The story so far... the use of children’s literature in facilitating preschoolers’ awareness of, and sensitivities to social justice issues

[Abstract]: This paper will outline and discuss qualitative research into the above topic at the time of the ARECE 2007 conference. The PhD research project will be at the point of beginning to synthesise findings; hence the title 'The story so far…' The aims of the research, guided by interpretative perspectives, hermeneutics and a constructive paradigm, are: To investigate ways in which children’s literature (picture books) can help preschoolers’ to reflect upon, clarify and articulate their awareness of, and sensitivities to social justice issues; To explore whether preschoolers can critically examine children’s literature to identify social injustices; To identify transformative and productive ways of sharing the teaching/learning experience that work to enhance preschool children’s awareness and understanding of social justice issues through storytime sessions. The research design is Participatory Action Research. This paper will discuss the research process so far: the topic’s background and literature review, purposeful participant recruitment, methodology, data gathering and initial findings and how they may contribute to early childhood education as a whole and specifically to teaching for social justice. However, this research story is a work in progress as data gathering was only recently completed and synthesis and thorough analysis are now in progress. As the title suggests this research story is 'To be continued …

Participatory action research, sacred existential epistemology, the eighth moment of qualitative research and beyond…

[Abstract]: This paper discusses how, in a doctoral study, a collaborative methodology employing Participatory Action Research was embraced, upholding respectful relationships and partnerships that generated co-construction of change in two preschool settings. Participatory Action Research signifies an epistemology that underpins the belief that knowledge is embedded in social relationships and is most influential when produced collaboratively through action. This paper also explains how the research group moved away from the label of feminist poststructuralist researchers towards a feminist communitarian ethic. Such an ethic is underpinned by a sacred existential epistemology that values empowerment, morally involved observers, shared governance, love, care, community, solidarity and civic transformation. This epistemology is based on a philosophical anthropology that affirms all human beings, without exception, are worthy of dignity and ‘sacred status’. The paper concludes by locating the research firmly in what Denzin and Lincoln (2005) refer to as the eighth moment of qualitative research. This moment is marked by researchers concerned with social justice, liberation methodology and moral purpose

Visual cortical alpha rhythms : function and relation to other dynamic signatures in local networks

The alpha rhythm (8-12Hz) was the first EEG rhythm recorded by Hans Berger in 1929. Despite being the earliest rhythm discovered, alpha rhythms remain the most mysterious in terms of mechanism and function. In the visual system, post-stimulus alpha oscillations are observed upon closing of the eyes or removal of visual stimulus. Alpha rhythms have been implicated in functional inhibition and short term memory. This thesis presents a rat in vitro model of the cortical alpha rhythm. This was achieved by mimicking the neuromodulatory changes that occur upon the removal of visual stimulus. Beta oscillations were induced by excitation of the visual cortex slice using the glutamate agonist kainate [800nM] to mimic sensory stimulation. This excitatory drive was then reduced using the AMPA and KA receptor antagonist NBQX [5µM], followed by the blocking of neuronal Ih current with DK-AH269 [10µM] to produce alpha frequency oscillations.Alpha activity was seen throughout all cortical laminae, with alpha power predominating in layer IV of the V1. The rhythm was found to be criticallydependent upon NMDA receptor-mediated connections between neurons which required the need to be potentiated in the prior excitation phase leading to beta frequency oscillations. Alpha activity was also dependent upon gap junctional coupling and had neuromodulatory effects similar to the human profile of alpha.Alpha oscillations were generated by pyramidal neurons found in layer IV of the V1 which elicited burst discharges. The alpha rhythm was not dominated by synaptic inhibition despite the functional inhibition role it is thought to play. Instead, the alpha rhythm appeared to dynamically uncouple activity in the primary thalamorecipient neurons (layer IV regular spiking cells) from down-stream activity in both supragranular and infragranular layers. In this manner, the alpha rhythm appears to be ideally constructed to prevent ascending visual information from both passing on to higher order visual areas, and also being influenced by top-down signal from these areas

Development of food photographs for use with children aged 18 months to 16 years:comparison against weighed food diaries – The Young Person’s Food Atlas (UK)

Traditional dietary assessment methods, used in the UK, such as weighed food diaries impose a large participant burden, often resulting in difficulty recruiting representative samples and underreporting of energy intakes. One approach to reducing the burden placed on the participant is to use portion size assessment tools to obtain an estimate of the amount of food consumed, removing the need to weigh all foods. An age range specific food atlas was developed for use in assessing children’s dietary intakes. The foods selected and portion sizes depicted were derived from intakes recorded during the UK National Diet and Nutrition Surveys of children aged 1.5 to 16 years. Estimates of food portion sizes using the food atlas were compared against 4-day weighed intakes along with in-school / nursery observations, by the research team. Interviews were conducted with parents the day after completion of the diary, and for children aged 4 to 16 years, also with the child. Mean estimates of portion size consumed were within 7% of the weight of food recorded in the weighed food diary. The limits of agreement were wide indicating high variability of estimates at the individual level but the precision increased with increasing age. For children 11 years and over, agreement with weighed food diaries, was as good as that of their parents in terms of total weight of food consumed and of intake of energy and key nutrients. The age appropriate food photographs offer an alternative to weighed intakes for dietary assessment with children

