Crafting Blindness: Its Organizational Construction in a First Grade School

This article is based on a case study conducted in an Italian primary school where the interactions between a sightless girl (named Jasmine, aged 8) and her classmates were extensively observed. The initial aim was to understand and describe the problems encountered by the sightless pupil, who acted in a social, organizational and physical environment which was not designed for handicapped people. However, other theoretical issues emerged during the research. The main finding was that sightlessness seems socially and organizationally constructed before it becomes a biological/physical handicap. The organizational processes through which the blindness is slowly and routinely constructed were extensively described.

Early Temperament, Cortisol and Vagal Regulation Independently Predict Dimensions of Social Withdrawal in Childhood

Objectives were to examine whether 1) temperament and cortisol response in situations of unfamiliarity at 19 months predict social wariness and preference for solitude throughout childhood; 2) these predictive associations vary as a function of vagal regulation. Participants were 1199 children from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study, followed from 5 months to 10 years old (51% girl; 86% White). Findings show that behavioral inhibition to social unfamiliarity independently predicted both dimensions of social withdrawal in preschool. Low vagal suppression exacerbated the risk associated with negative affect manifested in unfamiliar situations to predict preference for solitude in preschool. In contrast, high vagal suppression increased the risk associated with strong cortisol response to unfamiliarity to predict social wariness in grade school.

Combining Active Learning Strategies: Performances and Experiences of Grade School Filipino Students

This study combined computer simulation and predict-observe-explain as a new strategy known as Computer Simulation Supported Predict-Observe-Explain (CSSPOE) to explore other ways to facilitate the teaching and learning in physics. This strategy was tested in determining the conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning among grade school Filipino students. A quasi-experimental method was used to gather quantitative data from 38 participants then a case study was used to acquire information from the students. After the CSSPOE intervention, post-test results showed that students had positive conceptual changes, and this increase was significant. The interview data showed that participants pointed out the affordances of CSSPOE, such as visualization, autonomy, recognition of alternative conceptions, and consequently accommodating the scientific notions, and noticing the departure of the strategy from the usual lecture method. The recommendation is to adapt CSSPOE in the K to 12 science curriculum or even in college Physics classes. Physics teachers should strive to utilize constructivist and active learning approaches like CSSPOE.

Abstract 1122‐000237: Prior Vascular Risk Factors Affecting Presentation Time and Utilization of Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapies

Introduction : Multiple factors have been reported to influence the time between onset of symptoms in acute ischemic stroke and hospital presentation. Although education level is one independent factor in presentation, as we previously reported, health literacy has not been fully assessed regarding specific patient knowledge on stroke or its known risk factors. This study aims to determine whether having a history of vascular risk factors such as prior stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), or atrial fibrillation (AF) influence presentation time and acute ischemic stroke therapy utilization. Methods : This study included 250 acute ischemic stroke patients presenting to a large academic community hospital from February to December 2018. Educational level was defined within four categories: Grade School, High School, College or Higher, and Unknown. Last seen normal, symptom onset, and arrival times were acquired. Vascular risk factors chosen for this study included prior stroke, CAD, and AF. History of vascular risk factors was verified by medical documentation showing prior diagnosis by physician. Initial NIH Stroke Scale score, stroke location, vessel involved, LDL, hemoglobin A1c, gender, and race were also obtained. Patients were categorized based on their level of education, the presence or absence of vascular risk factors, and utilization of tPA or thrombectomy (MT). The primary outcomes were onset‐to‐arrival time (OTA), in minutes, and utilization rates of acute ischemic stroke therapies (either tPA, MT, or both). Subgroup analysis was conducted to associate education level with each vascular risk factor, comparing OTA and acute ischemic stroke therapy utilization rate. Results : As previously reported, educational level was inversely associated with OTA and positively associated with utilization of at least one acute ischemic stroke therapy. Prior stroke, CAD, and AF showed a substantial OTA decrease for all education groups except for College. Prior stroke decreased OTA in Grade School by 24% (764 vs. 579); High School by 30% (222 vs. 154) and College by 20% (52 vs. 41). CAD decreased OTA in Grade School by 65% (734 vs. 253), High School by 14% (209 vs. 180), and College by 3% (50 vs 49). AF decreased OTA in Grade School by 88% (764 vs. 91) and High School by 56% (216 vs. 95), but increased in College by 35% (47 vs. 64). History of prior stroke decreased utilization of both tPA and MT by 14%; CAD increased tPA use by 8% and MT by 5%; while AF increased tPA use by 9% and MT by 12%. Conclusions : Having at least one prior vascular risk factor (prior stroke, CAD, AF), diagnosed by a physician, was associated with lower OTA in Grade School and High School educated patients. A history of prior stroke was associated with lower acute stroke therapy utilization (tpa and MT), while both CAD and AF were associated with increased acute stroke therapy utilization.

