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Accidents in gas stations may cause injury or even death to people. Moreover, an accident in a gas station might halt its operation for some time. When an accident takes place in a region with scant amount of gas stations, it may lead to fuel scarcity in the area, affecting the economy and sparking other issues. Therefore, safety climate and safety performance in gas stations need to be evaluated. Safety climate has been used as a tool to assess the safety performance of an organization at a given time. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of safety climate on safety performance in gas stations in Indonesia. A total of 129 gas stations were selected. To assess safety climate, a safety climate questionnaire was used, while the safety performance was captured by conducting on site structured observations. The assessment shows that gas stations have a good level of safety climate, especially when it is compared with other industrial sectors in Indonesia, such as construction. The study findings also show that safety climate has a significant positive impact on safety performance. Three safety climate dimensions with significant positive influence on safety performance are management commitment, communication, and personal accountability. Therefore, improvement efforts should focus more on these dimensions to boost safety performance in gas stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Numerous studies show that active and engaging classrooms help students learn and persist in college, but adoption of new teaching practices has been slow. Professional development programs encourage instructors to implement new teaching methods and change the status quo in STEM undergraduate teaching, and structured observations of classrooms can be used in multiple ways to describe and assess this instruction. We addressed the challenge of measuring instructional change with observational protocols, data that often do not lend themselves easily to statistical comparisons. Challenges using observational data in comparative research designs include lack of descriptive utility for holistic measures and problems related to construct representation, non-normal distributions and Type-I error inflation for segmented measures. Results We grouped 790 mathematics classes from 74 instructors using Latent Profile Analysis (a statistical clustering technique) and found four reliable categories of classes. Based on this grouping we proposed a simple proportional measure we called Proportion Non-Didactic Lecture (PND). The measure aggregated the proportions of interactive to lecture classes for each instructor. We tested the PND and a measure derived from the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) with data from a professional development study. The PND worked in simple hypothesis tests but lacked some statistical power due to possible ceiling effects. However, the PND provided effective descriptions of changes in instructional approaches from pre to post. In tandem with examining the proportional measure, we also examined the RTOP-Sum, an existing outcome measure used in comparison studies. The measure is based on the aggregated items in a holistic observational protocol. As an aggregate measure we found it to be highly reliable, correlated highly with the PND, and had more statistical power than the PND. However, the RTOP measure did not provide the thick descriptions of teaching afforded by the PND. Conclusions Findings suggest that useful dependent measures can be derived from both segmented and holistic observational measures. Both have strengths and weaknesses: measures from segmented data are best at describing changes in teaching, while measures derived from the RTOP have more statistical power. Determining the validity of these measures is important for future use of observational data in comparative studies.

The development of learners’communicative competence is the main goal in foreign language teaching. Numerous domestic and foreign researchers have noted that using poetic texts in foreign language teaching contributes to the development of four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Our dissertation research focuses on the use of poetic texts in the Russian language teaching at secondary schools of the Czech Republic. This paper presents the results of a pilot study conducted in April – October 2021. The purpose of the study was to test the appropriateness of the data collection tools. The pilot study consisted of a semi-structured interview with a secondary school teacher who used poetic texts in his teaching practice, and a structured observation of his lessons. It was discovered that the chosen data collection tools were selected appropriately, as they lead to answering the main research question: how poetic texts are used to develop communicative competence in the Russian language teaching at Czech secondary schools. The interview with the chosen for the pilot study teacher and the observation of his lessons led to the conclusion that using poetic texts in Russian lessons helps to develop monologic and dialogic speaking skills, it also helps to develop listening and reading skills. It also helps to enlarge the learners’ vocabulary. The use of poetic texts gives an opportunity to work with various grammatical and phonetic phenomena in a creative way; it is also one of the ways to introduce the learners to the culture of Russia. The frequency of the inclusion of poetic texts in the lessons is influenced by the school curriculum, the chosen textbook, the characteristics of the class and motivation of the learners.

