Separating the contributions of hearing, lexical knowledge and speech production to speech perception scores in children with hearing impairments.

Open-set word and sentence speech-perception test scores are commonly used as a measure of hearing abilities in children and adults using cochlear implants and/or hearing aids. These tests are usually presented auditorily with a verbal response. In the case of children, scores are typically lower and more variable than for adults with hearing impairments using similar devices. It is difficult to interpret children's speech-perception scores without considering the effects of lexical knowledge and speech-production abilities on their responses. This study postulated a simple mathematical model to describe the effects of hearing, lexical knowledge, and speech production on the perception test scores for monosyllabic words by children with impaired hearing. Thirty-three primary-school children with impaired hearing, fitted with hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, were evaluated using speech-perception, reading-aloud, speech-production, and language measures. These various measures were incorporated in the mathematical model, which revealed that performance in an open-set word-perception test in the auditory-alone mode is strongly dependent on residual hearing levels, lexical knowledge, and speech-production abilities. Further applications of the model provided an estimate of the effect of each component on the overall speech-perception score for each child.

How values in education affect children's environmental knowledge

In this study we analysed the familiarity and understanding of 10 environmental concepts amongst Mexican and English school children (aged 7 to 9). The investigation considered the impact of the educational system and the school ethos on the formation of environmental concepts. Results reveal that in general, children of this age have a low to moderate level of environmental literacy. The educational system and pedagogical approach affect the way children learn environmental concepts. Schools with a strong orientation towards the environment seem more capable of helping children with their understanding of environmental concepts. School and television were the major sources of environmental information, but this varied with school ethos. The development of effective environmental policies in schools needs to be considered in order to promote environmental knowledge in the school population.

Developing mathematical concepts in Australian pre-school settings : the background

The SIMERR project Mathematical Thinking of Pre-school Children in Rural and Regional Australia: Research and Practice included a review of relevant research literature with the aim of making this accessible to researchers as well as early childhood teachers and educators. This paper introduces the methods used in the project and provides a brief summary of the literature pertaining to the development of mathematical concepts.

Culturally diverse children (re)constructing identity in New Zealand classrooms

This thesis provides insights into the ways culturally diverse children experience primary classrooms as sites of social and academic identity construction. Language competence, culture, gender, classroom resources, teachers' pedegogical practices and power act to enhance and constrain the identities made available to the children in complex and often contradictory ways.

Self-recognition in live videos by young children : does video training help?

The overall aim of the experiment reported here was to establish whether self-recognition in live video can be facilitated when live video training is provided to children aged 2-2.5 years. While the majority of children failed the test of live self-recognition prior to video training, more than half exhibited live self-recognition post video training. Children who failed the live video self-recognition tasks passed the test of mirror self-recognition. The findings are discussed in light of a video deficit and the potential role of pre-test training in facilitating self-recognition in live video by young children.

Psychometric properties of the caregiver assessment of movement participation scale for screening children with development coordination disorders

Using Rasch analysis, the psychometric properties of a newly developed 35-item parent-proxy instrument, the Caregiver Assessment of Movement Participation (CAMP), designed to measure movement participation problems in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, were examined. The CAMP was administered to 465 school children aged 5–10 years. Thirty of the 35 items were retained as they had acceptable infit and outfit statistics. Item separation (7.48) and child separation (3.16) were good; moreover, the CAMP had excellent reliability (Reliability Index for item = 0.98; Person = 0.91). Principal components analysis of item residuals confirmed the unidimensionality of the instrument. Based on category probability statistics, the original five-point scale was collapsed into a four-point scale. The item threshold calibration of the CAMP with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children Test was computed. The results indicated that a CAMP total score of 75 is the optimal cut-off point for identifying children at risk of movement problems.

