Parents Of Children In Grades Research Articles

Parents' Perceptions of Schools' COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies: A Phenomenological Study.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed across the United States. Given the impact of virtual learning and lost access to school resources, schools eventually reopened with COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place. This qualitative study sought to understand parental perceptions of school-based COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Using a phenomenology approach, nine focus groups were completed with 40 parents of children in grades K-8 representing eight Maryland counties. Based on acceptance of masking policies (as indicated on a survey), parents were sorted into 2 groups-lower and higher masking acceptance. A thematic analysis was conducted for each group and themes were compared between the 2 groups. The main themes were related to parents' general sentiments regarding COVID-19, compliance, pandemic-related changes over time, changes in personal opinions, and in-person learning. Both groups described challenges related to inconsistent COVID-19 mitigation policies and practices, the challenges of rapid and frequent changes in guidelines during the pandemic, and the benefits of in-person learning. Parents of elementary and middle school children, regardless of general acceptance of masking policies, shared concerns about implementation and guidance regarding school-based mitigation strategies.

“The problem is not lack of information”: A qualitative study of parents and school nurses’ perceptions of barriers and potential solutions for HPV vaccination in schools

BackgroundHPV vaccination has been offered in school programs for over a decade in Quebec, Canada, but the vaccine coverages are not reaching the target coverage in several regions. This qualitative study aimed to describe barriers and enabling conditions of HPV vaccination as perceived by parents and school nurses and identify potential solutions to improve HPV vaccine uptake rates and acceptance in school-based programs. MethodsThree focus group discussions were conducted with parents of children in Grades 2 or 3 who were unsure or unwilling to vaccinate. Individual interviews were conducted with 24 school nurses. A thematic content analysis was performed using N'Vivo. ResultsThe main parental questions and concerns regarding the HPV vaccination were the children’s young age, the possible side effects, the rationale behind boys’ vaccination and the possible interaction with COVID-19 vaccination. Except for interaction with COVID-19 vaccination, these concerns remain similar to those identified before the pandemic. Interviews highlighted that the information on HPV vaccination provided by the public was not well understood by parents. Parents suggested different tools to access information tailored to their concerns and situation. From the nurses’ perspective, HPV vaccination promotion tools such as decision-aids and social media communication campaigns were needed and could reduce their work. ConclusionCOVID-19 may have disrupted the acceptance of the vaccines. While strategies to catch up on missed doses and reduce access barriers to vaccines are urgently needed, our findings highlight that a shift in attitudes toward routine vaccines may pose further challenges even if HPV vaccine coverage appears to have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nutrition, Sleep, Physical Activity, and Mood Disorders of Polish Children.

The harmful consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on children are its impact on eating habits, physical activity, sleep, and mood disorders. In the future, this may result in a higher prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's eating behavior and lifestyle. The study was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire on dietary and lifestyle habits before and during the pandemic, and the reasons for changes due to the pandemic. The study involved 294 parents of children in grades 1-8 in elementary schools in two regions of Poland. The survey showed that during the pandemic, the percentage of children eating five regular meals daily, including fruits and vegetables, and engaging in daily physical activity decreased. However, the percentage of children spending more than 4 h a day in front of a screen increased (p < 0.05). The main reasons for changes in eating habits and physical activity were less eating out, lack of motivation, obstruction, and lack of access to sports facilities (p < 0.05). The pandemic had a significant impact on reduced levels of physical activity and increased time spent in front of a screen. In summary, among the reasons for changes in children's dietary and lifestyle habits, factors related to the pandemic itself, i.e., social restrictions, restrictions, closure of schools and other facilities, and fear of coronavirus infection, had the greatest impact.

The Influence of Parental Mindfulness on Preschool Child Behavior Problems: A Chain-Mediated Model Analysis.

