Search Results (115)

Background: Thailand is rapidly transitioning into an aging society, creating an intergenerational caregiving gap that strains existing support systems. Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of “Young Care,” a community-based intervention designed to enhance youth knowledge, attitudes, and caregiving practices (KAP) toward older adults. Methods: A two-day structured training was conducted in Maha Sarakham Province in 2023 using a pre-post mixed-methods design. Middle and high school students participated in lectures, multimedia sessions, and experiential learning activities related to caregiving. Quantitative data were collected using validated KAP questionnaires, while qualitative insights were obtained from focus group discussions involving students, older persons, caregivers, and local leaders. Results: Post-intervention analysis revealed significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes (p < 0.001), accompanied by increased empathy, caregiving initiative, and a sense of moral responsibility among participants. Conclusions: The initiative fostered formal partnerships among schools, local governments, healthcare providers, and universities through memoranda of understanding. These collaborations enabled budgetary support and outreach to out-of-school youth, positioning “Young Care” as a scalable, youth-centered strategy to address Thailand’s long-term care challenges. Full article

Geographic disparities threaten equitable access for children to health-promoting safe green spaces, and quality early education in the communities in which they live and grow. To address gaps in the field, we integrated the fields of developmental psychology, public health, and environmental science to examine, at the population level, associations between the environmental burden, socioeconomic vulnerability, and kindergarten readiness in a diverse urban county. Three administrative datasets were integrated through an early childhood data sharing research partnership in Miami-Dade County. The Bruner Child Raising Vulnerability Index, the five domains of the Environmental Burden module from the Environmental Justice Index, and public school kindergarten readiness scores were aggregated at the census tract level. Analysis of variance and multiple regression analyses found associations between socioeconomic vulnerability and race/ethnicity. The socioeconomic vulnerability levels were highest in census tracts with a higher percentage of Black residents, compared to all other races/ethnicities. Areas of greater social vulnerability had lower kindergarten readiness and a higher environmental burden. A higher environmental burden predicted lower kindergarten readiness scores above and beyond race/ethnicity and socioeconomic vulnerability. The findings advance our understanding of global challenges to sustainable healthy child development, such as the persistence of a disproportionate environmental burden and inequitable access to resources such as green spaces and early education programs. The present study results can inform community health improvement plans to reduce risk exposures and promote greater access to positive environmental and educational resources for all children. Full article

This article presents a comparison of two qualitative case studies. The first case study is a partnership group involving two urban secondary school teachers working with one engineer and one education faculty member where they implemented several science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons over the course of an academic year. The second case study is a partnership group involving undergraduate college students working together to build a data collection device attached to a high-altitude balloon to answer a scientific question or solve an engineering problem and translate the project into engaging lessons for a K-12/secondary student audience. The studies employed a socio-cultural theoretical framework as the lens to examine the individuals’ perspectives, experiences, and engineering meaning-making processes, and to consider what these meant to the partnership itself. The methods included interviews, focus groups, field notes, and artifacts. The analysis involved multi-level coding. The findings indicated that the strength of the partnership (pre, little p, or big P) among participants influenced the strength of the secondary engineering lessons. The partnership growth implications in terms of K-12/secondary and collegiate engineering education included the engineering lesson strength, partnership, and engineering project sustainability The participant partnership meanings revolved around lesson creation, incorporating engineering ideas into the classroom, increasing communication, and increasing secondary students’ learning, while tensions arose from navigating (not quite negotiating) roles as a team. A call for attention to school–university partnerships and the voices heard in engineering partnership building are included since professional skills are becoming even more important due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies. Full article

Communication between families and schools is foundational for students’ academic success, community support for schools, and teachers’ experience. Yet, few preservice teacher education programs teach novices how to engage in equitable and effective collaborations with families. This manuscript reports on a pilot study in which preservice teachers traveled to a local community school and role-played academic conversations with adults whose children were enrolled in the school. The analysis of the transcripts of the role plays, a debrief panel by family participants, and written reflections of eight participating preservice teachers and six family participants used codes derived from the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships. The findings show that both groups of participants found opportunities for thoughtful engagement. In the role plays, preservice teachers were most likely to demonstrate cognition by thinking flexibly about how to accommodate family and student needs. Family participants were most likely to demonstrate confidence by displaying their expertise and coaching the teachers. Activities like this may be useful sites for teachers and community members to practice effective collaboration skills. More broadly, the results may point toward an underutilized capacity within preservice teacher education to support family- and community-oriented schooling. Full article

