The revised new forest parenting programme (NFPP) is an 8-week psychological intervention designed to treat ADHD in preschool children by targeting, amongst other things, both underlying impairments in self-regulation and the quality of mother–child interactions. Forty-one children were randomized to either the revised NFPP or treatment as usual conditions. Outcomes were ADHD and ODD symptoms measured using questionnaires and direct observation, mothers’ mental health and the quality of mother–child interactions. Effects of the revised NFPP on ADHD symptoms were large (effect size >1) and significant and effects persisted for 9 weeks post-intervention. Effects on ODD symptoms were less marked. There were no improvements in maternal mental health or parenting behavior during mother–child interaction although there was a drop in mothers’ negative and an increase in their positive comments during a 5-min speech sample. The small-scale trial, although limited in power and generalizability, provides support for the efficacy of the revised NFPP. The findings need to be replicated in a larger more diverse sample
Science is a process of acquiring understanding, not just a collection of facts. The literature on teaching science emphasizes the importance of student research—teaching students to develop new knowledge, rather than solely assimilating facts. As student research becomes more widely integrated into curricula, there is an ongoing opportunity to develop and refine explicit techniques and tactics for facilitating authentic research by students. Here, we draw on our experience as instructors in the tropical biology field course at Dartmouth College to provide specific strategies and approaches that we have used to help students conceive and conduct original research projects. We organize our suggestions around the stages of the research process, from generating and refining questions, optimizing methods, and interpreting data, through presenting findings and placing research in a broader context. Although research skills often develop organically through immersion in research environments, it is our experience that explicit instruction can expedite the development of these critical skills.
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