The link between extracurricular activities and academic achievement for youth in grades 5 and 7 /

This study examined the link between involvement in extracurricular activities and academic success for 504 youth in grades 5 and 7, using the first-year survey data from a longitudinal study conducted by Youth Lifestyle Choices-Community University Research Alliance (YLC-CURA). Specifically, the study investigated whether a linear or curvilinear relation existed between extracurricular activities and academic achievement for both in- and out-of-school activities. It was hypothesized that stress may be a possible mediator in the link between extracurricular activities and achievement Results indicated that students in grades 5 and 7 were involved in club and sport activities both inside and outside of school at fairly equal fi-equencies, with a mean frequency of approximately once a month. The hypothesis that a positive relation j between in- and out-of-school extracurricular activities and achievement was supported. The hypothesis that a curvilinear relation would exist between extracurricular activities and achievement was only supported for out-of-school activities. This finding supports the argument that too much or too little involvement in out-of-school activities is related negatively to a student's academic success; however, a moderate amount of involvement appears to be positive. The hypothesis that there would be a relation between involvement in extracurricular activities and stress level for both in-school and out-ofschool activities was not supported. Results were discussed in terms of educational implications and community resources for extracurricular activities.

Research in the clinical setting : a qualitative study of the value of play research in the continuing education of occupational therapists.

Occupational therapists have always recognized playas an important part of a child's life. However, until recently play has been viewed as a medium for reaching treatment goals, rather than as an activity that is valuable in and of itself. If occupational therapists think of playas the primary activity or occupation of childhood, then play should be a very important area of focus for paediatric clinicians. In order to assist children to become as independent as possible with play and to have fulfilling play experiences the occupational therapist needs to have a clear understanding of how to assess, set goals which lead towards competence in play, and promote play. Recent play literature has placed importance on play behaviours and looking at the relationship between the child and both the human and nonhuman environment. Believing that play and playfulness can and should be promoted, for children with physical disabilities, requires that therapists learn new assessment and intervention strategies. A new assessment tool, The Test of Playfulness, was developed by Bundy in 1994. It addressed play behaviours and environmental influences. The author, a co-investigator and eight occupational therapists were involved in a playfulness study using this test to compare the playfulness of children with physical disabilities with their able-bodied peers. After the study was completed the author questioned whether or not involvement in the playfulness study was enough of a change agent to bring about transformative learning in order to further the eight occupational therapists' education about play.

Ten years after : a qualitative study of students' experiences in a high school theatre company

This qualitative study explored 4 former students' perceptions of the learning associated with their involvement in a high school theatre program and the contextual factors they linked to their perceived development. The study involved 4 adult participants, 2 male and 2 female, who had participated extensively in a high school theatre company from 1996 to 2001 when they were students in a large Ontario school board. Data were collected from January to August, 2007, when the 4 former students took part in two in-depth, open-ended interviews. The focus of investigation was participant perspectives. Data analysis revealed that the 4 participants' involvement in high school theatre produced both wide-ranging and enduring developmental benefits across personal, social, and cognitive domains. Participants achieved these benefits through interactions among 3 related contexts: (a) rehearsal and performance practices, (b) the world of the play, and (c) characteristics of the high school theatre company.

Children's Bullying Experiences and Self-Worth Perceptions in a Private School

This study explored children's bullying experiences (as bully, victim, and bystander) and their self-worth perceptions in a private school in Ontario, Canada. Forty students from 12 different countries participated in a mixed methodology (both quantitative and qualitative) research design using a self-report questionnaire. Students reported involvement in bullying as a bully, victim, and bystander. The overall results reveal a pattern across the three roles where the degree of bullying observed as a bystander is the highest (57%) followed by the experiences as a victim (29%) and that performed as bully (21%). The bystanders reported direct bullying being witnessed, bullies reported indirect bullying interventions as being used, and victims of bullying reported indirect bullying being the most common type of bullying they experienced. Decreased feeling of self-worth is reported in the qualitative research data in regards to bullying. Boarding students reported issues regarding personal safety, need for social relationships, self-worth, and unacceptability of bullying. Implications for practice for the private school are discussed, focusing on the outcome of this study.

