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

Evaluation of Careers Yorkshire and the Humber Inspiration activity and good practice guide

The research suggests that Careers Yorkshire and the Humber (CYH) is continuing to make good progress in its inspiration work and fulfilling the expectations that it set itself in its Inspiration plans. Whilst celebrating its continuing achievements CYH is set on a journey of improvement and is actively seeking to continue to work collaboratively with partners, to make the most of its networks, to continue to provide impartial, labour market information and to grow the infrastructure to meet the needs of young people and their parents and advisers for reliable career-related information and support activities. The context for CYH’s inspiration work during 2016-2017 has become more complex as more organisations and services become available. This presents challenges but also opportunities which CYH appear to have grasped with enthusiasm.Careers Yorkshire and the Humbe

Incorporating The Fifth Domain To The Danielson Framework To Support Charism In Catholic Education

Catholic school academic leaders need to work to not only increase student achievement and instructional outcomes for students but also to increase those through the lens of the Catholic school identity and the individual school’s charism (Belmonte & Cranston, 2009; Cook, 2015; Dygert, 1998). The research was driven by the central research question: How have Catholic school academic leaders utilized the Danielson Framework to improve definitions of good teaching within a Catholic school through the addition of a 5th domain to the Danielson Framework for Teaching? Catholic school academic leaders need to create a culture where these processes also support the development of the Catholic charism (Belmonte & Cranston, 2009; Cook, 2015; Cook & Simonds, 2011; Dygert,1998). The task of Catholic schools to develop appropriate processes and tools which would work to assess the Catholic identity, gather and analyze data which can be used to implement appropriate change and professional development is overwhelming, but essential to maintaining the integrity of the Catholic school identity (Belmonte & Cranston, 2009; Cook, 2015; Cook & Simonds, 2011). The researcher, through a single-case design, utilized an interpretive framework to guide the research process (Creswell and Poth, 2018). The researcher conducted an analysis of key observations, evaluations, and professional development documents specific to the identified school. The researcher conducted an online survey for the faculty to document their perceptions and implementation of the school’s Fifth Domain specific to the school’s charism. Finally, the researcher conducted individual interviews with key academic administrators responsible for faculty observations, evaluations and professional development to seek to understand how they utilize the data gathered from the Fifth Domain framework to impact school decisions and positively develop the charism of the school. The researcher learned that professional development for and by administrators was paramount in supporting the sponsoring orders charism. Faculty members felt supported in learning about the charism through school wide professional development, however there were limited opportunities for individual professional development related to charism. This study provides insights to administrators in religiously sponsored schools interested in increasing charism transmission in their schools

Household ownership and use of insecticide treated nets among target groups after implementation of a national voucher programme in the United Republic of Tanzania: plausibility study using three annual cross sectional household surveys.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme on the coverage and equitable distribution of insecticide treated nets, used to prevent malaria, to pregnant women and their infants. DESIGN: Plausibility study using three nationally representative cross sectional household and health facility surveys, timed to take place early, mid-way, and at the end of the roll out of the national programme. SETTING: The Tanzania National Voucher Scheme was implemented in antenatal services, and phased in on a district by district basis from October 2004 covering all of mainland Tanzania in May 2006. PARTICIPANTS: 6115, 6260, and 6198 households (in 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively) in a representative sample of 21 districts (out of a total of 113). INTERVENTIONS: A voucher worth $2.45 ( pound1.47, euro1.74) to be used as part payment for the purchase of a net from a local shop was given to every pregnant woman attending antenatal services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Insecticide treated net coverage was measured as household ownership of at least one net and use of a net the night before the survey. Socioeconomic distribution of nets was examined using an asset based index. RESULTS: Steady increases in net coverage indicators were observed over the three year study period. Between 2005 and 2007, household ownership of at least one net (untreated or insecticide treated) increased from 44% (2686/6115) to 65% (4006/6198; P<0.001), and ownership of at least one insecticide treated net doubled from 18% (1062/5961) to 36% (2229/6198) in the same period (P<0.001). Among infants under 1 year of age, use of any net increased from 33% (388/1180) to 56% (707/1272; P<0.001) and use of an insecticide treated net increased from 16% (188/1180) to 34% (436/1272; P<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, household ownership was positively associated with time since programme launch, although this association did not reach statistical significance (P=0.09). Each extra year of programme operation was associated with a 9 percentage point increase in household insecticide treated net ownership (95% confidence interval -1.6 to 20). In 2005, only 7% (78/1115) of nets in households with a child under 1 year of age had been purchased with a voucher; this value increased to 50% (608/1211) in 2007 (P<0.001). In 2007, infants under 1 year in the least poor quintile were more than three times more likely to have used an insecticide treated net than infants in the poorest quintile (54% v 16%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Tanzania National Voucher Scheme was associated with impressive increases in the coverage of insecticide treated nets over a two year period. Gaps in coverage remain, however, especially in the poorest groups. A voucher system that facilitates routine delivery of insecticide treated nets is a feasible option to "keep up" coverage

