scholarly journals Changing the preschool setting to promote healthy energy balance-related behaviours of preschoolers: a qualitative and quantitative process evaluation of the SuperFIT approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona van de Kolk ◽  
Sanne Gerards ◽  
Anke Verhees ◽  
Stef Kremers ◽  
Jessica Gubbels
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Preschool Teachers ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Organizational Vision ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Preschool Setting

Abstract Background The Early Care and Education (ECE) setting plays an important role in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in young children. SuperFIT is a comprehensive, integrated intervention approach designed to promote healthy energy balance-related behaviours in preschoolers. Insight in the process of implementation and the context in which SuperFIT was implemented supports the understanding of how the intervention works in practice. This process evaluation examined factors that influenced the implementation and maintenance, as well as the (perceived) changes in the ECE setting. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted. SuperFIT was implemented at twelve preschools in the south of the Netherlands. The process evaluation was performed among preschool teachers, managers of the preschool organisation, and implementers. Semi-structured in-depth (group) interviews, quantitative process questionnaires, the Child-care Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire (CFAPQ) and the Environmental and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) were used to evaluate the implementation and maintenance of SuperFIT and the changes in the preschool setting. The interviews were analysed using a theoretical framework based on the Implementation Framework of Fleuren and Damschröder’s Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Descriptive analyses were performed on the quantitative data. Results Various intervention activities were implemented in the preschool setting. Although the intention to maintain SuperFIT was present, this was hindered by time constraints and lack of financial resources. Important factors that influenced implementation and maintenance were incongruence with current practice, limited perceived capabilities to integrate SuperFIT in daily practice, group composition at the preschools, and the perceived top-down implementation. Organizational vision and societal attention regarding healthy behaviour in general were perceived to be supportive for implementation and maintenance. Predominantly, favourable changes were seen in the nutrition- and physical activity-related practices of preschool teachers and other aspects of the social preschool environment such as the use of play materials. Limited changes were observed in the physical preschool environment. Conclusions Several factors influenced the implementation and maintenance of SuperFIT in the preschool setting. Some factors evolved over time from hindering to facilitating, emphasising the importance of allowing sufficient time for intervention implementation. SuperFIT changed mainly the social preschool environment. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03021980, date registered: January 16, 2017, prospectively registered

scholarly journals Framing heuristics in inclusive education: The case of Uganda’s preservice teacher education programme

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Proscovia S. Nantongo
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teacher ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Primary Teacher ◽  
Primary Teacher Education ◽  
Group Interviews

Background: Recent education-related research has raised concerns about the persistent exclusion of vulnerable learners in Uganda. The Revised Primary Teacher Education Curriculum of 2013 marked an ambitious yet inconclusive attempt to advance the implementation of inclusive education but has encountered deeply entrenched sociocultural exclusionary practices among education experts.Objectives: This study aimed to explicate education practitioners’ interpretations of Uganda’s flagship inclusive education programme in preservice primary teacher education.Method: Drawing on the conceptual vocabulary of frame analysis and the qualitative analysis of individual and group interviews and classroom observations, the interpretations of inclusive education implementation in preservice primary teacher education in Uganda were examined. The participants included policy design experts, curriculum design experts and classroom practitioners.Results: Three main findings emerged. Firstly, interpretations of inclusive education displayed a narrow framing heuristic of inclusive education as a perfunctory, daily practice rather than a pathway for reflective, inclusive pedagogical engagement. Secondly, the heuristic encouraged the treatment of inclusive pedagogy as a ‘label’ under a specific rubric referring to sensory impairments or disabilities – a historical device for sociocultural exclusion. Thirdly, inclusive education was a praxis but was misframed from its original intentions, causing tension and resentment among practitioners. These findings contribute to the debates on the sustainability of inclusive education beyond preservice teacher education.Conclusion: Uganda’s flagship inclusive education programme in preservice primary teacher education was fraught with tensions, ambiguities and an overt, urgent need for change.

scholarly journals PICTURE BOOKS AND HEALTHY EATING HABITS: AN INTERVENTION STUDY IN A GREEK PRESCHOOL SETTING

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Tympa ◽  
Vasiliki Karavida
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Parental Modeling ◽  
Healthy Eating Habits ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Group Interviews