Bullying in the Same-Sex Friendships of Young Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative, narrative study explored the bullying experiences of young adolescent girls within their same-sex dyadic and group friendships. The participants were 5 female students, ages 11 and 12 years old, from 1 private, religious school in southern Ontario. Each girl participated in an audiotaped, 30-minute, personal interview based on an unstructured interview protocol. Interview transcripts were analyzed for bullying behaviors using Marini and Dane's (2008) subtypes of bullying, including the form, function, and involvement in bullying. Interview transcripts were also analyzed for common and emerging themes using aspects of L. M., Brown and Gilligan's (1992) "Listener's Guide." The findings of this study suggested that within their same-sex friendships girls assume the roles of all participants in bullying, including bullies, victims, bystanders, and bully-victims. The findings also suggested that bullying behaviors within young adolescent girls' same-sex friendships are mainly indirect in their mode of attack and that they are both proactive and reactive. The bully behaviors identified in this study were used to inform the major themes or salient features within the dynamics of girls' same-sex friendships also identified. These themes included acceptance, intimacy, negotiation, inclusion/exclusion, moral character judgements, and power. The findings of this study will be used to inform current theory, personal and professional practice, as well as future research.

Investigating Changes in Parent Knowledge about Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour Following Group Function-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children with High Functioning Autism

This study investigated improvements in parent knowledge of effective intervention strategies following participation in a group function-based CBT treatment (GFbCBT) package for children with comorbid OCD and ASD. Nineteen parents of children ages 7-12 years with High Functioning Autism (HFA) participated in the 9-week treatment program. Key components of treatment included psychoeducation and mapping, cognitive-behavioural skills training, function-based interventions and exposure and response prevention (ERP). Treatment sessions also included direct parent education, which followed a behavioural skills training model (Miltenberger, 2008). Parent knowledge (N = 19) was measured pre and post treatment using a vignette about a child demonstrating obsessive-compulsive behaviour. Results of a one-tailed pairwise t-test indicated statistically significant changes (p=.036) in overall parent knowledge following participation in treatment. Statistically significant changes were also found in parents’ ability to generate ERP and function-based intervention strategies. These results provide preliminary evidence that parents benefit from active involvement in the GFbCBT treatment package.

Aboriginal Parental Involvement/Engagement for Student Success

An increasing body of knowledge links parental involvement with student success but few studies address Aboriginal parental involvement in urban settings. While some critics argue traditional Aboriginal knowledge is best delivered at home, Aboriginal children who share parents’ stories in the classroom benefit other children who draw connections to these stories. Moreover, Aboriginal learners need to function in mainstream Western society and in public school settings in which educators often have a difficult time engaging Aboriginal parents. Consequently, this research sought to explore the perceptions and sense of engagement of parents/caregivers in the Aboriginal Student Program (ASP) in a publicly funded secondary school in Ontario. The study was an extension of the researcher’s existing work and focused specifically on a sample of parents/caregivers taking part in an Aboriginal feast at an Ontario secondary school. Nine individuals accepted an invitation to participate in a Talking Circle and shared perceptions of their children’s educational experiences. Data were collected and coded, and findings indicated that parental involvement in children’s educational journeys contributed significantly to a sense of parental engagement in the school and in Aboriginal programs. Results also suggest that Eurocentric pedagogy can be modified in mainstream secondary schools to directly involve Aboriginal parents/caregivers. Although many participants’ stories revealed they experienced racism during their own schooling, study findings demonstrate that the parents/caregivers want to be involved in their children’s education nonetheless. This thesis discusses the data that were grounded in the participants’ voices that in turn led to several key recommendations.

