Social and Emotional Development

Intergenerational ignorance remains an underexamined barrier to healthy development and informed decision-making in families and communities. Traditional models, such as Bowen's Family Systems Theory, highlight the systemic dynamics that shape individual identity and relational functioning, while Brown's Theory of Inherited Ignorance emphasizes how unexamined cultural and familial patterns reproduce cycles of inherited ignorance that leads to dysfunction across generations. Building on these foundations, the Brown's Epistemic Family Audit Model (BEFAM) introduces a structured, question-based tool for uncovering and challenging these cycles. BEFAM equips children, adolescents, and adults with epistemic practices that allow them to critically audit their caregivers, peers, and potential partners through reflective inquiry. By operationalizing epistemology into accessible family systems questionssuch as how resources were provided, what values were modeled, and what changes were made across generations-BEFAM offers a practical method to detect inherited ignorance while fostering agency, accountability, and intentional growth. This model situates epistemic questioning as both a developmental and cultural intervention, creating pathways for individuals to resist systemic traps and reconstruct healthier trajectories. In doing so, BEFAM bridges theory with practice, positioning itself as a transformative framework for developmental psychology, education, agency, with the likelihood of community empowerment.

throughout this endeavor. My parents are greatly appreciated for their belief in my abilities. In addition, I owe a debt of gratitude to Elizabeth Wyatt who initially chose to harbor me as a stranger in her Baton Rouge home, but that initial meeting developed into a friendship that led to her being a dear, supportive comrade and patient sounding board. A great big "Thank you" is also given to my friend, Pat Alexander, who listened attentively, offered suggestions, gave significant editing assistance, and gave morale support when needed most. I would like to thank the Louisiana school district, superintendent, principal, and the first and second grade teachers who assisted with this study. In addition, I am forever grateful to the parents who were willing to give of their time and thoughts in interviews about the home environment they've provided that they believe nurtures young leadership. Much gratitude goes to my dissertation committee for the support they provided throughout my studies. Dr. Casbergue always responded to my questions quickly, gave incredible morale support, and taught me so much about research and protocol. I also appreciate the guidance, input,

The current design of curricula and skills in the education system has largely assumed that schools are primarily responsible for academic learning and have little to do with emotional and social skills. However, recent findings from cognitive neuroscience and brain research have revealed that emotion and learning are closely linked (see for example, Zins' 2004 study). Gazzaniga's

started as a school of nursing enrolled its first batch of General Nursing Diploma in 1980 and in 1983 chartered as the first private university uplifted the profile of nursing from diploma to doctorate. In 2010, the university phased-out its first program and shifted to a baccalaureate degree education in nursing. This path is now followed at the national level. Accordingly, since 2020 in Pakistan enrollment in nursing is through baccalaureate. This paper briefs about the role of Aga Khan University past four decades particular to nursing in the country.

There is increasing understanding of the significance of early neurodevelopment in establishing risk for the range of mental disorders. Models of the early aetiology of mental disorders are complex with a range of potential factors from genetic and epigenetic to environmental influencing neurological and psychological development. Whilst the mechanisms are not fully understood, this paper provides an overview of potential biological and neurobiological factors that might be involved. An aetiological model is presented and discussed. The discussion includes a range of risk factors for mental disorder. Maternal anxiety disorder is presented and reviewed as an example of the interaction of placental, epigenetic and early parenting factors elevating risk of poor neonatal outcome. Available evidence points to the importance of in-utero influences as well as the role of early attachment and emotional care. Transgenerational mechanisms such as the impact of maternal mental disorder on foet...

Children's abilities to express contextually useful emotions and regulate emotions are related to their school adjustment and academic achievement. In this study, we examined the specific contributions of emotional positivity and emotion regulation during a direct assessment to broader self-regulation, social-emotional behavior during play, school adjustment, and school readiness. We found that each construct made useful contributions to these important outcomes. Implications include the need to pay increased attention to emotional competence in Head Start research and classroom practice.