Experiences with food preferences begin in infancy and continue to develop on children transition to solid food. Children’s food preferences are influenced by availability and familiarity with foods as well as parental modeling and health related picture books. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether picture-books regarding healthy lifestyle can influence children’s eating preferences. A questionnaire related to the use of picture-books at home and lifestyle habits was distributed to all parents. Picture-books were provided to all parents. At the same time children were allocated in two groups: the intervention group, which took part in further activities (cooking), and to a comparison group. Interviews were addressed to the parents after the program. The ethical concern included confidentiality assurance and the choice to withdraw. Findings revealed that the daily reading of books about food was increased in both groups. Most of the families of the intervention group reduced fast food and sweet consumption and increased outdoor activities. Implications on the influence of books and additional activities on promoting child attitudes on healthy food will be discussed. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0740/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL BELONGING AND CHANGES IN LIFESTYLE FOR WOMEN IN FITNESS: CASE STUDY

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Čuprika ◽  
Andra Fernāte ◽  
Leonīds Čupriks
Keyword(s):  
Structural Component ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Promotion Programme ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Belonging

Fitness as a healthy lifestyle implementation helps to improve the social, mental and physical well-being components. Several scientists have indicated that there is a connection between social belonging and physical activity (PA) as the structural component of a healthy lifestyle (Walseth, 2006; Walseth & Fasting, 2004; Antonsich, 2010; Yuval-Davis, 2006; Anthias, 2006; Pinquart & Sorensen, 2001; Everard et. al., 2000). That is why the goal of the research is to develop and apply a social belonging promotion programme for women in fitness programme and to determine the changes in the lifestyle structural component health promoting PA. 10 women involved in fitness classes in small groups (2-4 people) participated in the case study, where in addition to PA social belonging promotion events were organized for all women together. In order to evaluate the structural components of social belonging and PA level and type, questionnaires adapted in Latvia and a semi-structured interview was used. Applying the social belonging promotion programme for women in fitness creates statistically significant changes in such structural components as sense of commitment (p<0.01), perception of interpersonal relations (p<0.01). By additionally promoting social belonging in fitness, women perceive the group better, are willing to spend more time with it; that, in turn, positively affects the willingness to be physically and socially active on a daily basis.

scholarly journals Designing and Piloting a Leadership Daily Practice Log: Using Logs to Study the Practice of Leadership

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-195
Author(s):  
James P. Spillane ◽  
Anita Zuberi
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Cognitive Interviews ◽  
School Year ◽  
Ethnographic Studies ◽  
Limited Sampling ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Study Participants

AbstractThis article aims to validate the Leadership Daily Practice (LDP) log, an instrument for conducting research on leadership in schools. Using a combination of data sources—namely, a daily practice log, observations, and open-ended cognitive interviews—the authors evaluate the validity of the LDP log. Formal and informal leaders were asked to complete the LDP log for 2 weeks; observers shadowed a subsample of leaders in each school, 1 day per week. Using the three sources of data, the authors analyzed interview responses (specifically, the participants’ interpretations of the log); they matched log entries with observer recordings; and they compared (a) the characteristics of the social interactions that were entered into the log with (b) the overall sample of interactions that occurred while observers shadowed participants. The study shows that LDP log entries capture school leadership interactions as recorded by independent observers; it also demonstrates that study participants, with some exceptions, were not biased toward reporting certain types of interactions over others. Still, some log terminologies were problematic for participants, as was the limited sampling period of 2 weeks. The authors propose ways to (a) change the LDP log to reflect the concerns raised by participants in the cognitive interviews and (b) alter the sampling scheme to capture leadership around the school year. The LDP log is less costly and time-consuming than in-depth ethnographic studies, and it is an important tool for researchers who aim to collect data in schools, one that reaches beyond surveys.

Features of pedagogical prevention of deviant behavior among young adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 96-100
Author(s):  
Sabina S. Masimova
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Achievement Motivation ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Significant Variable ◽  
Illegal Behavior ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Variable Activity ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual

We consider the main prevention forms of deviant behavior of younger adolescents in general education organizations. The features of different types of prevention of deviant behavior of the individual are revealed. The model of preventive work with adolescents is possible with a number of conditions: teaching adolescents social skills, creating situations for changing the behavior of adolescents, organizing successful socially significant variable activity of a teenager. The influence of achievement motivation is important in the success of deviant behavior prevention. We reveal the features of the social environment necessary for the consolidation of positive changes in the adolescents’ behavior. Informing adolescents timely about the consequences of illegal behavior is important. We also highlight the necessity of early involvement in a healthy lifestyle of the child and the whole family. Attention is focused on the role of the state in preventing the appearance and development of deviations among young people.

