Methods and ethics in qualitative research exploring young children’s voice : A systematic review

Young children have rights; they are agents and active constructors of their social worlds. Despite well-established theoretical foundations, the ‘methods’ and ‘ethics’ of qualitative research to elicit young children’s voice require further exploration to ensure young children are central to our research endeavors. This systematic review examined studies that sought to capture young children’s (3–6 years) voice in Early Childhood Education and Care settings. Fifty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Interview was found to be the most common strategy; this is often coupled with other child-friendly methods. Findings suggest that young children are increasingly listened to; however, there appears to be a need to further promote children’s agency and the inclusion of assent-seeking as an ongoing process. Gaps in methods supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs and Indigenous children are also evident. In addition, advancing non-permanent methods of meaning making to support children’s participation appears ripe for methodological innovation

Improved estimate of the policy-relevant background ozone in the United States using the GEOS-Chem global model with 1/2° × 2/3° horizontal resolution over North America

The policy-relevant background (PRB) ozone is defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the surface ozone concentration that would be present over the US in the absence of North American anthropogenic emissions. It is intended to provide a baseline for risk and exposure assessments used in setting the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). We present here three-year statistics (2006–2008) of PRB ozone over the US calculated using the GEOS-Chem global 3-D model of atmospheric composition with 1/2° × 2/3° horizontal resolution over North America and adjacent oceans (2° × 2.5° for the rest of the world). We also provide estimates of the US background (no anthropogenic US emissions) and natural background (no anthropogenic emissions worldwide and pre-industrial methane). Our work improves on previous GEOS-Chem PRB estimates through the use of higher model resolution, 3-year statistics, better representation of stratospheric influence, and updated emissions. PRB is particularly high in the intermountain West due to high elevation, arid terrain, and large-scale subsidence. We present for this region a detailed model evaluation showing that the model is successful in reproducing ozone exceedances up to 70 ppbv. However, the model cannot reproduce PRB-relevant exceptional events associated with wildfires or stratospheric intrusions. The mean PRB estimates for spring–summer are 27 ± 8 ppbv at low-altitude sites and 40 ± 7 ppbv at high-altitude sites. Differences between the PRB simulation and the natural simulation indicate a mean enhancement from intercontinental pollution and anthropogenic methane of 9 ppbv at low-altitude sites and 13 ppbv at high-altitude sites. The PRB is higher than average when ozone exceeds 60 ppbv, particularly in the intermountain West. Our PRB estimates are on average 4 ppbv higher than previous GEOS-Chem studies and we attribute this to higher lighting, increasing Asian emissions, and improved model resolution. Whereas previous studies found no occurrences of PRB exceeding 60 ppbv, we find here some occurrences in the intermountain West. The annual 4th-highest PRB values in the intermountain West are typically 50–60 ppbv, as compared to 35–45 ppbv in the East or on the West Coast. Such high PRB values in the intermountain West suggest that special consideration of this region may be needed if the ozone NAAQS is decreased to a value in the 60–70 ppbv range.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science

Social and emotional development in early childhood

Chapter 8 discusses evidence about children’s social and emotional development from health and psychology research in relation to early childhood practice. The authors maintain that early childhood is a critical window for children’s social and emotional development and a time where children learn about social cues and use prosocial behaviours to develop positive relationships with peers and adults. Risk and protective factors for children’s social and emotional development are presented along with an argument about the importance of the educator’s role.https://research.acer.edu.au/strong-foundations/1007/thumbnail.jp

A systematic review of humour‐based strategies for addressing public health priorities

Objective: To systematically review research into the use of humour-based health promotion strategies for addressing public health issues during the past 10 years. Method: The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the review. Mental health, breast and testicular cancer self-examination, safe sex, skin cancer and binge drinking public health issues were targeted. Humour-based strategies were used to influence health attitudes and behaviours, encourage interpersonal sharing to indirectly affect health behaviour, and investigate the level of threat and humour associated with positive outcomes. Findings provided some evidence to support the use of humour-based strategies as determined by the right combination of audience characteristics, level of humour and amusement evoked, and message persuasion and behaviour change methods underpinning strategies. Conclusion: Methodologies varied limiting comparability, although overall results indicate that humour-based health promotion strategies may be a useful tool for increasing awareness and help-seeking behaviour for public health priorities, particularly those associated with stigma. Implications for public health: Humour interventions vary widely because there can never be a standardised approach to evoking humour. Further research examining humour and public health promotion is needed

Social and emotional learning in early childhood education and care : a public health perspective

Mental health and behavioural disorders account for one of the largest and fastest-growing categories of burden of disease globally, and mental ill-health is the leading cause of health-related disability in children and youth.1 In Australia, 13.6% of children aged 4 to 11 years meet diagnostic criteria for at least one mental health disorder.2 Approaches such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in educational settings can play an important role in fostering the social-emotional skills that promote future wellbeing and prevent chronic health problems including depression, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and substance abuse.3, 4 SEL intervention supports educators to foster children's social-emotional development through explicit teaching, modelling, practice and integration within other areas of learning.5 In schools, it has been positioned within a public health framework, recognising that universal programming, tiered layers of support, and integration across classrooms, schools, families and communities may offer public health benefits.6 Research evidence suggests SEL programming in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) can similarly have a significant positive impact on children's mental health.7-10 However, SEL research in ECEC has focused on the classroom level, with less emphasis on systemic approaches that encourage individual, interpersonal, organisational and community factors to promote children's social-emotional functioning and potentially prevent outcomes of mental and physical illness. This commentary considers SEL intervention in early childhood through a public health lens and introduces a conceptual public health model of SEL in ECEC. It examines the meaning and dimensions of a ‘public health model’, the features of and evidence-base for public health approaches in educational settings, and the opportunities and challenges to systemically embed SEL within the early learning environment

Does an integrated, wrap-around school and community service model in an early learning setting improve academic outcomes for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds?

Many children start school developmentally vulnerable and struggle to keep up with their peers. Children experiencing socioeconomic-disadvantage are at higher risk of poor developmental outcomes. A high-quality education and wrap-around community-service model, such as the Doveton Model, at Doveton College, Australia, may improve outcomes for families experiencing entrenched disadvantage. This study focussed on the effect of this model on early-learning (pre-formal schooling) for school entry readiness and academic achievement over the subsequent four years. Students who did/did not attend the Doveton Model Early-Learning-Centre were compared using standard reading, oral-language, writing and numeracy tests from school-entry to Year 3. There was a trend towards higher academic achievement for students who attended Doveton early-learning compared to students who had not. Many tests showed statistically significant differences, despite low sample sizes. This study provides preliminary evidence that attending early-learning within a high-quality, wrap-around service model may have significant academic benefits for disadvantaged children