More than talk: Co‐Rumination among college students

Most of us, and our students, share our problems with our closest friends. But what happens when rehashing problems is all that we do with them? Juliette Landphair and Teri Preddy explain that this is co‐rumination, and though it can feel comforting, it exacts high emotional costs.     

Fit Fans: perspectives of a practitioner and understanding participant health needs within a health promotion programme for older men delivered within an English Premier League Football Club

Fit Fans was a men’s health promotion intervention delivered within an English Premier League Football Club (2010–2011), which aimed to support the local community dwelling older men in lifestyle promotion (physical activity [PA], diet and well-being). The purpose of this study was to provide a reflexive account of a practitioner and the needs of participants. Seven men (mean age 58?years) attended weekly PA and lifestyle sessions over an eight-month period. Baseline physiological measurements included body mass index, resting blood pressure and abdominal girth. Principles of ethnography and observational research (i.e. field notes, reflective diary) were adopted by the practitioner. Unexpectedly, the cohort exhibited a range of serious diagnosed illnesses that challenged the practitioner’s skill base and experience in the delivery of the intervention. Reflections of the practitioner and the stories of the progression that participants made add insight to future football in the community programmes.     

E‐coaching systems: Convenient,anytime, anywhere,and nonhuman

Technologies continue to evolve to provide more compelling and interactive learning opportunities. Coaching has traditionally been face‐to‐face or by email. By combining the new technologies with coaching, learning developers now have the opportunity to develop an asynchronous, online, nonhuman coaching system, or e‐coaching system. An e‐coaching system can alleviate much of the coaching labor while making it more conducive to the coachee.     

Examining teachers' beliefs about and implementation of a balanced literacy framework

While many embrace balanced literacy as a framework for quality literacy instruction, the way in which teachers operationalise the tenets of balanced literacy can vary greatly. In the present study, 581 teachers in the United States completed questionnaires concerning: (a) their beliefs about literacy skills and literacy instructional strategies that are most essential to reading success; and (b) their implementation of balanced literacy instruction in their classrooms. Results reveal that teachers varied in their implementation of reading and writing routines, with teachers reporting participating less frequently in writing activities. Teachers' implementation of balanced literacy routines varied as a function of the grade level they taught, but not additional certifications or years of experience. In addition, teachers' participation in reading and writing routines was related to their literacy beliefs, particularly their belief in the importance of code‐based literacy skills.     

Behavioral Assessment of Coping Strategies in Young Children At-risk,Developmentally Delayed,and Typically Developing

Research Findings: This study investigated the effects of full- and half-day kindergarten programs on classroom instructional quality and children's academic achievement. Considerations were given for how the length of the school day, language status (English language learner [ELL] and non-ELL), and children's attendance patterns influenced achievement. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently and were interpreted to note the convergence (or lack thereof) of the findings. Quantitative results revealed no difference in the quality of instruction being offered in full- and half-day classrooms. Additionally, full-day kindergarten positively impacted children's academic achievement in literacy but not in mathematics, regardless of children's language status. In regard to language development, ELL children benefited more from full-day kindergarten than did their English-speaking peers, whereas all (ELL and non-ELL) children enrolled in full-day kindergarten made greater language gains when they missed fewer than 10 school days. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study have significant policy and practice implications related to the overall quality, availability, and cultural and developmental appropriateness of kindergarten programming in the United States.     

Maternal Literacy Beliefs and the Quality of Mother-Child Book-reading Interactions: Assoications with Children's Early Literacy Development

This study examined the relation among mothers' literacy-related beliefs, the home literacy environment, the quality of mother–child book-reading interactions, and children's development of early literacy skills. The participants of this study were 60 mothers and their 4-year-old children. After controlling for mothers' educational attainment, mothers' literacy beliefs were positively related to the quality of home literacy environments and the instructional and affective quality of joint book-reading interactions. The quality of children's home literacy environments and mother–child joint book-reading interactions was related to children's development of early literacy skills. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of understanding the connection between parents' literacy beliefs and behaviors in designing effective literacy interventions and creating school and family literacy connections.     

Don’t Rush Me . . . Go the Full 40: AWHONN’s Public Health Campaign Promotes Spontaneous Labor and Normal Birth to Reduce Overuse of Inductions and Cesareans

Don’t Rush Me . . . Go the Full 40 is a grassroots public health campaign from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) that educates women about the physiologic benefits of full-term pregnancy for themselves and their babies. GoTheFull40.com seeks to increase the percentage of women who complete at least 40 weeks of pregnancy, decrease the percentage of women who choose elective induction or elective cesarean surgery, and increase nurses’ and other pregnancy-care providers’ effectiveness in reducing the number of elective inductions and cesarean surgeries. Childbirth educators and other pregnancy providers are asked to share the campaign with women in preconception and prenatal settings to encourage waiting for spontaneous labor leading to full-term births when all is healthy and well with the mother and fetus.     

Donald Super: A Personal View of the Man and His Work

Some comments about Donald E. Super, the man, reflecting many years of professional contact and personal friendship, provide a background for a brief summary of two dimensions of his theory regarded by the writer as major influences on the field of career development: the Life Career Rainbow and the Archway of Career Determinants. One highlight of his international impact is noted. Observations are made about two aspects of Super's formulation that he may have considered ``unfinished business'.     

#2: Freedom of Movement throughout Labor

In this position paper-one of six care practice papers published by Lamaze International and reprinted here with permission-the benefit of allowing freedom of movement throughout labor is discussed and presented as an evidence-based practice that helps promote, protect, and support normal birth. The paper is written for childbearing women and their families. The accompanying commentary-written by a well-known author of numerous articles and books on childbirth-compares the activities of women in two birthing environments: the conventional medicalized setting and the unconventional naturalistic setting. Reasons why women may not move in labor are presented. Lamaze International encourages women to use movement in labor in order to make labor more comfortable and more efficient.