‘Health literacy for all’: exploring the feasibility of an intervention to reduce health disparities among rural children

ABSTRACT

Roughly one in five U.S. children live in rural areas and they are more likely than nonrural children to experience chronic illnesses, unfulfilled medical needs, and poverty – yet health literacy intervention research for rural children is lacking. Thus, this study explores a health literacy intervention in two rural public elementary schools that have very different socioeconomic levels, educational achievement rates, and initial health literacy scores. Findings show significant improvement in health literacy in the low-income school, such that the initial differences in health literacy between the two schools were no longer present at posttest (p?<?.001). There was a slight improvement in School 1 students' perceived confidence to communicate with healthcare providers, but School 2 students' communication confidence did not change from pre to post intervention. The hopeful outcomes suggest implications for future school-based interventions that teach young children about health communication, self-efficacy, and critical decision-making.     

Relative importance of early childhood development domains for schooling progression: Longitudinal Evidence from the Zambia Early Childhood Development Project

While the effects of early childhood development on later educational outcomes have been widely studied in western countries, rigorous evidence from sub-Saharan African countries is limited. This longitudinal study uses Zambian children’s developmental outcomes at age six as predictors of educational enrollment and attainment at age 15. Fine motor, receptive language, and early literacy skills were most strongly associated with on-track enrollment. Fine motor skills were most predictive of enrollment. Cognitive, socio-emotional, and executive functioning skills predicted grade repetition. Overall, the results suggest substantial heterogeneity in the associations between domains of early childhood development and adolescent schooling outcomes in Zambia.     

The role of digital information use on student performance and collaboration in marginal universities

Using technology to facilitate learning in universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) has become common practice due to its ability to reduce barriers related to time and space in traditional learning environments. However, current literature mostly focuses on the use of the technology and not on the use of the information it conveys. Also, very few studies focus on technology adoption in universities and HEIs in developing countries, especially those in Africa. Thus, we propose a model that explains the changing information behaviors of students in this digital age and the effect this has on their learning outcomes. We collected questionnaire data from 303 students and analyzed the data using structural equation modelling partial least squares (SEM-PLS). We found that our proposed model explains 60.2 % of student satisfaction, 24.2 % of academic performance, 24.1 % of information sharing, and 19.8 % of their information exchange behavior. This study confirms that the use of digital information and its antecedent factors have significant effects on the college experience of students. This has several implications for information systems research and practice, especially in the design and assessment of technology use in learning environments.     

Strengthening early literacy skills through social promotion policies? Intended and unintended consequences in Costa Rica

Social promotion policies (SPP) are often justified as allowing students to learn at their own pace while avoiding the consequences of grade repetition, particularly in settings where grade repetition is a pervasive feature of the educational system. The 2014 passing of a SPP for first graders in Costa Rica was designed to give students more time in a low-stakes environment to develop the basic literacy skills required for subsequent grades. Using a difference-in-differences approach and the universe of schools in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2017, I explore the downstream effects of the SPP on enrollment and grade repetition outcomes in later grades. I find that while the policy unsurprisingly lowered grade repetition for first graders, it also increased grade repetition rates for second and third graders by 77 % and 24 % respectively, likely due to the presence of students who did not reach the basic literacy standards, and yet passed as a result of the new policy. These negative, unintended consequences were mostly borne by school communities of low socioeconomic status. The paper calls for caution and coherence across grades in the design of SPP, along with better tailored policies for students at risk of repeating grades due to low achievement levels.     

学科核心素养下高中足球模块教学的有效策略

足球模块教学是当代高中体育课程的重要内容,对学生体育核心素养培养起着重要作用,从目前我国高中生的心理素质、身体素质现状来看,改变传统的足球教学模式十分必要,教师要全面掌握体育学科核心素养,并以此为指导明确足球教学目标和重点,注重对学生品德修养的提升和情操的陶冶,以达到促进学生体质增强的同时,实现学生的全面发展。     

Neutralization Role in College Students' Information Seeking Procrastination

This study examines the current state of research in academic procrastination. Neutralization theory is then explored with emphasis on its applicability to academic information seeking and use procrastination. Finally, results of qualitative semi-structured interviews illustrating the applicability of neutralization theory on students' information behavior are presented along with the implications and areas for further research.     

OCLC《科研数据管理的现实》系列报告解读与启示

[目的/意义]分析OCLC《科研数据管理的现实》系列调查报告，为我国大学科研数据管理提供实践思路。[方法/过程]通过案例分析、网络调查和文献研究，总结系列报告主要内容及其关键结论，分析报告内容之间的内在关联，并进一步分析报告的研究特点：科研数据管理的整体观、研究过程的严谨性以及研究结论的指导性。[结果/结论]对我国大学科研数据管理有4个方面启示：科研数据管理服务应适合自身发展需求、开展形式多样的数据素养教育、以合作方式促进数据管理能力建设、充分发挥大学图书馆的核心作用。     

Family poly-victimization and cyberbullying among adolescents in a Chinese school sample

The sustained increase in their use of social networking facilitates the development of adolescents but comes with the risk of cyberbullying, which creates new challenges in regard to adolescent protection. Past evidence shows that family victimization may play an essential role in the way adolescents learn cyberbullying behaviors. Yet, research on the co-occurrence of family victimization and cyberbullying is limited. This study aims to investigate the associations between cyberbullying and family victimization among adolescents, and to examine the health correlates of cyberbullying and family poly-victimization. A large sample of 18,341 students, aged 15–17, from six cities in China, collected between 2009 and 2010 is employed in the present study, which investigated the association between various kinds of family victimization and adolescent cyberbullying. Data analysis was conducted in 2017. In-law conflict, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and neglect, and child maltreatment were associated with a higher possibility of children becoming internet victims. Parents’ divorce and separation, low family income, mother’s low level of education, and father’s unemployment were all associated with cyberbullying victimization. Cyber victimization was positively correlated to symptoms of PTSD and depression, self-harm, and other physical and mental health variables. Possible explanations for the relationships found in this study are discussed and implications for future research and services are provided. Proactive screening for family poly-victimization and cyberbullying is suggested. Schools are highly recommended to cooperate with parents to promote cyber safety.     

美国高等教育中的信息素质标准

本文主要论述了美国高校信息素质教育研究的一个重要方面－－美国高等教育信息素质标准问题，对该标准提出的历史背景、标准的内容和特点进行了明确而又精炼的分析和论述，为促进我国高校信息素质教育的发展提供理论依据。     

Learn after reading: effects of news framing and responsibility attribution on Chinese college students’ perceived efficacy in identifying others and themselves with depression

Depression is now one of the most severe public health threats in China and among Chinese college students. To examine the effects of depression news coverage on Chinese college students’ mental health literacy, focusing on their perceived efficacy in recognizing depression symptoms, a 2 (news framing: episodic vs. thematic)?×?2 (responsibility attribution: individual vs. societal)?×?2 (gender: female vs. male) between-subjects experiment was conducted among 187 students at a large research university in China. The key findings, after controlling for depression issue involvement, include: (1) the main effects of attribution on perceived efficacy in identifying others (friends and family members) with depression; (2) the association between gender and perceived efficacy in identifying family members with depression; and (3) the three-way interactions on how framing, attribution, and gender jointly affect not only perceived efficacy in identifying others but also themselves with depression. These findings provide insights on how depression news coverage can help enhance mental health literacy and build stronger depression symptom resilience among Chinese college students. Implications for health journalists and public health communication professionals in China are discussed.