Background: Numerous studies show that active and engaging classrooms help students learn and persist in college, but adoption of new teaching practices has been slow. Professional development programs encourage instructors to implement new teaching methods and change the status quo in STEM undergraduate teaching, and structured observations of classrooms can be used in multiple ways to describe and assess this instruction. We addressed the challenge of measuring instructional change with observational protocols, data that often do not lend themselves easily to statistical comparisons. Challenges using observational data in comparative research designs include lack of descriptive utility for holistic measures and problems related to construct representation, non-normal distributions and Type-I error inflation for segmented measures. Results: We grouped 790 mathematics classes from 74 instructors using Latent Profile Analysis (a statistical clustering technique) and found four reliable categories of classes. Based on this grouping we proposed a simple proportional measure we called Proportion Non-Didactic Lecture (PND). The measure aggregated the proportions of interactive to lecture classes for each instructor. We tested the PND and a measure derived from the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) with data from a professional development study. The PND worked in simple hypothesis tests but lacked some statistical power due to possible ceiling effects. However, the PND provided effective descriptions of changes in instructional approaches from pre to post. In tandem with examining the proportional measure, we also examined the RTOP-Sum, an existing outcome measure used in comparison studies. The measure is based on the aggregated items in a holistic observational protocol. As an aggregate measure we found it to be highly reliable, correlated highly with the PND, and had more statistical power than the PND. However, the RTOP measure did not provide the thick descriptions of teaching afforded by the PND. Conclusions: Findings suggest that useful dependent measures can be derived from both segmented and holistic observational measures. Both have strengths and weaknesses: measures from segmented data are best at describing changes in teaching, while measures derived from the RTOP have more statistical power. Determining the validity of these measures is important for future use of observational data in comparative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern sociological studies of Protestantism are focused mainly on how communities are formed and develop in the context of their relations with the state and between themselves, personal stories of the believers, and contents and forms of conducting religious practices. Researchers often neglect to describe the numbers and demographic characteristics of practicing believers, and to analyze changes of these parameters over time. In this paper, based on the materials of the field research conducted in Tyumen, Tobolsk, Ishim, and Yalutorovsk in 2014–2016, we identify the locations, demographic composition, and size dynamics of the Protestant prayer meetings. The paper showcases new data on Tyumen accounting for the associations which appeared after 2011 and for the first time presents materials on Tobolsk, Ishim, and Yalutorovsk. Non-participant structured observation was the principal method of the field research. Analysis of photographic documents posted on the web-sites and web-pages of the Protestant associations, as well as interviews with religious specialists were used as additional methods. We observed that there was an increase in the number of Protestant associations from 2008 to 2016: the number of the associations in Tyumen increased by five and about five new communes appeared in the other cities. The most attended weekly prayer meetings were recorded in Tyumen in 2016. They gathered up to 200 people. The largest services in Ishim and Yalutorovsk in 2015 were attended by up to 70 people. The communal prayers in Tobolsk in 2014 were attended by up to 170 people. We have identified the following factors that influence the size of the prayer meetings: ownership of the premises by the association and the period of its activity in the region. Communes who have their own premises are larger than those renting an office or a building of another Protestant association. Also, churches formed in the early or mid-1990s feature the largest numbers of the parishioners. It was found that in all studied cities middle-aged women represent the largest group of the parishioners, which is consistent with the results of research in other Russian cities and towns.

The article explores quantitative observation as a method to numerically describe phenomena in health and social care research, emphasizing its systematic and structured approach to data collection. It also discusses the advantages of quantitative observation in terms of reliability and generalizability, while acknowledging limitations such as potential oversimplification and the risk of bias in data collection.

