participants and they all came from low-income homes. The standard Philippine Informal Reading Inventory, a technique for evaluating the students' reading ability, was used to identify the extent of their reading difficulties. Pronunciation, omission, identification, mispronunciation, substitution, recognition, and non-readers were among the reading difficulties. Peer mentoring as a reading remediation and instruction eliminates non-readers and other reading problems in the school, according to a theory that the researcher developed as a result of the improvements made by the mentees. A peer mentoring plan was also developed by the researchers as assistance to the reading remediation program of the elementary school. In order to thoroughly examine the disability, look for correlations of the disability, and discover the underlying reasons of the reading handicap, it is imperative that all students from Grade Two up to Grade Six be diagnosed through a complete analysis of causality.

0781 Relationship between Bedtime Routines with Sleep, Development, and Parenting Stress in Toddlers

Abstract Introduction Institution of a nightly bedtime routine is a key component of sleep health and is likely to foster positive early childhood development. The current study investigated the longitudinal and concurrent relationships between a bedtime routine and sleep, social-emotional development, and parenting stress in toddlers living in lower income homes and/or neighborhoods. Methods Caregivers of 78 toddlers (56.4% female; M=12.87 mos; 67.9% Black; 73.1% WIC) reported on their child’s bedtime routine at their 12-month well-child visit. At their child’s 15- and 24-month well visit, caregivers completed the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire–Revised (BISQ-R SF), the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), the communication and personal-social subscales of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF). Results were considered significant at p&amp;lt;.05. Results Toddlers with a consistent bedtime routine (5+ nights per week) at 12 months had significantly earlier bedtimes (20:54 vs 21:24) and waketimes (7:21 vs 8:48) at 24 months compared to those without a consistent routine. At 15 months, a more frequent bedtime routine was associated with fewer concurrent social-emotional problems (r = -.32) and decreased bedtime difficulty (r = -.34). At 24 months, toddlers with a consistent bedtime routine (33.3%) were less likely to exhibit concurrent BITSEA social-emotional competency concerns (66.7%). Caregivers also reported better nighttime sleep in toddlers with a consistent routine at 24 months. Additionally, caregivers whose child had a consistent routine at 15 and 24 months perceived their child as less difficult (PSI) at 24 months. However, no associations emerged between bedtime routine frequency and consistency at 12, 15, and 24 months with ASQ communication and personal-social concerns. Conclusion Bedtime routine frequency and consistency in toddlers was associated with better caregiver-perceived sleep, social-emotional development, and lower parental stress regarding their child being perceived as difficult, but not communication and personal-social concerns. A bedtime routine may be a cost-effective strategy to promote toddlers’ sleep, overall development, and family’s functioning. Support (if any) This study was partially funded by the Simms/Mann Institute

Exploring parent profiles in parent–child interactions with e-books

Despite the documented rise of children’s use of mobile media devices in the United States, particularly in lower-income homes, there is limited research on how children and parents interact together with these types of devices. This study sought to describe and investigate how parents and their 3-year-old children use one type of mobile digital media – e-books. With a sample of 65 families from middle- and lower-income homes, the present study examined different parent profiles in a parent–child interaction with e-books and how parents’ attitudes around learning influenced their interactions. Results show that parents and children on average demonstrated high levels of engagement and collaboration when using an e-book, although there was wide variability in the way parents and children interacted with e-books. Using latent profile analysis, three distinct profiles of parent interactions when using e-books with their children were identified: parents with high levels of speech quality and dialogic talk but low levels of engagement, parents with low levels of speech quality, and parents with high speech quality but low dialogic talk. In addition, parent report measures of self-efficacy, growth mindset, knowledge of child development, and screen time used at home varied by the parent profiles identified in this study. The findings suggest that future research should examine parent profiles to help advance the research base in service of informing efforts to promote adult–child interactions as they relate to mobile device use.

Teacher Competence in Online Learning and Technology Adaptation Strategy for Elementary Teachers in Semarang City

This study's aim is to investigate how teachers adapt to technology-based learning, as well as their originality and creativity in post-online or face-to-face learning. Even though Covid-19 has begun to drop, it is still a threat, especially to elementary school students, as is well recognized. During a two-year period, online learning proved ineffective at improving the quality of students's education. The two-year online education program prepares teachers to be proficient with information technology. This inquiry employed a mixed method, which refers to the use of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches in a single investigation. This technique is based on the assumption that integrating quantitative and qualitative data allows for a more comprehensive and synergistic use of the data than using them separately. The study's findings indicate that, from a policy aspect, the government has published Ministerial Circular No. 4 of 2020 Concerning the Implementation of Education Policies During the Emergency Period of the Spread of Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19). This circular letter encourages school administrators in Indonesia to implement and promote students's autonomous study. Students in elementary school from low-income homes face the most difficulty with online learning. Infrastructure is the primary barrier to online education. Due to the cultural shock experienced by parents and students, teacher proficiency in implementing online learning is not yet ideal. The first-semester adaption strategy has yielded innovations in the shape of shows and communication ways with students that strengthen the learning process.

Collaborative-Constructivism Approach Reading Remediation

The study focused on the students' reading challenges, the techniques, methods, and strategies used, as well as the changes seen following the mentoring sessions. The study's output was the formulation of a plan for peer mentoring. On the second grade non-readers in Toledo City's division, a study was done. The cases consisted of eight students. They all came from low-income homes, and three of them were Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino (4Ps) participants. The study was qualitative in character and using the multiple case study methodology. Employed Approaches, Methods, and Strategies Constructivist approaches were applied. Think, Pair and Read, find the underpinning, and Mix Mine were the collaborative learning tactics employed. Adjacent elementary schools in the district or in other districts should be made aware of the proposed peer mentoring plan. The following subjects are suggested for additional research: Developing Teachers' Creativity in the Mentoring Program Coaching and Mentoring as Realistic Ways to Enhance Learning. A management intervention program called mentoring.