#6: no separation of mother and baby with unlimited opportunity for breastfeeding

In this position paper-one of six care practice papers published by Lamaze International and reprinted here with permission-the value of keeping mothers and their babies together from the moment of birth is discussed and presented as an evidenced-based practice that helps promote, protect, and support normal birth. The paper is written for childbearing women and their families. Babies held skin-to-skin with their mothers cry less often, breathe easier, and stay warmer than babies who are separated from their mothers. They also instinctively attach to the breast and begin breastfeeding, usually within one hour of birth. The advantages of rooming-in for mother and baby are also discussed. The accompanying commentary-written by two leading professionals in the field of maternity care and pediatrics-provides further evidence to support the practice of keeping mothers and their babies together after birth. Lamaze International encourages women to give birth in settings that do not separate mothers and babies after birth.     

The Influence of Risk Factors on Preschoolers’ Spanish Vocabulary Development in the Context of Spanish Instruction

Research Findings: This longitudinal study investigated the Spanish vocabulary development of dual-language-learning (DLL) children (N = 150) from Spanish-speaking, low-income, predominantly immigrant homes who were enrolled in a state-funded preschool program that provided instruction in Spanish. Children’s Spanish vocabulary trajectories were examined, as were patterns of co-occurring risk. In addition, the relation of individual and cumulative risk factors at preschool entry on Spanish vocabulary development was explored. Findings reveal that, on average, children’s receptive Spanish vocabulary skills, which started below age-level norms at the beginning of the preschool year, grew to surpass age-level norms by the end of the year. These gains were made despite children facing, on average, eight risk factors. The investigation of patterns of co-occurring risk and the effect of individual risk factors on Spanish vocabulary outcomes reveal that some social risk factors, such as having an unemployed parent, might function as a protective factor in this population. Practice or Policy: This study paves the way for future work in determining the role of native-language instruction for supporting language growth among DLL children. In addition, it expands the research literature on the nature and influence of social and economic risks in this population of children.     

Loss of Institutional Trust Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Consequence of Procedural Injustice and a Cause of Life‐Span Outcomes

This research tested a social‐developmental process model of trust discernment. From sixth to eighth grade, White and African American students were surveyed twice yearly (ages 11–14; Study 1, N = 277). African American students were more aware of racial bias in school disciplinary decisions, and as this awareness grew it predicted a loss of trust in school, leading to a large trust gap in seventh grade. Loss of trust by spring of seventh grade predicted African Americans’ subsequent discipline infractions and 4‐year college enrollment. Causality was confirmed with a trust‐restoring “wise feedback” treatment delivered in spring of seventh grade that improved African Americans’ eighth‐grade discipline and college outcomes. Correlational findings were replicated with Latino and White students (ages 11–14; Study 2, N = 206).     

Second-order schedules: Manipulation of brief-stimulus duration at component completion

In a second-order schedule, fixed-interval components were reinforced according to a variable-interval schedule. A brief stimulus accompanied the completion of each fixed interval. Brief-stimulus duration was varied across conditions from 0.5 to 8 sec. Patterning was greater the longer the duration of the stimulus. Additionally, exposure to relatively long brief-stimulus durations enhanced patterning upon reexposure to shorter brief-stimulus durations.     

Reading Disabilities Among Hebrew-speaking Children in Upper Elementary Grades: The Role of Phonological and Nonphonological Language Skills

The purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of phonological and nonphonological language skills to reading among Hebrew-speaking children with and without reading disabilities (RD) aged 10–13. We expected that the performance of children with RD would be significantly poorer in all of the language processes compared with those of chronological age-matched children with no RD. Also, we expected that nonphonological language skills would contribute unique variance to reading level. The results showed that the most marked predictor for all reading measures was the phonological awareness measure. However, nonphonological language skills also showed a significant contribution to variance in accuracy and rate of reading real words but not to variance in pseudoword reading. The discussion highlights how investigating different orthographic systems can deepen our understanding of the role of the different language processes at play in reading. Our results further stress the importance of using multi-componential reading measures (i.e., pseudowords, real words and reading rate) when analyzing the relationship between reading and language skills.     

Between teachers’ perceptions and civic conceptions: lessons from three Israeli civics teachers

Building on sociocultural theories of teaching and learning, rooted in constructivist traditions, this study examined the teaching of civics in relation to contextual sociocultural factors in the Israeli educational system. The study focused on ways in which three civics teachers conceptualized and framed notions of good citizenship in relation to the teaching of the civics subject matter, and on the ways in which such notions manifest in their planned teaching. The main finding points to how the teachers framed their civics lessons in a manner that was in congruence with their perceptions of their students’ approaches to citizenship. Thus, the study reaches the conclusion that teachers’ perceptions are a key element in framing and conceptualizing civics lessons, resulting in a reality in which students from different backgrounds may experience significant differences in their orientation to the notion of good citizenship, limiting their exposure to multiple views.     

International perspectives and initiatives

This article introduces a new column which will explore the way different regions and nation states are dealing with the challenges of managing health information. The intention is to draw together trends which are relevant to both health science librarians and health informatics professionals. This inaugural piece maps out the territory. It provides a rationale for the column, along with evidence of current initiatives to articulate a global perspective on the application of communication and information technologies to health information.     

Naming Block Structures: A Multimodal Approach

This study describes symbolic representation in block play in a culturally diverse suburban preschool classroom. Block play is multimodal and can allow children to experiment with materials to represent the world in many forms of literacy. Combined qualitative and quantitative data from seventy-seven block structures were collected and analyzed. The observed frequency of symbolism used for three levels of symbolism (1) pre-symbolism, (2) first level symbolism, and (3) second level symbolism was investigated. Results indicated significant differences for first level symbolism or real-world objects. Students reported making homes for Webkinz, indicating an ability to encode multimodally the Webkinz computer game played at home to their school block play. The implications from these findings suggest educators should consider both a sociocultural perspective on playing and children’s out of-school experiences on learning. A research agenda that includes multimodality as performance is critical to early childhood education.