Search Results (39)

There is a need for more attention to the importance of substantial parent involvement in programming for autistic children in community-based care. More encouragement is needed to ensure that practitioners prioritize parental training and involvement throughout interventions, including practitioner-led in-home applied behavioral analysis (ABA) interventions. There has been little to no research on the feasibility and efficacy of adding parental training to in-home practitioner-led ABA interventions. This study is intended to begin the consideration of efficacy by reporting on a series of focus groups involving parents of autistic children and the Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) who work with them. Method: Focus group meetings were conducted with a total of 18 participants: 7 family members, 5 RBTs, and 6 BCBAs drawn from two provider sites. Transcripts were generated, and data was analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, a method for analyzing and interpreting qualitative data that involves systematically generating codes in order to develop themes. Findings: The findings are described using three main themes: (1) barriers to family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming, (2) facilitators of family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming, and (3) recommendations for improving family involvement in applied behavioral analysis programming. Conclusions: There are logistical challenges in involving parents in in-home interventions when they occur in evening hours when the family has multiple other responsibilities. However, being in-home also presents opportunities not available in school or clinic settings. The recommendations provided offer an initial road map to advancing parent training components. Full article

While it is widely accepted that parents play an important role in facilitating the academic achievement of their offspring through school involvement and homework assistance, less is known about how exactly parents, in general, contribute to adolescents’ academic achievement within and across non-Western cultures through their everyday parenting behaviors and parent–adolescent relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between several Western constructs of maternal parenting behavior (e.g., support, involvement, reasoning, punitiveness, and parental knowledge), and aspects of the mother–adolescent relationship (e.g., autonomy, conformity, and familism) and adolescent academic achievement among families living in China, India, and South Korea. Self-reported data were collected from adolescents living in urban areas within Mainland China (n = 589), India (n = 463), and South Korea (274). Examination of the results from the reduced linear regression model indicated that maternal knowledge, familism, punitiveness, age of adolescent, and region were statistically significant predictors. 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

Background/Objectives: This study examined factors influencing health behaviours among 13–17-year-olds in Surrey, focusing on rising obesity rates and socioeconomic disparities using a whole systems approach to capture both the stakeholders’ voice and the young people’s voices. Methods: The research involved two components: a survey of youth service providers (e.g., teachers, youth workers; n = 35) and focus groups with adolescents (n = 27). Results: The survey revealed challenges faced by stakeholders, including insufficient training, environmental factors (e.g., schools, social media, food systems), and limited support from parents and healthcare professionals. The focus groups identified two key themes: (1) domains of care, for example diet and how availability and cost of food affects food choices, and (2) barriers and solutions, addressing financial, structural, and emotional obstacles to and facilitators of a healthy lifestyle. Transcending these themes was the key role of health inequalities linked to income, geography, and gender. Conclusions: This study underscores the complexity of adolescent health behaviours and calls for a multi-level, coordinated approach to address inequalities and foster supportive environments for healthier choices. Full article

This paper describes the co-design of a participatory group intervention developed to promote and enhance parental involvement in supporting the education of children with disabilities in Malawi. The intervention was developed through participatory co-design workshops and consensus meetings involving 23 stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and community leaders. The Behaviour Change Wheel framework and the Delphi technique guided the intervention development process, ensuring theoretical robustness and contextual relevance. The proposed intervention, Tiyanjane (‘Let Us Unite’), includes facilitator and participant training and practical face-to-face sessions over 12 weeks. The intervention targets four key areas: developing family action plans, holding regular meetings, providing ongoing support at home and school, and facilitating training and information exchange. This participatory approach, involving a wide range of local stakeholders, offers valuable insights into the process and outcomes of co-developing culturally relevant and theoretically grounded interventions to address the needs of families with children with disabilities in low-resource settings. Future research should include an evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and examine its applicability in diverse sociocultural settings within LMICs (low- and middle-income countries). Full article

