Reading engagement is an essential component of children's reading achievement. This three-chapter dissertation considers a new approach to conceptualizing reading engagement through the lens of children's immersion, or absorption, in a text. Chapter 1 examines the theoretical underpinnings of story world absorption, sometimes known as…

In the context of a cross-ethnic comparison, this study aimed to determine the attitudes of students from two different ethnic backgrounds (Turkish and Syrian) toward science according to various biological and parental variables. Methodologically, this study was conducted as a quantitative research using the survey method. Data were obtained from…

The gestures produced by children with intellectual disability (ID) in spatial tasks are rarely considered, although they have a supporting role in the formation of thought. In this research study, we analyzed the number of gestures, the type of gestures, and their role in the expression of knowledge of students with ID. Twenty students (12-17…

This paper explores the issue of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) presented by young people, advocating a preventative approach through an increased focus on primary education. The definition of HSB, contributing factors and recent prevalence among young people is discussed. Much of the research and policies explored relate directly to England and…

Faced with myriad societal norms, children must decide which norms to accept and which to reject. These decisions hold consequences for how norms change over time. Decisions about norms are particularly salient for religious children in pluralistic societies, who encounter norms both from their own as well as from other religious and non-religious…

This integrative research review explores in what ways multimodal writing, a newer writing approach, can promote multilingual adolescents' writing growth. This research review finds that multimodal writing benefit multilingual learners in providing flexibility in meaning making process, expanding and deepening learners' understanding of writing in…

To convert accelerometer-based devices onto the same scale, a platform called Monitor-Independent Movement Summary (MIMS) was created and used in national studies. Yet, its physical activity (PA) intensity cutoff scores have not been established, making it less useful. This study was to link MIMS with the ActiGraph Count, known as "the…

Although phonemic awareness is an essential skill in learning to decode written words, practitioners may question which phonemic awareness tasks best operationalize their relationship with orthographic mapping, the process that converts a decoded word into one instantly recognized on sight. Tests from the "Woodcock-Johnson IV" were used…

Executive functions (EFs) and intelligence (IQ) are phenotypically correlated. In twin studies, latent variables for EFs and IQ display moderate to high heritability estimates; however, they show variable genetic correlations in twin studies spanning childhood to middle age. We analyzed data from over 11,000 children (9- to 10-year-olds, including…

The menarche age in girls with intellectual disability and high support needs (HSN) is approximately the same as in girls with typical development. However, there is no clear teaching procedure for menstrual hygiene management (MHM) skills before menarche. This study examined whether a menstrual education program that focuses on visual support…

Although parent-child conversations about race are recommended to curb White U.S. children's racial biases, little work has tested their influence. We designed a guided racism discussion task for U.S. White parents and their 8-12-year-old White children. We explored whether children's and parents' (a) pro-White implicit biases changed pre to…

Background: Children who experience sexual or physical abuse often delay their disclosure. This study aimed to clarify the barriers and facilitators to abuse disclosure in a sample of children and adolescents participating in a police interview regarding alleged abuse. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 children (nine girls)…

Within ethnolinguistic minority families, parents and children often differ in language usage and proficiencies. In this study, we investigate the role of intergenerational language differences in cultivating and/or complicating family relations and how aspects of gender may moderate these relationships. Guided by the Family Language Policy…

This study aims to identify the barriers parents face in communicating with their pre-adolescent children about sexual topics and consent using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Feminist Theory to inform this research project. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of parents with pre-adolescent children (ages 9-13) via…

Little is known about the relationship between working memory (WM) abilities and reading in children with cerebral palsy (CP) who have age-appropriate communication and language. The aim of this group case study is to analyze the WM abilities and their relationship to reading in children with CP and age-appropriate communication and language.…