Maternal employment and parent-infant interaction at one year

The purpose of this study was to ask if parent-infant interaction differs in middle-class families with employed and homemaker mothers. Home observations of mother, father, and infant were carried out on weekday evenings, and observations of mother and infant as a dyad were performed during the daytime. Findings indicated group differences in the mother-father-infant context only, in which infants in the homemaker-mother group smiled and laughed more and were engaged more often in mutual looking and object play. Furthermore, daughters in the employed-mother group, but sons in the homemaker-mother group, received more parental stimulation encouraging their attention of objects.     

Effects of a prenatal care intervention for adolescent mothers on birth weight, repeat pregnancy, and educational outcomes at one year postpartum

About one-third of adolescent mothers receive inadequate prenatal care, and babies born to young mothers are more likely to be of low birth weight. The objective of this study is to evaluate a peer-centered prenatal care program for adolescent mothers. Pregnant adolescents were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group in a mastery modeling peer-support intervention designed to improve long- and short-term perinatal outcomes. A sample of 282 urban pregnant adolescents (94% African American, 4% Caucasian, 2% other) participated in the study. Participants were recruited from five clinics located mainly in Detroit, Michigan. Participants in the experimental group received care in a small group setting and learned to perform critical measurements with a peer partner during prenatal visits. Participants in the control group received individual prenatal care in the same clinics. Outcome measures included birth weight, years of schooling completed at one year postpartum, planned and unplanned pregnancy at one year postpartum, and employment and school attendance at one year postpartum. Mothers in the experimental group had a lower rate of low birth weight (6.6% vs. 12.5%, p=0.08). The rate of unplanned pregnancy was also lower for adolescents in the experimental group (13.4% vs. 15.9%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Adolescents who participated in the intervention were more likely to have continued their education during the pregnancy and the postpartum year. The mastery modeling, peer-centered, prenatal care program produced some positive pregnancy outcomes for adolescent mothers.     

Multigrade teaching and age composition of the class: The influence on academic and social outcomes among students

This article presents innovative analyses on the effects of the age composition of the class using the first wave of a large-scale longitudinal study of nine year old children, the Growing Up in Ireland study. The analyses focus on both academic and social outcomes. Taking account of a rich set of control factors, few overall differences were found in student outcomes between single-grade and multigrade classes. However, girls were found to experience a range of negative effects, depending on the age composition of the class.     

Acquiring meaning for decimal fraction symbols: A one year follow-up

Fourth graders with differing achievement records participated in a specially designed two week unit on decimal fractions. Students were encouraged to connect meaningful referents with decimal fraction symbols and use these meanings to develop procedures for adding and subtracting decimal numbers. One year later these students and a matched set of fifth graders were interviewed and given paper-and-pencil tests. Three questions were of interest: (1) Do short term changes in the processes students use to solve problems remain stable over time; (2) Do students who have been instructed in conceptually-based processes exhibit a higher level of performance one year later than their conventionally taught peers; and (3) What is the relationship between entry achievement level and the year-long effects of conceptually-based instruction? The results suggest that: (1) If students used the meanings of written symbols as a basis for solving problems immediately after instruction, they used these processes to solve problems one year later, regardless of entering achievement; (2) Compared to their conventionally taught peers, students in the lower achievement group benefitted relatively more from the conceptually-based instruction than students in the higher achievement group; (3) However, higher achieving students were more likely to exhibit use of conceptually-oriented processes one year later than the lower achieving students.     

Multilingualism and education in South Africa: one year on

After a short presentation of the relative status of the different languages (and dialects) in the greater Cape Town area, an overview is given of recent debates and developments in the language policy in education in South Africa. The aim is promoting multilingualism. Current language and literary initiatives in primary schools and in teacher education are described briefly. Proposals for translating policy in practice are reviewed.     

Preterm infant interaction with the caregiver in the first year of life and competence at age two.

Caregiver-infant interactions were studied for 50 preterm infants and their primary caregivers. Naturalistic observations in the home were made when the infants were 1, 3, and 8 months of age. The social transactions in the first year were related to competence at age 2, thereby extending a previous report showing a moderate association between caregiver-infant interaction and competence at 9 months. The frequency of early social transactions was predictive of the infant's competence at age 2 on the Gesell Developmental Schedules, a sensorimotor scale, a measure of receptive language, and the Bayley Mental Scale. Early social transactions were as predictive of 2-year competence as were caregiver-child transactions at age 2. The study suggests that social transactions as early as 1 month reflect some quality of the relationship between the caregiver and the infant that is important to the child's later mental performance.     

