Pre-service teacher implementation of strategy instruction: Effects on the comprehension of middle school students

Recent legislation related to dyslexia has increased the focus on how reading is being taught in schools and how teachers are prepared to teach reading at the pre-service level. One promising teaching approach to supporting students with reading difficulties is the self- regulated strategy development (SRSD) model. However, there is limited research regarding whether the model can be implemented by pre-service teachers while still remaining effective. This study investigated the effects and fidelity of implementation of pre-service teacher implemented SRSD on the reading comprehension of middle school students identified as struggling in reading. A multiple baseline design across participants was used. Two undergraduate, pre-service teachers provided instruction. Participants were seven middle school students that demonstrated reading comprehension deficits. All instruction was provided in pairs or small groups. Results indicate that pre-service teachers can adhere to SRSD components and have a positive effect on students’ reading comprehension when implementing SRSD. Ideas for future research and implications are discussed

Becoming a Mother: The Transition to Parenthood

The relationship between mother and child has been one of interest to attachment theorists who have studied this relationship following Bowlby’s (1969/1982) proposition that children are attached to their mother. They suggest that their mother is guided by a caregiving behavioural system to provide care and protection to her child. It has been proposed that this system develops throughout life, reaching a peak in its maturity during pregnancy and the transition to motherhood, however the ontology of this system has not previously been studied. Other researchers have proposed that the relationship during pregnancy is reflective of the mother being attached to her foetus. Although many researchers have studied the relationship between mother and foetus and mother and child, very few have looked at these constructs together. This thesis aims to draw together the differing methodologies to provide a better understanding of what impacts a mother’s transition to parenthood and her relationship with her child. The findings of a total of 6 studies will be discussed. First, this research found that the antenatal relationship between a mother and her foetus is best explained as a caregiving relationship rather than as an attachment relationship. Additionally, maternal relationships with partners were important factors in the women’s transition to motherhood – high relationship satisfaction and providing responsive care to partners 1 year after giving birth were significantly associated with lower parenting stress. Finally, a small longitudinal sample from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy until the children were 1 year old is presented. Overall, these results indicate that the development of the caregiving behavioural system merits further study, as it does seem to be related to antenatal relationships, which may impact infant attachment security

Investigating the Knowledge Surrounding Folate and Folic Acid in a Cohort of Vegetarians

BackgroundThe aim is to identify any gaps in the knowledge of folate and folic acid in vegetarians, which is of interest given the increasing adoption of vegetarian type diets. MethodsIn this convenience sample, 106 people answered an online questionnaire regarding folate intake and awareness among vegetarians. This was created using Google Forms and was shared via Facebook, including on various national and college vegetarian group pages. There were 44 questions. Twenty-four participants were excluded, because they reported eating fish, chicken or other meat. Final data analysis included 82 subjects. The majority of these vegetarians were females over the age of 30. ResultsFifty-five percent of those aged23% of those \u3e30, did not know the recommended stage for folic acid supplementation. Thirty-four percent of females, did not know any good food sources of folate compared to 67% of males. ConclusionsThere was an overall lack of knowledge regarding the recommended stage for folic acid intake and the required quantity of folic acid to be taken among vegetarians. This research suggests that more public health campaigns are needed in order to increase the knowledge and intake of folic acid

Adult attachment and birth experience: importance of a secure base and safe haven during childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: Examine connections between mothers' adult attachment and subjective birth experience in the context of parity and mode of delivery. BACKGROUND: Research has established a clear connection between adult attachment and birth experience. This study extended previous research with an in-depth self-report attachment measure examining different dimensions of mothers' attachment representations and their relation to subjective birth experience.  Interactions between mode of delivery and parity were also considered. Method: Participants were 257 mothers who gave birth 4 days to 12 months prior to the study. Mothers' mean age was 30.5 years, 61% primiparas, and 26% delivered by caesarean.  Participants completed an online survey with the Birth Experience Questionnaire, the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire, and demographic information. RESULTS: Hierarchical moderated regression analyses showed direct effects from adult attachment dimensions to mothers' subjective birth experiences, specifically perceived availability, feared loss, separation protest, angry withdrawal, and compulsive careseeking. Interactions emerged for parity and/or mode of delivery for overall subjective birth experience, perceived control, perceived social support, and satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Adult attachment representations related to subjective birth experience, indicating that attachment figures serve as secure bases and safe havens for mothers during childbirth. These results have implications for practitioners and provide direction for future research.This research was supported by a Medical Humanities New Investigator 17 Award from the Wellcome Trust (Grant WT103343MA

