Mindful Eating Proficiency and Healthy Eating Literacy among Japanese Mothers: Associations with Their Own and Their Children’s Eating Behavior

Mindfulness is a process of focusing one’s attention on the present moment. Applying this concept to eating (i.e., mindful eating (ME)) is associated with regulated eating behaviors, particularly in people with obesity and who are overweight. Sustaining healthy eating habits requires both healthy eating literacy (HEL) and proficiency in ME. However, ME proficiency in Japanese people has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper, we conduct a survey of mothers with 4- to 5-year-old children in Aomori City, Japan, to investigate their ME proficiency and HEL level and eating behavior and self-reported body mass index in both mothers and their children from August to September 2019. This study is the first to describe ME proficiency in Japanese mothers. The study sample includes 128 participants from 18 nursery schools. ME proficiency in mothers was positively correlated with both their own and their children’s eating behaviors, thereby suggesting a potential relationship, while strong relationships were not observed between the HEL level and eating behaviors of mothers and children. Improving ME skills, rather than HEL, may be an effective way to sustain healthier eating behaviors in mothers and their children. The level of evidence was Level V: Opinions of respected authorities based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

Montessori’s Children’s Houses in Calabria at the beginning of the twentieth century in the Historic Archive of the ANIMI

The birth of Montessori’s Case dei Bambini (“Children’s Houses”) and the adoption of her innovative teaching method constitute an interesting chapter in the renewal of educational practices in Italy in the early years of the 20th century. Spreading from North to South, the biggest impact was felt where the social question was most acute. Milan, Rome and Città di Castello (the location of the Villa Montesca belonging to Leopoldo Franchetti and his wife Alice Hallgarten), together with very small communities such as those of Ferruzzano and Saccuti in the province of Reggio Calabria, were ideal contexts in which to test the assumptions of Maria Montessori’s approach to pedagogy. Specifically, this paper examines the experience of the Children’s Houses and nursery schools set up in Calabria by the Associazione Nazionale per gli Interessi del Mezzogiorno d’Italia (ANIMI, the National Association for the Interests of the Italian Mezzogiorno). The use of partly unpublished materials kept in the Association’s Historic Archive makes it possible to reconstruct the enthusiasm for the Montessori method of some teachers who were not from Calabria and to assess its positive effects on the children, who were among the country’s most neglected, often condemned to a series of privations.

Relationship between Parental Autistic Traits and Parenting Difficulties in a Japanese Community Sample

Background: Previous studies have suggested an association between higher levels of parental autistic traits and negative aspects of parenting; however, the domain of autistic traits specifically associated with parenting difficulties has not been investigated yet. Moreover, it remains to be determined whether this association exists even after controlling for children’s characteristics.Aims: This study examined the relationship between each domain of parental autistic traits and parenting difficulties after controlling for children’s characteristics in a Japanese community sample.Methods and Procedures: Surveys were administered to 1,373 Japanese adults who were parents to children in kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary schools. Outcomes and Results: The results showed that parents with higher levels of autistic traits had more parenting difficulties. Even after controlling for children’s sex, age, and emotional/behavioral problems, paternal impaired communication and maternal poor attention switching, impaired communication, and lack of imagination related to higher parenting difficulties, while a higher maternal level of attention to detail was associated with lower difficulties in parenting. Conclusions and Implications: The findings of this study highlight the importance of focusing on parental autistic traits and providing appropriate parenting support considering these traits.

Job satisfaction and risk of burnout in special needs nursery school teachers

Teaching in nursery schools is a demanding profession based on interaction with people. As a result, teachers are exposed to an increased risk of burnout. The main goal of the research was to find out to what extent the pedagogical staff of the mentioned nursery schools are endangered by the burnout syndrome and how satisfied they are in their profession. The research group consisted of 90 participants which included teachers from all nursery schools for children with special educational needs in the Czech Republic. To determine the empirical data, the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey, Teacher Satisfaction Inventory and One-Dimensional Assessment Scale measuring teachers’ climate perception were used. The results suggest that special needs nursery school teachers are at a high risk of burnout in the dimension of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in contrast to the high level of personal satisfaction, job satisfaction and satisfaction with the working climate. Keywords: burnout syndrome; job satisfaction; social climate

Nursery School Cooperation with the Family in the Field of Media Education in Children

Introduction: The paper focuses on a narrowly specific topic of the family cooperation with an institution of pre-school education - the nursery school (or also just the nursery), concentrating on a specific topic of “media education”. It considers the determining factors and presents partial findings of a research survey aimed at the field of media education in nursery schools. Methods: The paper contains the results of our own questionnaire research, which was carried out online in nursery school teachers. It also contains a theoretical definition of media literacy and media education in the context of the target group. Results: The result is an analysis of the obtained findings and formulated proposals for measures in the given field, which are usable and applicable in practice. Discussion: The individual presented results are continuously discussed with regard to the findings from the field of media education in the nursery school. Today, the world of the media is a common part of life even for children of pre-school age, and therefore it is necessary to teach them to orient themselves in it, which should be one of the tasks of the nursery school. In the Czech Republic, this issue has not yet been addressed at a significant level or to an appropriate extent. Our results are therefore closely linked not only to the discussion comments, but also to the conclusions drawn from them. Limitations: The results of the empirical research may be influenced by the attitudes and prejudices of nursery school teachers in relation to media in pre-school children. Conclusion: An early intervention can teach children to use media for their benefit and prevent media from negatively affecting them. The negative consequences of unrestrained effects of e.g. the television or mobile phones have been empirically proven. This information about the negative consequences is very general, distorted or superficial for the general public (parents), though. We consider the implementation of media education into the “teaching” process in nursery schools to be inevitable, even with regard to a closer cooperation between the institution and parents. However, this also places increased demands on training pedagogical staff in nursery schools in the subject area, creating methodological materials, etc.