Physical Education Curriculum is Effective in Development of Motor Abilities in 9th grade School Children?

Physical education plays an important role in developing motor abilities, skills and competence in children. Main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical education curriculum by assessing in 9 th grade school- children: (1) abdominal muscle strength; (2) lower back muscle strength; (3) upper limbs muscle strength; (4) lower limbs muscle strength; (5) explosive leg power; and (6) flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles, at the beginning, and at the end of the school term. Basic mathematical and appropriate statistical methods were used in order to calculate descriptive statistical parameters, Skewness and Kurtosis values, as well as Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, were used in order to examine whether data have a normal distribution, and a Student’s t-test was applied in order to test if there is a statistically significant difference in children’s motor abilities between the beginning and the end of the school term. For this purpose, we used Microsoft Office Excel 2010. At the end of the second school term, children in 9 th grade have shown better results in all assessed variables, meaning they have increased motor ability levels after 4 months of applying specific exercises within the thematic plan of the physical education curriculum, which leads to the conclusion that physical education curriculum allows us to introduce effective tasks in increasing strength, explosive power and flexibility in 9 th grade school children.

Prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar and associated risk factors among sixth-grade students in São Tomé Island

Background Dental caries is one of the most preventable oral diseases among children in developing countries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and severity of dental caries in the first permanent molar and analyze the related risk factors among sixth-grade students in São Tomé Island. Methods A cross-sectional study with a stratified cluster sampling method was conducted on 1855 sixth-grade school children, mainly aged 11 to 14 years old, from 10 schools in 6 regions of São Tomé Island, from April 17 to June 27, 2021. Dental caries examination was performed by using the CAST criteria (DMFT) index, and the self-administered questionnaires about family background, oral hygiene, and relevant behaviors were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study risk factors related to dental caries of the first permanent molar, and all data analyses were done using SPSS version 25. Results The prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar was 68.79%, without significant difference between gender, age, residence, and whether only child or not. The mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and mean Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surface (DMFS) index were 1.751 ± 1.514 and 3.542 ± 3.941, respectively. The rate of filling teeth was 5.50%, and Pit and Fissure Sealant (PFS) rate was 2.21%. The overall prevalence and DMFT index of dental caries of permanent teeth was 76.01% and 2.753 ± 4.569, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the frequency of candy/chocolate consumption (OR = 1.095) and fair self-assessment of dental health (OR = 1.354) were significantly associated with dental caries (P < 0.05). Conclusions The high prevalence of dental caries in the first permanent molar was a public health issue among sixth-grade school children in São Tomé Island. The prevalence of dental caries, mean DMFT and DMFS scores were higher, while the rate of filling and PFS teeth were lower than the average score of other African countries. Thus, oral health education, implement oral health preaching to school children and their parents is crucial to prevent dental caries.

Efectos en el desarrollo motor de un programa de estimulación motriz basado en actividades lúdicas globalizadas, en varones escolares de la ciudad de Valdivia (Effects on motor development of a motor stimulation program based on globalized playful activit

