Sexual and reproductive health education: opinions of students and educators in Bolgatanga municipality,northern Ghana

There have been few assessments of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa from the students' and educators' perspective. This study examined students' opinions on an SRH programme in northern Ghana and explored the facilitators and barriers for educators regarding the implementation of the programme. The sample comprised 147 students and 3 educators. Questionnaires were used to collect data from students, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with educators. According to the students, the SRH programme was both important and interesting. Their expectations were moderately well met. They agreed that the main objectives of the programme and most of the objectives regarding the ‘family planning’ sessions had been achieved. Significant differences were found for school type, age and religion, but not for gender. For the educators, important facilitators were a clear manual, the presence of foreign volunteers working as educators, the increased influence of new media, students' eagerness to learn, and the feeling that the SRH programme really benefited students' lives. Important barriers were traditional and cultural influences, lack of funding and poor scheduling of the programme within the schools. The paper concludes by offering recommendations regarding the implementation of future SRH programmes in Ghana.     

The role of persistence at preschool age in academic skills at kindergarten

The current study examined the role of preschoolers’ motivation, operationalized as persistence, in the formation of language and math skills at kindergarten. The participants were 263 children from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Demographic information, child persistence, and early cognitive-linguistic skills were assessed at age 3; children’s academic skills were assessed at kindergarten. Results indicated that preschooler’s persistence was related to their academic skills two years later over and above demographic factors and early cognitive-linguistic skills. The findings are discussed in terms of the importance of early childhood motivation for later school achievement.     

Using video technology in emancipatory research

The writers of this paper are currently engaged in research concerning the lives of young adults who are multi-sensory impaired; they are particularly interested in the areas of communication and the development of meaningful relationships. Part of their fieldwork has involved the use of video recordings. The paper considers the use of video technology in qualitative research, together with the technical issues and ethical sensitivities which might be involved. The issue of emancipatory research is explored, with a particular focus on how this might be applied to research with people who have pronounced and complex disabilities and who use modes of communication which are idiosyncratic and mainly non-verbal. Finally, the writers describe their own work-in-progress in this area.     

The effectiveness of a mass screening procedure in an early intervention program

The effectiveness of a mass screening procedure was examined within the context of a preventively oriented school-based treatment program. Mass screening consisted primarily of teachers rating the frequency of all primary grade children's acting-out, moody-withdrawn, and learning problem behaviors. While teachers directly referred 6.9% (n = 48) of the primary grade population of three inner-city schools (n = 698), mass screening subsequently identified an additional 9.7% (n = 68) of this population. Furthermore, both referred and screened-in groups were rated by teachers on the Child Activity Rating Scale (CARS) as behaving much less adaptively relative to a normative group (n = 285; ps < .001). As expected, the referred children evidenced greatest overall dysfunctioning with most pronounced acting-out and learning problems according to ratings by teachers. In addition, further evidence of the validity of the CARS rating form was demonstrated by the agreement between staff predictions of CARS scores and actual ratings by teachers. The mass screening procedure employed is discussed as an effective procedure and suggestions are offered which could increase its utility.     

Assay validity of point-of-care platelet function tests in thrombocytopenic blood samples

IntroductionPoint-of-care (POC) platelet function tests are faster and easier to perform than in-depth assessment by flow cytometry. At low platelet counts, however, POC tests are prone to assess platelet function incorrectly. Lower limits of platelet count required to obtain valid test results were defined and a testing method to facilitate comparability between different tests was established.Materials and methodsWe assessed platelet function in whole blood samples of healthy volunteers at decreasing platelet counts (> 100, 80-100, 50-80, 30-50 and < 30 x10⁹/L) using two POC tests: impedance aggregometry and in-vitro bleeding time. Flow cytometry served as the gold standard. The number of platelets needed to reach 50% of the maximum function (ED₅₀) and the lower reference limit (ED_ref) were calculated to define limits of test validity.ResultsThe minimal platelet count required for reliable test results was 100 x10⁹/L for impedance aggregometry and in-vitro bleeding time but only 30 x10⁹/L for flow cytometry. Comparison of ED₅₀ and ED_ref showed significantly lower values for flow cytometry than either POC test (P value < 0.05) but no difference between POC tests nor between the used platelet agonists within a test method.ConclusionCalculating the ED₅₀ and ED_ref provides an effective way to compare values from different platelet function assays. Flow cytometry enables correct platelet function testing as long as platelet count is > 30 x10⁹/L whereas impedance aggregometry and in-vitro bleeding time are inconsistent unless platelet count is > 100 x10⁹/L.     