An Online Module to Promote Self-Care and Resiliency in Nursing Students

Because the demands of nursing education can impact the physical and mental health of nursing students, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s revised Essentials require inclusion of self-care and resilience education in nursing curricula. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a self-care module in a new online undergraduate course. Using the REST mnemonic (relationships, exercise, soul, and transformative thinking), students developed personalized self-care plans for the semester. End-of-course evaluations revealed an increase in self-care activities. The most used activities were exercise, humor, intentional rest, and healthy eating

Contributing Factors to Withdrawal Decisions of Military and Nonmilitary Nursing Students

Retaining nursing students in courses is key to increasing the number of new nurses. This study examined factors associated with nursing course or program withdrawal among students with and without prior military experience. The purpose of this study was to uncover differences between groups of students who withdrew compared to those who did not. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire surveyed current or recent nursing students (n = 420) using the Educational Requirement Subscale and the Student Withdrawal Questionnaire from Jeffreys’ toolkit. Uncovering differences between groups of students who did and did not withdraw from nursing courses or programs shows opportunities for nurse educators to improve strategies for student retention. Students with and without prior military experience reported statistically similar confidence levels, withdrawal rates, and reasons for withdrawal. There was a positive relationship between higher confidence levels and rates of withdrawal. Factors with the strongest influence for withdrawal were academic difficulties (mean = 2.56), family responsibilities (mean = 2.59) and family crisis (mean = 2.62). First generation students reported the greatest level of course withdrawals. Participation in nursing clubs and faculty advisement and helpfulness were most helpful to participants who reported past withdrawal. Data from this study can guide nurse educators to create greater program support and opportunity for peer support for students experiencing factors associated with course withdrawal

A Comparison of Factors that Impact Retention of Nursing Students With and Without Military Experience: A Mixed Method Study

Military veteran students have unique characteristics and challenges that influence their academic success. The factors impacting retention of nursing students with prior military experience may differ from students with no military experience. This mixed methods study used an anonymous survey guided by Jeffreys\u27 Nursing Undergraduate Retention and Success Model to identify factors that support or restrict prelicensure nursing program retention of military veteran students compared to students with no history of military service. Statistically significant differences between groups were detected for three factors including financial status, membership in nursing organizations or clubs, and financial aid and/or scholarship. There was a clear distinction between traditional and nontraditional students. Three qualitative themes emerged: Responsibilities and support systems, well-being and coping, program support, and caring. Results of this study can be used by nursing faculty to develop strategies to support the academic success of prelicensure nursing students, and specifically to meet the unique needs of students with prior military experience

Cracking the Discovery Code

An alternative perspective of discovery services. What effect are they having on content usage at the publisher site and is it the effect that you would expect? What are the common pitfalls and how can you address them? Publishers, librarians and discovery service providers discuss

3D transdimensional seismic tomography of the inner core

Body wave observations of the Earth's inner core show that it contains strong seismic heterogeneity, both laterally and radially. Models of inner core structure generated using body wave data are often limited by their parameterisation. Thus, it is difficult to determine whether features such as anisotropic hemispheres or an innermost inner core truly exist with their simple shapes, or result only from the chosen parameterisation and are in fact more complex features. To overcome this limitation, we conduct seismic tomography using transdimensional Markov Chain Monte Carlo on a high quality dataset of 5296 differential and 2344 absolute P-wave travel times. In a transdimensional approach, the data defines the model space parameterisation, providing us with both the mean value of each model parameter and its probability distribution, allowing us to identify well versus poorly constrained regions. We robustly recover many first order observations found in previous studies without the imposition of a priori fixed geometry including an isotropic top layer (with anisotropy less than 1%) which is between 60 and 170 km thick, and separated into hemispheres with a slow west and a faster east. Strong anisotropy (with a maximum of 7.2%) is found mainly in the west, with much weaker anisotropy in the east. We observe for the first time that the western anisotropic zone is largely confined to the northern hemisphere, a property which would not be recognised in models assuming a simple hemispherical parameterisation. We further find that the inner most inner core, in which the slowest anisotropic velocity direction is tilted relative to Earth's axis of rotation (zeta = 55 & PLUSMN; 16), is offset by 400 km from the centre of the inner core and is restricted to the eastern hemisphere. We propose that this anomalous anisotropy might indicate the presence of a different phase of iron (either bcc or fcc) compared to the rest of the inner core (hcp)