Objective This study examined the emotional experiences of parents of young children (3-6 years old) during the COVID-19 pandemic, including links between parental emotions and child social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment.Background The COVID-19 pandemic was an emotionally complicated and challenging time for families with young children.Method Participants were 85 parents who responded to open-ended questions about their emotions, coping, and parenting challenges at the end of the first year of the pandemic; responses were analyzed using both qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative text-analysis approaches. Parents reported on child adjustment at three time points.Results Thematic analyses revealed variation in parents' emotions during the pandemic, including feelings of overwhelm, sadness, and frustration but also moments of resilience and connection. The emotional tone of parents' narrative responses predicted child internalizing and externalizing symptoms 1 year later, controlling for family demographic variables and child symptoms at previous timepoints.Conclusion Results contribute to our understanding of parenting emotions and early childhood social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment across the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic.Implications Findings highlight the importance of a longitudinal, emotion- and family-focused approach to early childhood mental health, with implications for interventions to support families during times of crisis and social upheaval.
Although digital library (DL) acceptance has been widely examined, the acceptance of mobile DLs among blind and visually impaired (BVI) users remains underexplored, particularly regarding the role of accessibility. Extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the unified theory acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) frameworks, this study developed and validated the BVI users' DL acceptance model (BVI-DLAM) in mobile environments. The study employed multiple data collection methods, mainly a survey of 120 BVI users using a variety of mobile devices. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was conducted to estimate the structural model. This model outlines the interrelationships among facilitating conditions (FC), accessibility, performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), satisfaction, and behavioral intention (BI). FC exerts a significant positive impact on accessibility, which strongly affects PE and EE, thus positively influencing user satisfaction. Moreover, this model reveals that PE and EE do not have a direct effect on BI. Instead, their influence is fully mediated by BVI users' satisfaction. The significance of the BVI-DLAM model lies in advancing DL acceptance research by positioning accessibility as a central construct and providing a user-centered framework for understanding BVI users' acceptance of mobile DLs. Based on the model, the practical implications focus on how to improve the design of mobile DLs to enhance BVI user acceptance.
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs offer an interdisciplinary/interprofessional training opportunity for medical and allied health professionals, and individuals impacted by disability, including family members and self-advocates. Toward the aim of advocating for the enduring need of LEND and similar training programs, this article centers the voices of a subset of our alumni who have advanced the rights and improved the lives of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These stories are intended to illustrate the key lessons and principles of LEND training, including attending to disability issues in education, growing skills within and between individuals working together, prioritizing person- and family-centered care, and promoting advocacy and leadership. This testimony shows how LEND’s reach goes far beyond the clinical setting and expands into the community. Funding LEND should be viewed as an investment in inclusive and equitable healthcare, education, and opportunity.
While pedagogical research often focuses on assessment, feedback, and grading (AFG) practices, we lack a clear understanding of how instructors both conceptualize and implement these elements of teaching in their courses. To explore on-the-ground interpretations of AFG in college courses, we conducted one-on-one Zoom interviews with 27 undergraduate introductory biology instructors at 2- and 4-year institutions in the United States. Participants were asked to describe the purpose of AFG and to share examples of their AFG practices. Using a dialogic, reflexive coding process, we found that instructors' goals for AFG were multidimensional and sometimes contradictory. For instance, some viewed grading as a motivational tool, while others saw it as discouraging motivation. Additionally, the boundaries between assessment, feedback, and grading were often blurred: grading was sometimes described as feedback, and vice versa. In some cases, instructors' AFG philosophies were not clearly translated into AFG practices. These findings underscore the need to better distinguish and articulate the roles of AFG in undergraduate biology instruction (and beyond). Clarifying these concepts can enhance communication between instructors, students, and pedagogical researchers, which could help lead to supporting more effective learning strategies.