Competency-based curriculum development: An experimental model for social service workers

The call for relevance in higher education has opened the doorway from the classroom to the community. Creative methods to provide viable academic exercises within this context are being sought by increasing numbers of faculty and administrators. Competency-based curriculum development is one method being proposed as having strong potential. This article describes a competency design and documentation process that was developed during a one-year research and demonstration program for social service workers. The process was found to provide greater accountability for learning situations that link theory and fieldwork. It was also found to revitalize dialogue between field professionals and academic faculty, with students as active participants.George C. Burrill received his Ph.D. from the Union Graduate School (Yellow Springs, Ohio).     

Mother-child and father-child mutually responsive orientation in the first 2 years and children's outcomes at preschool age: mechanisms of influence.

Mechanisms accounting for the effects of mutually responsive orientation (MRO) at 7, 15, and 25 months in 102 mother-child and father-child dyads on child internalization and self-regulation at 52 months were examined. Two mediators at 38 months were tested: parental power assertion and child self-representation. For mother-child relationships, the causal pathway involving power assertion was supported for both outcomes. Diminished power assertion fully mediated beneficial effect of mother-child MRO on internalization and partially mediated its effect on self-regulation. For father-child relationships, MRO predicted self-regulation, but the mediational paths were unsupported. Paternal power assertion correlated negatively with both outcomes but was not a mediator. Although MRO with both parents correlated with child self-representation, and it correlated with self-regulation, this mediational path was unsupported.     

The university in the global age: reconceptualising the humanities and social sciences for the twenty-first century.

Abstract

By any metric, the twentieth century university was a successful institution. However, in the twenty-first century, ongoing neoliberal educational reform has been accompanied by a growing epistemological crisis in the meaning and value of the humanities and social sciences (HaSS). Concerns have been expressed in two main forms. The governors of tertiary education systems—governments, private investors, university managers and consultancy firms—have focused on how HaSS can adapt to the perceived research needs of the 21st century. At the same time, a competing set of discourses has been generated by scholars and researchers employed within the critical HaSS themselves. This article considers what these differing perspectives mean for reconceptualising HaSS for the twenty-first century. After surveying the contemporary climate, this article examines the findings of key reports on the future of the humanities from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Alongside those of Western Europe, these university systems are arguably the key drivers for the global university system. It is argued that these reports provide an opportunity for emerging universities to reflect on their research priorities and developmental strategies. The article concludes with some reflections on the wider consequences of the globalising of the university system, the increase of China's influence in Asia, and ponders the prospect of post-human/ist futures of the humanities.     

Beyond educational attainment: The importance of skills and lifelong learning for social outcomes. Evidence for Europe from PIAAC

Empirical evidence suggests that educational attainment nurtures people's social outcomes and promotes active participation in society and stability. However, it is unclear to what extent other types of human capital also correlate with social outcomes. Hence, we explored the opportunity offered by the PIAAC survey through its provision of information on educational attainment, observed individual key skills proficiency, and participation in adult education and training (adult lifelong learning). We therefore studied the association between these human capital variables and social outcomes, and more specifically interpersonal trust and participation in volunteering activities. Results revealed that these social outcomes were affected not only by the formal qualification obtained, determined by the education variable, but also throughout the life‐cycle. Indeed, education and training when undertaken during adult life have a significant impact, especially on volunteering. The fact that the skill proficiency also plays a significant role is extremely relevant, as skills are more likely to change over the life‐cycle, either in a positive or negative way. Whilst the formal education received is constant after exiting the educational system, skills reflect competences more accurately: first, because those with the same level of education may have different skill levels because of differences in the quality of education or ability; second, because skills can vary over time. For example, they may increase with work experience or informal education, or decrease as a result of depreciation and ageing. These findings suggest that social outcomes are prone to be affected by many factors other than formal education, suggesting that policy makers can implement recommendations even after formal education has been completed.     

Developmental outcome of preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage at one and two years of age

Around 1980, many perinatal centers began prospective cranial screening of preterm infants using portable ultrasonography at the bedside. This study examined developmental outcome at 1 and 2 years in relation to the presence and severity of neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). It varies from earlier reports in the size of the sample, restriction to infants without periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), and an attempt to formulate a predictive model by examining development longitudinally. Parametric and nonparametric analyses demonstrated that IVH related to Bayley mental and motor scores and neurologic ratings at 1 year but not at 2 years. Developmental delay and/or neurologic abnormality were more prevalent in infants with severe IVH but were far from universal. Regression analyses on prediction from neonatal and 1-year performance to 2-year scores revealed significant associations between the 1- and 2-year measures but not the neonatal and outcome measures. A direct insult to the CNS such as IVH thus constitutes only a limited model of risk status.     