Effective collaboration among various actors is essential to optimally support the educational needs of gifted students. School leaders play an essential role in creating an environment and policies that foster this collaboration. This exploratory mixed-methods study investigated school leaders’ perceptions of the involvement of and interactions with actor groups (parents, teachers, and other school leaders) in the system surrounding gifted students, while identifying key facilitators and barriers. 136 primary and secondary school leaders completed a questionnaire, of whom 18 participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated varying levels of perceived involvement, with teachers being most involved, followed by parents, and other school leaders. This pattern was mirrored in interaction frequencies across most queried topics. Despite these varying levels, school leaders expressed similar satisfaction with the involvement of and interactions with all actor groups. A positive relationship was found between involvement and interaction levels and their corresponding satisfaction. Actors’ willingness to contribute to and/or communicate about gifted education was a key facilitator, while a lack of willingness was frequently mentioned as a barrier. This study provides an initial understanding of factors impacting involvement and interactions in gifted education from school leaders’ perspectives, offering a foundation for enhancing collaboration and support. Full article

Education is crucial for leading a productive life and obtaining necessary resources. Higher education institutions are progressively incorporating artificial intelligence into conventional teaching methods as a result of innovations in technology. As a high academic record raises a university’s ranking and increases student career chances, predicting learning success has been a central focus in education. Both performance analysis and providing high-quality instruction are challenges faced by modern schools. Maintaining high academic standards, juggling life and academics, and adjusting to technology are problems that students must overcome. In this study, we present a comprehensive dataset, SAPEx-D (Student Academic Performance Exploration), designed to predict student performance, encompassing a wide array of personal, familial, academic, and behavioral factors. Our data collection effort at Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan, involved both online and paper questionnaires completed by students across multiple departments, ensuring diverse representation. After meticulous preprocessing to remove duplicates and entries with significant missing values, we retained 494 valid responses. The dataset includes detailed attributes such as demographic information, parental education and occupation, study habits, reading frequencies, and transportation modes. To facilitate robust analysis, we encoded ordinal attributes using label encoding and nominal attributes using one-hot encoding, expanding our dataset from 38 to 88 attributes. Feature scaling was performed to standardize the range and distribution of data, using a normalization technique. Our analysis revealed that factors such as degree major, parental education, reading frequency, and scholarship type significantly influence student performance. The machine learning models applied to this dataset, including Gradient Boosting and Random Forest, demonstrated high accuracy and robustness, underscoring the dataset’s potential for insightful academic performance prediction. In terms of model performance, Gradient Boosting achieved an accuracy of 68.7% and an F1-score of 68% for the eight-class classification task. For the three-class classification, Random Forest outperformed other models, reaching an accuracy of 80.8% and an F1-score of 78%. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive data in understanding and predicting academic outcomes, paving the way for more personalized and effective educational strategies. Full article

Decades of research suggest that higher levels of parental education are related to more active and effective parental involvement (PI) practices. At the same time, schools’ policies and practices facilitate family-school-community partnerships (FSCPs) to support students in attaining successful outcomes. However, it is unclear which school policies are effective in equitably involving parents with lower educational attainment. This study aims to examine the relationships between different types of FSCP practices of Hungarian majority and minority schools in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and create more equitable experiences for parents with lower educational attainment. We formulated the following hypotheses: H1. Higher levels of parental education relate to more active home-based and school-based parental involvement. H2. Parent educational attainment relates to parents’ perceptions of FSCP practices. H3. Parents’ perceptions of FSCP have a stronger relationship to PI than individual student and parent characteristics. The study included parents of Hungarian primary and middle school students in three CEE countries (N = 1002). Our findings suggest that parents with lower educational attainment perceive community development policies and special support as more significant compared to parents with higher educational attainment. Moreover, parents’ perceptions of FSCP practices have a stronger relationship to PI than individual factors. To create a more equitable experience for families, it is proposed that demand-driven practices be developed in schools. Full article