Parenting of Divorced Mothers as a Link between Social Status and Boys' Academic Outcomes: Unpacking the Effects of Socioeconomic Status

Socialization theories posit parenting practices as mechanisms linking socioeconomic status (SES) and children's academic outcomes. A mediational parenting model was tested examining separate effects of maternal education, occupation, and income for a sample of 238 divorced or recently separated mothers of 6- to 9-year-old sons. For the SEM path models, each indicator of SES was associated with better parenting, and parenting in turn had indirect effects on achievement through home skill-building activities and school behavior. The direct effect of maternal education on achievement was mediated by home skill-building activities, the direct effect of maternal occupation on achievement was not mediated, and income measures had no direct effects on achievement. These findings underscore the importance of unpacking the effects of SES and the relevance of effective parenting practices as a protective factor in the home and school environment for young boys' school success during postdivorce adjustment.     

Effect of bovine colostrum on anaerobic exercise performance and plasma insulin-like growth factor I

In this study, we examined the effects of bovine colostrum on peak vertical jump power (VJpeak), peak cycle power (CPpeak), alactic anaerobic work capacity, resistance exercise one-repetition maxima (1-RM) and plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design, 51 males completed 8 weeks of resistance and plyometric training while consuming 60 g x day(-1) of bovine colostrum (n = 26) or concentrated whey protein powder (n = 25). Peak vertical jump power, peak cycle power, alactic anaerobic work capacity, 1-RM and plasma IGF-I were not different between groups at baseline (P > 0.33). Peak vertical jump power and peak cycle power were still not significantly different between groups by week 4 (VJpeak: bovine colostrum, 7231 +/- 488 W; whey protein, 7214 +/- 530 W; P = 0.99; CPpeak: bovine colostrum, 1272 +/- 202 W; whey protein, 1232 +/- 208 W; P = 0.99). By week 8, however, peak vertical jump power (bovine colostrum, 7370 +/- 503 W; whey powder, 7237 +/- 481 W; 95% confidence intervals, 54 to 170 W; P < 0.01) and peak cycle power (bovine colostrum, 1400 +/- 215 W; whey protein, 1311 +/- 192 W; 95% confidence intervals, 20 to 61 W; P < 0.01) were significantly higher in the bovine colostrum condition. Alactic anaerobic work capacity and 1-RM increased (P < 0.001), but the increases were not different between groups (P > 0.08). Plasma IGF-I did not change in either group (P = 0.55). We conclude that bovine colostrum supplementation during training significantly increased peak anaerobic power, but had no effect on alactic anaerobic work capacity, 1-RM or plasma IGF-I.     

Mary just hit tommy—again!

Early Childhood Education Journal -     

The Interactions of Conceptions of Teaching Science and Environmental Factors to Produce Praxis in Three Novice Teachers of Science

One strategy for implementing learner-centered teaching is through the preparation of teachers and their induction into the profession. This article presents case studies of three secondary science teachers that follow them from their science teacher education program that advocated teaching for conceptual change as one approach to learner-centered teaching into their first years of teaching. The article’s purpose is to describe the teachers’ initial conceptions of teaching science carried over from their teacher preparation program, and how they integrated those conceptions with the environmental influences of their classrooms and schools to produce praxis. Data were collected from the participants in several different ways during the participants’ pre-service year and during their first year or two of teaching: Observation of the participants’ teaching; related interviews with participants; and their action research journals. As they approached the end of their first or second year of teaching, all three teachers demonstrated increased levels of confidence in their teaching competence, both in their classroom performance and their places in their departments and schools. None of them had, however, fully implemented conceptual change teaching approach that was the specific goal of their teacher preparation program.