scholarly journals Children should be seen and also heard: an explorative qualitative study into the influences on children’s choice of footwear, their perception of comfort and the language they use to describe footwear experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Price ◽  
Sue Skidmore ◽  
Jane Ratcliffe ◽  
Anita Williams

Abstract Background Footwear has an essential role including protection of the feet, overall performance, foot health and potentially, supporting normal development of the foot. In addition to these physical aspects which may influence choice of footwear design, there are psychological influences on what a person chooses to wear. The concept of footwear ‘comfort’ spans physical and psychological perceptions of comfort in adults. However, there is little understanding of what influences children’s footwear choices, how children perceive footwear comfort, or the language used to describe footwear experiences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these three parameters as the first step to informing the development of a scale to measure footwear comfort in children. Methods A pragmatic qualitative design with thematic analysis as an analytical approach was implemented. Passive observation and short interviews were carried out with 23 children (aged 1–12 years) at a footwear manufactures headquarters and store. Prompts included shoes being tried on and field-notes were taken relating to verbal and non-verbal communication. Field notes were coded then themes were identified, reviewed and named. Results Overall, the children equated comfort to softness. However, influences on footwear choice were multidimensional including aesthetics, psychosocial influences, identified ‘comfort’ and ‘discomfort’ areas, practical issues and predictive concerns; all interacting with the age of the child. Conclusions For children, footwear comfort is a complex phenomenon having physical, cognitive, social and emotional developmental components. This can be seen in how the children perceive the ‘feel’ of the shoe and how the shoe is assessed in the context of how the shoe meets the child’s physical and psychosocial developmental needs. In younger children footwear preference is related to idiosyncratic tastes in aesthetics, physical ability and comfort. As children age, societal influences begin to expand the social function of footwear denoting group membership, to include themes that transcend the functional and social function of footwear. The knowledge from this study can inform the development of age group specific tools to evaluate comfort.

Author(s):  
Michael A. Hemphill ◽  
Yongsun Lee ◽  
Sarah Ragab ◽  
Jeremy Rinker ◽  
Omari L. Dyson

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the process of developing an alternative physical education program using restorative justice practices as a transformative approach to social–emotional learning. Method: This study utilizes qualitative case study methods to examine the implementation process and short-term outcomes. Data sources include focus group interviews, student journals, observations, and reflective field notes. Trustworthiness of the findings are supported by triangulation, peer debriefings, prolonged engagement, and external program reviews. Results: The implementation of social and emotional learning was substantiated by student engagement with four class goals in which they aimed to participate in physical education as “champions,” “heroes,” “achievers,” and “peacemakers.” Restorative pedagogy included restorative chats, listening circles, community circles, and healing circles. Conclusion: This study suggests that transformative curriculum, such as restorative justice, offers a transformative approach to social and emotional learning that is applicable to physical education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Cheryl M. Bolick ◽  
Jocelyn Glazier ◽  
Christoph Stutts

Background: This study examines the role of a weeklong experiential residency program on teachers’ beliefs about self and practice. Purpose: The goal of two separate intensive experiences was to help teachers generate new insight about the place of students, the teacher, and the school that extended beyond a surface-level understanding of experiential education. Methodology/Approach: Through a qualitative approach, the research team used field notes, course documents, participant reflections, researcher journals, and follow-up interviews to analyze the impact of participants’ immersion in either of the experiential outdoor residencies. Findings/Conclusions: The unpredictable nature of the physical and social environment of the experiential week helped teachers to see the central role of community in the learning process. Furthermore, teacher responses to the experience defied simple categorization along a prior theoretical construct. Teachers indicated a growing confidence in their ability to seek out and overcome challenges across multiple domains. Implications: These teachers were challenged to integrate multiple social and emotional aspects of self into their learning, while envisioning the same for their own students. Their experiences and reflections support an expanded role for immersive experiences outside of the traditional classroom in teacher education.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Williams ◽  
C. J. Nester

Patients with diseases which impact on foot health, for example diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, are known to have some benefit from prescribed stock footwear with regards to clinical outcomes. Achieving this is not just about getting the footwear designed and fitted to meet the clinical needs, but it also requires that the patient wears the shoes. This means meeting the non-clinical needs or criteria of patients. The aim of this study was to compare perceptions of the same footwear between patients with diabetes and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with regard to specific design features. Fifty-four patients with RA and 40 patients with diabetes who required prescription footwear were asked to identify issues of importance, and to assess the features of five different pairs of stock footwear using a Likert scale scoring form. There was a difference between the RA and the diabetes groups with regards their overall requirements from the footwear with comfort being a priority in RA and style a priority for diabetes. Both groups rated the same footwear as overall best from the selection, but the scores suggest that there were features with the ‘best’ shoe which were not acceptable suggesting that even the ‘best’ shoe was a compromise This possibly indicates that existing footwear ranges do not meet all the patients' requirements. Patients have different perceptions with regard to what is important to them in terms of footwear with regards to the specific features of the footwear and one of the influences appears to be the underlying systemic disease. Patient-based criteria may be an important consideration in the design of the footwear.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Davies ◽  
Helen Branthwaite ◽  
Nachiappan Chockalingam