This study aimed to examine the associations between parental mindfulness and preschool child behavior problems and to investigate the mediating role of marital satisfaction and coparenting in the relationship between mindfulness and preschool child behavior problems. This was a cross-sectional study in which general sociodemographic data were obtained from 3448 parents of children in grades junior to senior of kindergarten who were assessed using instruments such as the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (TEMSS), and the Parents' Perceptions of the Coparenting Relationship Questionnaire (PPCR). (1) Mindfulness, preschool child behavior problems, marital satisfaction, and coparenting were significantly correlated with each other, where mindfulness was positively correlated with marital satisfaction and coparenting and significantly negatively correlated with preschool child behavior problems. (2) Mindfulness negatively predicted preschool children's problem behaviors. (3) Marital satisfaction independently mediated the relationship between mindfulness and preschool child behavior problems. (4) Coparenting also independently mediated the relationship between mindfulness and preschool child behavior problems. (5) Marital satisfaction and coparenting play a chain-mediating role between mindfulness and preschool children's problem behaviors. Mindfulness predicted preschool child behavior problems, with marital satisfaction and coparenting as mediators.

Homeschooling in Russia: Barriers and Mechanisms to Overcome Them

Secondary education through homeschooling is becoming more common among parents. It is becoming trendy in the context of distance learning when families act as active participants in the educational process at home. One of the most popular reasons for choosing to homeschool is to overcome regional educational inequality — to compensate for it and provide quality education to continue studying at a good university. However, parents of homeschooled children face different barriers. The authors conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with parents of children in grades 1—8 and highlighted the barriers to implementing homeschooling. The article analyzes the identified barriers to the presence or absence of a legal component and gives recommendations on changing the legislation and the organizational model of homeschooling. Acknowledgments. The article was prepared based on the results of an expert-analytical study “Improving the legislative regulation of the family form of general education. Possibilities of combining various forms of education in the development of educational programs of general education” commissioned by the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in 2019.

The power of the neighborhood: Perceived normative behaviors moderate individual predictors of walking and biking to school

IntroductionParent attitudes and perceptions of convenience are primary determinants of children's mode of school travel. Parents may favor the use of active transportation to school, such as walking or biking, if supportive neighborhood normative behaviors are present. MethodsA series of logistic regressions with marginal effects were conducted to investigate whether seeing others, talking or waving, seeing kids walk alone, or seeing kids walk with adults along the way to school modified the impact of parent attitudes and reported ease of driving a car on active school travel among parents of children in grades K-6 (N = 390) in Phoenix, AZ (USA). ResultsThe likelihood of using active transportation to school was positively associated with favorable parent attitudes, and the odds of using active travel modes differed less than 10% with the presence of neighborhood normative behaviors and low or high attitudes. As reported ease of driving increased, the likelihood of using active transportation to school decreased. The presence of neighborhood norms did not change the negative trajectory, but differences existed when ease of driving was low compared to high. The probability of using active transportation to school when ease of driving was low compared to high was greater when participants saw others (29.3%to, 32.8%from), talked/waved to others (11.0%to, 0%from), saw kids walking alone (28.6%to, 35.7%from), and saw kids walking with adults (27.8%to, 51.5%from). ConclusionsEchoing prior work, parent attitudes and perceptions of convenience of driving remain influential determinants of children's active school travel behavior. This study provides preliminary evidence on the influences of psychosocial support within the neighborhood to promote active transportation to school. The impact of supportive normative behaviors during the school journey should be considered in active transportation to school interventions, particularly in conjunction with efforts to change parent perceptions of ease of driving.

Evaluation of the organization of healthy free hot food for students in grades 1–4

The article presents the results of a survey of parents of junior high school students and parental control over the organization of meals. In the course of the sociological research the questions of satisfaction with the organization of hot breakfasts and lunches for pupils of classes 1–4 in connection with the transition to the 100 % coverage with healthy, hot free meals in general educational institutions were studied. Parents of children in grades 1–4 from 60 regions of the Russian Federation participated in the survey. Information was obtained and analyzed on the satisfaction of schoolchildren with organized meals according to the following criteria — satisfaction with the variety of meals, portion size, the number of meals offered, and their taste. The results of parental control are presented, which made it possible to identify the main directions of improving the organization of children’s meals — increasing the duration of breaks, monitoring children’s compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, organizing meals for children who require an individual approach to the organization of food for health reasons.

