‘Reflect’. Is This a Reasonable Request?

The aim of this project has been to gain understanding of level 4 (first year) undergraduate Early Childhood students’ perceptions of reflection and reflective practice. The intention behind this was to enable the Early Childhood tutor team to support the development of reflective dispositions within our students. Tutors had recognised from previous cohorts that written reflective accounts were predominantly based upon recollections of experiences. These formed the basis of descriptive accounts demonstrating an ability to recall events but not use the experience to question and make sense of what had happened. This displayed what Knight (1996) and Brookfield (1995) describe as a superficial and tokenistic approach to reflective practice and was devoid of any critical edge. ‘Experience alone does not lead to learning; reflecting on experience is essential’ Loughran (2002:35

Are Principles Ever Properly Ignored? A Reply to Beauchamp or Bioethical Paradigms

Symposium: Emerging Paradigms in Bioethic

Effectiveness of CenteringPregnancy on Breast-Feeding Initiation Among African Americans: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

While breastfeeding initiation rates for African American mothers are low, an innovative model of group prenatal care, CenteringPregnancy, holds promise to increase breastfeeding rates. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effects of CenteringPregnancy versus individual prenatal care on breastfeeding initiation among African American mothers. Using a systematic approach and PRISMA guidelines, 4 electronic databases were used to search the literature. English-language studies, comparing CenteringPregnancy and individual prenatal care, including African American participants, and specifying breastfeeding initiation as an outcome were screened for inclusion. Study strength and quality were assessed and 7 studies were systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed. Participation in CenteringPregnancy increased the probability of breastfeeding initiation by 53% (95% confidence interval = 29%-81%) (n = 8047). A subgroup analysis of breastfeeding initiationamong only African American participants was performed on 4 studies where data were available. Participation in CenteringPregnancy increased the probability of breastfeeding initiation by 71% (95% confidence interval = 27%-131%) (n = 1458) for African American participants. CenteringPregnancy is an effective intervention to increase breastfeeding initiation for participants, especially for African Americans. To close the racial gap in breastfeeding initiation, high-quality research providing specific outcomes for African American participants in CenteringPregnancy are needed

How Can I Support Early Childhood Studies Undergraduate Students To Develop Reflective Dispositions?

This thesis is a practitioner based inquiry into how I can support the development of reflective dispositions within Early Childhood Studies (ECS) undergraduate students. The students involved in this research were all level 4 (first year, new entrants) who started their studies at an English University in September 2009. The study takes a Social Constructivist approach through pedagogical action research and was informed by a Reflective Methodology. My own beliefs regarding ontology lie in the notion that there is no one truth; that is multifaceted and that truths are ‘socially constructed multiple realities’ (Patton, 2002, p. 134). This is what Denzin and Lincoln (2008, p. 32) refer to as ‘relativist ontology’. It used qualitative methods to explore my own experiences and the experiences of students in establishing an understanding of expectations to use reflective practice to inform their developing professionalism. My own reflective journey has been a central part of this project and has enabled me to identify how my practice can be improved to enhance the development of a reflective culture within the Centre for Early Childhood in my institution. Reflective lenses of self, colleagues, students and literature have been used to create an understanding of the existing landscape of reflective practice within this particular context. Focus Group Discussion Forums (FGDF); reflective accounts; peer observation and Post-it Note response were all methods used to collect the data. A grounded theory approach to the data analysis was used which was both an inductive and deductive process. The findings of this research have been both enlightening and confirmatory. The pedagogical cultural differences between most new ECS students’ previous educational experiences, and those introduced when they start their programme in HE, entails a shift from a predominantly transmission approach to one of transformative learning. This requires an understanding of the tutor team to create an environment that is conducive to supporting students through this transition that is underpinned by Social Constructivist concepts. The data highlights that strategies already used within the ECS programme are complementary to this transition; however, it also highlights that tutors’ assumptions about students’ capabilities to demonstrate reflective practice is sometimes unreasonable. This research journey and the findings from the data of this project have enabled me to identify some key considerations when supporting the development of reflective dispositions within ECS students and in enabling a ‘Reflective Community of Early Childhood Practice’. These considerations include: • Transitional needs of students • Becoming professionally self-aware and developing a professional artistry • The significance of practical experience and its relationship to theoretical perspectives • Opportunities for collaboration within a community of practice The other significant finding from this inquiry is that of self-discovery and identifying that my own reflective limitations require consideration. My adaptation of Brookfield’s (1995) four lens theory, which includes a new ‘fifth dimension’ that uses a ‘peripheral socio-cultural lens’ to widen and enrich the critical reflective process, has been created. Post viva voce examination has prompted an additional section to this thesis (Section 6). This post script is a critically reflective piece from my perspective as a researcher. Applying my own theory of a wider perspective through a Socio Cultural peripheral lens (Figure 7) which has allowed me to explicitly communicate the significance of this project and demonstrate the relationships between the arguments I make and the impact of these within the early childhood sector and within extended fields of professional practice

