French Fry ‘Whys’

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Diet composition and obesity

Background Cooperative learning is an active learning approach in which students work together in small groups to complete an assigned task. Students commonly find the subject of ‘physical and chemical changes’ difficult and abstract, and thus they generally have many misconceptions about it. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effects of jigsaw cooperative learning activities developed by the researchers on sixth grade students’ understanding of physical and chemical changes. Sample Participants in the study were 61 sixth grade students in a public elementary school in Izmir, Turkey. Design and methods A pre-test and post-test experimental design with a control group was used, and students were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Instruction of the subject was conducted via jigsaw cooperative learning in the experimental group and via teacher-centered instruction in the control group. During the jigsaw process, experimental group students studied the subjects of changes of state, changes in shape and molecular solubility from physical changes, and acid–base reactions, combustion reactions and changes depending on heating from chemical changes in their jigsaw groups. Results The concept test results showed that jigsaw cooperative learning instruction yielded significantly better acquisition of scientific concepts related to physical and chemical changes, compared to traditional learning. Students in the experimental group had a lower proportion of misconceptions than those in the control group, and some misconceptions in the control group were identified for the first time in this study. Conclusions Jigsaw cooperative learning is an effective teaching technique for challenging sixth grade students’ misconceptions in the context of physical and chemical changes, and enhancing their motivation, learning achievements, self-confidence and willingness in the science and technology lesson. This technique could be applied to other chemistry subjects and other grade levels.

The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of health education instruction in selected West Virginia public elementary schools. The study was devised to: (1)assess selected elementary school classrooms; (2)survey the teacher of each classroom; (3)ascertain the present existence and status of health knowledge, health behaviors, and awareness of the consequences of health related behaviors of elementary school students. The study was limited to randomly selected fourth and sixth grade students from a total of eighty-five classrooms. A pilot study was undertaken to establish reliability of the student inventory and determine vague or inappropriate items. A comparison was made of each question with relationship to: sex of the student, grade in school (fourth to sixth grade), and whether the student attended a school that served a rural or urban population base. The results of this study indicated: Teacher Data. (1)Health education instruction existed in the majority of the classrooms (90%). (2)The majority (62%) of teachers devote over one hour each week to health instruction. (3)The majority (52%) of teachers did not feel adequately prepared to teach health. (4)The majority (73%) of teachers had completed six or less undergraduate credit hours in health. (5)The majority of teachers (88%) had not completed any graduate credit hours in health. (6)The greatest percentage (38%) of teachers had five or less years teaching experience. (7)Over seventy-five percent of the teachers who teach health utilize a textbook. (8)Approximately one-third of the teachers who teach health utilize other instructional materials. (9)Over ninety-seven percent of the teachers stated that health should be taught in their classrooms. (10)Teachers rated a textbook, other instructional materials, and better teacher preparation as the most important factors in teaching health. Student Data. (11)Significant F test differences were found between males and females in the areas of total score, health behaviors, and awareness of the consequences of health related behaviors. (12)Significant F test differences were found between fourth and sixth grade students on total scores, health knowledge, health behaviors, and awareness of the consequences of health related behaviors. (13)Significant F test differences were found between sixth grade rural and urban students in total score, health knowledge, health behaviors, and awareness of the consequences of health related behaviors. (14)No significant F test differences were found between fourth grade rural and urban students in total score, health knowledge, health behaviors, or awareness of the consequences of health related behaviors. Teacher/Student Data. (15)Significant relationships

To test whether increased television viewing is associated with increased total energy intake and with increased consumption of foods commonly advertised on television, and to test whether increased consumption of these foods mediates the relationship between television viewing and total energy intake. Prospective observational study with baseline (fall 1995) and follow-up (spring 1997) measures of youth diet, physical activity, and television viewing. We used food advertising data to identify 6 food groups for study (sweet baked snacks, candy, fried potatoes, main courses commonly served as fast food, salty snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages). Five public schools in 4 communities near Boston. The sample included 548 students (mean age at baseline, 11.70 years; 48.4% female; and 63.5% white). Change in total energy intake and intake of foods commonly advertised on television from baseline to follow-up. After adjusting for baseline covariates, each hour increase in television viewing was associated with an additional 167 kcal/d (95% confidence interval, 136-198 kcal/d; P<.001) and with increases in the consumption of foods commonly advertised on television. Including changes in intakes of these foods in regression models provided evidence of their mediating role, diminishing or rendering nonsignificant the associations between change in television viewing and change in total energy intake. Increases in television viewing are associated with increased calorie intake among youth. This association is mediated by increasing consumption of calorie-dense low-nutrient foods frequently advertised on television.

Putting Humor Into Practice

Aim: In this research, the influence of Jordanian parents on their children's English language development in sixth grade is examined. The study's goals could only be met with the help of a pre- and post-test designed to evaluate the participants' English language skills. There were fifteen English-language questions on the test. Method: Female students in sixth grade from two public schools in the Irbid 1st Directorate of Education served as the study's sample (92). There were 46 in the control group and 46 in the experimental group. The teachers' guide group followed the conventional approach, while the experimental group used the Parents' Participation strategy. Results: By comparing the pre- and post-test scores of the experimental and control groups, the study determined whether or not parental participation improved sixth graders' speaking abilities. In comparison to the control group, which had a pretest mean of 60 (standard deviation=9) and a posttest mean of 70 (standard deviation=10), the experimental group that included parents had higher scores on both the pretest and posttest (mean=65, SD=8). In spite of these gains, there was no statistically significant difference in the groups' overall teaching strategies according to the ANOVA results (F value=1.25, p=0.267). This suggests that parental involvement may result in higher scores, but it does not necessarily affect the effectiveness of the tested teaching strategies. Additionally, the results showed that the experimental group routinely beat the control group, which is encouraging but not conclusive evidence of a substantial effect on the improvement of students' public speaking abilities. Received: 12 July 2024 / Accepted: 31 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