Remote Learning, COVID-19, and Children With Disabilities

While the COVID-19 pandemic affected the education of nearly all schoolchildren worldwide, pandemic-related school closures did not affect all children in equal ways. Between March and August, 2020, I interviewed 31 parents of children with disabilities as part of a larger interview study of U.S. parents of children in grades K–12. In this article, I analyze these parents’ narratives about their families’ experiences of pandemic-related remote learning to identify the particular challenges children with disabilities and their families faced with remote learning. I find that most, but not all, families struggled with remote learning, both when children’s specific needs while learning at home differed from their needs at school, and when schools failed to provide adequate accommodations and services remotely. These narratives demonstrate how children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to the type of large-scale systemic shock to U.S. public education that the pandemic has presented.

Barriers to the use of dental services by children in Lebanon and association with parental perception of oral health care.

Oral health is important to general health but use of dental services varies considerably, particularly for children. We aimed to determine factors associated with parents' use of dental services for their children in Lebanon, and their perception of dental care relative to medical care. A convenience sample of public and private schools in Beirut was selected between January and May 2013. Parents of children in grades 2-6 (aged 7-12 years) were invited to complete a questionnaire covering socioeconomic characteristics and use of dental services. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between use of dental services, and parents' socioeconomic characteristics and awareness and perceptions of dental services. The parents of 316 children returned the questionnaire. Most children (72.8%) had been taken to the dentist in the past year, mainly for emergency care. Most parents (78.2%) considered dental care as important as or more important than medical care, and 89.9% were willing to contribute to dental insurance. Use of dental services was significantly associated with: older age of the parent (odds ratio, OR = 1.04; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.02-1.06); awareness of dental care centres offering affordable treatment (OR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.52-6.68); and children being in private schools (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.08-3.95). It was negatively associated with > 4 children in the family compared with 1 child (OR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.04-0.81). Barriers to dental care for children were mostly related to economic factors.

Australian Primary School Principals', Teachers', and Parents' Attitudes and Barriers to Changing School Uniform Policies From Traditional Uniforms to Sports Uniforms.

To determine Australian primary school principals', teachers', and parents' attitudes to changing school uniform policies to allow students to wear sports uniforms every day and to assess associations between participant characteristics and their attitudes. A secondary aim was to identify principals' and teachers' perceived barriers to uniform changes. Cross-sectional surveys of principals, teachers, and parents of children in grades 2 to 3 (age 7-10y) from 62 Australian primary schools (Oct 2017-Mar 2018) were undertaken. Mixed logistic regression analyses assessed the associations between participant characteristics and attitudes toward uniform changes. In total, 73% of the principals (38/52) who responded reported that their school only allowed children to wear a sports uniform on sports days. Overall, 38% of the principals (18/47), 63% of the teachers (334/579), and 78% of the parents (965/1231) reported they would support a policy that allowed children to wear daily sports uniforms. The most commonly reported barrier was the perception that sports uniforms were not appropriate for formal occasions. Although the majority of the principals were not supportive of a change to a daily sports uniform, the majority of the teachers and parents were. Strategies to improve principal support may be required if broader adoption of physical activity-supporting uniforms is to be achieved.

Mandatory Home Education During the COVID-19 Lockdown in the Czech Republic: A Rapid Survey of 1st-9th Graders' Parents

Schools have been closed in many countries due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, but education continues online. Little is known about how parents cope with educating their children in this unprecedented situation. Here, we present the results of a rapid survey examining the experience of Czech parents of children in Grades 1-9 (Age ~ 6-15; N = 9,810) with respect to home education home during the COVID-19 lockdown. This survey was distributed widely, but only online and parents participated voluntarily. Mainly families with an internet connection and interested in their children’s education (i.e., the majority of families with school-aged children in the Czech Republic) took part in the survey. The results show that these families tend to cope well with the current educational situation and view the overall schoolwork transferred to homes as useful. Most children spend 2-4 hours a day studying, while parents help them at least half the time. Parents mostly explain task instructions, check the work their children have done, and teach new topics. To a lesser extent, they help their children solve tasks. Teachers appear to assign tasks more often than they provide feedback and/or interact with children. Some parents face difficulties, but those are generally not severe. These include, most notably, a lack of time, issues with technologies, and inadequate teaching skills and content knowledge. Altogether, this work maps the current educational situation in a large segment of Czech families and highlights possible pitfalls to be avoided: in the Czech Republic and beyond.