This study aimed to explore the factors that influence parental involvement in supporting the education of children with disabilities in Malawi, thereby generating insights into the barriers and facilitators they face. We conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with 25 participants from Nkhata Bay District: teachers, parents, and children with disabilities. We used the COM-B model to analyse how parents’ capabilities, opportunities, and behaviours influence their involvement in their children’s education. This study revealed that parents of children with disabilities showed willingness, optimism regarding their children’s future, and a strong sense of responsibility for their education. However, factors such as the limited knowledge of children’s learning needs, time, low confidence, and financial challenges have constrained their involvement. Schools and communities frequently limit participation opportunities by not consistently practising or championing parental involvement in policies and actions. This study sheds light on the complex interplay between knowledge, practical constraints, and external support systems that shape parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities. Further research aimed at creating tailored and context-relevant interventions to improve parental involvement in the education of children with disabilities in low-income settings is required. Full article

This article examines how media outlets create a “border spectacle” (De Genova 2013) in schools, which contributes to the criminalization and deportability of undocumented immigrant students. Using content analysis, we studied n = 30 news articles that covered an incident in 2017 where two undocumented young men were accused of sexual assault and rape of a young woman in the school they all attended. This paper builds on the “school-to-deportation pipeline” by suggesting that, in addition to the zero-tolerance behavioral policies established by schools and teacher’s racist behaviors, the media coverage of alleged criminal acts also play a role in the expulsion and criminalization of undocumented students. The analysis of the news articles highlights four types of media frames employed to criminalize the young men involved in the case prior to these allegations being addressed by a court of law: (1) immigrant youth as sexual predators; (2) immigration as a correlation to a criminal act; (3) parents as the real victims of the case; and (4) sexual assault victims as collateral damage. Each of these media frames are built on xenophobic tropes that have historically facilitated the marginalization of Black and Latinx people, but in this case, it specifically targets undocumented young men. Collectively, the four media frames exemplify how media create a “border spectacle” in schools, manufacturing a moral hysteria to further marginalize and criminalize undocumented youth. We argue that, as a result of schools becoming border spectacles, undocumented young people’s fear of feeling targeted based on their “illegality” is intensified, and their sense of inclusion is hindered in an often thought to be safe and inclusive space for undocumented young people. Full article

Background/Objectives: We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential mental health impact of a digital peer support intervention involving videoconferencing and text-based support for parents of school-aged children living with T1D and analyzed posts exchanged by parents on a texting platform. Methods: Eighteen parents were recruited for Huddle4Parents, a 4-month digital intervention that involved four synchronous group-based Zoom sessions coupled with an asynchronous 24/7 peer support texting room. Primary outcomes were feasibility (i.e., ability to recruit n = 20 parents and retain at least 75%) and acceptability (i.e., satisfaction ratings of “good” to “very good”). Baseline and 4-month assessments also measured diabetes distress, quality of life, and perceived support. A content analysis of text exchanges was also performed. Results: All 15 parents who completed the intervention attended at least one Huddle and posted at least one message on the 24/7 peer support room. The retention rate was 83%, with 100% indicating that they would “definitely” or “probably yes” recommend both platforms to other parents. They also rated the topics, facilitator, and overall Huddles as “good” to “excellent.” No changes were observed for psychosocial endpoints. Of the 1084 texts posted, core support themes included the following: (1) dealing with technology and devices; (2) seeking and providing emotional support; (3) managing T1D in the school setting; and (4) exchanging tips and strategies. Conclusions: Huddle4Parents, a digital T1D caregiver intervention offering synchronous and asynchronous support, is feasible based on recruitment, participation, and attrition rates and acceptable as demonstrated by engagement and satisfaction ratings for the Huddles and 24/7 peer support room. Full article

This study investigates parents’ perceptions of the impact of cultural diversity on their children and their role in facilitating their children’s navigation through diverse cultural landscapes. A questionnaire, part of the Erasmus+ REACT project (the reciprocal maieutic approach), was distributed among 243 parents of secondary school children in Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, and Spain. It aimed to shed light on the effects of cultural diversity on young individuals and the influence of parents in fostering intercultural competences and critical thinking. The findings reveal a strong positive perception among parents regarding cultural diversity, with a significant majority acknowledging its beneficial impact on their children’s development. Parents identify themselves as crucial educators and role models, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue, positive exemplification, and the teaching of tolerance and respect. Despite recognizing the general adeptness of their children in interacting with cultural diversity, parents perceive challenges, particularly related to differences in beliefs, religions, and social classes. Parents favor experiential and participatory activities over traditional academic methods for fostering intercultural competence, suggesting a shift toward more inclusive educational practices that involve family and community. This study calls for educational initiatives that promote active participation, connection with the community, critical thinking, and empathy toward cultural differences. Full article