Background: There is a paucity of evidence regarding the design of children’s footwear in relation to musculoskeletal structure. Objectives: The aim was to gain consensus regarding where flexibility and support should be given on a school shoe for the 6- to 10-year-olds. Study design: Delphi Questionnaire. Methods: Recruitment of 10 Allied Health Professionals yielded a consensus group. Those recruited had dedicated experience in paediatrics and foot health. Rounds of questions were delivered to investigate the basis of the opinions made by the group on the location of support and flexibility in a school shoe for the age range identified. Results: Six themes were generated. Four themes gained 100% consensus regarding footwear allowing normal foot movement, footwear allowing normal forefoot function, footwear providing a stable base and the foot being secure in the shoe. Fleiss’ kappa calculations revealed ‘poor agreement’ for the remaining two themes regarding clinical intervention and the purpose of footwear design in the midfoot in both the upper and sole of the shoe. Conclusion: The qualitative data generated through discussion have highlighted areas where more understanding and research are required, particularly in understanding how, in the long term, shoe design can affect the developing foot. Clinical relevance Children’s footwear advice is often delivered from experience and personal belief. This article questions current understanding and opinion from clinical experts in the field of paediatric footwear and highlights that there is a lack of knowledge and confidence into the effects of children’s footwear. There is a strong requirement for further empirical research to be completed on children’s footwear to allow clinicians to formulate relevant and appropriate footwear advice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hylton B. Menz ◽  
Daniel R. Bonanno

Abstract Objective To provide a narrative synthesis of the research literature pertaining to footwear comfort, including definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors. Methods A systematic search was conducted which yielded 101 manuscripts. The most relevant manuscripts were selected based on the predetermined subheadings of the review (definitions, measurement scales, footwear design features, and physiological and psychological factors). A narrative synthesis of the findings of the included studies was undertaken. Results The available evidence is highly fragmented and incorporates a wide range of study designs, participants, and assessment approaches, making it challenging to draw strong conclusions or implications for clinical practice. However, it can be broadly concluded that (i) simple visual analog scales may provide a reliable overall assessment of comfort, (ii) well-fitted, lightweight shoes with soft midsoles and curved rocker-soles are generally perceived to be most comfortable, and (iii) the influence of sole flexibility, shoe microclimate and insoles is less clear and likely to be more specific to the population, setting and task being performed. Conclusion Footwear comfort is a complex and multifaceted concept that is influenced not only by structural and functional aspects of shoe design, but also task requirements and anatomical and physiological differences between individuals. Further research is required to delineate the contribution of specific shoe features more clearly, and to better understand the interaction between footwear features and individual physiological attributes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
M. Fadhly Farhy Abbas ◽  
Masdelima Masdelima

In this research, the researcher found the students’ problem in reading comprehension of recount text. The problem was the students still had difficulties to determine generic structure (Orientation, Event, Re-Orientation), social function and language features when they read recount text and did the random text of  recount text. The purpose of this research was to improve students’ reading comprehension of recount text at class VIII of MTs Ummi Fatimah Pekanbaru and what factors influence it. This research was Clasroom Action Research (CAR). The number of participants were 19 students. The researcher used test, observation sheets, field notes, and interview to collect the data. The result of this research showed that the students’ average in based score was 71,05, in cycle I was 82,63. The average in cycle I could achieve the passing grade score is 75. It was found that some factors that influence the students’ improvement in reading comprehension on recount text by using Reading in Detail Technique were Reading in Detail Technique facilitating students to know, understand and determine generic structure, and language features of recount text when they applied it with their discussion group. And also the interesting materials of recount text helped students understand better like experience, event, etc. In conclution the use of Reading in Detail Technique can improve reading comprehension of recount text at class VIII of MTs Ummi Fatimah Pekanbaru.


GeroPsych ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-82
Author(s):  
Barbara Klein ◽  
Monika Knopf ◽  
Frank Oswald ◽  
Johannes Pantel

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gesine Grande ◽  
Matthias Romppel ◽  
Matthias Michal ◽  
Elmar Brähler

The interaction of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI), known as the Type D personality, is associated with a worse prognosis in cardiac patients. Until now, causal models have been speculative, and this is partly due to a lack of clarity related to the validity of SI, its role in emotion regulation, and the postulated independence of social and emotional functioning. To examine the construct validity of the Type D personality, we analyzed associations of NA and SI with different measures of affectivity, social anxiety, and social competencies in a German population-based representative sample (n = 2,495). Both NA and SI were associated with all other measures of social functioning and negative affect (all rs > .30) and showed considerable cross-loadings (NA: a 1 = .39, a 2 = .63; SI: a1 = .73 and a2 = .34) in a two-factor solution with the factors labeled as Social Functioning and Negative Affectivity. The SI subscale did not properly differentiate between social fears and social competencies, which emerged as rather different aspects of social functioning. Further studies should examine the effect of broader dimensions of social orientation and competencies and their interaction with NA on cardiac prognosis.


1995 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-383
Author(s):  
Terri Gullickson
Keyword(s):  

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