Communication between children and carers during mealtimes

Mealtimes are identified as an important learning environment where socialisation and language development takes place. Caregivers can facilitate the structure of a child's learning in the mealtime setting. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding about the nature of communication in a normal population during mealtimes. This is important to help understanding about the nature of communication and interaction in children with disabilities during mealtimes. Participants were six typically developing preschool children aged from 8 months to 3;05 years. Caregivers of the children supported their child having a typical meal at home. Each mother–child dyad was video‐recorded by the researchers during a typical meal for up to 30 minutes. Each recording was transcribed by the researchers, and specific communicative features were counted and coded; caregiver comments about appropriate mealtime behaviour, child verbal and nonverbal initiation, caregiver questions and comments about meal enjoyment, caregiver praise of child, and caregiver repetition to coax feeding. A caregiver questionnaire was also completed to obtain information about the child's feeding, any early history of feeding difficulties and typical mealtime routine. The results indicated that the most considerable difference were between the dyads who had reported early feeding difficulties and those who had not reported any. Carers who supported children who had a history of early feeding difficulties used more language to manage and guide the child's behaviour during the mealtime. Caregivers who reported early feeding difficulties appeared to be more concerned with how their child was presenting at the meal (i.e., appropriate behaviour and meal enjoyment). This information has important implications for supporting children with complex needs during mealtimes.     

Reference Works

UNION LIST OF FILM PERIODICALS: HOLDINGS OF SELECTED AMERICAN COLLECTIONS, by Anna Brady (compiler and editor), Richard Wall (assistant editor), and Carolyn Newitt Weiner (computer editor), (Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1984—$35.00)

THE CIRCULATING FILM LIBRARY CATALOG, (Publication and Sales, The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10019—$12.95 to the general public and $9.71 to members)

THE D.W. GRIFFITH PAPERS, (available on 36 microfilm reels, with printed guide and index from University Publications of America, 44 North Market Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701—$2,300.00)

THE NORTH DAKOTA QUARTERLY of Summer 1983 (but issued in the summer of 1984)

THE ANNUAL INDEX TO MOTION PICTURE CREDITS, edited by Byerly Woodward (Los Angeles: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1984 —$80.00)

WHAT A BUNCH OF CHARACTERS! AN ENTERTAINING GUIDE TO WHO PLAYED WHAT IN THE MOVIES by Tom Scott Cadden (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1984 — $9.95 paper)     

THE WISH TO LEARN Research into Motivation

Nine LEAs in the South Yorkshire/ Derbyshire region collaborated in planning an inquiry into the methods used in schools for assessing pupils aged 11 to 14 years. Information from questionnaire surveys was obtained from headteachers, heads of department or equivalent middle school post holders and class teachers. Also, there were special studies of schemes or particular methods which were aimed at identifying criteria associated with good practices.

Questionnaire analyses indicated that school policies were focused more on assessment routines than on fulfilling educational intentions, and that only a minority of teachers had specialist knowledge or skills in the field of assessment. An outline is given of the ‘Pointers to good practice’ section, which formed the concluding part of the final report (Engel Clough et al., 1984).     

Conservation Education and Environmental Communication in Great Ape Re-Introduction Projects: Two Cases From the Republic of Congo

Among species recovery tools available, re-introduction of animals to the wild is one of the more complex. Since the mid-1990s two successful great ape re-introductions have taken place in the Republic of Congo, leading some conservationists to revisit re-introduction as a strategy. This research explored the role of conservation education and environmental communication in the projects, including activities undertaken, stakeholder perceptions of success and impacts on project outcomes. The research found that education and communication activities, while varied and broad, were managed in an ad hoc, intuitive manner, lacking priority, expertise, and funding leading to recommendations for future reintroduction projects.