Background: Heterogeneity in healthcare systems' organizational structures, policies and decisions influences practice implementation and care delivery. While quantitative data harmonization has been used to compare outcomes, few have conducted cross-site qualitative inquiry of healthcare delivery; thus, little is known about how to harmonize qualitative data across multiple settings. Objective: We illustrate a methodological approach for a theory-driven qualitative data harmonization process for the PROSPR II Cervical Research Center, a large multi-site, mixedmethods study evaluating cervical cancer screening across three diverse healthcare settings. Methods: We compared three geographically, socio-demographically, and structurally diverse healthcare systems using a multi-modal qualitative data collection strategy. We grounded our sampling strategy in a cervical cancer screening process model, then tailored it for system-specific differences (e.g., clinic staffing structure and individual roles). Data collection tools included domains corresponding to shared research objectives (e.g., abnormal follow-up) while accommodating local context. Analysis drew on operational domains from the screening process model and constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Normalization Process Theory. Results: Exemplars demonstrate how data harmonization revealed insights suggesting opportunities to improve clinical processes across healthcare systems. Discussion: This analysis advances the application of qualitative methods in implementation science, where assessing context is key to responding to organizational challenges and shaping implementation strategies across multiple health systems. We demonstrate how systematically collecting, analyzing and harmonizing qualitative data elucidates the impact of process factors and accelerates efforts to identify opportunities for quality improvement interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidents in gas stations may cause injury or even death to people. Moreover, an accident in a gas station might halt its operation for some time. When an accident takes place in a region with scant amount of gas stations, it may lead to fuel scarcity in the area, affecting the economy and sparking other issues. Therefore, safety climate and safety performance in gas stations need to be evaluated. Safety climate has been used as a tool to assess the safety performance of an organization at a given time. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of safety climate on safety performance in gas stations in Indonesia. A total of 129 gas stations were selected. To assess safety climate, a safety climate questionnaire was used, while the safety performance was captured by conducting on site structured observations. The assessment shows that gas stations have a good level of safety climate, especially when it is compared with other industrial sectors in Indonesia, such as construction. The study findings also show that safety climate has a significant positive impact on safety performance. Three safety climate dimensions with significant positive influence on safety performance are management commitment, communication, and personal accountability. Therefore, improvement efforts should focus more on these dimensions to boost safety performance in gas stations.

Objective: To assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in the classroom, most often teacher rating scales are used. However, clinical interviews and observations are recommended as gold standard assessment. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the validity of teacher rating scales. Method: Twenty-two studies (N = 3,947 children) assessing ADHD symptoms using teacher rating scale and either semi-structured clinical interview or structured classroom observation were meta-analyzed. Results: Results showed convergent validity for rating scale scores, with the strongest correlations (r =.55–.64) for validation against interviews, and for hyperactive–impulsive behavior. Divergent validity was confirmed for teacher ratings validated against interviews, whereas validated against observations this was confirmed for inattention only. Conclusion: Teacher rating scales appear a valid and time-efficient measure to assess classroom ADHD; although validated against semi-structured clinical interviews, there were only a few studies available. Low correlations between ratings and structured observations of inattention suggest that observations could add information above rating scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Self-regulation measures may not capture variability in young children. • The head-toes-knees-shoulders-revised adds a new section to reduce task demands. • The revised task is reliable and valid in young children. • The revised task is more related to other self-regulation measures than prior tasks. Measures of self-regulation may not capture adequate variability in children with low levels of self-regulation. This can limit a measure's ability to accurately demonstrate relations with other variables. The present study addressed this issue with a revised version of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS-R), which includes a new downward extension with reduced task demands. Preschool children (N = 180; 53% Female) enrolled in Head Start programs were tested with the HTKS-R and other self-regulation tasks at 4 time points between fall of preschool and spring of kindergarten. Results demonstrated a substantial increase in variability in children's performance on the HTKS-R compared to prior versions of the task during the fall of preschool, and significant increases in the relation between the HTKS-R and other measures of self-regulation at all 4 time points. Additionally, item factor analyses revealed that the new downward extension captured the same underlying construct as the rest of the measure and that a 1 factor solution was optimal. Together, these findings illustrate that the HTKS-R improves upon prior versions of the task increasing its utility for researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The studies of Muslim landscape in Russia demonstrate a severe deficiency in works dedicated to the analysis of how the Muslims are included into religious practices. This issue is especially relevant for regions where Islam is a minority religion. This article introduces the results of an empirical study of socio-demographic composition and dynamics of the number of participants of Friday and feast collective prayers in the Urban District of Tyumen in 2009–2016. Non-participant structured observation was used as the main research method. In addition, expert interviews with religious specialists and analysis of Muslim media were applied to collect and to verify the data. As a result, we have observed a positive dynamics of the number of participants in dogmatically obligatory prayer meetings and documented their socio-demographic composition. The number of Muslims at Friday afternoon prayers has almost doubled. Their number at festive worships has grown more than twice. Men significantly predominate at all prayer meetings. On average, they account for 90 % of all participants at collective prayers in the urban district. Middle-aged and young people represent the largest age groups of believers at Jumu'ah prayers. According to the experts, most of the men attending mosque meetings come from different regions of Central Asia, the Southern and Northern Caucasus. Tatars represent from 5 % to 10 % of all the parishioners at prayer meetings in the urban district.