This article reflects on a capacity-building project co-designed with two universities in northern Mozambique to strengthen partnerships in the educational sector in addressing local issues of youth unemployment and food insecurity. The project focused on building communities of practice (CoPs) around the three secondary-level schools delivering agricultural education and training with the participation of universities’ lecturers from agricultural universities as well as students and rural communities. These three CoPs became collaborative networks foregrounded in participatory action research that allowed for a joint production of knowledge. Because of this, we propose to frame these CoPs as microcosms of an expanded skills ecosystem that exists on a territorial level and encompasses diverse forms of knowledge. Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CoPs created opportunities for students to do practical work that is often lacking in training and, especially, to encounter entrepreneurship possibilities that can facilitate education–work transitions. With this experience in mind, we ask ourselves, how can CoPs harness skills development towards the education–work transition for youth in agriculture? Our insights into this question are based on three years of project implementation (2021–2023) and, hopefully, will contribute to better understand the role of vocationally trained youth for Mozambique’s agricultural development. Full article

The promotion of enhanced well-being among children and collaboration among families, schools, and communities is paramount and is a pressing concern in the global education sector. This necessitates that preschool teachers possess the necessary competencies for effective family-preschool partnerships (FPPs). This study explored the competencies necessary for Chinese kindergarten teachers to engage in FPP using behavioral event interviews with 30 participants. Thematic analysis identified key competency traits, and independent samples t-tests with Bonferroni correction compared collaboration competencies between outstanding and typical teachers, as well as across different career stages. Consequently, a comprehensive crisscrossing competency framework consisting of four quadrants was developed. This framework distinguishes between high-performance and general traits, as well as between stable and variable traits that may evolve across career stages. High-performance traits such as communication, expression, and relationship management should be prioritized in the training and recruitment of early childhood educators involved in FPP. In contrast, intrinsic qualities that foster successful FPP, such as child orientation, should be cultivated early and sustained throughout a teacher’s career. From a developmental perspective, this framework provides a crucial foundation for evaluating and training kindergarten teachers in the competencies essential for fostering effective FPP. Full article

This exploratory study examines the experiences of public elementary school educators to understand the shifting educational priorities and renegotiation of borders between home and school during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The research uses a case study approach through a critical inquiry process that centers the voices of those on the front lines of education. Derived from individual and focus group interviews, the findings illuminate educators’ experiences during different phases of the pandemic, including: the growing scope of their responsibilities, challenges with staffing, and competing and conflicting demands on educators’ time and attention. The study is limited by its geographical concentration and sole focus on the perspectives of school-based personnel. Future studies with larger samples may include educators and parents in various locations. Recommendations based on the findings include partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs) and creating a unifying vision that draws together school staff, families, and the wider community to re-envision the purpose of school in a post-pandemic context. Full article

Relationships are central to the work of school leaders; however, little is currently known about how leadership preparation programs provide learning experiences for students which develop their relational abilities and orient them to adopt a relational stance in their work. The purpose of this paper is to fill this knowledge void by describing leadership preparation experiences provided through the IMPACT program. Specifically, we describe the IMPACT program and present the unique program features which exemplify how leadership preparation programs can create meaningful learning opportunities to achieve the following: (a) equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to foster transformative relationships within their school communities; (b) nurturing students’ holistic development and well-being. Program features include university–school–community partnerships, student recruitment and selection, cohort model, leadership seminars, the curriculum and pedagogy, internship experiences, student mentoring and coaching, and post-graduation support. We use the literature on caring, compassionate school leadership, leader preparation, and mentorship to frame our discussion. Finally, we offer recommendations which enable leadership preparation programs to capitalize on the power of relationships in leaders’ development and, more broadly, school improvement processes. Full article