Obesity prevention in the family day care setting : impact of the romp & chomp intervention on opportunities for children's physical activity and healthy eating

Background The Romp & Chomp intervention reduced the prevalence of overweight/obesity in pre-school children in Geelong, Victoria, Australia through an intervention promoting healthy eating and active play in early childhood settings. This study aims to determine if the intervention successfully created more health promoting family day care (FDC) environments.
Methods The evaluation had a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design with the intervention FDC service in Geelong and a comparison sample from 17 FDC services across Victoria. A 45-item questionnaire capturing nutrition- and physical activity-related aspects of the policy, socio-cultural and physical environments of the FDC service was completed by FDC care providers (in 2008) in the intervention (n = 28) and comparison (n = 223) samples.
Results Select results showed intervention children spent less time in screen-based activities (P = 0.03), organized active play (P < 0.001) and free inside play (P = 0.03) than comparison children. There were more rules related to healthy eating (P < 0.001), more care provider practices that supported children’s positive meal experiences (P < 0.001), fewer unhealthy food items allowed (P = 0.05), higher odds of staff being trained in nutrition (P = 0.04) and physical activity (P < 0.001), lower odds of having set minimum times for outside (P < 0.001) and organized (P = 0.01) active play, and of rewarding children with food (P < 0.001).
Conclusions Romp & Chomp improved the FDC service to one that discourages sedentary behaviours and promotes opportunities for children to eat nutritious foods. Ongoing investment to increase children’s physical activity within the setting and improving the capacity and health literacy of care providers is required to extend and sustain the improvements.

Do children's food preferences align with dietary recommendations?

Objectives: To examine how Australian children's reported everyday food preferences reflect dietary recommendations, and the impact of sociodemographic factors on these associations.

Design:  Cross-sectional survey.

Setting/subjects: Three hundred and seventy-one parents of children aged 2–5 years, recruited from three socio-economic groups in two Australian cities, completed a survey on their child's liking for 176 foods and drinks on a 5-point Likert scale in addition to demographic descriptors. Preferences were compared with the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Results:  Foods in the Extra Foods (non-nutritious foods) and Cereals groups of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating were highly liked (mean: 4.02 and 4.01, respectively), whilst foods in the Vegetables group were liked least (mean: 3.01). A large percentage of foods in the Cereals and Extra Foods groups were liked (64% and 56%, respectively) in contrast to the other food groups, especially Vegetables (7%). Children liked foods that were higher in sugar (r = 0.29, P < 0.0001) and more energy-dense (r = 0.34, P < 0.0001) but not those higher in saturated fat (r = 0.16, P = 0.03), total fat (r = 0.12, P = 0.12) or sodium (r = 0.10, P = 0.18). Sociodemographic variables (e.g. socio-economic status, parental education, children's age and sex) explained little of the variation in children's food preferences.

Conclusions:  Australian pre-school children's food preferences align with dietary guidelines in some respects, but not others. Interventions are needed to shift children's preferences away from non-nutritious foods that are high in energy density and sugar, and towards vegetables and fruits.

Promoting active transport to school : evaluation of the Ride2School program

This study involved an evaluation of the Ride2School program, promoting active transport to school. The study found inconsistent evidence of a program impact, and identified the importance of addressing barriers to active transport among individual schools, parents and students; and building the capacity of schools to implement active transport initiatives.

A pilot study of a telephone-based parental intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in 3-5 year old children

Objective : To examine the potential efficacy of a brief telephone-based parental intervention in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged 3–5 years and to examine the feasibility of intervention delivery and acceptability to parents.

Design : A pre–post study design with no comparison group. Telephone surveys were conducted approximately 1 week before and following intervention delivery.
Setting Participants were recruited through pre-schools in the Hunter region, New South Wales, Australia.

Subjects : Thirty-four parents of 3–5-year-olds received four 30-min interventional telephone calls over 4 weeks administered by trained telephone interviewers. The scripted support calls focused on fruit and vegetable availability and accessibility within the home, parental role modelling of fruit and vegetable consumption and on implementing supportive family eating routines.

Results : Following the intervention, the frequency and variety of fruit and vegetable consumption increased (P = 0·027), as measured by a subscale of the children's dietary questionnaire. The intervention was feasible to be delivered to parents, as all participants who started the intervention completed all four calls, and all aspects of the interventional calls, including the number, length, content, format and relevance, were considered acceptable by more than 90 % of parents.

Conclusions : A brief telephone-based parental intervention to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption in pre-school-aged children may be effective, feasible and acceptable. Further investigation is warranted in a randomised controlled trial.

Are children's perceptions of neighbourhood social environments associated with their walking and physical activity?

