John G. Peden

Proceedings of the 2005 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Contains articles presented at the 2005 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Contents cover tourism planning, roundtable discussion, perceptions and preferences, impact monitoring, management presentations, founder?s forum, poster session, methodology, environmentalism and ethics, crowding and carrying capacity, management issues, constraints, urban park and community forestry: use and management, market segmentation, tourism and the tourist experience, leisure, work, and physical activity, place attachment, recreational and commercial fishing. NOTE, this is the full-text document. Individual papers are available via Treesearch.

Predictors of Coordinated and Comprehensive Care Within a Medical Home for Children With Special Healthcare (CHSCN) Needs

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of coordinated and comprehensive care within a medical home among children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The latest version of the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) employed a national random-digit-dial sample whereby US households were screened, resulting in 40,242 eligible respondents. Logistic regression analyses were performed modeling the probability of coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home based on shared decision-making and other factors. A total of 29,845 cases were selected for inclusion in the model. Of these, 17,390 cases (58.3%) met the criteria for coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Access to a community-based service systems had the greatest positive impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Adequate insurance coverage and being White/Caucasian were also positively associated with the dependent variable. Shared decision-making was reported by 72% of respondents and had a negative, but relatively negligible impact on coordinated, comprehensive care in a medical home. Increasing age, non-traditional family structures, urban residence, and public insurance were more influential, and negatively impacted the dependent variable. Providers and their respective organizations should seek to expand and improve health and support services at the community level.

Assessing Birth to Age 5 Teaching Methods at a University Laboratory School

ABSTRACT This research evaluated the effectiveness of training and educating preservice teachers to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practices for children birth to age 5. Data from 803 participants were collected over a 3-year period at a university with a laboratory child care program associated with an undergraduate degree in child and family development. Findings supported the strength of a 17-item scale that was developed to assess gains in knowledge and skills in a multicourse sequence over the 3-year period. Knowledge and skill increased significantly in all three courses from pre to posttest. The magnitude of change decreased for knowledge and increased for skill as students progressed through the three-course sequence. Knowledge gains were greatest in Course 1 and smallest in Course 3. However, skill gains were greatest in Course 3 and smallest in Course 1. A multivariate analysis of all six time points, involving students who completed the survey in all three classes, indicated that knowledge and skills increased in each class with the greatest increase in skills in Course 3. The laboratory courses were an effective means of promoting understanding and implementation of developmentally appropriate practices in preservice teachers. Implications for improving early childhood teacher education are discussed.