This article investigates the digital dimension of confession using the methods of structured observation and content analysis. When investigating religious practices, contemporary sociologists and anthropologists undertake their inquiry in an essentially changed social and cultural reality. The specifics of this reality can only be understood provided that the whole range of communicative spaces of religious interactions is taken into account. Field observations of religious communities necessarily involve two dimensions of analysis: face-to-face and virtual forms of interaction. Virtual analysis implies the online monitoring of structural observation units. Synchronization of online and offline analysis dimensions allows the diversity of the interaction contexts under study to be revealed. In addition, it enables a researcher to grasp the communication that is taking place between the actors in its completeness, which is always a hard task. In this paper, for the first time, confession is investigated by analysing communication within Internet communities organized by Orthodox temples in the city of Ekaterinburg. Research data was collected using the methods of structured observation (on the complete enumeration basis) and content analysis. The research was carried out in the March 2018 — July 2018 period. For the analytical purposes, we defined confession as a social interaction presented in structured units. These units included the priest, congregation, time of confession, space, confession as a ritual and confession as a sacrament. The results of the online structured observation of these units were presented in the form of tables. A unique methodological feature of this research consists in the application of the method of structured observation to an object in its digital self-presentation. The studied digital resources included the websites of Ekaterinburg Orthodox temples, YouTube channels and themed vk.com pages of believer communities. Using content analysis, we have identified which structural units of confession most frequently appear in virtual themed communication threads in Ekaterinburg.

Past research has examined parental support for math during early childhood using parent-report surveys and observational measures of math talk. However, since most studies only present findings from one of these methods, the construct (parental support for early math) and the method are inextricably linked, and we know little about whether these methods provide similar or unique information about children’s exposure to math concepts. This study directly addresses the mono-operation bias operating in past research by collecting and comparing multiple measures of support for number and spatial skills, including math talk during semi-structured observations of parent–child interactions, parent reports on a home math activities questionnaire, and time diaries. Findings from 128 parents of 4-year-old children reveal substantial within-measure variability across all three data sources in the frequency of number and spatial activities and the type and content of parent talk about number and spatial concepts. Convergence in parental math support measures was evident among parent reports from the questionnaire and time diaries, such that scale composites about monthly number activities were related to number activities on the previous work day, and monthly spatial activities were correlated with spatial activities the prior non-work days. However, few parent report measures from the survey or time diary were significantly correlated with observed quantity or type of math talk in the semi-structured observations. Future research implications of these findings are discussed.