This study examined the associations between maternal involvement in education and bicultural acceptance and school adjustment during the first year of middle school among adolescents from Korean multicultural families as well as the reciprocal relationships between bicultural acceptance and school adjustment during the three years of middle school. The present study used three-wave longitudinal data of 1185 dyads of adolescents (50.8% girls; mean age = 12.96 ± 0.35 years at the first wave) and their immigrant mothers (mean age = 43.54 ± 5.19 years at the first wave), who participated in the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study. An autoregressive cross-lagged modeling analysis revealed that maternal involvement in education was significantly and positively associated with adolescents’ bicultural acceptance and school adjustment in the first year of middle school. Individual levels of bicultural acceptance and school adjustment among adolescents remained moderately stable over the three years. Whereas the positive effects of school adjustment on bicultural acceptance were significant over time, the effects of bicultural acceptance on school adjustment were not. Finally, this study highlights the roles of intervention programs (e.g., parent and multicultural education) in facilitating maternal involvement in education and school adjustment as well as in increasing bicultural acceptance among minority youths. Full article

Background: Bullying is a hostile behavior repeated over a time period, affecting children and adolescents in different social settings, mainly small and stable ones like school, with negative effects on mental and physical health. In this study, we aimed to provide the degree of impairment of different variables related to health and well-being in bullying conditions, with attention to sex differences. Methods: Data were obtained from 5390 adolescents (mean age 13.08 ± 1.89; male 2729), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire. Results: In all students, mood and emotion, self-perception, and parental relationships are the dimensions more compromised in bullying conditions, while lifestyle habit is the variable less involved. Bullied girls show a significant impairment of all HRQoL variables both with respect to the socially accepted counterpart and to the male population. Conclusions: Our study highlights the strict association between bullying and emotional and social dimensions, suggesting that enhancing them preventively could facilitate earlier detection of problems, thereby reducing health risks. Full article

Background: Despite its small population, Norway wins a disproportionately large number of medals in international competitions. Therefore, it has been thought that the Norwegian sports model and sports school programs are influential in developing young Norwegian athletes to achieve such results. Today, more than 110 Norwegian private and public schools offer the elite sports program in Norway. Most student athletes attending those schools combine their high school education with elite sports, where they attend training sessions at both school and clubs. The number of people involved with the student athlete on a daily basis (i.e., other student athletes, club coaches, school coaches, schoolteachers, parents, and health personnel) indicate the importance of optimal communication and coordination. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies have explored communication and coordination among this population group. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to use a holistic analysis of team dynamics using the Relational Coordination Survey as a measure to explore the relational coordination within and between student athletes, club coaches, and school coaches. A secondary objective of this study was to explore student athletes’, club coaches’, and school coaches’ relational coordination with schoolteachers, parents, and health personnel. In addition, the study aimed to explore differences in student athletes’ relational coordination with their significant others according to sport, school, performance level, sex, and school year. Methods: The quality of relational coordination was measured by a cross-sectional questionnaire of student athletes (n = 345), club coaches (n = 42), and school coaches (n = 25) concerning training load and life load. Multiple one-way analyses of variance were used to assess differences between groups. Results: The results show that student athletes, club coaches, and school coaches perceived moderate to weak relational coordination with parents, schoolteachers, and health personnel. Student athletes’ relational coordination score with parents was the only strong score observed. Furthermore, the results reveal notable differences in student athletes’ relational coordination with the roles according to their characteristics. Conclusions: The findings suggest a potential for enhancing relationships and communication within and between the significant roles involved with student athletes. The results further indicate that those involved with the student athlete should consider a holistic approach to enhance communication and coordination, including physical, psychological, and other life factors, for optimal student athlete management and development. More resources are necessary to facilitate effective communication and coordination regarding the student athlete’s total load. Full article