Research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural, urban, and suburban public schools in southwestern Pennsylvania indicated that families and school educators and leaders had different views on education and that more needed to be done to build family, school, and community partnerships. The Parents as Allies Partnership, a collective of community, education, and research institutions, emerged out of this study and has led the co-creation of a human-centered design process with school teams on how to radically reimagine and support family, school, and community collaboration in southwestern Pennsylvania. Through the human-centered design process, teams of families, teachers, staff, and school leaders develop innovative solutions together to address pressing needs they identify in their communities. This article details this community-building process alongside case studies of three schools and how they have used the research to launch deeper and more inclusive and equitable familycentric partnership practices. This study challenges educators, researchers, and parent organizations to think differently about family, school, and community engagement and provides an evidence-based process to apply in their own contexts. Full article

Evidence-based and theory-informed interventions focusing on parents of children with disabilities in low-income countries are scarce. This study examined the feasibility of Tiyanjane, a 12-week pilot intervention developed to promote parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities in Malawi. A mixed-method approach was employed based on five aspects of Bowen’s feasibility framework: acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, and limited efficacy. Twenty-one participants (13 caregivers, four teachers, and four local leaders) participated in the study. Standardised measures, namely the Parent and Family Adjustment Scale (PAFAS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), were employed to evaluate changes in parental practices, adjustments, and perceived social support. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups and in-depth interviews to assess the feasibility of the intervention. Tiyanjane showed promise in promoting parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities. The intervention demonstrated high fidelity, achieving 100% retention and 95% attendance. Local resources, commitment from participants and facilitators, and strong family school–community ties enabled the practicality and execution of the intervention. Significant improvements were observed in the PAFAS and MSPSS scores across the assessed post-intervention outcomes. Minor logistical issues including resource and implementation challenges were reported. Tiyanjane was feasible for the facilitators and participants in the Malawian context. Further studies are needed to assess the programme’s adaptation, integration, and expansion in other contexts before scaling up. Full article

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine childhood vaccinations schedules, posing significant challenges among underserved communities. Understanding how different sociodemographic groups in Tennessee perceive and navigate childhood vaccination barriers is critical for developing strategies to improve vaccination rates and reduce vulnerability to vaccine-preventable diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore barriers to vaccination across diverse sociodemographic groups in Tennessee. Data were collected from caregivers/parents of children aged 18 years and younger across all 95 counties in Tennessee at community events and through partnerships with schools and other local organizations. Parental responses were analyzed to identify barriers in access, concern, and importance domains. The distribution of barriers across different sociodemographic groups such as race, income, education level, and insurance status was identified. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and log-binomial regressions were used to address the research objectives. Results: This study found that the most prominent barriers to childhood vaccination were concerns regarding vaccine safety and side effects. Significant differences in vaccine barriers were observed across racial and ethnic groups for access barriers (p < 0.001), concern barriers (p = 0.006), and importance barriers (p < 0.001). Parents with lower education levels, children without health insurance, and lower-income families faced disproportionate challenges across two of the three barrier domains studied (access and perceived importance of vaccines). Additionally, concern barriers (aPR = 0.998, p < 0.001) and importance barriers (aPR = 0.997, p < 0.001) were strongly associated with the parent-reported prevalence of up-to-date vaccination status. Conclusions: Addressing parental vaccination barriers related to concern, access, and perceived importance is crucial, particularly for underserved populations including low-income families, uninsured parents, racial/ethnic minorities, and those with limited education. A sustained, equity-focused approach integrating scientific communication, community engagement, and policy interventions is essential for increasing vaccine uptake and ensuring equitable vaccination access. Full article