Objective: The Cholera-Hospital-Based-Intervention-for-7-days (CHoBI7) is a water treatment and handwashing with soap intervention for diarrhoea patients and their household members which is initially delivered in a healthcare facility setting. This study evaluated the effectiveness of CHoBI7 program delivery in increasing handwashing with soap in a healthcare facility setting among diarrhoea patients and their household members.Methods: A randomised controlled trial of the CHoBI7 program was conducted among 404 diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members in healthcare facilities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The 'Standard Message' Arm received the standard message given in Bangladesh to diarrhoea patients on the use of oral rehydration solution. The 'Health Facility Visit + Soapy Water' Arm received the standard message, the CHoBI7 communication module delivered bedside to the patient; and a soapy water bottle in the healthcare facility. The 'Health Facility Visit + Handwashing Station' Arm received this same intervention plus a small plastic handwashing station. Within 24 h of intervention delivery, three-hour structured observation of handwashing practices at stool/vomit- and food-related events (key events) was conducted in healthcare facilities of diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members.Results: Compared to the Standard Message Arm, there was significantly more handwashing with soap at key events in both the Health Facility Visit + Soapy Water Arm (51% vs. 25 %) (Odds Ratio: 3.02; (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.41, 6.45) and the Health Facility Visit + Handwashing Station Arm (58% vs. 25%) OR: 4.12; (95% CI: 1.86, 9.14).Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that delivery of the CHoBI7 communication module and provision of a soapy water bottle to diarrhoea patients and their accompanying household members presents a promising approach to increase handwashing with soap among this high risk population in a healthcare facility setting in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To characterise childhood mouthing and handling behaviours and to assess the association between hand-to-object and object-to-mouth contacts and diarrhoea prevalence in young children in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh.Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among 494 children under 5 years of age in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This study was nested within the randomised controlled trial of the Cholera Hospital-Based Intervention for 7 Days (CHoBI7) mobile health (mHealth) program. The CHoBI7 mHealth program focuses on promoting handwashing with soap and water treatment to diarrhoea patients and their household members through mobile messages and a single in person visit. Mouthing and handling of faeces and fomites among young children was measured by five-hour structured observation and caregiver reports. Diarrhoea surveillance data was collected monthly for 12 months.Results: Fifty five percent of caregivers reported that their child put a visibly dirty fomite (object or soil) in their mouth in the past week. Caregivers reported that 50% of children had mouthed visibly dirty objects, 26% had mouthed dirt, and 2% had mouthed faeces. Forty five percent of children were observed mouthing a visibly dirty fomite during structured observation, 40% of children were observed mouthing a visibly dirty object, 10% were observed mouthing soil, and one child (0.2%) was observed mouthing faeces. Mouthing of visibly dirty fomites was highest for children 12-18 months of age with 69% of these children having caregiver reports and 54% having observed events. Children with caregiver reports of mouthing faeces had a significantly higher odds of diarrhoea over the subsequent month (Odds Ratio: 4.54; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.06, 19.48).Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that mouthing of contaminated fomites among young children is frequent in urban environments in Bangladesh, and that mouthing faeces is associated with a significantly higher odds of diarrhoea. Interventions are urgently needed to protect young children from faecal pathogens in their play spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural theory pioneered by Dame Mary Douglas has been tested with a range of research methods, but it has not yet been made subject to a 'structured observation'. This method has been developed in psychology and management studies, and is especially useful for testing cultural theory's prediction that fatalistic, hierarchical, egalitarian, and individualistic ways of perceiving and justifying tend to emerge in group debates about pressing social and environmental issues. We present the results of a structured observation of this prediction. Groups of high school students (aged 17–19) were asked for their opinions concerning three to five 'wicked' (i.e., highly complex) problems, and to discuss how to resolve them. Each utterance was coded according to the rationalities proposed by cultural theory. The results confirm cultural theory's hypothesis that all four specific ways of defining, perceiving and resolving a wicked problem emerge when a number of people debate such an issue. We also discuss how Douglas' cultural theory can be further developed and tested. Finally, we use our study to outline how the method of structured observation can contribute to political culture research in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explains the significance of structured observation in the reflection on teaching and learning social science subjects at primary and secondary schools, with emphasis on effective use of didactic media. Attention is paid to visual, audiovisual, text and graphic media and their didactically structured analysis and interpretation. The author suggests criteria which can be included into an observation record sheet and which cover a broad spectrum of activities inciting higher cognitive processes and critical thinking, and also other teaching forms and methods, learning tasks, productive and creative activities, and elements of experiential education. The suggested tool is applicable in pre-gradual teacher training as part of continual teaching practice, but can also be used by aspiring teachers who enter the teaching profession, by their mentors, and other educators participating in the day-to-day operation of a particular school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper can be categorized as a qualitative research concerned with analysing teachers’ beliefs. The starting point is that beliefs are generally cognitive, they are present deeply hidden in teachers’ personalities, and they have an effect on their activities. The aim of this research is to explore the beliefs about classroom teaching and learning of teachers serving for a various number of years in primary schools (N=18). As an example of methodological triangulation, the study was based on structured observation and reflective diaries. The results were obtained using 34 sub-categories of 9 main categories, and 88 parameters therein. On the basis of the results we can state that besides traditional classroom space structure and classical methods, the teachers strove to use new generation methodological solutions too, which are characterised by a variety of teacher’s and learner’s activities. It was also possible to detect a filter function of beliefs on activities.