Functional Characterization of Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid (MIA) Biosynthetic Genes in Catharanthus roseus

The monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) of Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) are known to be among the most important source of natural drugs used in various cancer chemotherapies. MIAs are derived by combining the iridoid secologanin with tryptamine to form the central precursor strictosidine that is then converted to most known MIAs, such as catharanthine and vindoline that dimerize to form anticancer vinblastine and vincristine. While their assembly is still poorly understood, the complex multistep pathways involved occur in several specialized cell types within leaves that are regulated by developmental and environmental cues. The organization of MIA pathways is also coupled to secretory mechanisms that allow the accumulation of catharanthine in the waxy leaf surface, separated from vindoline found within leaf cells. While the spatial separation of catharanthine and vindoline provides an explanation for the low levels of dimeric MIAs found in the plants, the secretion of catharanthine to the leaf surface is shown to be part of plant defense mechanisms against fungal infection and insect herbivores. The transcriptomic databases of Catharanthus roseus and various MIA producing plants are facilitating bioinformatic approaches to identify novel MIA biosynthetic genes. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is being used to screen these candidate genes for their involvement in iridoid biosynthesis pathway, especially in the identification of 7-deoxyloganic acid 7-hydroxylase (CrDL7H) shown by the accumulation of its substrate, 7-deoxyloganic acid and decreased level of secologanin along with catharanthine and vindoline. VIGS can also confirm the biochemical function of genes being identified, such as in the glucosylation of 7-deoxyloganetic acid by CrUGT8 shown by decreased level of secologanin and MIAs within silenced plants. Silencing of other iridoid biosynthetic genes, loganic acid O-methyltransferase (LAMT) and secologanin synthase (SLS) also confirm the metabolic route for iridoid biosynthesis in planta through 7-deoxyloganic acid, loganic acid, and loganin intermediates. This route is validated by high substrate specificity of CrUGT8 for 7-deoxyloganetic acid and CrDL7H for 7-deoxyloganic acid. Further localization studies of CrUGT8 and CrDL7H also show that these genes are preferentially expressed within Catharanthus leaves rather than in epidermal cells where the last two steps of secologanin biosynthesis occur.

A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry Into Positive Involvement Trends of Contemporary Fathers and Influence of Parenting Programs

Parent education programs offered by a variety of public health services are effective support and knowledge resources that enhance positive parenting competencies in early childhood and adolescence. However, parenting education programs are less effective and encompass fewer benefits for fathers in comparison to mothers. This study sought to investigate trends of paternal involvement in early childhood and to compare the influence of parenting education programs on paternal involvement and conceptualization of fathers. A sample of 52 fathers, between the ages of 19 to 54, with children 6 years old and younger completed an electronic or hard copy version of a survey questionnaire reporting on their fathering and experiences as a dad. Findings indicate the sample of Canadian fathers self-reported high levels of paternal involvement, including many who favoured play-based interactions with their children. Although no significant difference in levels of involvement was noted between fathers who had versus those who had not previously participated in a parenting education program, half of the Canadian fathers indicated that supports are needed to strengthen their role as fathers. Results suggest that future initiatives to strengthen parent education program services available in Canada should specifically consider the father’s role.

Personal Support Workers' Experience of Collaboration in a Long-Term Care Facility in Rural Ontario

The growing complexity of healthcare needs of residents living in long-term care necessitates a high level of professional interdependence to deliver quality, individualized care. Personal support workers (PSWs) are the most likely to observe, interpret and respond to resident care plans, yet little is known about how they experience collaboration. This study aimed to describe PSWs’ current experiences with collaboration in long-term care and to understand the factors that influenced their involvement in collaboration. A qualitative approach was used to interview eight PSWs from one long-term care facility in rural Ontario. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: valuing PSWs’ contributions, organizational structure, and individual characteristics and relationships. Collaboration was a difficult process for PSWs who felt largely undervalued and excluded. To improve collaboration, management needs to provide opportunities for PSWs to contribute and support the development of relationships required to collaborate.