Examining the Effects of Service-Learning on Students\u27 Perceptions of the CHES Responsibilities– a Pilot Study

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a service-learning project on students\u27 willingness, confidence, and perceived importance to incorporate the Certified Health Education Specialist, Areas of Responsibility (CHES-AOR), into their profession. It was hypothesized that students participation in a service-learning project in an undergraduate health and wellness course would be more willing, confident, and perceive it as more important to apply the CHES-AOR within their chosen health profession. Methods: Missouri State University students registered in the fall 2018, undergraduate Health and Wellness service-learning course (KIN-350-001), completed an online survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. Seven questions were structured to assess willingness, confidence and perceived importance for each CHES-AOR. The results were summed and analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: Fourteen (n=14) students completed both the pre- and post-surveys. Significant differences resulted in CHES-AOR I for confidence and total confidence mean scores, overall. No other significant differences were found in willingness and perceived importance. No significant difference in summed perceptions (C+W+PI) for each CHES-AOR. Conclusion: Students were more confident in CHES-AOR I the service-learning project was finished. Overall students were more confident to apply the CHES-AOR possibly because they gained the experience and skills in a real-world way with the use of Service-Learning. A larger sample is needed to gain more insight on how students understand the CHES-AOR when applied to their future health profession. The CHES-AOR are important responsibilities for all health professionals to understand, and this research helps to interpret that from the students’ perspective

The Feasibility, Appropriateness, Meaningfulness, and Effectiveness of Parenting and Family Support Programs Delivered in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review

Children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system (CJS) are at increased risk of developing social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties and are more likely than their peers to become involved in the CJS themselves. Parenting behaviour and parent-child relationships have the potential to affect children’s outcomes with positive parenting practices having the potential to moderate some of the negative outcomes associated with parental involvement in the CJS. However, many parents in the CJS may lack appropriate role models to support the development of positive parenting beliefs and practices. Parenting programs offer an opportunity for parents to enhance their parenting knowledge and behaviours and improve relationships with children. Quantitative and qualitative evidence pertaining to the implementation and effectiveness of parenting programs delivered in the CJS was included. Five databases were searched and a total of 1145 articles were identified of which 29 met the review inclusion criteria. Overall, programs were found to significantly improve parenting attitudes; however, evidence of wider effects is limited. Additionally, the findings indicate that parenting programs can be meaningful for parents. Despite this, a number of challenges for implementation were found including the transient nature of the prison population and a lack of parent-child contact. Based on these findings, recommendations for the future development and delivery of programs are discussed