Behavioural interventions could improve caregivers' food hygiene practices in low-resource settings. So far, evidence is limited to small-scale and short-term studies, and few have evaluated the long-term maintenance of promoted behaviours. We evaluated the effect of a relatively large-scale behaviour change intervention on medium and long-term maintenance of household food hygiene practices in Bangladesh. We analyse a secondary outcome of the Food and Agricultural Approaches to Reducing Malnutrition (FAARM) cluster-randomised trial and its sub-study Food Hygiene to reduce Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (FHEED), conducted in Habiganj district, Sylhet division, Bangladesh. The FAARM trial used a 1:1 parallel arm design and included 2705 women in 96 settlements: 48 intervention and 48 control. Women in the intervention settlements received training in homestead gardening, poultry rearing and nutrition over three years (2015–2018), complemented by an eight-month (mid-2017 to early-2018) behaviour change component on food hygiene using motivational drivers. Nested within the FAARM trial, the FHEED sub-study evaluated several outcomes along the hygiene pathway. For this article, we evaluated household food hygiene behaviours by analysing structured observation data collected in two cross-sectional surveys, four and 16 months after the food hygiene promotion ended, from two independent subsamples of FAARM women with children aged 6–18 months. We assessed intervention effects on food hygiene practices using mixed-effects logistic regression, accounting for clustering. In exploratory analyses, we further assessed behaviour patterns – how often critical food hygiene behaviours were performed individually, in combination and consistently across events. Based on the analysis of 524 complementary feeding and 800 food preparation events in households from 571 participant women, we found that intervention households practised better food hygiene than controls four months post-intervention, with somewhat smaller differences after 16 months. Overall, the intervention positively affected food hygiene, particularly around child feeding: using soap for handwashing (odds ratio 5·8, 95% CI 2·2–15·2), cleaning feeding utensils (3·8, 1·9–7·7), and cooking fresh/reheating food (1·8, 1·1–2·8). However, the simultaneous practice of several behaviours was rare, occurring in only 10% of feeding events (intervention: 15%; control: 4%), and the practice of safe food hygiene behaviours was inconsistent between events. Our findings suggest that a motivational behaviour change intervention encouraged caregivers to maintain certain safe food hygiene practices in a rural setting. However, substantial physical changes in the household environment are likely needed to make these behaviours habitual. NCT02505711. • Behaviour-change strategies involving emotional drivers can improve food hygiene practices. • Consistent adherence to food hygiene can be difficult without an enabling environment. • In resource-poor settings, behaviour change must be combined with resilient infrastructure. • Future research needs to comprehend complex factors affecting adoption and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in causes and consequences of disruptions in parent-child relationships in post-war environments. Recent studies mainly relied on self-reports to gain information about family dynamics following war exposure. Considering the limitations of self-report measures, we see the need for an in-depth examination of post-conflict parenting based on observational and quantitative data. The aim of the present study was the development of a coding system for a culturally bound description of parent–child interactions in northern Uganda, where virtually the entire population has been severely affected by 20 years of civil war. Interactions of 101 mothers and their 6- to 12-year-old children were observed during a structured interaction task (problem solving discussion). Foundation for the development of the coding system was the Family and Peer Process Code (FPP code). The cultural adaptation of the FPP code was based on in-depth qualitative analyses of the problem solving task, including a combination of inductive and deductive latent content analyses of textual data and videotapes, member checking and consultations of experts in the field of behavioral observations. The final coding system consists of 35 exhaustive and mutually exclusive content codes including codes for verbal, vocal, and compliance behavior as well as 14 affect codes. Findings indicate that the assessment of behavioral observations in post-conflict settings provides unique insights into culture- and context-specific interaction patterns and may be critical for the development and evaluation of parenting interventions.

