title: Using digital technologies to build connections between families and schools as children transition to school

authors: Woodhouse, Hazel Maxine

subjects: early years engagement

abstract: This paper reports research that investigated how digital technologies were used to develop and maintain home–school connections and develop positive relationships when children transition to nursery schools and schools. School case studies, comprising four purposively selected schools with nursery provision in Northern Ireland and four primary schools in New Zealand, provided the context and evidence to enable a small-scale comparative study of how digital technologies enabled the development of relationships between homes and schools over time. In this paper, the findings were analysed using a conceptual model and framework derived from earlier studies in this field. However, given the contemporary social and technological context, it was found that the framework could be reviewed and elaborated, enabling the creation of a new conceptual framework that is offered here. Our findings reveal methods of employing digital technologies to positively support parental engagement when children transition to nurseries and schools. From the analysis of our findings using the framework developed, points to consider for future practice, policy, and research are highlighted, with an emphasis on understanding and integrating parents’ aspirations into the transition process. Opportunities that use existing and emerging methods for home–school–community connections need to be made known to teachers and schools. While the digital technologies used must be capable of maintaining appropriate regular communication, additionally, supporting ways for involving parental voice in reviews of existing practices and exploring new opportunities should be shared with teachers and schools. Future research should explore how the use of digital technologies in developing wider and deeper engagement and participation of parents and carers with nurseries and schools might lead to a longer-term and positive engagement in later years beyond nursery schools and initial transition to school.

text: Using digital technologies to build connections between families and schools as children transition to school This paper reports research that investigated how digital technologies were used to develop and maintain home–school connections and develop positive relationships when children transition to nursery schools and schools. School case studies, comprising four purposively selected schools with nursery provision in Northern Ireland and four primary schools in New Zealand, provided the context and evidence to enable a small-scale comparative study of how digital technologies enabled the development of relationships between homes and schools over time. In this paper, the findings were analysed using a conceptual model and framework derived from earlier studies in this field. However, given the contemporary social and technological context, it was found that the framework could be reviewed and elaborated, enabling the creation of a new conceptual framework that is offered here. Our findings reveal methods of employing digital technologies to positively support parental engagement when children transition to nurseries and schools. From the analysis of our findings using the framework developed, points to consider for future practice, policy, and research are highlighted, with an emphasis on understanding and integrating parents’ aspirations into the transition process. Opportunities that use existing and emerging methods for home–school–community connections need to be made known to teachers and schools. While the digital technologies used must be capable of maintaining appropriate regular communication, additionally, supporting ways for involving parental voice in reviews of existing practices and exploring new opportunities should be shared with teachers and schools. Future research should explore how the use of digital technologies in developing wider and deeper engagement and participation of parents and carers with nurseries and schools might lead to a longer-term and positive engagement in later years beyond nursery schools and initial transition to school.

year: 2024-05-11

title: Just part of the job: The experiences of parent caregivers caring for adolescents with mild traumatic brain injury

authors: Giles, Kathryn Jane

subjects: Caregiving

abstract: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is one of the most frequently occurring injuries during adolescence.  Typically care following such injuries is provided informally, by parents and close family members.  The requirement for such caregiving is likely to increase as national health policies attempt to balance the growing costs of health-care provision with requirements for culturally responsive care. 
While studies have shown that caregivers may experience considerable burden, it is increasingly evident that caregiving also has a positive impacts for carers.  To date, few studies have evaluated the positive experiences of caregiving.  Even less is known about the positive experiences of parents who care for their adolescent children following acute injury events such as mTBI.  It is important to understand caregiver experiences more completely as caregiver coping and burden contribute to recovery and adaption to injury.
The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experience of caregivers of adolescents aged 10 – 18 years with mTBI.  Using a mixed methods approach, existing quantitative data gathered as part of the Brain Injury Outcomes New Zealand in the Community (BIONIC) and Consequences of Brain Injury in Childhood (COBIC) studies of TBI in New Zealand were analysed (mTBI group = 54 caregiver-adolescent dyads, control group = 54 dyads). Semi-structured interviews were then completed with a sample of caregivers of adolescents with mTBI now aged 13 – 16 years recruited from the same source studies (n=10).  Interview transcripts were qualitatively assessed using thematic analysis.  
Quantitative analysis confirmed previous research findings that for the majority, the impacts of mTBI are minimal and typically resolve within the first year with generally positive outcomes. While carers in both groups described caring for adolescents as a predominantly positive experience, caregivers of injured adolescents reported a greater number of positive caregiving experiences.  In addition, caregivers of injured adolescents reported significantly greater quality of life related to their physical health two years after injury compared with caregivers of adolescents without mTBI. 
Thematic analysis of interviews uncovered five core themes underpinning caregiver experiences: initiation; impacts and attributions; accommodation and adjustment; a valued experience; and, just part of the job.  These themes revealed the importance of timely and relevant communication from schools and health providers to caregiver’s feelings of competency and to their ongoing relationship with these organisations.  Reflecting on their experiences, caregivers valued the opportunities a mTBI created for emotional closeness with adolescents at a challenging time in human development.  They also described intrinsic benefits of being able to share wisdom and experiences with others and the practical benefit of developing transferrable skills.  Carers viewed their experiences as providing a unique opportunity for personal development through the recognition of carers’ capability and resilience as individuals.  For all caregivers, the provision of care following mTBI was seen as an expected part of parenting – just part of the job.
In contrast to family caregiving involving other caregiver – care recipient dyads (such as adult children caring for their elderly parents, or parents caring for their children as a result of chronic illness or disability), parent caregivers in the current study viewed caregiving as a positive experience.  Rather than a burdensome additional responsibility, carers viewed caring for their adolescent children following mTBI as – just part of the job - an expected and indistinguishable aspect of their existing roles as parents.