Expanding Workplace Inclusion of Employees Who Are Parents of Children with Disabilities through Diversity Training

Employed parents raising children with disabilities manage exceptional care responsibilities along with their work careers. This study examines the effects of targeted diversity training on human resource (HR) professionals’ knowledge of the work–family experiences of these parents, and on their self-efficacy in providing workplace supports. Using computer-based training in field settings, 64 U.S. human resource professionals in an international company participated in two diversity training sessions. Data related to knowledge and efficacy of dependent and disability care were collected before the first training and immediately after the second. HR participants demonstrated significant increases from pretest to posttest on the trained items: knowledge of dependent and disability care and self-efficacy regarding provision of workplace supports. There was no change in relevant but untrained variables over time. Training HR professionals on parents’ exceptional care responsibilities, specific community resources, and heightened self-efficacy promoted their likelihood to grant flexible work arrangements. Results suggest HR self-efficacy is developmental, building on prior knowledge of dependent care and tenure in HR positions. This is one of the first studies that address the effects of HR diversity training regarding employees providing exceptional care. Theoretical developments and implications for inclusive practices are discussed

Antenatal caregiving representations and perinatal behavior in mothers with severe lifetime psychopathology

Psychopathology poses a risk for optimal parenting. The current study explored antenatal caregiving representations as markers for later risk of nonoptimal maternal behavior among mothers with severe mental illness. Sixty‐five mothers diagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression (psychopathology group), and nonclinical controls participated in a longitudinal study from pregnancy to 16 weeks after birth. Mental health diagnoses and caregiving representations were assessed during pregnancy. Maternal behavior was assessed during the 5‐min recovery phase of the still‐face paradigm at 16 weeks. Mothers with psychopathology reported significantly higher levels of “heightened” caregiving representations (i.e., separation anxiety from the child) than did controls. The only significant diagnostic group difference in perinatal maternal behavior was that mothers diagnosed with depression exhibited more overriding‐intrusive behavior than did nonclinical control mothers. Regression modeling results showed that antenatal caregiving representations of “role reversal” predicted significantly lower levels of sensitivity and higher levels of overriding‐intrusive behavior independent of the effect of psychopathology. The findings can be interpreted in the context of representational transformation to motherhood during pregnancy. The results provide preliminary evidence for the potential of a new questionnaire measure of caregiving representations as a screening instrument for antenatal representational risk

The hitchhiker’s guide to co-production: six ways to link knowledge and action for sustainability

By directly linking research processes to change makers, co-production promises to create more impactful knowledge and actions. However, what co-production means in practice is not always clear or consistent. Drawing on the experiences of 32 co-production initiatives from around the world that aim to enhance sustainability, Josephine Chambers, Carina Wyborn, Henrik Österblom, Lakshmi Charli-Joseph, Jessica Cockburn, Rosemary Hill, Ruth Brennan, Chris Cvitanovic and their many co-authors, present a scheme for understanding different kinds of co-production, and the different tradeoffs they entail. In so doing, they highlight 6 modes of co-production that emerge when particular design choices are made

Multimodal imaging of temporal processing in typical and atypical language development

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110858/1/nyas12688.pd

Professional Expectations of Provider LGBTQ Competence: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

Introduction: Mental and behavioral health professional organizations use their governing documents to set expectations of provider competence in working with LGBTQ+ clients. Method: The codes of ethics and training program accreditation guidelines of nine mental and behavioral health disciplines (n=16) were analyzed using template analysis. Results: Coding resulted in fives themes: mission and values, direct practice, clinician education, culturally competent professional development, and advocacy. Expectations for provider competency vary greatly across disciplines. Conclusion: Having a mental and behavioral health workforce that is uniformly competent in meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ populations is key for supporting the mental and behavioral health of LGBTQ persons.This work was supported by the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant U48DP006382). N.D.W. also acknowledges support from the Southern Regional Education Board and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Program. J.N.F. also acknowledges support from the Maryland Population Research Center, by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant P2CHD041041). This work does not expressly represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation