scholarly journals Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs about Children's Risky Play in Australia and Norway

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Little ◽  
Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter ◽  
Shirley Wyver
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Optimal Health ◽  
Risky Play

Positive risk-taking in the context of outdoor physical play is important for fostering children's optimal health and development. Despite this, there is mounting concern that many developmentally beneficial activities are now seen as dangerous and something to be avoided. However, perceptions of risk are very much subject to cultural interpretation, and the growing risk aversion evident in some developed Western societies, such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, is less apparent in other developed countries, notably some of the European and Scandinavian countries. To explore some of these cultural differences, early childhood practitioners from Australia and Norway were interviewed regarding their provision of outdoor play experiences for children and their attitudes towards risk-taking in play. Practitioners from both countries recognised the importance of risky play for children's development and well-being. However, differences in the extent to which children's risky play was supported were evident. Factors associated with the quality of the outdoor environment, regulatory requirements, and a litigious environment were identified as constraining teaching practice for the Australian practitioners. The findings have implications for the development of policy that supports teachers' pedagogical decision-making in providing developmentally challenging play environments for children.

Exploring toddlers’ rituals of ‘belonging’ through risky play in the outdoor environment

2021 ◽  
pp. 146394912098765
Author(s):  
Helen Little ◽  
Matthew Stapleton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Early Childhood Curriculum ◽  
Social And Emotional Development ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Curriculum Frameworks ◽  
Risky Play ◽  
Historical Model

The notion of ‘belonging’ is a core component of many early childhood curriculum frameworks and recognises the importance of children’s sociocultural context for their self-identity and well-being. Children’s risk-taking in play has also been the focus of contemporary research in examining its beneficial role for children’s physical, social and emotional development. This study applies diverse disciplinary and theoretical lenses, including Hedegaard’s cultural-historical model and Gibson’s affordance theory, to present a critical and multi-perspective understanding of children’s experience of ‘belonging’ and risky play. The study involved naturalistic observations of 18–26-month-old children’s outdoor play in an environment designed to provide affordances for risky play. The findings suggest that children’s engagement in risky play also supports their sense of belonging through their shared engagement in risky-play experiences.

Foundations of International Aid

1960 ◽  
Vol 329 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Jane M. Hoey
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Political Independence ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
The Individual

The newly developing countries desire not only political independence but also economic progress for their people—a progress which they can see, and are now aware of, in the rest of the world. The role of the developed countries is to extend aid to the needy. Moral foundations underlie the donor's contributions, but they are more than that, they are the means for acquiring support for international aid in the donor's country. The United States must assume the leader ship among' the free nations in granting aid; she must accept this role because of her economic achievements and technologi cal advantages. Donators of such aid should take cognizance of the complementary character and interrelatedness of economic and social development. For economic development, however much it is sought, is not an end in itself, rather the aim is the well-being and happiness of the individual. Such a goal neces sitates economic aid accompanied by social aid. Social welfare can also be a vehicle to achieve peace, inasmuch as people-to- people relationships generate brotherly love—the only lasting foundation for peace.—Ed.

scholarly journals Attitudes toward Credit and Finances among College Students in Brazil and the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M. Norvilitis ◽  
Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Students ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
Credit Cards ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Delay Of Gratification

Although research on credit card debt in developed countries has identified predictors of debt among<br />college students, it is unknown whether these same predictors apply in emerging markets, such as<br />Brazil. To examine this issue, a total of 1257 college students, 814 from Brazil and 443 from the United<br />States, participated in a study exploring the utility of a theory of planned behavior as a predictor of<br />credit card debtand student loans among college students, as well as perceived financial well-being.<br />Compared to the Brazilian participants, the American sample was more financially self-confident,<br />reported better financial well-being, and was more likely to believe that credit cards are negative.<br />Similar predictors of financial well-being emerged in the samples. Specifically, parenting practices<br />related to money and better self-reported delay of gratification are related to more positive financial<br />attitudes and lower levels of debt. Although the debt to income ratio among card holders was similar,<br />Brazilian students held more credit cards than American students. Greater delay of gratification was<br />related to lower levels of student loans in the United States, but there were no significant predictors of<br />student loans in Brazil.