text: Just part of the job: The experiences of parent caregivers caring for adolescents with mild traumatic brain injury Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is one of the most frequently occurring injuries during adolescence.  Typically care following such injuries is provided informally, by parents and close family members.  The requirement for such caregiving is likely to increase as national health policies attempt to balance the growing costs of health-care provision with requirements for culturally responsive care. 
While studies have shown that caregivers may experience considerable burden, it is increasingly evident that caregiving also has a positive impacts for carers.  To date, few studies have evaluated the positive experiences of caregiving.  Even less is known about the positive experiences of parents who care for their adolescent children following acute injury events such as mTBI.  It is important to understand caregiver experiences more completely as caregiver coping and burden contribute to recovery and adaption to injury.
The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experience of caregivers of adolescents aged 10 – 18 years with mTBI.  Using a mixed methods approach, existing quantitative data gathered as part of the Brain Injury Outcomes New Zealand in the Community (BIONIC) and Consequences of Brain Injury in Childhood (COBIC) studies of TBI in New Zealand were analysed (mTBI group = 54 caregiver-adolescent dyads, control group = 54 dyads). Semi-structured interviews were then completed with a sample of caregivers of adolescents with mTBI now aged 13 – 16 years recruited from the same source studies (n=10).  Interview transcripts were qualitatively assessed using thematic analysis.  
Quantitative analysis confirmed previous research findings that for the majority, the impacts of mTBI are minimal and typically resolve within the first year with generally positive outcomes. While carers in both groups described caring for adolescents as a predominantly positive experience, caregivers of injured adolescents reported a greater number of positive caregiving experiences.  In addition, caregivers of injured adolescents reported significantly greater quality of life related to their physical health two years after injury compared with caregivers of adolescents without mTBI. 
Thematic analysis of interviews uncovered five core themes underpinning caregiver experiences: initiation; impacts and attributions; accommodation and adjustment; a valued experience; and, just part of the job.  These themes revealed the importance of timely and relevant communication from schools and health providers to caregiver’s feelings of competency and to their ongoing relationship with these organisations.  Reflecting on their experiences, caregivers valued the opportunities a mTBI created for emotional closeness with adolescents at a challenging time in human development.  They also described intrinsic benefits of being able to share wisdom and experiences with others and the practical benefit of developing transferrable skills.  Carers viewed their experiences as providing a unique opportunity for personal development through the recognition of carers’ capability and resilience as individuals.  For all caregivers, the provision of care following mTBI was seen as an expected part of parenting – just part of the job.
In contrast to family caregiving involving other caregiver – care recipient dyads (such as adult children caring for their elderly parents, or parents caring for their children as a result of chronic illness or disability), parent caregivers in the current study viewed caregiving as a positive experience.  Rather than a burdensome additional responsibility, carers viewed caring for their adolescent children following mTBI as – just part of the job - an expected and indistinguishable aspect of their existing roles as parents.

year: 2015

title: Responding to the message: Responsive written feedback in a Maori to English transition context

authors: Glynn, Ted

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: This paper reports on the writing component of a community and
school Maori to English literacy transition programme implemented in a kura
kaupapa Maori (Maori language immersion school. 21 Year 6, 7 and 8
students received responsive written feedback for their writing in English,
over a ten-week period, during their weekly independent writing time.
Students’ stories were mailed to a young Maori woman (the third author) in a
provincial city 100 kilometres from the kura . She was not known to any of the
students prior to the study, but she acted as an interested audience, and
responded in writing by focussing on the content or messages in students’
stories. She did not provide any corrective feedback on students’ writing.
The study employed an intra-subject multiple-baseline research design across
four school terms, with the responsive written feedback being introduced
sequentially to each of three student Year groups. Measures were taken of
total words written, adventurous words written, as well as holistic ratings of
audience impact and language quality. Data demonstrate positive gains in
both the quantity and quality of students’ writing, as well as maintenance of
high levels of writing accuracy for all Year groups.

text: Responding to the message: Responsive written feedback in a Maori to English transition context This paper reports on the writing component of a community and
school Maori to English literacy transition programme implemented in a kura
kaupapa Maori (Maori language immersion school. 21 Year 6, 7 and 8
students received responsive written feedback for their writing in English,
over a ten-week period, during their weekly independent writing time.
Students’ stories were mailed to a young Maori woman (the third author) in a
provincial city 100 kilometres from the kura . She was not known to any of the
students prior to the study, but she acted as an interested audience, and
responded in writing by focussing on the content or messages in students’
stories. She did not provide any corrective feedback on students’ writing.
The study employed an intra-subject multiple-baseline research design across
four school terms, with the responsive written feedback being introduced
sequentially to each of three student Year groups. Measures were taken of
total words written, adventurous words written, as well as holistic ratings of
audience impact and language quality. Data demonstrate positive gains in
both the quantity and quality of students’ writing, as well as maintenance of
high levels of writing accuracy for all Year groups.

year: 2005