The joint influence of mother and father parenting on child cognitive outcomes at age 5

Few studies of parenting have considered the possibility that the association between one parent's supportive parenting and a child's early cognition is moderated by the other parent's supportiveness. We test this proposition using a low-income sample of coresident couples. In addition, we cross-classify parents within couples according to their parenting behaviors to test for homogamy. Mothers and fathers were videotaped during separate free-play dyadic interactions with their 2-year-old child, and each parent's behavior was coded according to six scales. K-means cluster analysis was used to describe each parent's pattern of parenting behaviors. Parents were then cross-classified within couples by pattern. There was mixed evidence of homogamous parenting styles within couples. After parents were consolidated into four primary pairings, children in each of these pairings were compared on age 5 math and language scores. Children with two supportive parents scored highest, while those with two unsupportive parents scored lowest. Among children with one supportive parent, the sex of that parent was inconsequential. There were no significant interactions between maternal and paternal supportiveness on either math or language. Thus, it appears that in this low-income sample the combined effects of maternal and paternal supportiveness are additive.     

The early entrance option: Academic and social/emotional outcomes

This review examines how early kindergarten entrants fare academically and socially/emotionally in their schooling. In general, the literature is pessimistic about academic achievement and social/emotional adjustment of early entrants. The exception to this seems to be when screening procedures are required to identify children with exceptional ability and to eliminate from early entrance children likely to have adjustment difficulties. Typically, the screening battery includes measurements of academic readiness, social/emotional maturity, and a physical examination, followed by a trial entrance period. Much additional research is needed to identify variables that will add significantly in predicting future school success of early entrants. However, rather than predicting which children will fit the educational system, a more effective use of educational research would be investigation into developing educational programs that are flexible in meeting the needs of each child.     

Longitudinal predictors of developmental status and social interaction in premature and full-term infants at age two

This investigation involved the longitudinal assessment of 30 mother-preterm and 40 mother-full-term dyads from birth to 2 years of age. Measures of maternal attitudes, maternal perception of the infant, and parental functioning were obtained at 1 and 8 months of infant age. Mother-infant interactions were observed at 4, 8, 12, and 24 months. Infant cognitive, motor, and language development was assessed at 4, 12, and 24 months. Results indicated that by age 2 years, no group differences were apparent on any child development, mother-child interaction, or maternal attitudinal measures; the lone exception was that preterms were significantly poorer in motor skills. This similarity in functioning at age 2 years was in marked contrast to earlier findings of major group differences at 12 months. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that the developmental and social interaction outcomes were predicted by different factors in the two groups; moreover, whereas 40%-60% of the variance in preterm infants' social and cognitive outcomes could be accounted for, only 15%-30% was accounted for in the full-term group. These results are discussed in terms of compensatory mechanisms that may characterize the parenting of high-risk infants, and of the applicability of transactional models of development.     

Remaining connected in the face of cyberbullying: Why social connectedness is important for mental health

It is well documented that cyberbullying can lead to adverse mental health outcomes. Separate research shows that higher levels of social connectedness may result in more positive mental health outcomes, however, the relationship between social connectedness and mental health in the face of cyberbullying is not yet fully understood. An online survey of 229 adolescents (aged 12–17 years) was conducted, and we examined experiences of cyberbullying, levels of social connectedness, depression, anxiety, and stress. Structural equation modeling suggested that social connectedness may act as a protective buffer against the negative mental health outcomes associated with cybervictimization. This paper highlights the fact that social connectedness plays an important role for young people, the more frequently they are victimized. The implications of these findings are far reaching and suggest that understanding the role of social connectedness may be crucial to interventions that seek to mitigate the effects of cyberbullying.     

论青年志愿服务对社会进步的意义与作用

所谓志愿服务,是指志愿者出于自愿意志,秉承以自己的知识、技能、体能与财富等贡献社会的宗旨,不计获得报酬为目的,以提高公共事务效能和增进社会公益事业为己任,所从事的各项活动.志愿服务的基本思想是个人或组织通过参加社会活动,以促进社会和公共福利事业的发展.它表现为个人或组织为追求社会利益和自我价值的实现,在志愿精神的感召下,自愿奉献出自己的知识、技能、体能、精力、财富,通过志愿服务为他人和社会提供服务.志愿服务是一个传递爱心、播种文明的过程.对志愿者而言,它是奉献社会、服务他人的一种方式;对被服务对象而言,它是感受社会关怀、获得社会认同的一次机会;对社会而言,它是提升社会文明风气、保障社会稳定的一块基石.     

大学生创业教育与社会服务体系的创新研究

在分析我国创业教育和社会服务体系现状的基础上,提出构建大学生创业教育与社会服务体系的有效途径：创新社会支持、服务保障机制,营造良好的创业教育环境,建构科学、规范的创业教育体系。