scholarly journals Maternal Education, Changing Family Circumstances, and Children’s Skill Development in the United States and UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 674 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot I. Jackson ◽  
Kathleen Kiernan ◽  
Sara McLanahan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Analysis

Maternal education influences families’ socioeconomic status. It is strongly associated with children’s cognitive development and a key predictor of other resources within the family that strongly predict children’s well-being: economic insecurity, family structure, and maternal depression. Most studies examine the effects of these variables in isolation at particular points in time, and very little research examines whether findings observed among children in the United States can be generalized to children of a similar age in other countries. We use latent class analysis and data from two nationally representative birth cohort studies that follow children from birth to age five to answer two questions: (1) How do children’s family circumstances evolve throughout early childhood? and (2) To what extent do these trajectories account for differences in children’s cognitive development? Cross-national analysis reveals a good deal of similarity between the United States and UK in patterns of family life during early childhood, and in the degree to which those patterns contribute to educational inequality.

‘Every Time They Ride, I Pray:’ Parents’ Management of Daughters’ Horseback Riding Risks

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Horseback Riding ◽  
Automobile Accidents ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Equestrian Sports ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Risky Play

This study uses qualitative interviews with 29 parents of horseback riding daughters aged 10–23 years old to explore parents’ perceptions of risk and their risk management strategies, as their daughters engage in horse sports and recreation. First, parents are keenly aware of risks in equestrian sports and liken them to risks from automobile accidents and other high-risk sports. Second, parents manage these risks by working diligently to enhance safety and manage their own emotions. Third, they willingly assume these risks as a part of their fundamental commitment to honor their daughters’ desires, natural skills, and dreams as equestrian athletes. I situate these findings within the theoretical literature on risky play within a cultural context of condemnation of parents’ permissiveness about risk-taking.

National Parks in Developed Countries

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Richardson ◽  
Bruce Peacock
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Economic Values ◽  
Wide Range

Economics plays an important role not only in the management of national parks in developed countries, but also in demonstrating the contribution of these areas to societal well-being. The beneficial effect of park tourism on jobs and economic activity in communities near these protected areas has at times been a factor in their establishment. These economic impacts continue to be highlighted as a way to demonstrate the benefit and return on investment of national parks to local economies. However, the economic values supported by national parks extend far beyond local economic benefits. Parks provide unique recreation opportunities, health benefits, preservation of wildlife and habitat, and a wide range of ecosystem services that the public assigns an economic value to. In addition, value is derived from the existence of national parks and their preservation for future generations. These nonmarket benefits can be difficult to quantify, but they are essential for understanding and communicating the economic importance of parks. Economic methods used to estimate these values have been refined and tested for nearly seven decades, and they have come a long way in helping to elucidate the extent of the nonmarket benefits of protected areas. In many developed countries, national parks have regulations and policies that outline a framework for the consideration of economic values in decision-making contexts. For instance, large oil spills in the United States, such as the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 and the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010, highlighted the need to better understand public values for affected park resources, leading to the extensive use of nonmarket values in natural resource damage assessments. Of course, rules and enforcement issues vary widely across countries, and the potential for economics to inform the day-to-day operations of national parks is much broader than what is currently outlined in such policies. While economics is only one piece of the puzzle in managing national parks, it provides a valuable tool for evaluating resource tradeoffs and for incorporating public preferences into the decision-making process, leading to greater transparency and assurance that national parks are managed for the benefit of society. Understanding the full extent of the economic benefits supported by national parks helps to further the mission of these protected areas in developed countries.

scholarly journals Reconceptualising and (re)forming early childhood professional identities: Ongoing transnational policy discussions

2020 ◽  
pp. 147821032097601
Author(s):  
Sonja Arndt ◽  
Kylie Smith ◽  
Mathias Urban ◽  
Tomas Ellegard ◽  
Beth Blue Swadener ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Identities ◽  
Early Childhood Professional ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
Childhood Professional ◽  
Professional Self ◽  
Teacher Professional