Exposure to neighborhood violence is an important risk factor for the social and emotional development of children and youth. Previous work recognizes that violence may affect children indirectly via secondhand exposure; yet, few studies have aimed to identify and quantify these effects, especially in settings like Colombia where youth is chronically exposed to violence. To address this gap in the literature, this article implements an empirical strategy where geographically specific and time-stamped data are leveraged to identify the effect of indirect exposure to homicides on fifth grade children's social and emotional outcomes. Sample participants (N = 5801) represent the fifth-grade population of boys and girls (50.7%) in two major urban areas in the country (Mage = 11.01, SD = 0.75). We hypothesize that the effects of exposure to neighborhood violence on children's social and emotional skills will be consistent and negative. The findings indicate a consistent negative e...

In this study, information was given about the adaptation studies of the “Incomplete Stories with Doll Family Scale” which was developed for determining attachment at the age of six in terms of social and emotional development. 60 students from preschool departments of primary schools in Muş Province participated in the study. As a result of exploratory factor analysis, the variance of one factor was computed as 55.92%. Confirmatory factor analysis results confirmed that tested data fit well with the data. Cronbach alpha coeff icient (.83) and Spearman Brown split-half correlation (.83) were computed. As a result of these analyses, it is concluded that the scale is accepted to be reliable, valid, and suitable for Turkish children.

There is growing awareness of the benefits of curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in Early Childhood Education and Care settings for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. While many SEL programs aim to strengthen teachers’ capacity and capability to foster children’s social and emotional skills, research effort has focused on understanding the impact on child outcomes, with less emphasis on improvement in teaching quality. This systematic literature review examined the effectiveness of universal curriculum-based SEL programs on teacher outcomes. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, capturing ten distinct SEL interventions. The findings suggest SEL programs may strengthen teaching quality, particularly the provision of responsive and nurturing teacher-child interactions and effective classroom management. Data were insufficient to ascertain whether participation improved teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, or social-emotional wellbeing....

Exposure to neighborhood violence is an important risk factor for the social and emotional development of children and youth. Previous work recognizes that violence may affect children indirectly via secondhand exposure; yet, few studies have aimed to identify and quantify these effects, especially in settings like Colombia where youth is chronically exposed to violence. To address this gap in the literature, this article implements an empirical strategy where geographically specific and time-stamped data are leveraged to identify the effect of indirect exposure to homicides on fifth grade children's social and emotional outcomes. Sample participants (N = 5801) represent the fifth-grade population of boys and girls (50.7%) in two major urban areas in the country (Mage = 11.01, SD = 0.75). We hypothesize that the effects of exposure to neighborhood violence on children's social and emotional skills will be consistent and negative. The findings indicate a consistent negative e...

Despite widespread recognition that family-centered care (FCC) is a critical component of quality pediatric health care, not all children receive FCC. This study builds on previous work by: (1) examining the extent to which socioeconomic resources are associated with the receipt of FCC after implementation of the Affordable Care Act, (2) exploring whether healthcare workforce shortages interfere with the delivery of FCC, and (3) extending previous research on the role of FCC in child well-being by measuring well-being across multiple domains and including children without special health care needs. Using data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (n=50,212), this study found a graded relationship between the odds of receiving FCC and multiple indicators of family-level socioeconomic resources, indicating that socioeconomic resources, beyond health insurance, are important factors in accessing quality pediatric health care. Healthcare workforce shortages may also play a role in the availability of FCC. Results from this study found consistent and significant associations between FCC and positive child well-being among healthy and typically developing children, and these associations were found across all domains of development. Findings indicated that FCC is particularly beneficial for young children (0-5 years), and children in households with low to moderate socioeconomic resources, making it a potentially meaningful tool to help reduce health disparities for children from households with more limited socioeconomic resources. Future research, and policies and practices aimed at increasing the delivery of FCC should include and emphasize the experiences of Hispanic families and families with limited socioecnomic resources.

The fastest growing population of students entering preschool classrooms are English language learners (Winsler et al., 2014). Not only is the population of English language learners growing (Winsler et al., 2014), but there is a steady increase in the academic achievement gap. Further, the growth of ELL students corresponds with the gap. Related to both is social and emotional development. Social and emotional skills provide the apparatus for all learning. The early childhood educator is well-versed in teaching these skills. Therefore, an early childhood educator teaching social and emotional development to English language learners provides opportunities to remedy the academic achievement gap. Such remedies appear as play and social interactions that incorporate students with all levels of English skill. This paper synthesized research on English language learners and the benefits of social and emotional development taught in Early Childhood classrooms. The research showed the value of English language-learning children entering high-quality early childhood classrooms at an early age. Programs that teach social and emotional education provide all children with a foundation to advance academically and close achievement gaps.