Peer Mentoring to Foster Resilient Age-Friendly Rural Communities in Maine

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 420-420
Author(s):  
Jennifer Crittenden ◽  
Laura Lee ◽  
Patricia Oh
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Community Initiatives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Resilient Communities ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
New Strategies

Abstract Maine has a growing number of age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs); 116 communities are actively working to adapt the social, service, and built environments for aging and 71 have formally joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. During COVID, rural municipalities were faced with dynamic changes that limited older resident’s access to services and social engagement. To overcome these limitations, it is critical for emergent AFCIs to have tools and strategies to maintain and further enhance healthy environments and resilient communities. This study uses group interviews with 6 leaders of established AFCIs and 6 leaders of emergent AFCIs to explore how the Lifelong Fellows Program, a peer mentoring model that matches experienced leaders with newly formed initiatives, was able to spur development of new strategies to build community resilience. Prominent themes were (1) engaging new local and regional partners; (2) intergenerational volunteerism; (3) fun and flexibility; and (4) relationship-building.

Partisan Activism in the Age of Individualization

2019 ◽  
pp. 66-87
Author(s):  
Fabio Wolkenstein
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Party ◽  
Social Democratic Party ◽  
Social Democratic ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Electoral Support ◽  
The Social ◽  
Party Elites ◽  
Party Members ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Democratic Parties

This chapter addresses the following question: How do contemporary party members view themselves, their party, and their role in it? This question is important because the success of party reforms depends centrally on whether the newly-created channels of participation and engagement are recognized as meaningful and valuable by those who engage in parties (or are generally inclined to engage in them); and to find out what could be considered meaningful and valuable by these individuals we need to understand what they expect from a party in terms of participation and opportunities to make one’s agency felt. The basis of the study, as will be explained in detail, are focus group interviews held with party members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), two parties that were chosen as empirical cases because Social Democratic parties are arguably on top of the list of the parties that may be considered ‘victims’ of the trend of shifting participatory norms, having lost much of their once-great electoral support across most of Europe. An important finding the chapter presents is the tendency of party members to demand (not more direct participation like membership ballots or the like but) more face-to-face contact and two-way communication with party elites and their fellow activists—which strengthens the general case for a more deliberative understanding of parties that the book advances.

scholarly journals Youth Experiences with Social Norms Feedback: Qualitative Findings from The Drug Prevention Trial the GOOD Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3200
Author(s):  
Christiane Stock ◽  
Satayesh Lavasani Kjær ◽  
Birthe Rasmussen ◽  
Lotte Vallentin-Holbech
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Drug Prevention ◽  
The Good Life ◽  
Normative Feedback ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Prevention Programmes ◽  
Group Interviews

Background: Normative feedback is an intervention strategy commonly used in drug prevention programmes. This study collected process evaluation data about how programme recipients engage with social norms (SN) feedback in The GOOD Life intervention and how they experience it. Methods: Eight focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 44 adolescents (pupils aged 14–16 years) who have participated in the social-norms-based intervention The GOOD Life. The interviews focused on three topics: (1) interest in and impact of the intervention; (2) perception of the intervention elements; and (3) suggestions for improvement of The GOOD Life. They were transcribed and analysed with content analysis. Results: The analysis revealed that The GOOD Life motivated pupils to re-evaluate their own drug use behaviour and overall met their interest regarding receiving engaging and non-moral forms of drug prevention programmes. While pupils perceived the normative feedback session in the classroom and the posters with SN messages as positive, stimulating and surprising, the web-based application with SN feedback was rarely used and less positively evaluated. Anonymity and confidentiality were regarded as essential to provide honest answers in the poll. The pupils suggested even more variety in ways to engage them and to use more gaming elements. Conclusions: SN feedback was well perceived by adolescents. The intervention met their interest and needs and was able to achieve the intended impact of challenging norm perceptions. Anonymity and confidentiality are key in order to build trust and engage adolescents in the intervention.

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