Examining how rural ecological contexts influence children’s early learning opportunities

Iruka, Iheoma U.; DeKraai, Mark; Walther, Janell C; Sheridan, Susan M.; Abdel-Monem, Tarik

doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.09.005

Cited by 22 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In order to provide services and resources for children, it’s important to garner their individual and shared perspectives in a way that takes into account local and global conditions (Ben-Arieh et al, 2014 ; Newland et al, 2019a , 2019b ). Second, it builds on recent work that has highlighted contextual influences on children’s subjective well-being and reveals potential adaptations in children’s proximal contexts and well-being during an unprecedented global event, the COVID-19 pandemic (Amerijckx & Humblet, 2014 ; Atilola, 2014 ; Bates et al, 2020 ; Ben-Arieh et al, 2014 ; Firmin et al, 2020 ; Glendinning et al, 2008 ; Iruka et al, 2020 ; Newland et al, 2015 )). Third, from a methodological standpoint, the authors increased the trustworthiness of the study by utilizing a well-established interview protocol, sampling that led to saturation, member checks, coding verification, and auditing (Creswell & Poth, 2018 ; Shenton, 2004 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A majority of studies using an ecological framework to understand child subjective well-being and development within a variety of countries focus on proximal contexts (microsystems, e.g., family, peers, school, neighborhood) embedded within broader macrosystems (cultural and geopolitical contexts, including ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rural culture). They also account for the bidirectional influences between children and their contexts, and changes to those contexts over time, via the chronosystem (Amerijckx & Humblet, 2014 ; Atilola, 2014 ; Bates et al, 2020 ; Ben-Arieh et al, 2014 ; Firmin et al, 2020 ; Glendinning et al, 2008 ; Iruka et al, 2020 ; Newland et al, 2015 ). While these studies have added depth and breadth to our understanding of well-being, the impact of context is not static, and changes in contexts will lead to changes in child outcomes (Amerijckx & Humblet, 2014 ; Firmin & Rayment-McHugh, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rural Children’s Well-Being in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Children in the Midwestern United States

Newland

Mourlam

Strouse

2022

Int. Journal on Child Malt.

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Children in rural areas are more likely to experience a variety of risk factors that increase their vulnerability to physical and mental health disparities. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1986) was used as a framework for understanding rural children’s perceptions and well-being within multiple interactive contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenological study was designed to explore rural children’s perceptions of their well-being and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their contexts and well-being. This sub-study of the Children’s Understandings of Well-Being project followed the standard qualitative interview protocol with additional prompts related to the pandemic. Rural children (age 8 to 18, N = 72) from the Midwestern United States participated from March 2020 to November 2021 via teleconferencing. Phenomenological analyses of transcripts focused on the essence of children’s understanding of well-being and their perception of the impact of the pandemic on their contexts and well-being. Each transcript was coded by author 1 and verified by author 2, and discrepancies were identified, discussed, and resolved. The third author served as an external auditor to enhance trustworthiness. First-cycle coding focused on children’s specific references to well-being experiences during COVID-19. Second-cycle selective coding focused on specific well-being experiences and contexts that were impacted by COVID-19. These codes were used to develop two broad themes, “Well This Kinda Stinks, But We Just Adapt” and “ Safety Means Something Different to Me Now .” The meaning of themes and subthemes are explored, with implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural Children’s Well-Being in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Children in the Midwestern United States

Newland

Mourlam

Strouse

2022

Int. Journal on Child Malt.

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“…Current research around equity‐oriented instruction centers around allowing students to: (a) navigate multiple epistemologies of science as opposed to adapting to one (Bang & Medin, 2010; Bettez et al, 2011); place‐based science learning (Lanouette, 2022; Luce et al, 2017; Schindel Dimick, 2016); the framing of science as actionable (McNeill & Vaughn, 2012); and parental engagement for female science learners in urban settings (Koch et al, 2019). Instructional strategies include: supporting student development in competence in the fundamental scientific practices (NRC, 2012; Peker & Wallace, 2011); development of science learning ecosystems that leverage local (Iruka et al, 2020) and electronic resources; not just increasing access to college preparatory science courses but the quality of those courses (Hallett & Venegas, 2011); developing ecologies of science learning that connect in‐class with out‐of‐class learning in urban and rural schools (Wonch‐HIll et al, 2018); and cognitively engaging science learning in economically disadvantaged rural communities (Ihrig et al, 2018) and urban settings.…”

Section: Solutions To Address Inequitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An ecosystem approach to teaching science can address the lack of resources with respect to disciplinary content specialists and materials in rural and urban classrooms. The ecosystem would leverage home-school-community partnerships to codesign and implement science learning experiences for students (Iruka et al, 2020). Families can engage in intergenerational learning while motivating students to persist in academic study.…”

Section: Urms Gender Rural and Urbanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present in class yet absent in science: The individual and societal impact of inequitable science instruction and challenge to improve science instruction

Jones

Burrell

2022

Science Education

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Current science instruction does not educate K‐12 students equitably and creates short‐ and long‐term impacts on individual students and society. While students may be present in class, they may not have access to quality science learning experiences. The goals of this paper are to show how science instruction may not be reaching its aim of equitable access and to offer recommendations for creating a new baseline standard for equitable science instruction. Though not exhaustive, this paper identifies groups of students who are marginalized in current‐day science instruction—the racially minoritized, those with physical and cognitive differences, and those in urban or rural communities. First, this paper challenges the neutrality of science by highlighting systemic yet negative outcomes that disproportionately impact minoritized populations in everyday life because of the narrow network of people who define and solve problems. Second, this paper identifies examples where science instruction is not of its highest quality for the highlighted groups. Third, we present a synthesis of research‐informed solutions proposed to improve both the quality of science instruction and its equitable access for the highlighted groups, creating a new baseline standard for equitable science instruction. An elevated baseline would address the existing disparities in who has access to quality science instruction and consequently reduce the gatekeeper effect of who defines and solves societal problems that perpetuate intergenerational inequities.

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“…Approximately one-third of schools in the United States are considered rural ( Iruka et al, 2020 ). Rural refers to an area that has fewer than 4,000 housing units or 10,000 persons within a census block territory ( U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 ).…”

Section: Rural Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural parent and elementary school student resilience to COVID-19: Disability status and parental predictors of change

Chatlos

Samudra

Magoon

et al. 2022

School Psychology International

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Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic relates to child and parent functioning in a rural population. The present study investigated how disability status and parent factors related to resilience in a rural population before and after the shift to remote instruction. Parents of elementary-aged children in a rural area of the U.S. completed an online questionnaire, rating their own functioning and their child's academic, cognitive, and socioemotional functioning (1) retrospectively thinking back to a month before the pandemic, and (2) at the time of the survey, approximately four months after the onset of pandemic changes. Parents of children with disabilities perceived stronger child resilience through the pandemic transition than parents of children without disabilities. Additionally, parents who better maintained their work-life balance and support through the pandemic transition reported stronger resilience in their children. These results highlight the importance of supporting all children and parents during difficult transitions (e.g., providing additional resources so that parents can maintain similar levels of balance and support through the transition), including those students who have experienced less adversity pre-transition.

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Examining how rural ecological contexts influence children’s early learning opportunities

Cited by 22 publications

References 36 publications

Rural Children’s Well-Being in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Children in the Midwestern United States

Rural Children’s Well-Being in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Children in the Midwestern United States

Present in class yet absent in science: The individual and societal impact of inequitable science instruction and challenge to improve science instruction

Rural parent and elementary school student resilience to COVID-19: Disability status and parental predictors of change

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