This study aimed to examine cross-sectional associations between neighbourhood social environmental factors and physical activity (PA) among Australian primary school children. Baseline data from a large-scale trial among 957 children (48% boys) aged 9–12 years were utilised. Children self-reported their perceptions of the neighbourhood social environment including social networks (e.g. there are lots of other children around to play with), and social capital (e.g. there are lots of people in my area I could go to if I need help). Children also self-reported their weekly walking frequency and PA from which average daily moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was calculated. Linear regression analyses examined these associations. Boys performed 17 min/day more MVPA than girls (p < 0.01), and girls performed one extra trip/week than boys (p < 0.001). Children’s perceptions of social capital (p < 0.0001) and social networks (p < 0.01) were both positively associated with MVPA and social capital was positively associated with walking frequency (p < 0.05). These associations were not moderated by the child’s sex. These findings suggest that children who had positive perceptions of neighbourhood social capital and social networks in the neighbourhood, tended to be more physically active. Longitudinal and experimental studies are required to further test the influence of these factors among children.

Use of electronic games by young children and fundamental movement skills?

This study investigated associations between pre-school children's time spent playing electronic games and their fundamental movement skills. In 2009, 53 children had physical activity (Actigraph accelerometer counts per minute), parent proxy-report of child's time in interactive and non-interactive electronic games (min./week), and movement skill (Test of Gross Motor Development–2) assessed. Hierarchical linear regression, adjusting for age (range = 3–6 years), sex (Step 1), and physical activity (cpm; M = 687, SD = 175.42; Step 2), examined the relationship between time in (a) non-interactive and (b) interactive electronic games and locomotor and object control skill. More than half (59%, n = 31) of the children were female. Adjusted time in interactive game use was associated with object control but not locomotor skill. Adjusted time in non-interactive game use had no association with object control or locomotor skill. Greater time spent playing interactive electronic games is associated with higher object control skill proficiency in these young children. Longitudinal and experimental research is required to determine if playing these games improves object control skills or if children with greater object control skill proficiency prefer and play these games.

Children and university architecture students working together : a pedagogical model of children’s participation in architectural design

Increasing efforts have been made to engage children in the design of the built environment, and several participatory models have been developed. The aim of this paper is to propose a pedagogical model for children's genuine participation in architectural design, developed in an architectural education context. According to this pedagogical model, children (primary school students) and youth (university architecture students) work in teams to develop the architectural design proposals. This model was developed through a joint educational project between Deakin University and Wales Street Primary School (both institutions are based in Victoria, Australia). In the four-week duration of the project, first year architecture students worked with Grade 3 and 4 primary school children to design a school playground. The final product of the project was a 1:20 scale model of a playground, which was installed and presented at the end of the fourth week. The project received positive feedback from all the participants, including children, architecture students, university lecturers, primary school teachers and architects. In addition, it achieved a high level of children's genuine participation. This model can be refined and applied in new situations, and potentially with other primary schools working with Deakin University.

Conducting field research in a primary school setting : methodological considerations for maximizing response rates, data quality and quantity

Background: Schools are an ideal setting in which to involve children in research. Yet for investigators wishing to work in these settings, there are few method papers providing insights into working efficiently in this setting.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the five strategies used to increase response rates, data quality and quantity in the TRansport Environment and Kids (TREK) project.

Setting: The TREK project examined the association between neighbourhood urban design and active transport in Grade 5–7 school children (n = 1480) attending 25 primary schools in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia during 2007.

Method: Children completed several survey components during school time (i.e. questionnaire, mapping activity, travel diary and anthropometric measurements) and at home (i.e. pedometer study, parent questionnaire).

Results: Overall, 69.4% of schools and 56.6% of children agreed to participate in the study and, of these, 89.9% returned a completed travel diary, 97.8% returned their pedometer and 88.8% of parents returned their questionnaire. These return rates are superior to similar studies. Five strategies appeared important: (1) building positive relationships with key school personnel; (2) child-centred approaches to survey development; (3) comprehensive classroom management techniques to standardize and optimize group sessions; (4) extensive follow-up procedures for collecting survey items; and (5) a specially designed data management/monitoring system.

Conclusion: Sharing methodological approaches for obtaining high-quality data will ensure research opportunities within schools are maximized. These methodological issues have implications for planning, budgeting and implementing future research.