Problematic policy constructions of the purpose of education implicate professional identities and working conditions of professionals working with the youngest children. This paper builds on our earlier writing, to contest teacher professional identities in Australia, Ireland, Denmark and the United States of America, to illustrate the crucial importance of contextualised policy landscapes in early childhood education and care. It uses prevailing policy constructions, power imbalances and tensions in defining teacher identities, to ask crucial questions, such as what has become of the professional ‘self’. It questions the fundamental ethics of care and encounter, and of worthy wage and other campaigns focused on the well-being of teachers when faced with a world-wide crisis. The cross-national conversations culminate in a contemporary confrontation of teacher identity and imperatives in increasingly uncertain times as evolving in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Happiness for All?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Graham
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Pursuit Of Happiness ◽  
Poor Whites ◽  
Divided Society ◽  
The World ◽  
Job Instability

The Declaration of Independence states that all people are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these is the pursuit of happiness. But is happiness available equally to everyone in America today? How about elsewhere in the world? This book draws on cutting-edge research linking income inequality with well-being to show how the widening prosperity gap has led to rising inequality in people's beliefs, hopes, and aspirations. For the United States and other developed countries, the high costs of being poor are most evident not in material deprivation but rather in stress, insecurity, and lack of hope. The result is an optimism gap between rich and poor that, if left unchecked, could lead to an increasingly divided society. The book reveals how people who do not believe in their own futures are unlikely to invest in them, and how the consequences can range from job instability and poor education to greater mortality rates, failed marriages, and higher rates of incarceration. The book explains why the least optimistic people in America are poor whites, not poor blacks or Hispanics. This book highlights the importance of well-being measures in identifying and monitoring trends in life satisfaction and optimism—and misery and despair—and demonstrates how hope and happiness can lead to improved economic outcomes.

scholarly journals FEMALE URINARY INCONTINENCE IN CANADA

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Harold P. Drutz
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Incontinence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mount Sinai Hospital ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Geriatric Center

In Canada, Urinary Incontinence (UI) is a significant medical and social problem which can be devastating to a women&rsquo;s physical, social and emotional well being. As in other developed countries our population is aging. In 1993, 11.8 per cent of all Canadians were over age 65; by the year 2011, the proportion of this age group will be 14.0 per cent; by 2031, it will be 21.7 per cent (1). It is estimated that between 1.5 to 2.0 million Canadians (out of a population of just over 30 million) suffer from UI, yet only 1:12 will seek medical attention for this problem. UI is now the commonest cause of admission to long-term institutionalized centers in the United States and Canada. In Canada, we now spend over 1.5 billion dollars annually on this health care problem. At the Baycrest Geriatric Center (BGC) in Toronto, where we have a urogynecology branch of the unit at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH), recent budget figures indicate that the hospital spends $320,000 (Cadanian) annually on adult diapers (2).

scholarly journals On the Intersectionality of Transnationalism and Citizenship

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Globalized Economy ◽  
Transnational Migrants

Seen positively, transnationalism enriches the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of many countries and enhances the exchange of goods and services in the increasingly globalized economy. Seen negatively, transnationalism creates disunity in terms of introducing new ethnic, linguistic and religious traditions in developed countries, and poses risks to security and national well being. This paper examines citizenship conceptions, policies and practices directed towards transnational migrants within the European Union, the United States, and Canada. D’un point de vue positif, le transnationalisme enrichit la diversité culturelle, linguistique et religieuse de plusieurs pays et il accroît les échanges de produits et services dans une économie de plus en plus mondialisée. D’un point de vue négatif, le transnationalisme crée des pertes d’unité par l’introduction de nouvelles traditions ethniques, linguistiques et religieuses dans les pays développés, de même qu’il pose des risques à la sécurité et au bien-être national. Cet article examine les conceptions de la citoyenneté, les politiques et les pratiques à l’égard des migrants transnationaux dans l’Union européenne, aux États-Unis et au Canada.

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