Low thrombolysis rates for acute ischemic stroke are linked to delays in seeking immediate treatment due to low public stroke awareness. We aimed to assess whether "Child-Mediated Stroke Communication" could improve stroke literacy of parents of children enrolled in a school-based stroke literacy program called Hip Hop Stroke. Parents of children aged 9 to 12 years from 2 public schools in Harlem, New York City, were recruited to participate in stroke literacy questionnaires before and after their child's participation in Hip Hop Stroke, a novel Child-Mediated Stroke Communication intervention delivered in school auditoriums. Parental recall of stroke information communicated through their child was assessed 1-week after the intervention. Fifth and sixth grade students (n=182) were enrolled into Hip Hop Stroke. One hundred two parents were approached in person to participate; 75 opted to participate and 71 completed both the pretest and post-test (74% response rate and 95% retention rate). Parental stroke literacy improved after the program; before the program, 3 parents of 75 (3.9%) were able to identify the 5 cardinal stroke symptoms, distracting symptom (chest pains), and had an urgent action plan (calling 911) compared with 21 of 71 parents (29.6%) postintervention (P<0.001). The FAST mnemonic was known by 2 (2.7%) of participants before the program versus 29 (41%) after program completion (P<0.001). Knowledge of stroke signs and symptoms remains low among residents of this high-risk population. The use of Child-Mediated Stroke Communication suggests that school children aged 9 to 12 years may be effective conduits of critical stroke knowledge to their parents.

We have found some inadvertent errors in our paper published in Nutrients [1]. This is a second published correction, the first correction can be found [2].[...]

A nutrient density-nutrition education program for elementary schools

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of school type (private and public) and gender on sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth grade students’ attitudes toward the environment. A total of 1497 students (n = 765 girls; n = 715 boys; and n = 17 gender not provided) attending public (n = 603) and private schools (n = 892) located in Ankara participated in the study. A 45‐item Likert‐type questionnaire consisting of four dimensions, namely, awareness of environmental problems, national environmental problems, solutions to the problems and awareness of individual responsibility, was used to measure students’ environmental attitudes. A two‐way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to determine the effect of school type and gender on four dimensions of the environmental attitude questionnaire. Results showed that school type and gender had a significant effect on the collective dependent variables. Univariate ANOVAs indicated that mean scores on each dimension of the questionnaire were significantly different for students in public and private schools. Moreover, there was statistically significant mean difference between boys and girls with respect to scores on each dimension of the questionnaire. It is concluded as a result of the study that, although there are differences between categories of individuals, there is a widespread support for conservation of the environment among young people living in Ankara/Turkey.

Purpose This pilot study aims to examine the prevalence of test anxiety and its interplay with attitudes, confidence, efficacy, academic performance and socio-demographic factors within the domain of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design with 549 sixth-grade students from public lower secondary schools in Prishtina, Kosovo, using the Student Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (S-STEM) for middle/high schools and the test anxiety questionnaire. Findings Over 70% of Kosovo's sixth-grade students reported moderate to severe test anxiety. The age of students was found to be inversely related to academic performance in STEM. The father's employment was associated with favorable STEM attitudes, confidence, efficacy and academic performance. Having a personal study environment was connected with favorable STEM attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM, whereas access to technology was associated with positive academic performance. Test anxiety, academic performance and personal study space predicted students' attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM and 21st-century learning. Practical implications Educational institutions should prioritize student well-being. By addressing test anxiety, these institutions can create supportive learning environments that improve attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM fields. These efforts are crucial for STEM career development and student success in the 21st-century workforce. Originality/value The current study findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing STEM student engagement and performance, highlighting the importance of addressing test anxiety for positive learning outcomes while emphasizing the need to consider socio-economic and contextual factors in education.

State Budget Cuts Will Affect Members, Services

Introduction Research on the effectiveness of family interventions is essential for enhancing the oral communicative competence of children with developmental language disorders. This study examined mother–child interactions in bilingual Spanish–English families to identify current communication strategies and explore additional ways to foster oral communicative competence development. Methods Participants included 10 mothers and their bilingual children (ages 4–6 years) with language disorders, along with a school-based speech-language pathologist from a public school in New York. The Scale for the Assessment of Oral Language Teaching in Family Contexts was used to evaluate mother–child interactions. A collaborative intervention consisting of four school-based workshops was implemented to foster mothers’ awareness of their communicative practices and support them in strengthening their interactions with their children. Results During the workshops, mothers engaged in discussions with the school-based speech-language pathologist, reflecting on and refining their communication strategies. By the end of the intervention, some mother–child dyads showed noticeable improvements in the quality of their interactions. Discussion The mothers’ evaluations highlight their active engagement in the collaborative process and their commitment to improving communication with their children to support oral communicative competence development.

This article examines charter schools applying a nonprofit conceptual frame of reference. The proliferation of charter schools is framed as a form of nonprofitization of public education. The implications of this trend are discussed. This discussion is contextualized through an examination of charter schools in New York. The case analysis is supported with data from the New York State Department of Education, the US Census Public Education Finance Report, and IRS Form 990 data. The findings suggest that there is mixed evidence for better school outcomes between charter schools and other public schools, while differences that do exist may be driven by socio-economic inequalities and other factors. This raises questions about the future of nonprofit schools and the degree to which they are accountable to traditional constituencies served by the public education system.