Assessment of a national voucher scheme to deliver insecticide-treated mosquito nets to pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of a health-related intervention may be compromised by the challenges of delivering the intervention on a large scale. We analyzed the process involved in the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme, a system for delivering insecticide-treated mosquito nets to pregnant women. We aimed to identify potential ways to equitably improve overall coverage of the intervention. METHODS: We defined five steps in the process. We collected data from a multistage cluster survey of nationally representative households conducted in 2007 across 21 districts in Tanzania. Using these data, we multiplied the rate of success of each step cumulatively to estimate the overall success of the system. RESULTS: The rate of coverage for use of insecticide-treated nets among pregnant women was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19%-27%). We observed large differences in coverage by socio-economic status, from 7% (95% CI 4%-13%) among participants in the poorest households to 48% (95% CI 38%-59%) among those in the richest households. The rate of success of each step in the process was high (60%-98%). However, the cumulative rate of success for the process as a whole was low (30%). The largest and most inequitable reduction in coverage occurred in the step involving treatment of nets with insecticide. INTERPRETATION: The cumulative effect of modest attrition at several steps in the process substantially diminished the overall rate of coverage for all women, but most markedly among the poorest participants. Analysis of the process suggests that delivery of nets treated with long-lasting insecticide rather than untreated nets packaged with an insecticide-treatment kit could result in an improvement in coverage of 22 percentage points, from 30% to 52%

Interest in a Retireman Housing Complex as Expressed by Elderly Residents of Stillwater, Oklahoma

Housing, Design and Consumer Resource

A study of the audio-visual program of unified school district no. 378 Riley County, Kansas

Call number: LD2668 .R4 1967 H25

Does expanding fiscal space lead to improved funding of the health sector in developing countries?: lessons from Kenya, Lagos State (Nigeria) and South Africa

This article examines whether increased tax revenue in the three territories of Kenya, Lagos State (Nigeria) and South Africa was accompanied by improved resource allocation to their public health sectors, and explores the reasons underlying the observed trends.CW201

Prevocational integrated extended rural clinical experience (PIERCE): cutting through the barriers to prevocational rural medical education

Introduction: Despite an increase in the number of undergraduate training positions, Australia faces a critical shortage of medical practitioners in regional, rural and remote communities. Extended rural clinical placements have shown great utility in undergraduate medical curricula, increasing training capacity and providing comparable educational outcomes while promoting rural medicine as a career. The Prevocational Integrated Extended Rural Clinical Experience (PIERCE) was developed to increase the training capacity of the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway (QRGP) and strengthen trainee commitment to rural practice by offering an authentic, extended 15-week rural term that provided an integrated experience in anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics, while meeting the requirements for satisfactory completion of prevocational rural generalist training. This study sought to evaluate whether trainees believed PIERCE and/or traditional regional hospital specialty placements achieved their learning objectives and to identify elements of the placements that contributed to, or were a barrier to, their realisation. Methods: This translational qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of QRGP trainees who undertook a PIERCE placement in three Queensland rural hospitals (Mareeba, Proserpine and Stanthorpe) in 2015, with a matched cohort of trainees who undertook regional hospital placements in anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics at a regional referral hospital (Cairns, Mackay and Toowoomba base hospitals). The study used a realist evaluation framework that investigates What works, for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects and why? Results: PIERCE provided an enjoyable and valued rural training experience that promoted trainee engagement with, and contribution to, a rural community of practice, reinforcing their commitment to a career in rural medicine. However, QRGP trainees did not accept that PIERCE could be a substitute for regional hospital experience in anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics. Rather, trainees thought PIERCE and regional hospital placements offered complementary experiences. PIERCE offered integrated, hands-on rural clinical experience in which trainees had more autonomy and responsibility. Regional hospital placements offered more traditional caseload learning experiences based on observation and the handing down of knowledge and skills by hospital-based supervisors. Conclusion: Both PIERCE and regional hospital placements provided opportunities and threats to the attainment of the curriculum objectives of the Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Fellowship in Advanced Rural General Practice curricula. PIERCE trainees enjoyed the opportunity to experience rural medicine in a community setting, a broad caseload, hands-on proficiency, continuity of care and an authentic role as a valued member of the clinical team. This was reinforced by closer and more consistent clinical and educational interactions with their supervisors, and learning experiences that address key weaknesses identified in current hospital-based prevocational training. Successful achievement of prevocational curriculum objectives is contingent on strategic alignment of the curricula with supportive learning mechanisms focused by the learning context on the desired outcome, rural practice. This study adds weight to the growing consensus that rural community-based placements such as PIERCE are desirable components of prevocational training

Autism in the Workplace: Assessing the Transition Needs of Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Over the next decade, close to half a million people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will reach adulthood. Research suggests that the career and life outcomes for young adults with ASD are poor as compared with those of the general population. Nevertheless, there is relatively little research on the work experiences of young adults with ASD that focuses on their career aspirations, preparation for work, career experiences, and the barriers associated with their transition into the world of work. Given the large numbers of young adults with ASD who are exiting secondary school and vocational training programs, it is imperative to understand the issues associated with their transition into the world of work. The purpose of this study, which utilizes a survey questionnaire and focus group, is to assess the transition needs and experiences of young adults with ASD as they prepare to enter the workplace. The results indicate that young adults with ASD face significant transition barriers when navigating the world of work and have certain transition needs. Policy implications for the transition needs identified are presented