Objetivo: Analizar los efectos de un programa de estimulación motriz de 8 semanas basado en actividades lúdicas, en el nivel de desarrollo motor grueso de varones escolares de tercero y cuarto básico del Instituto Salesiano Valdivia. Método: Participaron 15 alumnos hombres, con una edad de 9.03±0.63 años en un programa de estimulación motriz basado en actividades lúdicas, realizando tres sesiones semanales, por un tiempo de ocho semanas. Se midió el nivel de desarrollo motor grueso antes y después de la intervención, utilizando el Test de Desarrollo Motor Grueso (TGMD-2), el cual determina la edad motriz a través de la evaluación de habilidades manipulativas y locomotoras. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que hubo una diferencia significativa entre pre y post test en las habilidades locomotoras (p= .0006) manipulativas (p= .0006) y el quociente de los resultados (p= .0006), pasando de un 93% de niños bajo edad, pobre y muy pobre a un 93% de niños en categorías en la edad y sobre la edad. Conclusión: Se concluye que el programa de estimulación motriz basado en actividades lúdicas mejora significativamente los niveles de desarrollo motor en niños. Abstract. Objective: To analyze the effects of an 8-week motor stimulation program based on playful activities, in the level of gross motor development of third and fourth grade school boys from the Salesiano Valdivia Institute. Method: 15 male students, with an age of 9.03±0.63 years, participated in a motor stimulation program based on recreational activities, performing three weekly sessions, for a period of eight weeks. The level of gross motor development was measured before and after the intervention, using the Test Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), which determines motor age through the evaluation of manipulative and locomotor skills. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the locomotor skills (p= .0006) and manipulative (p= .0006) and the quoient of the results (p= .0006), going from 93% of children low age, poor and very poor even 93% of children in categories in age and over age. Conclusion: It is concluded that the motor stimulation program based on playful activities significantly improves the levels of motor development in children.

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) as a kindergarten predictor of future reading: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) tasks have been shown to be a strong correlate of reading abilities. RAN also predicts future reading across different ages, ability levels, and languages, and is often used in literacy screening. Thus, understanding the specific relations between early RAN and later reading difficulties is important. In this systematic review and meta-analysis (with N = 68 samples; k = 373 effect sizes; n = 10,513 participants), we test the extent to which measures of RAN assessed before grade school predict later reading performance in English-speaking children. We also test whether characteristics of the RAN tasks, reading measures, or sample demographics moderate this relationship. We found that kindergarten/preschool RAN is correlated with grade-school reading at r = -.38, similar in magnitude to previous meta-analyses that included various ages and languages. We found that alphanumeric RAN tasks are particularly strongly related to future reading, as compared with non-alphanumeric tasks (p = .01) but that other features of the RAN task, such as the number of items, do not alter its predictive significance. RAN predicts all types of reading measures, but more strongly predicts real word than nonword reading (p &lt; .001). These results support a shared cognitive resource model in which the similarity between RAN and reading tasks accounts for their correlation. We provide practical guidelines based on these data for early screening for reading difficulties and dyslexia.

Misery Implicitly Loves Company: Implicit Homophily and Bully Victimization

This study focuses on the formation of bullied individuals’ friendships and romantic relationships. Individuals bullied in their past may be more likely to form connections with those who share similar oppressive experiences. Thus, we investigated the possibility that implicit homophily underlies the formation of interpersonal relationships among previously bullied individuals. Moreover, we investigated whether these individuals were aware of their friends’ and romantic partners’ similarly oppressive experiences prior to initiating the relationship. Our findings suggest that the young adults in our sample bullied in grade school are significantly more likely to have a close friend and or significant other who also experienced bullying. The findings of this study contribute to the relatively small, yet growing, body of research on implicit homophily, add to research extending homophily processes to bullies and victims, and are in line with research suggesting that deselection (a form of induced homophily) can coexist with homophily by personal preference.

Human Intestinal Parasites: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors among Grade School Children in Maksegnit, Northwest Ethiopia

This study was aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections in grade school children in Maksegnit, Northwest Ethiopia. Five species of intestinal parasites were identified with an overall prevalence of 155 (40.4%). Among these, Ascaris lumbricoides 122 (31.8%) and Entamoeba histolytica 18 (4.7%) were predominant. Of the total 155 (40.4%) positive individuals, 149 (39%) had a single infection and the rest 6 (1.6%) had double parasitic infections. Of the different variables assessed, age, gender, shoe wearing, and eating raw or undercooked vegetables were not significantly associated with the prevalence of intestinal parasites ( P > 0.05 ). However, a statistically significant association ( P < 0.05 ) was observed between infected children and variables including defecation habit (AOR = 0.216), cleanliness of fingernails (AOR = 0.146), drinking river water (AOR = 0.124), and hand washing habit after defecation (AOR = 0.236) ( P < 0.05 ). Regular deworming, education on personal hygiene, and environmental sanitation to both students and their parents shall be implemented to reduce the prevalence rate of intestinal parasitic infections in the study area.