There is growing interest in causes and consequences of disruptions in parent-child relationships in post-war environments. Recent studies mainly relied on self-reports to gain information about family dynamics following war exposure. Considering the limitations of self-report measures, we see the need for an in-depth examination of post-conflict parenting based on observational and quantitative data. The aim of the present study was the development of a coding system for a culturally bound description of parent–child interactions in northern Uganda, where virtually the entire population has been severely affected by 20 years of civil war. Interactions of 101 mothers and their 6- to 12-year-old children were observed during a structured interaction task (problem solving discussion). Foundation for the development of the coding system was the Family and Peer Process Code (FPP code). The cultural adaptation of the FPP code was based on in-depth qualitative analyses of the problem solving task, including a combination of inductive and deductive latent content analyses of textual data and videotapes, member checking and consultations of experts in the field of behavioral observations. The final coding system consists of 35 exhaustive and mutually exclusive content codes including codes for verbal, vocal, and compliance behavior as well as 14 affect codes. Findings indicate that the assessment of behavioral observations in post-conflict settings provides unique insights into culture- and context-specific interaction patterns and may be critical for the development and evaluation of parenting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we extend a mixed method (MM) approach to lesson observation and analysis used in previous research in England, combining multiple structured observation instruments and qualitative field notes, to provide a framework for studying three videotaped lessons from 3rd-grade US mathematics classrooms. Two structured observation schedules are employed, one subject-specific and research-oriented and the other generic and inspection-oriented. Both instruments were previously developed based on evidence from the teacher effectiveness research (TER) knowledge base. Qualitative field notes, in addition to structured observation schedules, provide detailed narratives for each lesson video. Separate findings from each instrument and approach are presented, followed by an integrated analysis and synthesis of results. Although previous studies used similar methods to analyze teaching practice within broader research designs incorporating additional methods and perspectives (e.g. teacher interviews, pupil assessments, pupil questionnaires), this paper explicitly examines the strengths and limitations of the multi-instrument, mixed method approach to lesson observation. Using multiple observation instruments allows for triangulation as well as consideration of complementary foci (i.e. a content-specific instrument measures fine-grained aspects of practice not emphasized in a more generic instrument, and vice versa). Field notes facilitate rich descriptions and more thorough contextualization and illumination of teaching practice than structured observation ratings alone. Further, the MM approach allows for consideration of lesson features beyond those established in TER literature as sufficient to characterize ‘effective’ practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structured observations of parent-child interactions are commonly used in research and clinical settings, but require additional empirical support. The current study examined the capacity of child-directed play, parent-directed play, and parent-directed chore interaction analogs to uniquely predict the development of conduct problems across a 6-year follow-up period. Parent-child observations were collected from 338 families from high-risk neighborhoods during the summer following the child's first-grade year. Participating children were 49.2 % female, 54.4 % white, and 45.6 % black, and had an average age of 7.52 years at the first assessment. Conduct problems were assessed via parent report and teacher report at five assessment points between first grade and seventh grade. Latent growth curve modeling was used to analyze predictors of conduct problem trajectory across this 6-year follow-up period. When race, sex, socioeconomic status, and maternal depressive symptoms were controlled, parental negative attention during child-directed play predicted higher levels of parent-reported conduct problems concurrently and after a 6-year follow-up period. Parental negative attention during child-directed play also predicted higher teacher-reported conduct problems 6 years later. Findings support the use of child-directed play and parent-directed chore analogs in predicting longitudinal development of conduct problems. The presence of parental negative attention during child-directed play appears to be an especially important predictor of greater conduct problems over time and across multiple domains. Additionally, the potential importance of task-incongruent behavior is proposed for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Õpetaja keele- ja suhtluseeskuju mõjutab oluliselt õppeprotsessi kvaliteeti. See