Tales from a Data Management Survivalist: Skills Honed in the Wilderness

Karen Hanson, MLIS, is Knowledge Systems Librarian at the New York University School of Medicine. This presentation provided an overview of the research data services projects being undertaken at her institution

The Early Years Network: a Case Study in Continuing Professional Development

This paper describes the organisation of an Early Childhood Network as a forum to support practitioners’ investigation and documentation of practice to build towards a postgraduate qualification. Empirical data is presented from participants’ reflective journals and interviews and the themes emerging from this explored. The need for initiatives to provide professional development for all Early Years Practitioners commensurate with that of teachers within mainstream schooling is asserted. Although this discussion focuses on the UK, the authors believe that the issues raised may be usefully considered by Early Childhood practitioners and those engaged in professional development in other cultures and contexts

In search of America\u27s missing children

It has been called a National Tragedy . It can happen in the park, at the beach, near the church, at the supermarket, at the playground, on the street in front of the house. One moment the child is there: the next moment gone. Short of death itself what could be more shocking to a family than having to report a child missing? Yet it happens to tens of thousands of parents each year. Because children can not look out for themselves, it is our responsibility to look out for them

Selected Hydrologic Data for Cache Valley, Utah and Idaho, 1969-91

This report contains hydrologic data collected in Cache Valley from 1969 to 1991. The report area is in north-central Utah and southeast Idaho, within the Basin and Range physiographic province described by Fenneman (1931), and includes about 660 square miles. Most of the data in this report were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Divisions or Water Resources and Water Rights. Some of the data collected before 1969 were previously published by McGreevy and Bjorklund (1970). The purpose of this report is to provide hydrologic data for use by the general public and by officials managing the area\u27s water resources, and to supplement interpretive reports for the area. Tables 1 to 7 contain selected well, spring, and surface-water data. The numbering systems used in this report for hydrologic-data sites are illustrated in figure 1. Hydrologic-data sites are shown on plate 1. These data could not have been collected without the cooperation of local residents and officials of irrigation companies and municipalities, that permitted access to their wells, springs, and canals to measure water levels in wells and flow in springs and canals. The Idaho Deparment of Water Resources also provided valuable assistance Ind data

No vaccine-no protection: mumps meningoencephalitis and hydrocephalus in an unvaccinated adult.

Mumps virus is a rare cause of hydrocephalus. A non-immunised, healthy 23 year-old male presented to the Emergency Department, 12 days after diagnosis of mumps parotitis. He reported a gradual improvement until the onset of headache and vomiting 48 hours earlier. He had never been immunised, having been born prior to implementation of the Irish measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination programme in 1986. He was afebrile, normotensive, bradycardic, disoriented in time and examination, including fundoscopy was normal. Computerised tomography (CT) scan of the head revealed marked dilatation of the lateral and third ventricles, with early sub-ependymal oedema adjacent to the temporal and frontal horns of the lateral ventricles. The basal cisterns remained patent. The fourth ventricle was normal in size, suggesting that ventricular enlargement was due to aqueductal stenosis

Unseen, Unheard: a Qualitative Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Exclusively Expressing Breast Milk

Background Breast milk feeding has numerous benefits for women and infants. Positive maternal experiences with breast milk feeding impacts exclusivity, duration, and maternal mental health. Most research focuses on women feeding directly at the breast. Some women elect to feed exclusively expressed milk to their healthy, term infants rather than feed directly at the breast. Little is known about what constitutes a positive experience among this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of exclusive expression (EE). Methods Interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams to collect qualitative data from a purposive sample of 21 women practicing EE. Interviews were analyzed for themes. Results Three themes: Unseen and Unheard, Doing it My Way, and Getting into the Groove, and 8 subthemes: Breast is Best, Missed Opportunities for Healthcare Provider Support, Fighting for it, What Works for Us, A Sense of Control, Preparation, Tricks of the Trade, and Making it Manageable were identified. Despite challenges, including a lack of support from healthcare providers and a lack of acknowledgement as breastfeeding mothers, exclusive expression offered participants a method to continue breast milk feeding in a way that they found to be satisfying. Conclusion This study provides insight into experiences of exclusive expression that clinicians can use to improve their support of breast milk feeding during perinatal encounters. Societal pressure to feed from the breast may have negative emotional consequences for women electing to exclusively express. There is a need for more information and support for breast milk expression from healthcare providers along with a reframing of how breast milk feeding is discussed and promoted