Parents’ Awareness and Involvement in Dealing with Cyberbullying

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which parents of children aged 10–12 are aware that cyberbullying is a widespread phenomenon, how they deal with acts of cyberbullying performed by or toward their child, whether they take active steps toward preventing cyberbullying by and/or toward their child, and to what extent they are willing to invade their child’s privacy to this end.The study employs a quantitative methodology. One hundred and thirty-three parents were selected from a convenient sample of parents of children in grades 4–6 in a number of public elementary schools. It was found that most parents have heard about cyberbullying, mainly through the various media and not as a result of communicating with their child. Although parents understand that there are psychological effects on victims and criminal consequences for aggressors, most do not deepen their knowledge on the issue. Most parents assume that they can control the phenomenon and distance their child from it and that their child was not involved in cyberbullying. These findings contrast with findings from other studies indicating that most children were involved in cyberbullying to a certain degree. Identifying the reason behind this gap and ways to decrease it requires further investigation.Many studies have focused on cyberbullying among adolescents (ages 13–17) and less so on children aged 10–12. In this study, we chose to focus on children aged 10–12 because evidence indicates that children in this age group are more exposed to the phenomenon.

Exploring math anxious parents’ emotional experience surrounding math homework-help

In two separate studies, we examined the relation between parents’ math anxiety and their perceptions of their math homework-helping interactions with their children. Specifically, we surveyed parents of children in Grades 1–6 across North America on the time they spend helping their child with their math homework and the level of confidence, conflict, stress, frustration, and emotionality that they feel during math homework interactions as a function of their math anxiety. As predicted, parents who were higher in math anxiety reported feeling a more negative emotional experience surrounding the homework environment when helping their child with math homework. Understanding this dynamic has important implications for educational practices, especially given the push for parents to be involved in their children’s learning.

“It’s Not Just Helping Your Kid with Homework Anymore”: The Challenges of Aligning Education Policy with Parents and Teachers

Education policy is intended to be adopted by stakeholders, yet high-level policies may not reflect reality at home or school. This article draws on interviews with 127 teachers and parents of children in Grades 1–3 to examine the degree to which they align with Ontario’s Ministry of Education parent engagement policy. We demonstrate how perceptions of parent engagement differ by role (teacher and parent), priorities (universalistic vs. particularistic), and parents’ social class background (working and middle class). We consider the challenges of promoting policies targeted at supporting good parenting practices.

Parents Adjust the Quality of Their Home Literacy Environment to the Reading Interest of Their Third to Sixth Graders

SYNOPSISObjective. The current home literacy activities that parents of children in Grade 3–6 (aged 6.90–13.40 years) engaged in were examined, in relation to parents’ and children’s perceived reading interest and the number of books at home. Design. A survey study was carried out among 452 parents. Subsequently, 89 children in Grades 3 and 4 completed a questionnaire about their reading interest. Results. The frequency of home literacy activities declines between Grades 3 and 6. When parents perceive their child as an interested reader, they engage in more frequent home literacy activities, even when they are not interested readers themselves. The frequency of the activities predicts children’s self-reported reading interest in Grades 3 and 4, whereas amount of books at home and parents’ own reading interest do not seem to explain any additional variance. Conclusion. Parents should be made aware of the importance of engaging in home literacy activities with their older child because these activities can still play a role in their child’s reading interest.

Internet-specific parental self-efficacy: Developmental differences and links to Internet-specific mediation

Most children spend significant time on the Internet every day, and parents have an important role in helping their children to avoid negative online experiences. In this study, we examine the potential role of Internet-specific parental self-efficacy (Internet-specific PSE) as an antecedent for Internet-specific parenting practices. A study of 1025 parents of children in grades 6 (approximately 11–12 years) to 12 (approximately 17–18 years) allowed us to examine the links among Internet-specific PSE, the child's grade in school, and Internet-specific parenting practices. The results showed developmental decreases in Internet-specific PSE and Internet-specific parenting practices: Parents of older adolescents felt less efficacious and used less control-based parenting practices than did parents of younger adolescents. Furthermore, Internet-specific PSE was a significant predictor of Internet-specific parenting practices (both communication-based and control-based practices). These results suggest the importance of both parental beliefs and children's grade in school for parenting in the area of children's online activities.