realiseerub harjumuspärase tunnisuhtlusstiilina, mis hõlmab nii mitteverbaalse kui ka verbaalse suhtluse komponente: õpetaja ja õpilaste tegevuste kommenteeri-mist, õpilaste vastuste kordamist ja laiendamist, küsimuste valikut ning keele-kasutuse raskusastme varieerimist. Uurimuse eesmärk on hinnata struktureeritud vaatluse teel klassiõpetajate (N = 46) suhtlusstiile ja nende seoseid õpilaste (N= 611) emakeeleoskustega 3. klassis. Rühma- ja indiviidikesksete analüüside ning multimodaalse videoanalüüsi põhjal ilmneb neli suhtlusprofiili, mis eristuvad verbaalse ja mitteverbaalse suhtluse komponentide kasutuse poolest. Kõige vähem kasutavad õpetajad emakeeletunnis enda ja õpilaste tegevuste kommenteerimist ning kõige rohkem õpilaste vastuste kordamist ja täiendamist. Uurimistulemustest selgub, et õpetajatel, kelle suhtlusstiil sai kõrge hinnangu, on oodatust rohkem emakeeletestis kehvema tulemuse saavutanud õpilasi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined a new assessment of behavioral regulation and contributions to achievement and teacher-rated classroom functioning in a sample (N = 343) of kindergarteners from 2 geographical sites in the United States. Behavioral regulation was measured with the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task, a structured observation requiring children to perform the opposite of a dominant response to 4 different oral commands. Results revealed considerable variability in HTKS scores. Evidence for construct validity was found in positive correlations with parent ratings of attentional focusing and inhibitory control and teacher ratings of classroom behavioral regulation. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that higher levels of behavioral regulation in the fall predicted stronger levels of achievement in the spring and better teacher-rated classroom self-regulation (all ps < .01) but not interpersonal skills. Evidence for domain specificity emerged, in which gains in behavioral regulation predicted gains in mathematics but not in language and literacy over the kindergarten year (p < .01) after site, child gender, and other background variables were controlled. Discussion focuses on the importance of behavioral regulation for successful adjustment to the demands of kindergarten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss how profiles of communicative behaviour can be used to present and analyse information about role activity recorded through structured observation of specific situations. The role activities are encoded as distinctive speech acts. Example profiles resulting from the analysis of three clinicians' communicative behaviour during pre-rounds meetings and ward rounds are given. The examples are based on an observational study performed at a Norwegian university hospital. One fifth-year medical student spent 20 days in two different hospital wards, following 7 physicians from one to seven days each. The observer recorded data from several ward situations such as pre-rounds meetings, ward rounds, and discharge situations. The data was recorded by means of an observation form consisting of a mixture of codes and free-text fields. The data has been post-processed by associating each event with one communicative act. The approach is an efficient and useful means for studying clinicians' information and communication patterns in hospital wards, which can serve as an important tool in the design of new clinical information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the chief information officer (CIO) continues to be the subject of much discussion and speculation. Is this just a new name for the MIS manager, or is there truly a new and significantly different function? How has the role of the information systems manager evolved with the changing needs of business? How does the CIO bridge the gap between the organization's strategy and its use of information technology? According to much of the prescriptive literature, bridging this gap is the CIO's definitive function. This article addresses these questions by studying five successful CIOs in five divergent industries. The CIOs were studied using the structured observation methodology employed by Mintzberg in his study of CEOs and by Ives and Olson in their study of MIS managers. The findings suggest that the CIO operates as an executive rather than a functional manager. He or she is an active participant in strategy planning and acts as a bridge between the information technology group, the functional areas, and external entities. This study provides a view of how these difficult tasks are accomplished on a day-to-day basis: through scheduled meetings, interaction outside the information technology unit, a skilled reading of situations, and a strategic focus. Factors affecting the CIO's participation in strategy planning meetings include whether he or she has formal resource allocation authority and their level of peer acceptance. Lessons learned from this research pertain to the delegation of day-to-day tasks, expenditure authority, avoiding adversarial relationships, liaison activities, careful use of language, being perceived as a user of information technology, and the need for quiet time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]