Objective: To determine classroom-evaluated school performance nine years after preterm birth, predicted by perinatal risk factors and neonatal brain abnormalities.Study design: Children were... Show moreObjective: To determine classroom-evaluated school performance nine years after preterm birth, predicted by perinatal risk factors and neonatal brain abnormalities.Study design: Children were recruited from a consecutive cohort of 113 preterm infants ( < 32 weeks' gestation), participating in a longitudinal prospective study, investigating brain injury and neurodevelopmental outcome. Data on perinatal risk factors, presence of brain injury at term-equivalent age, and maternal education were collected. Information on school performance included enrollment in special (primary) education, grade repetition and school results from the nationwide standardized Dutch Pupil Monitoring System regarding reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematics.Results: Information on school enrollment was available for 87 children (77%), of whom 7 (8%) were in special primary education and 19 (22%) repeated a grade. This was significantly higher compared to national rates (p <= .05). Results on school performance were available for 74 children (65%) and showed clearly below average scores in reading comprehension (p = .006), spelling (p = .014) and mathematics (p < .001). Univariate analysis showed that lower performance in reading comprehension was predicted by male sex and low maternal education; spelling by male sex; and mathematics by Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, white matter injury and maternal education. In a multivariate model, male sex and maternal education were predictive for reading comprehension and white matter injury for mathematics.Conclusion: Preterm born children more often need special primary education and have higher grade repeat rates. They perform poorer on reading comprehension, spelling and mathematics. Regular follow-up remains important for preterm born children during school age. Show less
Objectives: To compare the quality of life (QoL) of children with hearing loss (HL) and children with normal hearing (NH) and to examine how the QoL of children with HL changes over time,... Show moreObjectives: To compare the quality of life (QoL) of children with hearing loss (HL) and children with normal hearing (NH) and to examine how the QoL of children with HL changes over time, considering language skills, type of hearing device, degree of HL, and type of education.Methods and materials: This longitudinal study included 62 children with HL and their parents. Developmental outcome data were collected at two time points, when the mean ages of the children were 4 and 11 years. The Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL (TM)) questionnaire, which includes assessments of Physical, Emotional, Social, and School functioning, was completed by parents at both time points and by the children with HL at the second time point. Receptive and expressive language skills at 4 years were assessed by the Reynell Developmental Language Scale. Results were compared with a Dutch normative sample.Results: The QoL of children with HL was similar to that of children with NH at both time points on two of the four QoL scales, Emotional and Physical functioning. On the other two scales, Social and School functioning, children with HL who attended special education and children who switched to mainstream education showed lower scores than children with HL who were consistently in mainstream education and lower scores than children with NH. The School QoL of children with HL decreased over time, as did the School QoL of children with NH. Social QoL of children with cochlear implants decreased over time, but this was not the case in children with hearing aids. Language skills and the degree of HL did not clinically improve the QoL over time of preschool children with HL.Conclusions: The QoL of children with HL in mainstream education and the Physical and Emotional QoL of all children with HL were satisfactory. It is essential to develop specific guidance regarding school activities for children with HL in special education and for children with HL who switch to mainstream education in order to increase their social QoL. Show less
The studies described in this dissertation focus on children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education. It was found that poor academic performance, relational problems... Show moreThe studies described in this dissertation focus on children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education. It was found that poor academic performance, relational problems between children and caregivers, and the age at which youth care was involved for the first time predicted placement in a more restrictive special educational setting over placement in a regular school. No differences in progress outcomes regarding behavioral functioning and academic performance of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in special schools and regular schools were found. Providing emotional support to children with ADHD and ASD proved to be related to positive behavioral outcomes. Poor family functioning was associated with continuity of internalizing problem behavior of children with EBD in the classroom. On the other hand, externalizing problem beh avior in the classroom was associated with continuity of poor family functioning Show less
This thesis comprises four closely related interpretative studies and set out to answer the compound question: __How do teachers interpret their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils__... Show moreThis thesis comprises four closely related interpretative studies and set out to answer the compound question: __How do teachers interpret their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils__ best interest?__ Two empirical studies were conducted. The first study addressed the sub question: __How do teachers legitimise their daily classroom interactions in terms of educational values and ideals?__ The second study explored the second sub question: __How do teachers give expression to their legitimisations when interpreting their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils__ best interest?__ Differences in ways of giving expression to their legitimisations between teachers and different institutional contexts were taken into account. Before the research questions could be answered, two methodological problems had to be addressed. The first concerned how to collect empirical data that is suitable for inquiring into teachers__ interpretations of their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils__ best interest. The second methodological problem revolved around how to identify teachers__ educational values and ideals that underlie these interpretations from the perspective of continental European pedagogy. Implications of the findings for teacher education are presented in the concluding chapter. Show less
