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A discussion of individual variability, in activity-based interventions, using the niche concept
- Authors:
- DADA S., GRANLUND M., ALANT E.
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(4), July 2007, pp.424-431.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Activity-based intervention has been defined as a child-directed, transactional approach that uses logically occurring antecedents and consequences to develop functional and generative skills by embedding intervention of children’s individual goals and objectives in routine, planned or child-initiated activities. In this approach, clear goals and objectives that are functional and embedded in a play activities or routines are developed. The teacher mediates the child’s environment to facilitate learning with the child directing the teacher on the pace, duration spent on the objective. Learning and development in this framework occur through both a carefully planned environment and adult facilitation. Progress made by a child using this approach focuses on observational data that describe if the child is able to respond in functional and generative ways. While activity-based interventions are usually provided for a group of children, progress is measured by describing individual children’s responses. Individual variations in the children’s progress, despite exposure to the same interventions are an area that is seldom discussed. This article aims to explore the niche concept and its application to explaining this variation between individuals. Four children participated in this single-subject, multiple-probe study across four participants. A 3-week long activity-based aided language stimulation programme was developed. The effect of the programme was determined by describing the individual participants understanding of the 24 targeted vocabulary items The results of the activity-based language programme are presented and the variability among the participants is discussed using the niche concept. The role of the niche concept in individual development is described and the implications thereof are discussed. Finally, activity-based intervention research is placed in a systems perspective and possible outcome measures of this intervention are discussed from a multidimensional ecological perspective.
Maternal self-efficacy and maternal perception of child language competence in pre-school children with a communication disability
- Authors:
- HARTY M., ALANT E., UYS C. J. E.
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(2), March 2007, pp.144-154.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The aim of this study was to describe maternal self-efficacy beliefs within the parenting domain and maternal ratings of pre-school children's language abilities, where the child has a communication disability. The association between these two constructs was also investigated. Twenty-five mothers completed a questionnaire consisting of two subsections: parental self-efficacy and maternal rating of child language ability. Convenience sampling was used, and mothers with children attending four special-education schools in the Pretoria area consented to participate in the study. The results revealed that mothers generally had high self-efficacy beliefs within certain parenting roles, in spite of the fact that their child has a communication disability. The lowest competence was reported in discipline and teaching roles. In addition, mothers' reports of patterns of child ability correlated with what has been written in the literature. Correlation statistics generally revealed weak association between the constructs, with the strongest association between the parental domain of discipline and maternal reports of their child's receptive language abilities. Possible reasons for the weak correlation values are proposed. These include factors that may alter the way parents of children with disabilities construct and maintain self-efficacy beliefs; as well as the fact that the two sections of the questionnaire measure maternal appraisals at two very different levels (objective observations and evaluative self-regulatory processes).