Background/Objectives: Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have the highest global burden of cervical cancer deaths. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a key strategy for cervical cancer elimination, and in LMICs, global recommendations to vaccinate girls aged 9–14 years against HPV are generally implemented through school-based immunization platforms. Unfortunately, this strategy risks missing out-of-school (OOS) girls (i.e., girls not enrolled in formal schools). This narrative review maps the literature and synthesizes existing evidence on service delivery strategies for reaching OOS girls with HPV vaccination in LMICs. Methods: Using relevant databases, we conducted a narrative review of published, peer-reviewed literature to map and synthesize the existing evidence on effective service delivery strategies for reaching OOS girls with HPV vaccination in LMICs. Results: The 21 articles identified presented findings on strategies to reach OOS girls, with the most frequently cited strategies being facility-based and community outreach approaches. Authors also described community-based strategies used to identify and enumerate OOS girls, including peer tracing, church outreach initiatives, as well as partnerships with local groups (e.g., civil service organizations) and individuals (e.g., healthcare workers, teachers). The articles discussed barriers at the individual (e.g., lack of parental consent), facility/program delivery (e.g., lack of transportation for vaccines), and community (e.g., distance from homes to vaccination services) levels to HPV vaccine delivery, as well as solutions at the facility/program delivery (e.g., pilot programs) and community (e.g., multi-level partnerships) levels. Conclusions: Additional research is needed to evaluate implementation strategies targeting OOS girls with HPV vaccination. A better understanding of these strategies can provide valuable insights for HPV vaccine policymakers, healthcare providers, and program implementers. Full article

Environmental education is a vital strategy for conservation and protection, creating collaborative spaces for scientists, community members, and other stakeholders. Across various countries, educational curricula include courses aimed at teaching the younger generation about environmental protection. Interactive and practical educational programs, along with the involvement of parents and the community, enhance learning and create connections between school and daily life. Curriculum changes are influenced by several factors, including children’s understanding and application of these concepts. Various methods, such as questionnaire analysis, have been developed for this purpose. This study assessed the knowledge levels and behaviors regarding the environmental factor “water” among primary school students in Bacău, Romania. Conducted through a questionnaire method, the survey included 308 students from grades 2 to 4. The findings highlight the significance of environmental education in primary schools, preparing children to act responsibly towards the environment. It is recommended to implement interactive educational programs and foster partnerships with the community and local organizations to promote water conservation and reduce consumption, thereby cultivating a long-term sustainable culture. Full article

Background: The existing literature often oversimplifies the complex relationship between religion and Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH), particularly regarding church-based interventions. This study aimed to investigate the nature and implementation strategies of church AYSRH programmes within their belief systems to inform effective programme development. Methodology: An interpretive descriptive design was employed. Data were collected in the Vaal Triangle region of South Africa (Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, and Sasolburg) between August 2019 and February 2020. In-depth interviews were conducted with pastors, government officials, and school principals. Focus group discussions were held with parent and youth church groups alongside youth groups from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti v.23. Results: Church-based AYSRH interventions primarily emphasize information provision and abstinence until marriage, aligned with prevailing moral values. These interventions are delivered through integration into existing church programmes and collaborations with external stakeholders for specialized areas like contraception. Limitations identified included ineffectiveness, superficiality, impracticality, tensions between religious doctrine and lived realities, a reductionist focus, a singular information-sharing approach, and limited pastor understanding and openness regarding AYSRH. Conclusions: Churches possess valuable communication platforms and partnerships that could be leveraged for AYSRH interventions. However, this study highlights a one-sided focus on church teachings and significant tensions between idealized approaches and practical implementation, raising critical questions about the overall efficacy of church-led AYSRH projects. This research validates prior findings on church-based AYSRH interventions while offering nuanced insights and heuristic perspectives for a more comprehensive and less simplistic understanding of church-driven AYSRH services. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic created major disruptions in schooling and education. This exploratory study examines state-standardized test scores in traditional and community schools between 2019 and 2023, and qualitative data from a large urban school district located on the East Coast of the United States. The findings indicate declines in test scores for all students in both English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. The 11 schools implementing a community school strategy reported slightly smaller declines than traditional schools in both ELA and math. Qualitative analysis reveals that community schools were able to pivot quickly to support student and family needs during the pandemic, which may have helped mitigate some of the negative impact of the COVID-19 learning disruptions. This exploratory study points to the potential of the community school strategy in providing holistic supports to alleviate some of the challenges associated with historically underinvested communities, and their responsiveness in times of crisis. Full article