This research was conducted to probe the effects of parental conflict on youth self esteem. Objective of study was to explore reasons behind parental conflict, to measure the level of parental conflict on behavior of children, to find out change in the behavior of children, to identify the role of parents in the self esteem of children, to know how

started as a school of nursing enrolled its first batch of General Nursing Diploma in 1980 and in 1983 chartered as the first private university uplifted the profile of nursing from diploma to doctorate. In 2010, the university phased-out its first program and shifted to a baccalaureate degree education in nursing. This path is now followed at the national level. Accordingly, since 2020 in Pakistan enrollment in nursing is through baccalaureate. This paper briefs about the role of Aga Khan University past four decades particular to nursing in the country.

An in-depth look at the social and emotional skills children need to become capable and caring people. Chapters include: Tempering Perfectionism; Building Connection; Finding Joy.

“A literal Godsend. Parents will find great wisdom in its pages.”
— Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Background: Over the past decade, the use of digital tools has grown and research evidence suggests that traditional media and new media offer both benefits and health risks for young children. The abilities to understand and use language represent two of the most important competencies developed during the first 3 years of life through the interaction of the child with people, objects, events, and other environmental factors. The main goal of our study is to evaluate the relationship between digital devices use and language abilities in children between 8-36 month, considering also the influence of several variables. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study on 260 healthy children (140 males = 54%) aged between 8-36 months (mean=23.5±7.18 months). All the parents completed a self-report questionnaire investigating the use of digital devices by their children, and a standardized questionnaire for the assessment of language skills (MacArthur). Multipl...

Today’s world is particularly influenced by technology. The omnipresent and ever advancing nature of modernisation has caused technology to manifest itself at the individual level, in the home, at the dinner table, the workplace and at school. The current study examined how a caretaker’s technological device use affected caretaker- child interactions. Through naturalistic observations of at least one adult engaged with a device and one child in their care, this study intends to shed light on how a caregiver’s dependence on technology may influence the parent-child dyad. There were a total of 12 caretaker-child dyads, 8 female and 6 male children between the ages of 6 months to 7 years observed. The study had three main hypothesis: (1) if a caretaker was engaged in a technological device they displayed delayed responsiveness to their child’s needs, (2) that device use was indicative of decreased shared attention within caretaker-child interactions and (3) children would revolt against or towards caretaker’s engaged with an electronic device. Results found that the contributions of modernity were significantly negative when placed in the forefront of a caregiver-child interaction. When using a device caregivers were more likely to reach high states of absorption, delayed responsiveness and harshness towards the child; in response to a caregivers device usage the children mostly exhibited movement away from the caretaker, increased vocalisation and neutral responses, which suggests acceptance and normalisation of device use in caretaker-child dyads.

Thepurposeofthisstudyistoinvestigatetheeffectofstorytimeandreadingstories on the development of toddlers’ social and emotional skills between 24 and 36 months of age. A sample of 10 toddlers was randomly selected from three different classes at the laboratory nursery of The University of Jordan. A pre-test and post-test were developed to measure the social and emotional skills of toddlers. Data were collected by administrating the measure for the lead teacher at the toddlers’ room. Results from the data presented indicated that social and emotional skills for toddlers have improved positively. Also, the results indicated that toddlers’ mean scores in the post-test were higher and more significant than that in the pre-test. This indicated that storytime in toddlers’ daily routine affects their social skills significantly. Recommendations and suggestions for future research are presented. Keywords: Toddlers; story time; reading stories; social and emotional development; Jordan

Employing descriptive exploratory research design, ten parents; eight mothers and two father, having
children between 5-8 years of age were recruited from a community of high income strata in Karachi,
which is one of the mega cities of Pakistan that is among the low and middle income countries1. Using
semi structured interview guide, data was collected through in-depth interviews of the participants.
Findings revealed that parental conflicts negatively impact on children’s social and emotional
development which they demonstrate through being aggressive, losing interest in their education,
losing confidence, ge􀄴ing detached from their parents and siblings and at times being abusive. Such
emotions, if not treated well, may result them indulging in anti- social behaviors and personality
disorders. Hence, it is concluded that positive parental relations are important for children’s emotional
and overall development. These findings can assist practitioners to promote healthy parental
relationships, early identification of conflicts and to intervene as needed.