Acculturation Conflict, Cultural Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Parenting Competence in Asian American and Latino/a Families.

Parents from immigrant backgrounds must deal with normative parenting demands as well as unique challenges associated with acculturation processes. The current study examines the independent and interactive influences of acculturation conflict and cultural parenting self-efficacy (PSE; e.g., parents' confidence in instilling heritage, American, and bicultural values in their children) on perceptions of general parenting competence. Using data from 58 Asian American and 153 Latin American parents of children in grades 6-12, ethnic differences were also explored. Results suggest that lower acculturation conflict is associated with higher perceptions of general parenting competence for both Asian and Latin American parents. Higher cultural PSE is associated with higher perceived general parenting competence for Latino/a parents only. One significant interaction was found, and only for Asian Americans, whereby the negative association between acculturation conflict and perceptions of parenting competence was weaker for those who felt efficacious in transmitting heritage messages. Results are discussed in light of clinical implications and the need for further recognition and study of culturally relevant factors and frameworks among families from immigrant backgrounds.

Actual Body Weight and the Parent's Perspective of Child's Body Weight among Rural Canadian Children.

The prevalence of being overweight during childhood continues to increase in the USA and Canada and children living in rural areas are more at risk than their urban counterparts. The objectives of this study were to evaluate how well the parent’s perception of their child’s weight status correlated with objectively measured weight status among a group of rural children and to identify predictors of inaccurate parental perceptions of child’s weight status. Participants were children from the Saskatchewan Rural Health Study conducted in 2010. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through rural schools to parents of children in grades one to eight. Parents reported their child’s height and weight and rated their child’s weight status (underweight, just about the right weight, or overweight). Standardized body mass index (BMI) categories were calculated for clinically measured height and weight and for parental report of height and weight for 584 children. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of misclassification of the parent’s perception of child’s weight status adjusting for potential confounders. Clinically measured overweight was much higher (26.5%) compared to parental perceived overweight (7.9%). The misclassification of the child’s BMI was more likely to occur if the child was a boy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58) or non-Caucasian (OR = 2.03). Overweight was high in this group of rural children and parental perception of weight status underestimated the actual weight status of overweight school-age children. Parental reporting of child weight status has implications for public health policy and prevention strategies. Future research should focus on assessing longitudinal effects of parental misperceptions of child’s weight status.

Where do Cairene Children Walk to Primary School?

Considering the Cairene context and its urban extensions, this paper hypothesizes that planned urban districts are becoming less suitable for children to walk to school. A questionnaire was sent to parents of children in grades 4, 5 and 6 of 3 schools; one in each of Dokki/Mohandeseen (n=406), Madinet Nasr (n=124) and 6th of October City (n=98) to explore the mode by which students travel to school and the different variables affecting the parental perception and decision. Results showed that active school travel is much less practiced in new cities than in the inner city districts with percentages 35.3% in Dokki, 40.9% in Madinet Nasr and 12.5% in October.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Rural Victorian School Children

Fruit and vegetable consumption is accepted as the cornerstone of healthy eating practices. In turn, healthy eating is linked to the prevention of a number of chronic diseases. Healthy eating practices should begin in early childhood and continue throughout life. This study aimed to determine fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged 6-12 years in three local government areas in rural Australia, and examines the factors which influence consumption, such as access, cost and parental education and behaviours. Parents of school children in grades one and three from 41 schools completed a survey regarding fruit and vegetable consumption, and associated factors, for their child. Five hundred and forty four surveys were completed and returned. The results showed that while fruit consumption was within the recommended guidelines for 97% of children, only 12% ate the recommended serves of vegetables for this age group. The results did not vary between the age and gender of children nor parental income or education. Parental sources of knowledge for healthy eating was reported as predominantly family and friends as well as newspapers, internet and magazines. Examining fruit and vegetable consumption separately highlighted the need for a focused intervention on increasing vegetable consumption in the three local government areas. The sources of parental knowledge provided important information for health promotion activities