Teachers' perspectives of gender differences in the social behaviours of preschool children : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

The present research study explored early childhood teachers’ perspectives about social behaviours and gender in young children, in particular the way in which children’s gender related to teachers’ reports of the prevalence of, perspectives about, and strategies used in response to children’s social behaviours. The specific social behaviours examined within this study were prosocial behaviours, social leadership, social dominance, and aggressive behaviours. This study was designed within an interpretivist and pragmatic epistemology, and used a mixed methods online survey to investigate teachers’ perspectives. The online survey was comprised of four sections: demographics; defining social behaviours and their traits; social behaviour scenarios; and gender and Te Whāriki. To allow investigation of differential responses related to gender, two versions of the survey were created where the gender of the child portrayed in the social behaviour scenarios differed across survey versions. The gendered scenarios were used to gather data on whether there was a difference in teachers’ perspectives about and the teaching strategies used for children’s social behaviours based on the gender of the children involved. The majority of the responses to the survey indicated that the teachers identified there to be little difference in the display of social behaviours in young children based on children’s gender. However, the two social behaviours which were reported by the teachers as having the most differences based on gender were social leadership and aggression. The teachers’ strategies identified in the findings showed that there was some difference in teaching strategies used based on the children’s gender, specifically in the areas of social dominance and aggression. The findings provide a snapshot of the way in which teachers define and interpret social behaviours, and suggest that gender plays a limited, but still potentially significant role in the teaching practices they chose to adopt in a variety of scenarios. The teacher’s acknowledged the importance of ensuring gender equity in their practices, but findings suggest that further support may be needed to aid in the delivery of equitable practices

Unemployment in the Great Recession: single parents and men hit hard

This brief discusses the sweeping impact the Great Recession has had on Americans, particularly men, single parents, young adults, and people with less education. Using data from the 2007 and 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey, the authors report that unemployment is highest among men and among unmarried adults, regardless of place or parenting status. Although this was also true before the recession, gaps between men and women, and the unmarried and married, have widened considerably during the recession. Also during the Great Recession, unemployment rose more in central cities and suburban places than in rural places, perhaps because rural unemployment was already high prior to the start of the recession

Multigenerational depression and anxiety influence maternal measures of stress during pregnancy

Objective: The strongest risk factor for depression during pregnancy is a history of depression, and depression and anxiety during pregnancy can lead to adverse maternal, birth, and early childhood outcomes. There is a research gap in multigenerational studies that examine the influence of heredity on the development of maternal mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The purpose of our research was to determine if a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or anxiety in the pregnant woman’s mother (maternal grandmother, or MGM) predicts the same psychiatric illness in the pregnant woman and if a family history of depression and/or anxiety correlates with maternal and fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis function, as represented by hair cortisol. We also sought to determine if a family history of psychiatric illness correlates with maternal and fetal hair cortisol concentration and maternal scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Methods: Pregnant participants ≥18 years old without major psychiatric or physical comorbidities were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study at ≤15 weeks gestation. Family history of psychiatric illness was abstracted from a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID), conducted during a scheduled study visit. Maternal diagnoses of MDD and anxiety were compared with the MGM’s psychiatric history. CES-D and STAI scores for participants who had a MGM with depression and/or anxiety were compared with participants who had no family history of psychiatric illness. Maternal hair was collected at 16 and 28 weeks and maternal and fetal (neonatal) hair was collected following delivery for cortisol analysis. Results: 153 participants in the study had data for analysis. Of these, 40% met criteria for MDD and 24% for an anxiety disorder (including PTSD) as determined by SCID. CES-D and STAI scores for participants with a history of MDD and/or anxiety in the MGM were higher compared to participants with no family history of psychiatric illness (p=0.02 and p=0.005), and these scores corresponded with the respective scales (CES-D for MDD and STAI for anxiety). A history of depression and/or anxiety in the MGM was not significantly correlated with maternal HPA axis function as represented by hair cortisol. Conclusion: History of MDD and/or anxiety in the MGM is associated with maternal scores on the CES-D and STAI that are consistent with depression and anxiety. A history of depression and/or anxiety in the MGM also predicts the same psychiatric illness in the pregnant participant. Healthcare providers must consider family history of psychiatric illness to improve recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of depression and anxiety during prenatal and postpartum care

In the “War on Coal,” the industry can be its own worst enemy

Coal has played a major role in U.S. energy production for decades, but environmental concerns have led to the rise of what some commentators have dubbed the “War on Coal”. Now, new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will essentially block the construction of new coal power plants, and force existing ones to use expensive carbon capture technology, meaning that coal will continue to lose ground to natural gas in U.S. energy production. Jessica Smith Rolston writes that the coal industry’s future-oriented advocacy of carbon capture technology and opposition to the EPA’s new regulations undermines its arguments that coal-fired energy can be ‘clean’ in the future

What Influences Do Age, Gender and Race/Ethnicity Have on the Overall Health Consequences of Excess Lead In Children?

After Flint, Michigan governmental authorities introduced a more corrosive water source into an already aging water system without adequate corrosion control, the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels increased, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The main objective of this research paper is to clarify influences of age, gender and race, ethnicity have on the overall health consequences of excess lead in children. There are studies that focus on the short and long term effects of neurological, hypertension, renal, and developmental on children. However, since specific demographic evidence is still limited, future research is still needed to implement a system that will adequately help the children in Flint

The Value Driven Pharmacist: Basics of Access, Cost, and Quality 2nd Edition

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/butlerbooks/1017/thumbnail.jp

Measuring the difference we make: the state-of-play of outcomes measurement in the community sector in Western Australia

The term ‘outcomes measurement’ refers to the measurement of the difference that an initiative, program or organisation makes to the lives of people they engage with. Outcomes measurement provides evidence on whether initiatives, programs and organisations are making a difference to the lives of people they serve. It is an important basis of learning within organisations of what works and what doesn’t work. Outcomes measurement also provides the foundation stone for evaluation, strategic planning and good governance, and is critical to good decision-making in respect of the appropriate allocation of resources by funders.  This report extends our previous Bankwest Foundation research and investigates the experiences of on-the-ground community organisations, government and philanthropic funders of community service organisations, and community sector peak bodies with outcomes measurement in Western Australia. This is particularly important in Western Australia as recent regulatory reform has placed outcomes measurement firmly on the agenda for all Western Australia departments, agencies and the organisations they work with.  This study finds outcomes measurement at a tipping point in Western Australia. Our mapping of outcomes measurement in Western Australia and consultations with community sector stakeholders in Western Australia suggest not simply a growing interest in outcomes measurement and a broad appetite for progress and change, but that community sector organisations, big and small, as well as funders, are implementing or seeking to implement a systematic, well-grounded outcomes measurement framework in their organisations and through their funding programs. Community organisations and the funders of programs are also moving towards more strategic use of the outputs of outcomes measurement and connecting measurement with strategy and performance improvement.&nbsp